MISFORTUNE500

Originally Published May 07, 2008

"Lit Lounge's seedy underground cavern has several first-rate memories attached to it (and certainly several dreadful ones), but I was relieved to tack another high quality experience to the list last night as Athens, GA act Misfortune500 took the stage to an eager East Village crowd.

The band, an anthemic yet groove focused take on post-punk, are touring these United States in support of their debut LP, Before This Winter Ends. Their thirty-five minute set was captivating and the crowd was receptive to the rhythmically laced originals, which not only made me shake a bit of a tail feather, but the band’s knack for a soaring chorus added a welcome amount of epic drive to the mix; a rare treat for such an dance-oriented aesthetic. Their set was laced with tracks featured on their debut, some of which slashed and bounced chaotically, while others ebbed and flowed with calculated grace. Their closest touchstone, defunct UK act The Chameleons (one of this blogger’s personal favorites), was also given two cover treatments, lovingly nestled into the band’s oeuvre. The band didn’t miss a beat as they launched into 'Don’t Fall' and 'Paper Tigers' as if they owned them entirely.

Meanwhile, unlike most acts breezing through New York with the bare minimum of hassle, Misfortune500 upped the production value of the dank basement venue with their own series of foot-controlled floodlights, which kicked in during especially powerful moments. Nothing says class like your own lighting rig, and the band exuded it both on and off the stage, yielding several treats for anyone lucky enough to be in attendance.

The band appears in Boston tonight, and should you be up for a bit of a road trip, you certainly shan’t regret it. If not, be sure to keep your eyes peeled and catch them first chance you get."

-Frank Deserto, LimeWire Music Blog - LimeWire Music Blog

Originally Published June, 2008

"Misfortune500 have the sort of half-baked name that causes me to completely ignore a band. Which, in their case, I did. But one afternoon not long ago I was listening to WREK when a song jumped out of the brush and hit me like sniper fire; I was in the car, and when I got to where I was going I parked and stayed the DJ finally came on to backtrack the last dozen songs. Turns out what I'd Heard was "Panther Panther," the opening shot off Misfortune500's Before This Winter Ends CD, which came out late last year but who's keeping score? This Athens quartet blasts out some of the most wicked, dynamic and propulsive rock I've heard in quite a while. Taut, tense and jagged, their brand of urgent post-punk hits with the blunt, relentless wallop of Volcano Suns filtered through dark/early Echo & the Bunnymen and, for lack of a better reference, the earlier, rawer U2. Sounds like it'd be a mess, but it's actually quite good, even if nothing matches "Panther Panther in intensity. Worrisome: They have Duran Duran hair. Whatever, they're at the FiveSpot on June 7th."

-Jeff Clark, STOMP AND STAMMER MAGAZINE - STOMP AND STAMMER MAGAZINE

Originally published September, 2007

"One of the most important things a band can do when recording an album is produce something that is memorable and will immediately grab attention. On Misfortune500’s latest, Before This Winter Ends, they do all of this and more. Having only been together for a little over two years, Misfortune500 are already on point with the state of rock music today. This Athens quartet takes on an interesting perspective when creating its unique blend of angry, late-’90s alternative and current dance-rock.

On the opener, “Panther Panther,” the guys and gal build up the instrumentals before they head into the vocals. But when Chisolm Thompson’s pipes come in, there’s a relief that his voice can carry and match the music they are creating. There are moments that can make you anxious, such as “Of a Map,” where Thompson and company deliver a powerful anthem. Then, on “VaudeVillain,” the angrier side of Misfortune500 surfaces. While it is more aggressive, it serves its purpose.

Taking little bits from the playbooks of The Pixies, U2 and Toadies, there are songs that push the listener away and songs that evoke emotion. They even include a clever cover of The Chameleon’s “Don’t Fall,” which does not disappoint. With a social conscious and songs based on political activism, some numbers can throw listeners for a loop as to what they are singing along with. But, after becoming aware of the fact, it’s understandable why Misfortune500 preaches what they do. (Self-released)"

-Kenneth Gambill, SOUTHEAST PERFORMER MAGAZINE - SOUTHEAST PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Originally Published September 29, 2008

"Athens, Georgia has had one of the best underground music scenes in America for some time now, although it has been a fair while since something as big as REM or The B52’s crawled out of it and into mainstream stardom. Misfortune 500 are the latest band to chance their arm at it and they’re certainly making a good go of it, it has to be said.

If you’ve listened to anything by Interpol, Editors or The Killers you’ll feel in familiar territory. Misfortune 500 also bring thoughts of early U2, Blondie and even the almighty Echo and the Bunnymen to mind.

Reading that back that seems a tad unfair, as to be honest this album deserves to stand on its own too feet. Yes, it sounds vaguely familiar, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. I actually like it quite a bit. The singer has a good range – with some really good screaming every now and then – and the music is pounding, thumping, energizing stuff. Yes, like all of these indie bands they sound like they’ve been wandering around with a black cloud over their heads for a few years, but they don’t half make a good racket. The guitars are sharp and angular, the vocals are raw and energetic and the tunes are well worth the effort for those of you that like to wear stripey t-shirts and dance without using your arms.

If you feel like you need to do a bit of shoegazing, you could do much, much worse than this. You could listen to Editors, for example, and we wouldn’t want you doing that now would we?"


-Damian Leslie, INCENDIARY MAGAZINE - INCENDIARY MAGAZINE