Circa Survive grows up
By VANESSA FRANKO
The Press-Enterprise
In the eyes of Circa Survive singer Anthony Green, the hotter a show gets, the better.
"I love it when it's super sticky-melty-stinky hot," Green said.
Those are some of the most memorable shows for the front man of Circa Survive, the Philadelphia-based, post-punk band that has played both UC Riverside's Heat Festival and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
On Sunday, the band plays Stinger's Bar and Nightclub in San Bernardino.
The band is supporting its new album, "Blue Sky Noise," which is a step away from the band's earlier work, venturing into more experimental territory with a jump to a major record label.
The subject matter of the album is dark. Green chronicles his descent to the edge of madness and the miscarriage his wife suffered.
"It makes it 10 times better to play live, because you're not trying to reach some standard that's nearly impossible. Having a record that's more raw, I think definitely makes it easier for you to adapt to playing those songs live. You don't have to worry about it sounding perfect," Green said.
The album is the most personal effort the band has put forth with Green, bassist Colin Frangicetto, guitarist Brendan Ekstrom, drummer Steve Clifford and bassist Nick Beard crafting soundscapes from the haunting, dream-like "Spirit of the Stairwell" to the frenetic, almost Flamenco acoustic guitar of "Fever Dreams."
"You want to always be taking the next step forward. I think all of us, after we made the record, prepared for people to be more alienated by it than they are," Green said.
"I think this record's a lot more accessible to people who had, before, either been a little more freaked out by our band or not gotten it," he said.
To get the sound, the band members met with a dozen producers, trying to figure out who clicked with them. One of the biggest points for the band was crafting a full release in a digital-single world.
"We knew we wanted a cohesive-sounding album that people could listen to from front to back," Green said. "We wanted to be the type of thing we used to know."
The band will perform with The Dear Hunter and O' Brother.
7 p.m. Sunday, Stinger's Bar and Nightclub, 194 W. Club Center Drive, San Bernardino, $15 in advance and $20 at the show.
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