Christopher Browder (Mansions) - Photo by Auburn Petty - Editor-in-Chief

Because I’m super nerdy, I showed up to the Garage in Durham about an hour before I should have, couldn’t find the entrance to the actual venue and then stood in front of the stage, angry-tweeting about the horrible lighting in – literally – the garage I was in.

Once I got past the fact that I was going to take crappy pictures with long exposures and manual focus all night, I have to admit that it was one of the best all-round experiences I’ve had at a show.

Young Statues played first, and They. Were. Awesome. As it turns out, the crowd was lucky we were even watching them perform because a few days prior, their van caught on fire. Thanks to the other two bands on the tour, Young Statues didn’t have to miss any shows, which definitely played out in my favor.

I don’t really know how to describe their music other than saying that each song is so aurally pleasing; each song is exactly what your ears want to hear. I’m not joking.

The same goes for Mansions, who played next. I think I played it pretty cool all night, but let me tell you: I was FREAKING OUT.

You know how people always ask, “If you could only listen to 5 bands for the rest of your life, who would you choose?”

Okay, maybe normal people don’t ask that, but as a music journalist, people ask me that a lot. Mansions is always, always, ALWAYS on that list. Ever since I heard “Curacao Blue” for the first time, I was sold. (Briefly, we will mourn the fact that they didn’t play “Curacao Blue” at the show. Okay, we’re done.)

The set was awesome, and overall, I was extremely happy with their performance. It was the first time I’d ever seen Mansions, and I was actually blown away (when I wasn’t getting frustrated because I couldn’t get a good picture of Christopher Browder).

Next up was the headliner, A Great Big Pile of Leaves. I only heard the first song or two from them before I was whisked away to interview Browder and Robin Dove (Mansions), but what I heard was spectacular. I ended up buying their CD, Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?, and I love it.

All three bands were truly spectacular, and I definitely recommend heading out to a show if they’re in your area. Dates are listed here.