Daily Loaf

Never in a million years would I picture myself on the front lawn of the famous ATO Fraternity house on the beautiful campus of University of Central Florida. However, the fraternity’s annual Rock the Reef concert featured my all time favorite band, Just Surrender, so I put my prejudices aside and gave the frat brah’s a chance. Let me just take a minute and give those frat brah’s props; I’d imagined a group of meat-headed,  douche-baggy guys getting drunk and trying to bang chicks. The boys of ATO completely changed my mind — they rocked out to the music, did some stage diving, and thrashed around in the mosh pits. Most importantly, they made sure all the ladies were safe amongst the rowdiness. Insane.

That aside, Just Surrender blew my mind (as they have in the past). The five-piece Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based band got together back in 2003. Over the years, there’ve been various lineup changes and a whole lot of musical growth. Just Surrender’s debut, If These Streets Could Talk, hit stores in 2005. They were featured on MTV’s You Heard It First that year, boosting their fanbase across America. Despite not-so-great reviews (critic Christopher Felton described them as “unfortunately nothing more than a half-decent attempt at copying the work of far more superior bands”), the band soldiered ahead with their sophomore album, We’re in Like Sin, in 2007. Shortly after, the band released a four-song EP, Stronger Now, which was passed out at Warped Tours around the country. Their albums are great, but in order to really get a feel for this band, seeing them live is a must. Just Surrender has toured with bands like Autopilot Off (fellow New Yorkers), Bayside, My American Heart, Cartel, Hawthorne Heights, The Audition, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Every Avenue, Set Your Goals and many others.

Music is a necessity in my life. I’m addicted. The post hardcore, pop-rock sounds of Just Surrender (on tour now with Hawthorne Heights, pictured at left) gives me a high greater than any drug out there, and it’s totally legal. Just Surrender’s goofy lead guitarist Dan Simons brings ridiculous, in-your-face riffs along with fresh back-up vocals to the music. Plus, he makes us laugh with hilarious stage antics every chance he gets. During “Night Beasts,” he ran on stage in short jean shorts, a tight camouflage shirt, and a sideways baseball hat, and just grinded up on some poor guy. That is one element of Just Surrender that I love: they are there to have fun and entertain their audiences. If that means doing something completely ridiculous, who cares?

Lead singer, Jason Maffucci puts his heart and soul into their shows. His vocals are an up-and-down spectrum of sweet and poppy singing, and loud, grungy screaming. I sorta felt bad for this New Yorker. Playing an outdoor show in Florida was obviously hard on him, sweat soaked his cotton v-neck (it was sexy). God, they put on an amazing show and the crowd was loving it. I was shocked by the number of people who knew the music (it made me laugh). Like I said before, I’d always thought of frat boys as listening to Jack Johnson and drinking Natty Ice while playing XBox. I never expected them to rock out to Just Surrender. Ever. All in all, I learned that not all frat boys are jerks with crappy music taste. I also found a deepened love and respect for a band that’s helped me through some horrible times. Definitely worth the 90-minute drive and countless number of tolls.

Oh, I almost forgot. Just Surrender just signed with Razor and Tie records and is expecting to release their third full-length sometime in April of 2010.

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