Hawthorne Heights

Buckcherry

The Subways

Edgefest 2006 promises to breathe fresh air into Buffalo’s summer concert schedule. Aside from actor Jared Leto’s surprisingly progressive-tinged rock endeavor 30 Seconds to Mars, who headlined Edgefest in 2005, this year’s lineup brings new blood and a different tone to the radio-sponsored music event. In previous years the giant concert featured mainstream radio acts like Billy Idol and Our Lady Peace. This time around, Edgefest’s focus is on some of the hottest young bands on the current musical landscape.

The main attraction is the high-energy rock band Taking Back Sunday. With their radio-friendly brand of dual-guitar-accompanied confessions, TBS has become a staple on college radio, and the success of their latest album, Louder Now (Warner Bros.), appears to be catapulting them toward superstardom. Dynamic and fast-paced, TBS has attracted a lot of attention from fans of punk, pop, hardcore, and emo/screamo.

Sharing the spotlight is Yellowcard, straight off the Virgin College Media tour, who will also be headlining the event and are sure to please the throngs of screaming girls with their jump-out-of-your-seat, poppy brand of punk. Combining a hard-edged sound with upbeat, positive messages, the smartly packaged Yellowcard has seen amazing success since its first big gig on Warped Tour back in 2002. The band’s latest album, Lights and Sounds (Capitol Records), entered the Billboard Top 200 at number five.

The shaggy-haired boys of Hawthorne Heights are also one of Edgefest’s main attractions and are enjoying a year of big exposure. 2006 saw them release a new album, which vaulted them up the charts as their single “Saying Sorry,” reached the top 10. Capitalizing on the growing attraction of easy-access Web sites such as MySpace and PureVolume, Hawthorne Heights has been able to spread the good word quickly and is rapidly gaining fan support.

Other Edgefest acts include Buckcherry, whose hit single “Crazy Bitch” is about as self-explanatory as a pop song gets; pop princes Head Automatica, who are returning some dignity to the genre; the poignant and thoughtfully intense Matchbook Romance; seasoned alt-rockers Anberlin; the Subways, whose popularity in Britain is a harbinger for success in the States, and who boast a refreshing rarity for this testosterone-driven lineup—a female bass player; Toronto-based Christian rap/rockers Thousand Foot Krutch; LA’s angsty Halifax, whose exposure has been primarily attributed to relentless touring and the previously mentioned Internet accessibility; Rock Kills Kid, with its tortured underground indie feel; pop-punkers Hit the Lights, who can also be seen on this summer’s Warped Tour; the reportedly unruly Canadian band Hedley; Buffalo’s own SpeakerFIRE; New Jersey’s Pryde, and a host of other ambitious up-and-comers, for whom Edgefest just might be a career-maker!

Take note that Edgefest, originally slated for a return to the familiar venue of LaSalle Park, has been moved downtown to the Buffalo Convention Center. This change was made to accommodate curfew restrictions so the bands can play later into the evening. And, of course, if it rains, now the show can—and must—go on.