Maritime and The Life and Times at Johnny Brenda's

With a spiffy new record out this year, Maritime came to Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia Oct. 13 with three goals: Drink some beers, talk about baseball and maybe play the occasional song. The guys were hilarious throughout their hour-plus set, and they even brought along some solid openers in Deleted Scenes and The Life and Times.

First though, the crowd had to get through an awkward bonus set from Victor Villarreal (ex-Cap’n Jazz/Joan of Arc). Villarreal was gearing up for a tour of his own, so he opted to test out some new material with just an acoustic guitar and a tambourine. While his guitar playing was both proficient and often beautiful, Villarreal’s unfamiliarity with his own songs led to a lot of weird stops/starts while he tried to play along with his notebook. People never quite knew when to clap. Dude trotted out a solid cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill,” though.

Up-and-comers Deleted Scenes kicked things up a notch though. Spastic and electrifying a la XTC and Dismemberment Plan, the band tore at their instruments with a terrifying urgency. Everyone in this band is really good at what they do. Drummer Brian Hospital dropped insane beats with force; the guy really didn’t even need to be miked. Bassist Matt Dowling took on extra duties with back-up vox and keyboards, while Dominic Campanaro opted for just keys ‘n’ guitar. Then there was Daniel Scheuerman. Scheuerman’s guitar playing had a percussive feel to it that gave the group’s indie dance rock some extra grit. As a vocalist, he wasn’t afraid to shriek or cry out in a childlike voice before dropping to a bark. Deleted Scenes took me by surprise and made me a fan of their new record, Young People’s Church of the Air.

To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on The Life and Times. After listening to Deleted Scenes’ angular tunes, TLAT came off as robotic post-rock. Drummer Chris Metcalf sported a Russian Circles shirt, and it’s clear that group is an influence. But the crowd really, really liked them. A couple of people were air drumming. Even more people were head bobbing in unison as the band sliced through one pseudo-shoegaze/indie rock tune after another.

When I think of Maritime, I think lush, atmospheric pop rock. Perhaps inspired by the openers, Maritime instead brought the rock hard. They kicked off their set with “For Science Fiction,” off of 2007’s Heresy and the Hotel Choir, and from then on out they just kept ripping through numbers from across their discography. With the exception of “The Window is the Door” during the encore, the band rarely let up. Frontman Davey von Bohlen was constantly dancing on stage, while drummer/keyboardist Dan Didier amped up the tunes a couple of notches.

They were just as entertaining in between songs, though. von Bohlen has been in a ton of bands (The Promise Ring, Cap’n Jazz, Vermont), so he’s got experience working crowds. He told jokes and stories while tuning, whether it was discussing the pros and cons of Paul Simon playing “Cecilia” twice in a row live or just dropping baseball commentary. He was also a good listener as well; when a fan called out for “Annihilation Eyes,” off the group’s stellar latest album Human Hearts, von Bohlen chucked the setlist and delivered.

Personally, I was most stoked to hear new material like “It’s Casual” and “Air Arizona” live, although the crowd also went off for older tunes like “Guns of Navarone.” After a 60-minute set and three-song encore, Maritime bowed out to applause and (presumably) more beers ‘n’ baseball.

Maritime - 'Human Hearts'

Usually when a band drops a new album, it’s judged within the context of that group’s discography. Not so for Maritime; vocalist/guitarist Davey von Bohlen has a lifelong legacy of music with the Promise Ring, Cap’n Jazz and Vermont (Remember Vermont?). The dude was, for a while, an emo icon whose net worth was estimated based on a single album, Nothing Feels Good, released when he was 23. But the truth is the guy has been cranking out stunning indie rock tunes for a long time now.

von Bohlen’s song have always been, scientifically speaking, the catchiest. Even when he slowed things down for TPR’s swan song Wood/Water, the melodies and hooks were supreme. Maritime started off in a similar place with Glass Floor in 2004, at least in terms of energy. But gradually, von Bohlen has gotten back to his indie rock high point without recycling, culminating in 2007’s Heresy and the Hotel Choir. That record found a balance between indie rock and new wave; new album Human Hearts goes a step further and betters Hersey as a result.

The group delivers 10 infectious indie hits with a dance floor vendetta. There’s definitely an ’80s influence that draws from Modern English and the Cure circa The Head on the Door. I have to say Depeche Mode is in there too; “Faint of Hearts” knicks/edits the chorus from “Enjoy the Silence,” which the band covered for A.V. Undercover. This puts the band in line with fellow pop peddlers like Phoenix and Tokyo Police Club.

Speaking of A.V. Undercover, did you know that Maritime’s “It’s Casual” is the theme song for the second season? Did you know that song is awesome? It’s so awesome that Maritime chose to open Human Hearts with it. A shoegaze-y guitar strum gives way to a dance drum beat before von Bohlen comes in with his trademark warble. It’s a fun tune. “Paraphernalia” and “Black Bones” repeat the trick before “Peopling of London” mellows out the pace a bit.

“Faint of Hearts” is another mellow number, a subtle and gracious love song. I like it, but I also forget it once “Annihilation Eyes” comes on. That song is the strongest of the set, and perhaps the most Promise Ring-esque. It stomps and strums and the hook is huge. The record gradually winds down after this party starter.

Maritime has consistently improved itself with each record. Human Hearts makes that growth an impressive four-album streak. I miss the Promise Ring, but with releases like this one, it’s hard not to live in the now.

Maritime - 'Heresy and the Hotel Choir'

As much as I love the ’90s incarnation of the genre, a sad part of emo (no pun intended here) is its unwillingness to let stuff go. I’m not just talking about unrequited loves; I’m talking about the fans. Emo fans hate it when their bands grow up. The Get Up Kids took flak for On a Wire; Jawbreaker only just recently got its due for Dear You, which is to say nothing of Jets to Brazil, Blake Schwarzenbach’s criminally underappreciated follow-up band; The Promise Ring disappointed many folks with Wood/Water when all they wanted was Nothing Feels Good 2: The Pandering.

It’s a shame fans lose interest so easily, though. They’re missing out on some classy tunes. Case in point: Heresy and the Hotel Choir by Maritime. The not-so-new band from Promise Ring members Davey von Bohlen and Dan Didier, Maritime is a remarkable pop rock band for fans who thought everything PR did post-1997 was still solid gold.

I’d like to compare Maritime as the Jets to Brazil to The Promise Ring’s Jawbreaker, in that it is a worthy second act that simply does not get enough credit. While The Promise Ring’s older material has a bit more grit to it than that of Maritime’s, that’s more a result of lo-fi recording than musical crunch. Besides, frontman von Bohlen still crafts catchy gems either way. They’re not as wide eyed and naïve as older songs like “Make Me a Mixtape” or “B is for Bethlehem,” but they do offer just as much glee.

Album opener “Guns of Navarone” is every bit as catchy as anything off of Nothing Feels Good. Yeah, I said it. It’s got a carefree pomp to it, rollicking along in a pseudo-country bar band fashion. Emo-country-rock? Perhaps; perhaps not.

Heresy and the Hotel Choir carries with it more ethereal instrumentation, though. Where a Promise Ring song would get to the point fairly quickly—using as little as two lines for a verse before hitting a chorus—Maritime feels things out. Von Bohlen and Dan Hinz let their guitars mix in some ambience on tracks like “Are We Renegade” and “With Holes for Thumb Sized Birds.” Think of it as U2-ean without the preachiness.

Sometimes these vibes translate into new wave, like on “Hand Over Hannover” or “Pearl.” At times, the band briefly recalls such weighty comparisons as The Cure or The Smiths, but just for mere moments.

Some songs still get to the point quite quickly, however (i.e. these should be singles!). Track three, “For Science Fiction,” comes with a galloping bass line, fist-pumping drums and, of course, von Bohlen’s trademark voice, catchy and yet slightly odd with its reedy lisp and straining vocal cords.

A little over a year since its previous album, We, the Vehicles, Maritime has returned with Heresy and the Hotel Choir, and fans of indie rock and ’90s emo should pay attention. These guys are crapping out pop gems like whoa, so listen up.