The following is an edition of Mac’s Tracks, The Mirror’s music column. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Drury Mirror. 

On Jan. 31st, a couple friends and I headed to the Outland downtown for yet another show. I’m a lot less adventurous than I like to let on and probably would not have attended without the encouragement of my roommate, an avid fan of the opener, Landon Tewers. Headlining the tour was Ghost Atlas, a band with a definitive emo-rock sound.

Opening acts included Flashing Lights, a homegrown rock band out of Joplin, MO. and a young local musician. Both emphasized their own love for the main performances of the night and kept the audience entertained before Tewers took the stage.

Perhaps one of the oddest shows to have an all-ages admission (Bad Bad Hats specified 18+ only), Landon Tewers is an alternative blues sound with lyrics that can only be described as gently psychotic. He is the leading member of The Plot in You, a metalcore band he formed in 2010 out of Hancock County, Oh. His solo works are intense, creepy and deliver messages absolutely no one should act on. They are extremely well-done and very memorable, however.

Ghost Atlas is the independent side-project of Jesse Cash, also a member of the metalcore band Erra. The group has garnered some die-hards in town – many people were guessing and cheering for songs before Cash had the chance to announce them. He kept a smile up in between songs and had plenty of interaction with the audience. Their set was loud and pure emo with no pop punk about it.

Tewers and Ghost Atlas have toured together before, even in the Springfield area, and each had a solid stage presence. Tewers highlighted a difference in performance vs. personality as each song closed off with a lowered head and a “thank you,” exchanging banter with some of the attendees and joking around with his bandmates. Ghost Atlas was happy to be there and made it no secret, enjoying the chance to play for people who were equally excited to see them.

Springfield has a remarkable music scene for a city of its size, but concerts do not always draw the most energetic attendees. We all exist with a degree of self-consciousness that favors head nods and tapping feet as opposed to full-body dancing. I was slightly disappointed with the crowd, though – for a night full of high-energy musicians with songs stuffed with raw emotion, there was a distinct lack of hype. I may be a hypocrite here; I certainly wasn’t whirling with reckless abandon.

Regardless, Ghost Atlas and Tewers drew out a strong crowd for a Thursday night and everyone there was enthralled to see them. It was an excellent chance to check out artists that I wouldn’t normally seek out and an awesome mood-booster.

The Outland is an excellent venue that hosts plenty of regional names and up-and-coming artists. Their February line-up is found on their website: https://www.outlandcomplex.com/.

This week’s Mac’s Tracks features songs from Landon Tewers and Ghost Atlas: https://open.spotify.com/user/leninadeee/playlist/1Z9lvA9foUf22NSOJpGHsM?si=0DEDa4CuTmyl82V9x8PX4Q

Article by Maclean Johnson.