Jan 28

Jan 28 Show Review: The Almost Bring Southern Weather To Oakland's New Parish

Aaron Gillespie of The Almost performing at The New Parish in Oakland, CA. January 24, 2020. Photo: Jared Stossel

The Almost
w/ All Get Out, Ghost Atlas, R.O.W.D.Y.
The New Parish
Oakland, CA
January 24, 2020
Photos and review by Jared Stossel

Back in the golden days of the “scene”, it was almost an essential part of your career to suddenly branch off and create your own side project, with music that was almost always the opposite of what your primary band created. One of the more prominent side projects to arise from this era was none other than that of The Almost, the alternative rock act created by Underoath drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie. The Almost released their highly acclaimed debut album in 2007, just a year after Underoath unveiled their magnum opus, Define The Great Line, and amassing near-universal critical acclaim and sold-out world tours. While both projects were riding high, things behind the scenes weren’t always as happy as they would appear to those viewing the band on the outside.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Gillespie posted the following statement to his project’s social media profiles, along with a photo of him embracing Underoath guitarist Tim McTague:

“There was unnecessary friction between myself and the rest of Underoath when I started The Almost. Creative differences led to bruised egos, fear, and rejection amongst many of us in the band. My new creative outlet became The Almost even though I was very much a part of Underoath. Time, maturity and a strong friendship have helped these feelings fade. Saturday night, for the first time ever, my Underoath family came to see The Almost show in Tampa. This was more special than you could ever imagine. Tim had actually helped write “Drive There Now” off ‘Southern Weather’ (which I'm playing in its entirety this tour) and it was truly an honor to share the stage with him in for the song.”

To say that The Almost’s current tour (their first in seven years) is a celebration of the evolution that Gillespie and Co. have undergone in the past several years would be quite an understatement. It’s amazing to reflect and realize that Southern Weather dropped almost thirteen years ago (it was officially released on April 3, 2007, via Tooth & Nail Records). It’s an album chock full of songwriting that has stood the test of time, so it was an absolute pleasure to see the band bring it to life last Friday at The New Parish in Oakland, CA.

The show was opened by Riley Anglen (aka R.O.W.D.Y.) with a country/singer-songwriter set that actually set the tone for this show incredibly well. Anglen is the current bass player for The Almost, and Gillespie asked him personally to open up each night of the tour. The half-hour acoustic set led straight into full-band performances from alternative rock acts Ghost Atlas and All Get Out. Both brought forth emotionally vulnerable performances, providing moments throughout in which all in attendance quite literally shut up and gave their full attention to what was happening on the stage. It’s rare to see a band that can captivate people like this nowadays, even in a more intimate environment like The New Parish.

When The Almost hit the stage, you could tell that everything was just so genuine. From the performance to the on-stage banter, to the NASCAR racer logos that adorned their amplifiers, you knew that you were in for a fun time the second they kicked off with Southern Weather’s eponymous track. A majority of the tracks from the band’s set came from the former, with a select few coming from Fear Caller, the band’s most recent effort and their Fearless Records debut. It provided a healthy mix of both old and new, and was a unique take on the usual “album anniversary shows”. You got something you didn’t necessarily expect, and that only made things more exciting as the evening progressed. The only downside of the show was how short it was; I could have seen them play for at least another hour.

After playing through ten different songs, Gillespie remained on stage to play two acoustic tracks and bring the evening to a close: Fear Caller’s “Dirty and Left Out”, and Southern Weather’s “Amazing Because It Is”. These two songs only accentuated what makes The Almost such an enjoyable band all these years later. It’s comprised of a passionate singer-songwriter who brings forth emotional and heartfelt material, backed by a group of musicians whose passion and musicianship equate his own. It works on every level.