4 bands' frontmen go solo, acoustic

By John Benson

Dude, where’s your band?

That’s what rock fans are asking about the debut “Where’s The Band?” tour, which features solo acoustic performances by frontmen Dustin Kensue (Thrice), Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids), Chris Conley (Saves The Day) and Anthony Raneri (Bayside). Conceived by a booking agent who represents all of the aforementioned bands, this star-studded and unique bill rolls into Pittsburgh on Saturday for a gig at Mr. Small’s Theatre and into Cleveland on Sunday for a show at the Grog Shop.

While bands such as Bayside have previously ventured into the acoustic world, what stands out about the “Where’s The Band?” tour is how some of the emo and post-hard-core act singers will make the unplugged transition. The show features four chairs, four microphones and a revolving door of singers playing solo and together.

“Doing the acoustic stuff, Dustin from Thrice is probably the furthest from what his band sounds like,” said Bayside singer Raneri, calling from Brooklyn, N.Y. “But he does have a few solo records out that are like an alt-country kind of vibe, and I would assume he would stick mostly to that stuff. And Saves the Day and The Get Up Kids, those are just great songs.”

He added, “For me, this is a huge thing and anybody who is a fan of me who is coming to see me play, I think it should be really exciting because you can see my influences. So it should be really interesting and like one generation to the next.”

Raneri said those influences will be evident within the various cover songs he plans on performing. Off the top of his head, he said that list may vary from the Alkaline Trio and Tim McGraw to Bad Religion and Neil Sedaka.

“I’m all over the board,” Raneri laughed. “It could be a punk song, it could be a country song but it’ll be an awesome song whatever it is. The cool thing about the solo touring and not having a band is if I’m in the car that day and listening to music and something strikes me, I can just play it that night.

“I really like for my covers to be surprising, and I think I’m really good at picking covers. It’s something that I really pride myself on, and I feel it takes it back to the old way in the ’50s when people used to do covers all the time. So it’s really fun for me. When it comes to the solo stuff, I really like to entertain people. That’s really my main thing.”

While Raneri hints the “Where’s The Band?” tour could become an annual event, he stressed he’s focused on Bayside, which last year released the punk-inspired “Shudder.” It’s been an interesting journey for the group, which in 2005 suffered a tragedy when a band van accident killed drummer John “Beatz” Holohan and seriously injured bassist Nick Ghanbarian.

With so much behind them, it appears Bayside has not only reestablished a sense of normalcy but is gaining momentum with Raneri excited about the future.

“Where we’ve gone as a band careerwise and successwise is so much further than I would have imagined when I was younger, a teenager starting the band,” Raneri said. “It’s great, it’s been an awesome ride and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.”