I often get caught up in the indie scene, forgetting why I started listening to ‘category = indie’ music in the first place.  While many of our writers grew up with Pavement, The Flaming Lips, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, etc., I was a no-eyeliner emo kid that spend my afternoons before football practice listening to Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, and Straylight Run.

Of the three aforementioned bands, Straylight Run has stuck with me the most, still earning a rotating spot on my weekly playlists.  With John Nolan back in Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run is no more, so I spent some time perusing YouTube for their former alt-emo goodness.  I don’t consider them emo whatsoever, yet I can’t really back up my statement when their lyrics include: “big shot screaming put your arms to the sky, give it up boy, give it up or you’re gonna die.  You get a bullet in the back of the neck, in the back of the neck, right between the eyes.”

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In high school, I was an emo kid, I got older; I found some new music that reminded me of what I grew up with, and I started wearing colorful beanies and short jorts.  It’s clear to see that the majority of all indie music is simply an evolved form of the music that preceded it.

The bands of old, still reeling from the concept of a new music industry are becoming keen on the idea of modernizing through a process of indie-ing themselves up.  Take Thrice for example.  They were just on tour with Bad Veins, left Island Records, and released an album in ’09 that was recorded using “several wooden devices”.

Other notable musicians to deviate from the emo genre include Ryan Ross and Jon Walker (formerly of Panic at the Disco), Nate Ruess (lead singer of fun. and formerly of The Format) and Michelle DaRosa (former member of Straylight Run).

DaRosa is the wife of Jeff DaRosa (Dropkick Murphys) and is now the lead singer of indie folk outfit Destry alongside Shaun Cooper (Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run), Sam Means (The Format), Tyler Odom (Northstar), and Nico Childrey.

DaRosa first impressed me with her soothing vocals in Taking Back Sunday’s “Bike Scene” and “Ghost Man on Third”.  Vocals that resemble eating a slice of cherry pie while sitting in a field of tall smiling sunflowers set ablaze (image below).  Unlike Tell All Your Friends, Destry is airy, perky, and downright precious. Make sure to check out “Don’t Forget Me”, “Leave The Light On”, and “Sing My Song”.