Fivestar Riot

ABOUT

“Look up. It just might surprise you. I think we’ve found your cure./ Don’t know where we’re going; does it matter? Why do we need to be so sure?”

The only words from Fivestar Riot’s contemplative “Unfamiliar Sky” immediately strike the heart of the teen-age band. The title track from its 2005 release captures singer and songwriter Charlie Coté’s fight against cancer, while speaking to the uncertainty of anyone’s future. The lyrical power Coté offers throughout the five-song EP is bolstered by the band’s depth and originality. While other acts worry about their image and what gigs will score the most chicks, Fivestar is busy perfecting its sound. The band’s unique arrangements dash the “verse-chorus-verse” pop formula, and its songs feature enough catchy hooks and harmonies to keep you humming along. In contrast to the gently poignant “Unfamiliar Sky,” the hard-driving pulse of songs like “Better” and “Through the Rain” show Fivestar Riot’s ability to rev it up. With the third album of its young career, Fivestar Riot is set to make a name for itself beyond Rochester, New York. But if you’re looking for wanna-be rock stars keep searching, these guys just want to play good music.

Fivestar Riot's complex arrangements, high energy performance, musical talent and pop-sensibility set them apart from the average teen band, creating a unique, refreshing and memorable sound. Keep your eye on this young band as they have a bright future. Formed in the summer of 2001, the band started as a fairly typical pop-punk act taking its inspiration from Green Day, Saves the Day and Weezer. Since then, the band has cultivated a loyal following in Rochester, NY and has developed a more mature sound and compositional style, leaning more toward Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab for Cutie but maintaining it's edgier Saves the Day style.

If you love Nickelback, then you'll probably hate this band, but if you love Sunday mornings, then Fivestar Riot's a month full of Sundays. Some have described them as Saturday Morning Cartoon Rock and still others liken them to a mid-summer's drive sprinkled in light rain when one finds the ideal windshield wiper interval where both optimal visual clearance as well as minimal squeaking is achieved. Yes, Fivestar Riot is a lot like Rainex.