by Matt Kelchner

Fresh off the release of Dark Arc, Saintseneca, the Columbus, OH folk group led by Zac Little, came into town Thursday night to show off their new tunes. Dark Arc is the result of a long and laborious time Little and company spent in the studio crafting and perfecting each song. The album features some of Little’s best songwriting to date and he demonstrated such on Thursday night.

Saintseneca have made a name for themselves for relentlessly touring in the punk and hardcore DIY network. It may seem odd to pair the soft and humble rootsy songs of Saintseneca with a harder, more abrasive sound but working with the theory of opposites attract, it always makes for an interesting and diverse lineup. Thursday night was no different.

Opening the show were locals Three Man Cannon followed by Saintseneca’s touring mates, Memory Map. Like their headliners, Three Man Cannon have also recently released a new album, Pretty Many People. Out via local label Lame-O Records, it’s quite an impressive album from the young band. Aside from the blazing songs, Three Man Cannon have also generated quite a buzz for themselves for being the new project from two of the three formers members of Tigers Jaw. Thursday night they played a short set comprised of songs from Pretty Many People. As impressive as the songs sound on the album, Three Man Cannon made them sound even better live. The rhythm section steadied every song while melodies shined through the walls of noisy guitar work. Three Man Cannon showed Thursday night that they are well on their way to being one of the next great acts from Philadelphia.

Next up for the night was Memory Map. In keeping up with the apparent theme of the night, Memory Map were also celebrating the release of a new record. The Sky As Well As Space recently came out via Joyful Noise Recordings. The group is made up of all seasoned veterans to the local scene in Bloomington, IN and it was easy to tell Thursday night. Singer/bassist Mike Dixon warmed up his vocal chops by singing along to The Knife’s “Heartsbeats” as it played over the stereo system as they were setting up. Once they were ready to begin, it was an onslaught of energy and excitement.

The technical precision of each member individually was very impressive. Intricate guitar lines mashed and mingled amongst the steady bass lines and drummer Josh Morrow’s powerfully busy drum beats. Somehow everything came together beautifully for Memory Map as there was never a dull moment on stage for the Hoosier state supergroup. And one bit of trivia that you can take home about Memory Map, one of the group’s guitarists Mike Bridavsky is also the primary caretaker of one of the internet’s favorite cats, Lil BUB.

Dressed in all black with a dapper dress shirt and vest to match, Zac Little stood not front and center, but together with the rest of his band. While Little is the mastermind and songwriter behind Saintseneca, he placed himself so that the spotlight was not on him the entire night. In between every song, Little and most of the other members of the five piece band switched instruments. Despite touring behind a new album, Saintseneca began the night with an older classic, “Acid Rain”. The crowd swayed and sang along as Little crooned.

Much of the remainder of the night was devoted to the new songs off of Dark Arc. The folky singalong tunes like “Uppercutter” and “Falling Off” sounded full and robust with near perfect harmonies from the band. The only time the spotlight was on Little was when the other members left the stage for his solo rendition of “Happy Alone”. As the night came to a close, Saintseneca added another older song to the mix, “Beasts”. Before the last song, Little humbled thanked the other bands that joined him Thursday night, as well as the venue. Right after, he and the rest of Saintseneca jumped into “Blood Bath”, the lead song from Dark Arc. As amazing as Saintseneca’s set was, it ended seemingly abruptly and too soon. The upside from such a short set is that it left myself and the rest of the crowd yearning and wanting more.