Smile Empty Soul

11/14/2019
Smile Empty Soul @ Back Bar
Janesville, WI

It was a pretty fantastic night of early 2000s grunge. Sean Danielson the lone remaining member of Smile Empty Soul brought his band to the Back Bar on what should’ve been a relatively slow evening. The room was filled leaving just a path in the back to get from side to side.

Having caught Smile Empty Soul right after debut self titled release (which is certified Gold), I already knew it was going to be a fun night. The set list encompassed every album they have had released. I was positioned right in front of Sean for the first half of the show. Vocally, the strength of his voice was quite impressive. The voice I heard was stronger than the album recordings. Part of the time you could hear him at the back of the room when he stepped away from the microphone. At one point people were yelling over and over for “Silhouettes” and “Nowhere Kids”. Sean simply laughed and replied “Its coming later”. Gotta love when a band just goes with it. Overall, these guys were in sync and one of the more fun concerts I went to this past year. Everything ripped and was pleasurable to the ears. No embellishment to their music in the slightest. It was performed as written. 

It was a fantastic evening of rock. Safe to way I really want to see them perform again next year when they come around. On another note Sean took time at the merchandise booth to meet, greet sign and take photos with every single person in the building. I had the pleasure of having one of the album covers I brought signed. Very humble guy. The moment left a great impression on me.

Set List:
Black and Blue
Self Inflicted
Don’t Ever Leave
Chemicals
Food Chain
Sitting Ducks
Out To Sea
Van Nuys
Silhouettes
Sides
Faceless
False Alarm
Bottom of a Bottle
Nowhere Kids

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