Glassjaw plays Laga

Glassjaw, American Nothing, The Blood Brothers, Coheed ‘ Cambria

Club Laga…

Glassjaw, American Nothing, The Blood Brothers, Coheed ‘ Cambria

Club Laga

Tonight, 6 p.m.

$12 at the door/$12 advance

(412) 687-4636

If there’s one show fans of underground rock and hardcore should attend this semester, it’s tonight’s show of Long Island, N.Y.’s own hardcore heroes, Glassjaw.

From their humble beginnings with the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang EP in 1997, to 2000’s Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence and finally to their latest masterpiece, 2002’s Worship ‘ Tribute, Glassjaw is a band that just defies all odds of any band on the planet. GJ started off as a screamy hardcore band with what sounded like forced singing vocals. But with Worship ‘ Tribute released this year, the boys have matured more than ever, with songs accessible to the MTV Generation without losing their roots. Their first single, “Cosmopolitan Bloodloss,” was the biggest landslide in terms of MTV’s viewers’ choice votes in the history of MTV. While that’s baffling, their dedicated fans prove to be 110 percent behind one of the best bands of the past few years.

American Nothing hails from Boston, and were originally called American Nightmare. The hardcore legends featuring members of ex-Boston powerhouses Ten Yard Fight were forced to change their name because a band from the South had the same name. American Nothing features one of the most one-handed hardcore singers in the biz, along with a live show that causes a chaotic tornado of moshing and stage-diving that’s notorious for its ability to unify crowds with unheralded power.

The Blood Brothers are the latest brainchild of producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Glassjaw). He has turned this already deadly screamy group into a masterful binge of sound. With Burn Piano Island, Burn set to be their latest disc with a March 2003 release date and demo tracks floating around the Internet, they amaze kids with their hard-hitting lyrics and intense riffs and rhythms.

Coheed ‘ Cambria was here not too long ago with Thrice and Hot Water Music, and are just one of the bands you just need to experience live. With a sound that’s unlike any other rag-tag rock acts that you see around on television, C’C just manages to blow you away with their heartfelt lyrics and intense live show. It would be a travesty to miss them, or any of these bands, on Thursday night. Do yourself a favor and be there when the fun happens. If you don’t, you’ll find that Thanksgiving dinner next week to not be as fulfilling as if you had gone to the show.