Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, A Great Big Pile of Leaves took the stage at Schubas Tavern in Chicago to a small group of diehard fans. Tightly packed front-and-center, fans chants and danced along to the short set of pop-punk tunes. Philly/New Jersey quintet Young Statues kicked off the night of warm indie punk, ideally suited for the unexpected burst of summer in Chicago. Swelling guitars and nostalgic melodies filled the air as the group played songs from their self-titled debut album. Before long, indie scenesters piled into formation leaving the back half of the venue nearly empty.
A Great Big Pile of Leaves have toured with the likes of Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything and Saves the Day. Although their style is reminiscent of pop-punk bands such as those they’ve toured with, each member of the band has a different musical background for added spice.
Pulling from jazz, concert band and self-taught journeys, this quartet found its niche among a sea of indie-rock bands.
From Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?, “A Few Screws Loose” instigated the crowd to break out into a dancing frenzy. Lead singer, Pete Weiland had a smile on his face the whole time and a humbled attitude as he belted out the tune with a touch of Dan Andriano flared vocals. This track, among most others, is youthful and energetic. Their stage presence was intoxicating and the crowd sipped in every minute of their half hour set.
A Great Big Pile of Leaves sprinkled the night with new and old tracks. They played songs from self-produced 2007 and 2008’s EP series The Fiery Works and played a song from their upcoming EP, due out in July.
The quartet announced the release of their new material in early February and are said to release another series of EPs in addition to a full-length album in the fall.
