REVIEW: A Four Beer Night With Canella, Cinema Stare, Radical Joy and Scotchka
03/07/25 @ No Fun, Troy
Photos by Tom Miller
“Every moment is new, intriguing and interesting without ever overstepping and taking focus away from the songs.”
On Thursday, February 27th, No Fun in Troy, NY hosted a local and regional pop-punk showcase featuring Albany’s Scotchka and Canella joined by Western Massachusetts’ Radical Joy and New Haven, Connecticut's Cinema Stare. The following is a stream of consciousness retelling of the evening’s events.
It’s 8:10 pm and Scotchka is taking the stage. A five-piece band and they’re all noodling a little bit to dial in the levels. There is also a long-haired, bearded gentleman just off stage-left. He’s got some kind of projector situation that is creating this amazing stage aesthetic. It’s taking all the band members and turning them into silhouettes passed through some kind of visual filter. I’m not entirely sure how this works, but it’s reminiscent of the Better Call Saul title sequence just with less neon coloration and fewer burner phones.
Scotchka’s energy is super high, especially from the lead-guitarist stage left. They’re playing their own brand of midwest-emo, but less American Football and more Free Throw. The pop-punk influence is palpable. And right on cue, here comes the song singing longingly about Colorado. Does Colorado count as the midwest? I mean, certainly the eastern portion of the state is a lot more akin to the Iowas and Indianas of the country. At the very least, it’s partially midwest.
We’ve reached Scotchka’s set-closer and this instrumental breakdown is dope. So dope in fact, that the lead singer has exited the stage to stand in the crowd and take a video of his bandmates rocking the fuck out. That is extremely endearing and genuinely very supportive stuff from a lead singer. Did y’all see that video of Perry Farrell accosting Dave Navarro during the Jane’s Addiction reunion tour? All lead singers should be as supportive as this guy; good on you!
Strong opening set to start the evening. Really enjoying the vibes in this room. I’m on solo-dad duty while the wife is on a work trip in Nashville so I probably shouldn’t have another beer, but I’m having fun so fuck it: another Jack’s Abbey House Lager it is.
9:10pm and Radical Joy is taking the stage. The four-piece takes the stage and does a quick 30-second runthrough of Weezer’s “Pork and Beans” to soundcheck. Man, that song rules. In other news, long-haired bearded bro is still off stage left playing with the projector. I thought that was just a Scotchka thing, but apparently not.
They’re coming out strong with this set opener and it is pure pop-punk. I suppose the Weezer soundcheck probably should have been a pretty clear tip-off. Oh, and then there’s the Green Day T-Shirt that the lead singer/guitarist is rocking. Plus, he’s got the pins on his guitar strap. Good thing I’m not trying to be a detective or else I’d be missing evidence all over the place. This band is clearly in their early 20s and were not alive during Weezer and Green Day’s heyday, but they know the history of the genre and I’ve got time for that. Respect, Radical Joy.
It’s only 9:27 pm and they’re done with their set. They ripped through, all killer no filler. Except for that one funny story about when the lead singer got drunk before a recent set and had a panic attack when the only thing he could remember how to play was “Pork and Beans”. Man, he really loves that riff.
Still really enjoying myself, and starting to feel like back in the day when we used to play these showcases at New Age Cabaret or Valentines (RIP to both y’all). And in true showcase fashion, Cinema Stare, the out of towners and listed headliners are going next. Classic move to make sure the locals don’t peace out before Canella goes on. I can have one more beer. Grandma is around to help out tomorrow.
9:54 pm and Cinema Stare is about to start their set. Their 2023 record The Things I Don’t Need was a favorite of that year, so I’m really excited about this set, you guys. And for those keeping track at home, the projector bro is still over there messing with knobs. Who does this setup belong to? Photographer Tom has to be having a hard time getting clear pictures with all this going on.
We’re on song four of the set and the fluffy earmuffs the lead singer came out in have now been headbanged off their head during a furious pop-punk breakdown. We might only be four songs in, but this band definitely has a chance of “making it”, whatever that means in this day and age. They’ve got the catchy pop-punk tunes and infectious choruses. They’ve got the stage energy and raw live performance. And they’ve got the magnetic lead singer that you can’t look away from. This is really freaking good.
10:27 pm and Cinema Stare just blew the roof off. This baby is going to be awake at 6:30 am tomorrow morning and I’m really going to regret this fourth beer, but having way too much fun at No Fun (sorry, had to do it, just once).
10:42 pm and Canella has taken the stage. After engaging in a two-minute long battle with the mic stand, lead singer Juliana Castrillon is now able to turn her full focus towards the performance and it is electrifying.
She has a magnetic presence on stage, but, perhaps even more impressive is the backing band. These songs are folk-like in their simplicity so that the focus can be the lyrics and stories being told (evident with the between song banter). In a live environment, that can turn into a snoozefest pretty quickly. Not the case here. Every musician expertly fills the potentially empty space, without ever taking away from the main focus of the song. Every moment is new, intriguing and interesting without ever overstepping and taking focus away from the songs. This band has it. For real!
It’s now 11:24 pm. I’m four beers in and this baby is going to be awake in seven hours. This may have been a mistake, but totally worth it.
EPILOGUE: The baby slept in until 7:45 the next morning. He knew dad was hurting and gave him a break. Big ups, Dawson.
