The WKNC team decided to head down to Wilmington for the release show of Family Bike’s debut album Everything You Own Is Anagrammed.
Family Bike members Karl Kuehn, also from the local favorite Museum Mouth, and Taylor Haag, the ecstatic drummer, set the bar high for all release shows to come by hosting it at Jellybean’s, the super skate center located in both the Triangle and Wilmington.
If you can rent it out for your kid’s seventh birthday party, why not for your album release party?
It had been years since I went to a skating rink and climbed into those beautiful, beige rental skates. Everything was exactly as I remembered. The smell of disinfectant, the lack of coordination coupled with the hard, unforgiving floor, and the iconic disco ball.
Astro Cowboy, another local favorite from Wilmington, opened the show with lead singer and guitarist Travis Harrington standing a few inches taller in his rental skates. Behind him was Kameron Vann, the drummer for the group, who unfortunately could not wear skates while performing, since drumming and skating do not mix.
Once Family Bike hit the stage, Karl Kuehn started off with the nostalgic game of “Red Light Green Light,” one game almost everyone has played in their childhood. Family Bike played the latest off their album, including the bangers “Idiot Boy” and “Places.”
Halfway through their set, things took an interesting turn. Travis Harrington, while proving his proficiency in rocking by his opening set, had not yet perfected his rolling and tumbled into Taylor Haag’s drum set. This was right after Kuehn introduced “a song about doing shrooms,” otherwise known as “Dylan’s Room.”
I like to think this accident set the mood for the whole evening. The mood was laidback and embraced the local scene. Family Bike played a great show with tons of local support around them.
The setting of the venue was appropriate for harboring a carefree, inclusive atmosphere. The skating rink is for times of celebrating achievements, and like a seven year old’s birthday, Family Bike deserves all of the praise.
