Copyright 2007 Boston Herald Inc.

The Boston Herald
October 25, 2007 Thursday
THIRD EDITION
THE EDGE; Pg. 038
414 words
MUSIC REVIEW;
Stars of Track and Field need practice to run with big boys
By CHRISTOPHER BLAGG

STARS OF TRACK & FIELD, with ESKIMO JOE

At T.T. the Bear's Place, Cambridge, Tuesday night.

There's a fine line between high expectations and delusions of grandeur. Take Portland, Ore.'s Stars of Track and Field. 
They write epic, guitar-driven rock designed for arenas, but Tuesday they found themselves playing at the diminutive T.T. 
the Bear's Place - and only at half capacity. That's a long way from Gillette Stadium.

The trio of singer/guitarist Kevin Calaba, guitarist Jason Bell and drummer Dan Orvik looked visibly dispirited by the 
turnout, though to be fair, their grim-faced expressions could also be the result of playing tunes overwhelmingly burdened 
with gray-skied melancholy. Starting with the nostalgic bombast of their current single, ``Movies of Antarctica,'' Calaba 
and company consistently walked a tightrope between weepy, yearning lyrics and full-throttled anthemic guitars.

Stars of Track and Field also tiptoed between the digital and the organic. Orvik was just as busy programming synthetic 
beats, gurgles and bleeps as he was pounding the skins as the band deftly meandered between electronica and power-chord 
rock. On tunes such as ``Centuries'' and ``With You,'' the band could have been mistaken for the Postal Service coming off 
an all-night U2 binge.

Perhaps because of the lackluster turnout, the band thought it a good time to experiment with new tunes, many of which were 
less reliant on crunching guitars. Ballads like the tepid ``Dying of Light'' and the ethereal, harmony-drenched closer, 
``Safety in Numbers,'' revealed a quieter but equally melancholy side of the band.

Playing in front of a handful of fans can be depressing, but maybe the Stars needs some perspective. Their job is playing 
rock 'n' roll. Lighten up.

The paltry turnout didn't seem to bother opening Australian rockers Eskimo Joe. They endeared themselves right away to the 
audience with a combination of punchy power chords and carefree rock preening. They might be unknown in America, but the 
Perth-based band mates are bona fide rock stars back home, their latest CD going quadruple platinum there. Hook-laden tunes 
such as the crisp power pop of ``Sarah'' and the angular rock of ``Black Fingernails, Red Wine'' were two examples of why 
the quintet's become one of its country's most popular acts.

Exuding confidence and attitude, Eskimo Joe perhaps has a simple lesson to teach Stars of Track and Field: If you're not 
having fun, neither is the audience.

- christopherblagg@gmail.com