audio-file

Emo on steroids is the new Criteria

By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

It would be easy to dismiss Criteria as another typical emo band. After all, two of the band members are victims of the indie fad that puts men into tight pants designed for women. However, front man Stephen Pedersen sincerely promises, "We will do everything in our power to rock you." A clich‚d way of asking people to come to their show, but their sincerity makes them hard to ignore.

They are humble guys who want to play their music for people. At times, it seems like their music doesn't offer much, but their personalities shine through, allowing the listener to peer into their hearts. Teetering on emo, their sound is hard to classify.

Pedersen calls it "strength rock," a genre Pedersen says only a few bands have been classified as. Silly-sounding genres aside, this band manages to do something new to the tiring emo genre. So how would one classify this new music? It sounds like arena rock and emo had an illegitimate child, and that child was Criteria.

The drumbeats by Mike Sweeney make the listener's heart pound and provide the framework for each song. Guitarists Aaron Druery and Pedersen intensely drive the songs into a rock 'n' roll sound. AJ Mogis' bass seamlessly ties together the harmony and rhythm. The bass lines hide in the background and only peer out to fill the empty silence. Pedersen's almost whiny, but strangely melodic vocals complete the sound. At times, the lyrics sound like they are from a 13-year-old's diary, but for the most part Pedersen does a great job expressing his pain.

The band draws inspiration from everyday life experiences when writing songs. Pedersen wrote a lot about his conflicts with work and music. "I write a lot about the B.S. going on in the world," he said.

Pedersen gained much notoriety in the indie world during his stint with the band Cursive. After Cursive, he moved on to become a corporate lawyer, but his love of music wouldn't let him be another paper pusher. After finishing his degree at Duke Law School, Pedersen returned to his hometown of Omaha, Neb., where he lived in a friend's basement

Pedersen started writing song after song in his underground abode. The rock music in his head couldn't be stopped. He wrote his first entire album, En Garde, while living in the basement. Local musicians Mogis, Sweeney and Druery joined him to provide the musical backing he'd been seeking. They had all been in other bands and were out of work, according to their Website. With that, Criteria was formed.

At first, the band wasn't taken seriously. Their first album was completely ignored. With the release of their second album, When We Break, it seems that they are finally going to be heard. Their label, Saddle-Creek records, actually re-released the first album so that fans and critics can finally hear the previously overlooked album.

In October, Criteria hit the road with Minus the Bear and the Headphones to tour the West coast. Earlier this year, they toured the U.K., which was a refreshing experience.

"The crowds really appreciated that we were there. It didn't matter if they liked our music, the fact that we were there, rocking out, was reason enough for them to get excited," Pedersen said. One perk he mentioned was that in the U.K. they had a driver who took them where they needed to be, but here in the United States, they are on their own for transportation.

Criteria will grace the stage Oct. 22 at the Larimer Lounge. For more information about Criteria, go to their Website www.criteriamusic.com.