Front Row for the Meltdown

Cincinnati CityBeat
Jan. 2004

Front Row for the Meltdown does
'All the Wrong Things' beautifully
by Mike Breen



While the recent signing of Dayton's Hawthorne Heights by Victory Records would suggest otherwise, our neighbor to the north might not exactly be the prime location for bands in the hunt for a record deal. At least that was likely the thinking of former Daytonites, Front Row for the Meltdown. After securing a deal with L.A.'s Five Finger Management, the quartet loaded up the U-Haul and headed south to the closest industry hub, Nashville. With the Punk/Pop and Emo enclave being the prevalent home for most of the guitar-based music doing well on the charts right now, it would be too easy to lump Front Row into that category. But with those genres being dominated by irritating vocalists, hooks as thin as most of the currently successful bands' staying power and a bleedingly earnest approach that is the aural equivalent of your aggravating friend calling you at 4 a.m. to cry about his or her failed relationship, Front Row for the Meltdown are at a substantial advantage.

On the band's compelling new album, All the Wrong Things, Front Row eschews the clichés for a more timeless approach, crafting a Pop/Rock sound that is pure, effective and powerful. Having more in common with powerhouse Pop deities like Superdrag or Death Cab for Cutie than anything remotely Emo, Front Row backs up their sanguine melodies with a brawny, dynamic musical resilience, showcasing gripping guitar interaction, a firm rhythmic base, classic harmonies and singer/guitarist Jeremy Little's commanding vocal presence. But it's the instantly gratifying melodic prowess of the songwriting that is the key to Wrong Things success. If Front Row for the Meltdown stays its course and doesn't curtail to industry expectations, there's potential for the band to become a standard-bearer in Pop/Rock. As it stands, their latest album is an amazing first step. All the Wrong Things does all the right things -- what more can you ask for?






- Cincinnati CityBeat

Originally from Dayton OH,this aggressive,anthemic alt-pop foursome have been in Nashville for over a year and already have a SXSW invite under the belt.Their music can fit alongside Jimmy Eat World and Nickleback without owing to much to either but having the appeal of both.Expect great things.


- The Nashville Rage

Front Row for the Meltdown kicks off Rock Night at Old Towne Pub

May 2005

By Bliss

Musicians coming to LA with their sights set on MTV and label contracts are nothing new. Hell, scratch a waiter, office temp or messenger anywhere inside the county limits, and you're likely to find an aspiring rock star (or actor).

More often than not, those players leave behind hometown bands in hopes of hooking up with bigger names upon arrival in Tinseltown. Not so Jeremy Little and Ryan Smith, the guitar-cranking anchors of Front Row for the Meltdown, a Costello-meets-the-Jam-style rock foursome making the rounds with big melodies and a butt-kicking rhythm section. In 2002, they decamped from their native Dayton, Ohio, with shared commitment to their rock 'n' roll dreams.

They took the scenic route - to Nashville.

"It was the closest industry town to where we were," Little recalls with a laugh. "I didn't really want to deal with Manhattan. [But] it was a lot of disillusionment. Nashville is Nashville ... it's not full of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash; it's everything else that you don't like. I heard about 'the good rock scene,' and I played with what people said were the good bands, but I never really figured out what was so cool about it. It was a town full of duplicates of other bands that were doing well. It didn't excite me at all."

After losing the battle of deflated expectations, Little and Smith parted ways with their original bassist (who returned to Dayton) and relocated to LA last spring. A year before their manager had flown them here to record with Glendale-based drummer/producer Derek O'Brien, so they paid him a call.

O'Brien, whose fat resume boasts stints with the Adolescents, Social Distortion, Extra Fancy and Agent Orange, had enough fun playing with Front Row that he soon offered to fill the drum chair.

His contributions are vital to the band's dynamic arrangements. The triple whammy of soaring three-part harmonies and an aggressive two-guitar attack over O'Brien's slamming drum work sets Front Row apart from most of their contemporaries. And while they're still playing off-night showcases and paying their demo-shopping dues, O'Brien's well-credentialed rep gives them a boost.

"In Los Angeles I've seen a lot more risk-taking," comments Little, who writes all of their songs and fronts the band with his disarmingly rough rock 'n' roll vocals. Away from his guitar and microphone, he's surprisingly shy. "There are always going to be the duplicate bands, but there are a lot more people here who are willing to do something that's not the tried and true way of doing things. That's refreshing."
- Pasadena Weekly