Review: This Legend @ Hawthorne Theatre 11/11

Formed earlier this year, Los Angeles-based pop punk band, This Legend, has sure accomplished a lot in such a short span of time. In May, Benjamin Harper (lead guitar) and Longineu Parsons III aka LP (drums), best friends and both former Yellowcard members, had decided they wanted to play music with each other again. They recruited Chris Castillo (lead vocals, guitar) from Stanley and the Search and Steven Neufeld (bass, vocals) from HeyMike! an artist off of Ben Harper’s own Takeover Records’ roster and solidified what is now known as This Legend.

In the last few months, This Legend has headlined their own tour and are currently supporting Lagwagon on their national tour. Just this last Tuesday, November 11th, This Legend released their 12 track debut album, “It’s Out In The Streets.” On that same day, they returned to Portland, Oregon to open up for Lagwagon at the Hawthorne Theatre.

Taking the stage at 8pm sharp, This Legend proved to Portland that they are the pop punk band to watch out for in the near future. The band kicked off the set with Lyrics with My Pen, the first track off of their album. Within seconds, the crowd was blown away by LP’s impressive and distinct drumming. Harper, who is no longer in his 20s, did not hold back either. He, in fact, jammed out even harder with his guitar that night than he did in his Yellowcard days. His performance was driven by passion, his infectious energy, and a plethora of jumps. Song after song, Castillo’s vocals perfectly captured the pop punk angst behind the band’s themes of regret, love, and recovery in their music as Neufeld skillfully held down their essential bass line to bring together the experience of This Legend. Other songs performed that night included “It’s in the Streets,” “My CIty,” “Life Pushes Hard,” “Regrets” “Get Fast,” and “Josh Lights a Fire.” (Note: that last song is not literally about a boy who lights a fire, according to Castillo)

If you ever get the chance to see This Legend, I strongly recommend it. Good pop punk in 2014 is to die for.

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