Note: I apologize for the ridiculous length, but there were five bands to cover. Plus, you know how I get with back stories.

A few weeks ago, I decided to visit one of my best friends from college, Richard, who lives in Phoenix. After I made flight reservations for Oct. 1-4, I found out that the stars had aligned and This Century, local Phoenix boys and one of my new favorite bands, had a headlining show at the Martini Ranch in Scottsdale that same weekend. Stoked? You have no idea.

Other bands on the bill were The Attraction, Empires, Fairline and Austin Gibbs. I planned on buying tickets and dragging Richard and another buddy, both of whom had never even heard of the awesomeness that is This Century, to the show. But, instead of purchasing tickets, Austin Gibbs was sweet enough to put me and my friends on the guest list after I talked to him during the Tanner and Austin Show on Stickam.

When I arrived at the venue, the doors weren’t open and there was a line. So, my friends and I headed to the dive bar across the street for a quick drink. (We don’t do lines, especially with teenage girls. Sorry! We’re old. It makes us feel weird.) Half an hour later, the line was gone, as well as our beers, and we headed inside.

Martini Ranch was pretty intimate, which excited me because I don’t like to be too close to the stage (I’m short, so it’s difficult to see), but I also don’t like to feel like I’m so far away that I need binoculars. At this place, there wasn’t a bad spot to be found. I immediately saw Austin Gibbs as I walked in the door, and thanked him for the tickets. I cannot stress enough what a sweetheart that guy is. I get the impression that he’s the kind of guy you call when you want to have a little fun in life.

The Attraction was already playing when we walked in, so we only caught a few songs. I don’t know much about them, other than they are also from the Phoenix area. I can’t really assess in two songs just how good the band is, but I will say that their upcoming EP should be worth a listen. Lead singer Lindsey Vogt has a strong voice, and could be inspiration for some young girls out in the crowd.

Next on stage was Chicago band Empires, who I was familiar with because guitarist Tom Conrad was once part of The Academy Is…, and I followed up on him once I found out he was in another band. I immediately liked their energy and was toe-tapping and head-bobbing the entire time. There’s a lot of heart going into their songs. I encourage you all to get Bang, an EP they released earlier this year. Tidbit: If you go to their Web site, you can purchase the deluxe version with extra goodies. My favorite track? “I Know You Know”.

Fairline was a little more low-key than Empires, but still a really solid band. Richard said they sounded like a cross between Maroon 5 and Coldplay (funny, they played a Coldplay song at the end). I knew one song, “Need A Way Out”, before the set started, so I was ready to see what they had to offer. The highlight of their set was probably their rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” or when lead singer Nathaniel Moon (singer of the now-defunct Ivory) grabbed some sticks and started beating the drums with fervor.

Austin Gibbs took the stage, and even though he said he was tired, he still put on an amazing show. My friends were impressed and wanted to know why he wasn’t signed to a label. My response was, “That’s what I’m saying!” This guy is friggin’ awesome. This is the second time I’ve seen him live and I just love every minute that he’s on stage. Much to my delight, he ended the set with crowd favorite “I Like The Ones” (but all of his songs are awesome). I’m serious, everybody, check this dude out (his MySpace page is here). If you can, catch him on tour this fall. I promise that you will not be disappointed. If anything, you’ll be thanking me.

Finally, the headliner. Before I talk about This Century, I want to preface my review by saying that lead singer Joel Kanitz saw an Ears, Nose and Throat specialist a few days before the show because he was having some vocal issues. I heard through a few people that the show might be canceled, so I waited for an update. Luckily, Joel posted on his blog that it wasn’t too serious, but he had a slight irritation at the base of his cords. The show would go on.

Keeping that in mind, I was curious on how well his singing would be for the night. I saw This Century in July, when they opened for The Maine in San Francisco, and know Joel has some pipes on him. So, if I had to put the show at the Martini Ranch on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say it was a 9 (Richard said 8, but my word is law on here). Yup, it was still that good. Even though Joel had a few pitch problems here and there, the audience wasn’t affected whatsoever. In fact, my friends and I were chuckling over how excited those girls in the pit were to be anywhere remotely close to Joel. I enjoy watching his interaction with the crowd.

They started the set out with “Hopeful Romantic,” which is pretty much the first song I listen to every morning. I was happy that they decided to play “Young Love” for the first time live, too. While they played, I paid attention to the dynamics of the band. I noticed that brothers Sean Silverman and Alex Silverman are on opposite sides of the performance spectrum. While Sean rocks out on one side of the stage, Alex grooves with his bass on the other. I know that drummer Ryan Gose loves playing “Running”, and I can see why since it has a killer drum beat and gives him a chance to shine. They all bring something unique to the table, and their sound exemplifies that.

I was beyond ecstatic when This Century decided to play a new song called “Sound Of Fire”. This tune isn’t available for download yet, but I saw a clip of it on YouTube earlier in the week. From that clip and hearing it live for myself, I already know it’s going to be my favorite song in the near future. Man, it’s so good that I’m going to search for the YouTube clip after I finish this review.

Overall, the night was incredible. It can’t get any better than four great opening bands and a stellar headliner. I’m not just blowing smoke, either. My friends are now fans of This Century. Check them out. I bet you’ll be hooked, too.