Subterranean Music Index: #13. The Twirpentines- Goodnight, Porchlight

Year Of Release: 2002

Label: Paper Box Records

Lineup: Fred Oakman (guitar, vocals), Jon Smith (guitar), Kyle Collier (bass), Keith Tagliaferri (drums)

Genres: Emo-pop, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore

Tracklist:

1. State Lines Are Only Imaginary (3:00

2. Havalina (3:01)

3. Veritas (3:38)

4. Forever In Song (2:43)

5. Vultures (2:48)

6. ‘96 Was A Good Year (1:42)

7. The Seams (3:55)

8. B-Sides (2:54)

9. Summerset (3:04)

10. Walls Speak In Echoes (3:43)

11. Way Too Loud (4:25)

12. Against All Odds (2:41)

13. Anchor Vs. Water (3:22)

Alright, so starting with this post, I’ll be introducing the “Northwest Pennsylvania” tag. I have lived in Northwest PA my entire life. I grew up here, and still live here. As such, every once in a while, I’d like to rep a local artist, past or present, from this often underrepresented region of the U.S. The Northwest PA music scene is sadly poorly documented online, so it’ll be cool to shine a light on artists from this area. And what better band to start this with than perhaps the most iconic band to ever hail from Meadville?

What we have here is some top of the line emo/pop punk, with just a little bit of hardcore grit. Think about bands like Lifetime and early Saves The Day, with passionate raspy vocals and slightly hard edged melodies somewhat akin to Hot Water Music and even some Grade-esque screams. They kind of share a similar vibe with a lot of the poppy “scene” post-hardcore and screamo pop that was starting to take off in the early ‘00s, although The Twirpentines are definitely much more on the pop side of that equation. The songs are energetic, the hooks are endless, and the hearts are, naturally, on sleeves. Though they’re mostly only known by people from Northwest PA and especially Meadville residents, they were one of the very best of the first wave of emo-pop bands from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.

Sadly, their sophomore full length would be their final album before splitting up. But they certainly went out with a bang, releasing their finest effort yet, and leaving a lasting impact on their local scene, becoming Lake Effect legends in the process. Truly a piece of Northwest PA history that should be preserved for generations to come.

FIND IT HERE-

Bandcamp: https://thetwirpentines.bandcamp.com/album/goodnight-porchlight

YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l_MO81p4uVNq0H4tqlPgll6hAJTOKSmj8&si=pjdlWHyr8RGb6OBj

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/61MWtIoYQQ6EZgqALW72Ar

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/goodnight-porchlight/1082227243

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B01BEEN9LC

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/12317906

MuSiCKrAzE: https://trackdrop.musickraze.com/artist/38811321/the-twirpentines

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/28824670-The-Twirpentines-goodnight-porchlight

eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/375833652566

Amazon (physical): https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Porchlight-Twirpentines/dp/B01BEEN9LC

Gotta Groove Records: https://www.gottagrooverecords.com/2021/12/vinyl-pressing-the-twirpentines-goodnight-porchlight/