CITYist

Indie pop-rock band Rooney made the 24th stop of their Eureka tour in New York City last night. And though it wasn’t their first time at the small and intimate Irving Plaza, the California-based band is on a tour of many firsts: it’s their first major tour after dropping Geffen/Interscope Records and going the independent route, which means it’s also their first tour promoting their independently recorded album, which hit stores June 8th. It’s also the first time without one of Rooney’s original members, Matthew Winter, the bassist who, curiously, quit the band to pursue medicine. But Rooney is a quintessential California band, something like a Beach Boys version of Wavves for the high school set–and the tunes were just as sweet as usual.

The palm tree-decorated backdrop set the feel-good vibes as Rooney opened with “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?” followed by “Blueside” and “Stay Away,” popular songs from their self-titled debut. New songs also cropped up, like “I Can’t Get Enough,” their latest single, and “Stars and Stripes,” a call on the world to change. Guitarist Taylor Locke and lead singer Robert Schwartzman (brother of Jason) performed with passion and excitement on every song, ending with an encore performance of “I’m Shakin.” Forget jilted bass players and record labels–they’ve still got California.