By October 2007, The (now defunct) Spazzatorium Galleria was bustling with illegal underground shows on a nightly basis. Summer had been a blur of paint cans, parties, bonfires and sauna-esque feelings (no A/C in the gallery). All of the fun came to an abrupt and traumatic halt after several friends were victims of a gang-related robbery (not at the gallery), which left one friend in the hospital with gunshot wounds.

It was during this haze that Caspian came to Greenville with their post-rock ballads. Wrapping us all in a womb of sweeping drums and guitar, their songs gave some sort of comfort and solidarity during a time when words would have done no good.

On this 2007 tour, Caspian was in the midst of a three-month stretch playing shows coast-to coast to promote their album The Four Trees. As I write this today (in 2014), Caspian is preparing to celebrate their 10-year anniversary by playing a sold out show next month in their hometown of Beverly, MA. To get a feel for their grandiose sound, you can listen to their full catalog on Caspian’s Bandcamp page.

At the end of these photos, you can watch a video from this night in 2007. About 4:50 in, you’ll catch a pan of the crowded room, stairs and catwalk, along with lots of heads having a great time.

 

This post is dedicated in memory of Chris Friedrich.