Singer's rock-god gig gets 'em going

Taking Back Sunday's dreamy lead singer, Adam Lazzara, looks at it this way: Why should Roger Daltrey have all the fun when it comes to handling a microphone? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Lazzara said about his latest onstage moves, which find him slinging his microphone like a lariat overhead and then letting its cord wind round his neck like a boa constrictor. The Who is one of the groups I grew up watching.

His hyper onstage rock-god action recalls Daltrey, Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger and the Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almquist.
The kids love it.
It's weird.

I just started doing it because I don't have an instrument to really hide behind, so I had to keep my hands busy, Lazzara said. But friends have showed me YouTube videos of people doing it, and it's pretty funny.
Taking Back Sunday performs at Sunset Station on Tuesday with Armor for Sleep and Underoath.

The Long Island, N.Y., band is promoting its major-label debut, Louder Now (Warner Bros.

), which delivered MakeDamnSure and Liar (It Takes One to Know One).
Expect about a 17-song set.
Much has been made of the MTV-friendly emo guitar band's tougher sound.

It was never tame, as attested to on indie releases Tell All Your Friends and Where You Want to Be, which have racked up total sales of 1.4 million units.
We got a little more aggressive with it, Lazzara said.

It's just kind of what happened. I wish I could say that it was a calculated thing. But the only answer is that we wanted to make more, like, a rock 'n' roll-sounding record, you know.

Producer Eric Valentine is part of the reason. Lazzara described the acclaimed record producer as a master of sound.
Did the newfound major-label clout help?

We could afford to take a little longer now, Lazzara said. (Being on a major label) bought us more time. And also made it easier to get things done because you have this little team of people behind this record.

At Victory, we did a lot of things ourselves.
Taking Back Sunday was once touted as saviors of guitar band rock. It's a crowded field these days.

There are so many people doing it. It's definitely not how it used to be, Lazzara said. We just do what we do and hope that people like it.

I mean, we've been called a million different things. At the end of the day, it's all about the music touching somebody. That's what matters the most.

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