Anthony Green Has a Chaotic Life But Loves It

Unless you are or a legendary act like Guided by Voices, most music fans tend to straggle into Maxwell's just in time for your set opposed to standing on line way before doors even open.

But on Sunday evening, herds of young music lovers lined up as early as two hours before the actual show started. Excited to see their favorite artist, Anthony Green, play that night, these loyal fans proved that they were not only excited to see him perform but also possibly get a picture with him, which almost happened before Green's interview with Patch.

So how does this 29-year-old Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter feel about all the attention?

"The only way I feel about it is grateful," Green told Patch. "Everything else, I try strongly not to think about it or just contemplating it too much."

"But everyone once in a while during a show when it's right in front of you," he continued, "you realize, 'Wow, this is great. This is happening.'"

Being in the "biz" since the early 2000s, Green is still amazed at the fact that he is still getting to do what he loves to do. He's played with bands including Saosin, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Audience of One and High and Driving. Then in 2004, Green formed the Philadelphia rock outfit, Circa Survive. Green, with Circa Survive, has released five albums since their inception and is planning to release a new record next year. But Sunday—the first of two sold-out gigs Green is playing—focused more on his solo work.

And with the help of his friends, Good Old War, Green commanded the stage and was so into his performance that even he had to keep taking off his glasses to make sure that he they wouldn't shatter onstage. Playing songs like "Get Yours While You Can," "Miracle Sun" and "Weak Man," Green put all he could (and perhaps even more) into these songs, which inspiring his fans to add fuel to the growing energy.

"The energy in the room is already perfect," he said while catching his breath. "Sometimes there's changes and glows but it started out perfect."

Perhaps one of the night's big crowd pleasers was "7 Years," which was fans constantly requested even after the band already played. But one thing you'll notice about Anthony Green isn't the fact that he has a tendency to curse like a sailor onstage but it's his love of remixing and playing extended versions of his music -- something that some fans aren't too keen on.

"Every night I play, [the band and I] play a different set, different songs, we jam," he said. "With Good Old War, we jam for 10 minutes at the end of every song. And I can tell there are some people that are annoyed. But for every two people that say, 'I want to hear 'Baby Girl.'' There's like 10 people that are f------ into it."

With his tour schedule, new projects and recording sessions, Green admits that it can get overwhelming. But to him, playing music isn't just a job but something that he loves to do.

"If you do what you love for a living, you should always be busy," he said. "You should never go on vacation. You never really have a weekend, and if you do what you love, it's good. Breaks are for people who are getting worked. This is work, and it should be hard and should be tiring. You should be in pain while doing it, and it should take a lot out of you. That's why I can't say no [to work]. That's why I'm overwhelmed. I love it, and I'm not complaining."