Lloyd Dobler Effect

The effect of Lloyd Dobler, thanks to Say Anything: Men are totally fucked, because they will never live up to John Cusack's character in the movie. Helplessly in love with Ione Skye, the starry-eyed romantic stands outside her window, hoists a boombox and blasts Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in hopes of winning her back. The Lloyd Dobler Effect, in terms of the band that's reminiscent of Guster, Jack Johnson or the Fray: Few groups can rival the hard-touring ways practiced by the Washington, D.C. quintet. From last year's Armed Forces Entertainment tour — which found LDE hitting several countries in the Middle East — to two tours of the Pacific, the group is hellbent on bringing its heart-on-sleeve lyrics, folk-rock harmonies and E Street-like saxophone solos to the masses. Even Dave Matthews could pick up some tips on how to woo a crowd (and use scads of percussion wisely) from LDE's Live 2004 CD.