Music Is Art, kind of.

a Rudy Sizzle review

Would an artist who has work within the paragon that is the Albright Knox Museum cringe at some of the sights and sounds of the Music is Art Festival? Would he or she be disgusted by the over-priced and sub par vendors and crafts being filched as cuisine and artistry?

I cannot imagine Renoir being inspired by a bloated belly dance troop from Williamsville sloppily traipsing through the courtyard of the Museum façade and I am pretty sure Mozart would gladly toss crab apples at the generic, blustery hoopla that sprung forth from the backline of amps of the usual suspects at this years MIA fest. Sadly, art is not being yielded at this event, but rather the mirrored image of a banal culture and its slovenly patrons. Does this seem to be a concern to the masses that get drawn to this event (for the 6^th year now)? Would the suburbanites who show up in droves care if the music was higher browed and perhaps the vendors were of higher standard?

Being that as it may, people still enjoyed themselves. Perhaps the event should be called “Music and overpriced food is fun for most people,” or “Music is art, kind of.” I get the feeling that the average MIA audience member is friends with someone in a band (you know the type: you went to see them play at 3pm, bought a hot dog, drank some beer, did not watch any other stage, did not even know there was a side stage around the corner, or did not know any of the other bands, so therefore they probably suck.) Chances are you saw your friends play and thought they should’ve played longer, since it is strictly 3 songs per act, but hey you don’t make the rules. The rules are pretty straight-forward. Most bands think they can sneak in a 4^th, perhaps even 5^th tune. I mean, c’mon, Robby likes us more than the other bands. He totally gave us the sweet slot because he loves you man.

I honestly think Robby’s intentions are relatively good, I just think he has bad taste. There is no accounting for this in today’s day & age though, especially when people are herded like cattle and given the scraps to chew on. I guess I should not look the gift horse in the mouth since Robby is supporting the local community with this event. It just seems that there are so many amazing artists not being represented. It seems that it is always the same line up, with a few variations to keep it seemingly “fresh.” But that being said I pretty am sure if my band spent a ton of our hard earned cash in Robby’s beauty of a studio, I’d expect to be put on his showcase too.

inTheirWords: The StayLows on The Signature Bridge

This spring, local indie rockers The Stay Lows dropped their latest full length album, The Signature Bridge. As some reviews of the album are already out, silo3 met up with the band in order to break it down-- track-by-track, "director's commentary" style. In the process, the band delved into how the songs were written, the concepts behind them, and most importantly which one is JP Losman's favorite.

The Stay Lows are:

Jim Schiffert-Guitar,Bass,Vox
Eric Kendall - Guitar
Rick Wright - Cello
Brandon Delmont - Drums
Jeff Delmerico - Bass, Keys

1) Burning None
"What's kind of weird is-- and it's the same thing with the last album-- the order we have been writing them, is how they've been ending up on the albums too. I don't know if that means anything, but that's where we started and the songs progress as we progressed going through it. So if somebody has it on 'shuffle'-- don't." (RW)
---
"It's a great intro to what we were trying to accomplish, by releasing the four songs we had written previously and then bridging into the newer stuff." (RW)

2)Business of Taking Care
"That song, more that the rest of them, evolved during the mixing." (JS)
---
"That's probably one of the first songs where we wanted the vocals to be prevalent in writing (the song) at least." (EK)
"Actually, more of the new stuff is 50/50 right now, if not weighted more toward the vocal side." (JS)
"Yeah, our next album is going to be doo-wop" (BD)

3)They Smoked the Moonlanding
"I really like the concept of industrial-in-motion. When we started the electronic drum beats on there and in some of the other parts, it just started morphing. We had a couple of themes going into the album and post-album a couple more came out." (RW)
--
"That was also JP Losman's favorite song-- he told us." (RW)

"At a Califone show. We opened for Califone and he was there." (EK)

"He came up to us after the set and said he liked us. We had a demo of 'Moonlanding' up (online) and he's like, 'Yeah, it's on my pump-up tape.' " (JS)

4)Are You Guys Pilots?
“That’s actually my favorite song. I guess playing it on drums, it’s cool, you get the best of both worlds. You have a groovy, I don’t want to say dance-y or whatever, but it has a feeling to it more than just like-- rock. Then it kind of goes into, a rock thing. But I don’t know it’s just a really good song.” (BD)

5)Haunted Mouse
“Haunted Mouse was the one song written in that weird practice space on Main St.” (RW)

“We would just heard these two bands that were really loud (all the time).” (BD)

“It was the quietest song we wrote ‘til it progresses…” (RW)

“...until the guitar part then we’re like ‘All right, we have to be louder than the other bands in the space and this is what we’re writing right now.’ “ (JS)

6)Back of the Face
“When we were recording, and we got to that final part, things started just adding on, and adding on-- that’s when I started kind of getting excited about it. Because, there’s a lot of stuff going on and it was just crescendo-ing very nicely.” (RW)
---
“I always thought (the song) was hysterical… We played with this band Dungen, from Sweden, and the dude from that band came up to us and said (in a Swedish accent)‘That song you did was beautiful-- that dun-ga-dun-ga-da dun-ga-dun-ga-da.’ It was great.” (BD)

7)To Evil (Waltz)
“I came up with the original thing at home and I had just started playing with them. I went out on a limb and showed these guys (the song). They took it and turned it into what it is. But it was a totally new idea for me to be in a band where people listened to me.” (BD)

“And that was the last time that ever happened…” (JS)

8)Ugly Babies
“When we play live, we’re a loud band. We’re not deafeningly loud, but we’re up there on the decibel level, and when we were writing that song, I wanted something that took take advantage of the fact that we play loud.” (JS)

“Yeah people nod their heads. People tap their toes…” (RW)

“I don’t really understand why it works, but it seems to.” (JS)

9) The Pastoral
“What I like about that song-- it has such a great sad, tinge-y melody. But then there’s the comedic part, the 70’s cop part, and this is probably very Stay Lows, is to take a really nice, beautiful piece of music and then lob it between comic, you know, cop parts and stuff.” (BD)
---
“That song's a good closer.” (EK)

“Yeah, its kind of like when Hercules walks off on the path, but with that like ‘To be continued…’ ” (RW)

METAL DETECTOR: SHAMROCK SHAKES

the METAL DETECTOR

with Al Wreckless

As every metal fan knows, metal is not just a musical style; it’s a way of life. And it takes commitment. To truly be metal, at least 83% of your world must be classified as metal. Unfortunately, in the modern climate of the world, lines between reality and fiction are blurred more than ever. It’s getting harder and harder to determine what is truly metal. That’s why you need THE METAL DETECTOR.

Today, we take a look at seasonal McDonald’s beverage offering, the Shamrock Shake. This milkshake is a celebration of all things Irish, from its green color to former mascot Uncle O’Grimacey. Primordial would approve. The treat is only available for a limited time each year, which makes you savor each experience as it may be the last one you taste for a while. Guns N’ Roses would approve. Though Axl’s output hasn’t been as consistent as Mickey D’s, so maybe we shouldn’t put too much stock into his opinion.

On the other hand, as with pretty much everything else McDonald’s offers, it leads to the abuse of cows, as they are pumped full of hormones, have the milk sucked dry out of them, then turned over to the slaughterhouse where they become Big Macs. Rise Against would disapprove. But Carnivore would approve. So let’s call that one a wash.

Honestly, Shamrock Shakes aren’t all that metal. But they are delicious, which bumps them up a few points to a score of 5.5 Manowars.

Infringement Fundraiser / Chili Cookoff@ Nobody’s 1/30/2009

Performance Art in a Vacuum

a Rudy Sizzle review

Hello. What? Art is expression? Sure. I guess if you want to express yourself, you are entitled to do so in any way you see fit. The more you attempt to explain yourself though, the less the definition sticks, so just let your freak flag blow freely in the wind and have no concern as to what intellectual jerks and scornful sour pusses might take away from your zeal and eccentricities as you wiggle into your hipster clown suit and bang away on your Microkorg on a dirty basement floor. REMEMBER GRASSHOPPER: It is crucial to remain vigilant to ones own Id, appearing unscathed by the criticisms of anyone. You can transcend judgment by being the lightning rod that sets fire to that barn full of gas tanks. We’ve all been scrutinized by someone, there is always a pair of eyes attached to a nasty brain waiting to slice us up & cut us down to the size with a diatribe of venomous slander and opinions as far as the eye can see. No one is impervious to this; it’s just how thick your skin gets that makes the difference in the long run. You need to see yourself as a warrior and the battle is that stage, floor, whatever.

I am convinced that the above is a thesis for some lunatic staring intently in the mirror, dressed in a chicken suit with a banjo running through a loop station and a future gig booked @ (insert art space) as part of this years up coming Infringement Festival. I am not surprised that the Infringement Festival exists and that Buffalo has a sizable contingency of freaks and geeks that get hyped up over it. I love seeing people spill out of the shells, leaving the comfort of their bedroom to emulate the likes of Laurie Anderson, John Cage and Tony Conrad. Noise makers, avant-garde poets, theatrical misfits, jokesters and everything above and beyond congregate in unique settings to expose an alternative to the socially accepted “alternative” music and art scene. It is left of the left. Tending to be a rallying cry for local misanthropes who rarely leave the weirdness dungeon (or their video game stations), the Infringement Festival is good for someone who is uptight and used to a homeostasis that is flannel button downs and "indie rock cool" like me. I mean, I love experimental music as much as the next guy, but being immersed in an entire event dedicated to the crème of Buffalo’s freaky crop is a good dose of reality for us square pegs.

Freeze frame: Me, standing in the middle of the NAC (Nobody’s Art Center), ingesting homemade Chili and slugging down a delicious stout bought @ Mobil on the Run last Saturday. Life is weird. I stood there for a moment fixated on the painting of what seemed to be an impressionist piece of an ice cream melting City Hall done in Lemon Yellow and Purple and realized that the chili I liked the best was painted by the artist, Jason Klinger. Damn. He is really talented in both culinary art and fine art. I cannot paint anything except for skeletons with snakes coming out of their eye sockets (thanks heavy metal upbringing) and Slash portraits (thanks heavy metal upbringing, yet again!) I used to think that fine art was out of my league to criticize and that my opinions were of no consequence. There is some truth to this, and this can also be said for critiquing ones performance art. How the hell am I going to know why Gallagher smashes Watermelons? Eugene Chadbourne amplifies a rake, scratching it across the stage nonsensically and an audience of onlookers act impressed, while Pam and I stand there packing up the last of our gear post set thinking “what are we doing wrong?” There is no wrong or right in performance art. It is completely the moment’s notice, an impulse, totally unexpected and Id driven. This is something that resonated quite clearly at Nobody’s last Saturday.

I stood watching amazed and smiling watching The Dense, one of the finest examples of a local all-star lineup held in check by neurosis and gravity. The old adage “you don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone” aptly applies to the Dense playing their final show last Saturday. It was a shame to hear Andrew Sannes (the main impetus for the bands anxiety and overall live expression) state gloomily, “this is it for us folks, the last time we’ll all be playing together.” I love the Dense. There is no better example of raw catharsis with insanity as the glue then this band. They are genuine and the songs are great. No filler bullshit the music is stark and at times a throwback to early DEVO, the Dense is Buffalo music in a nutshell. Underdogs, freaks, odd ball textures (2 basses, a strange poly-synth droning throughout the set and bizarre manic vocals) with songs that tear across the room with abandon. I felt like I was watching early Floyd with Barrett. I am convinced that people will find a CD-r demo of them in 10 years and wax nostalgic about how amazing they were at this little art space back in the day. This shit never surprises me-- I always feel like the best things get swept under the rug or left in a box in the attic.



The other performances of the night were supplied by local dynamic Duo, A Hotel Nourishing & the Blue Laser. AHN is remarkable and rarely disappoints. Their music is taut and furious, somewhere between mid 90’s post punk and “For Respect” era Don Cab. If you find yourself watching them and thinking, “damn!” that is usually the common response yielded from AHN live. I’ve seen them on many occasion and this was no exception to their sheer kinetic force and explosion of sound.



Blue Lazer took to the stage last, but certainly not least in any way. There was a bit of downtime between the change-over but in the end it was well worth the 30 minute wait. Featuring a cast of bongo drum (with a contact microphone attached and boy was it loud!) and two keyboardists (one schooled, one not so schooled). The main thrust of the Blue Lazer set was a rant comprised of nonsense and strangely matter of fact humor that Blue Laser front man, Tim Sentman (Blue Laser), writes and rehearses! I found myself catching random lines that evoked hilarious imagery of intergalactic time travel, pizza delivery, cats in outer space and something about the weather. All in all, Blue Laser was a nice way to cap off an evening of unusual vibes and energy.

Patrons of Sweet: Nothing Drastic

Full Disclosure: Patrons Of Sweet frontman Vic Lazar contributes and is a friend to this blog. Although Vic's input here has been limited lately, he has been associated with myself and silo3 for the past several years.

Vic Lazar has been one of the greatest local musicians for the past 15 years, at least. His roster of past and present projects could fill a festival roster twice over. From His epic singer/songwriter work as Vox Humana, to being one third of the post-punk prog legends Knife Crazy, to His timeless ambient-electro collab with Pam Swarts in VictoryBlackLightHoney.

Ahem, with that out of the way...


Patrons of Sweet is like a 48-oz. steak, cut straight from the cow and tossed on the coals of an open-pit fire. Charred on the outside and bloody within, the is nothing subtle going on here. At times, the new record Nothing Drastic-- like last years Go Whatevers!, can be a ham-fisted take on mid-90s college rock. Throughout much of the album, Lazar and company switch between two volumes: 8 and 11. With an emphasis on urgency, the songs never have a chance to breath as the band throws in a new riff, tempo change, or vocal line almost every four bars. There are virtually no intro passages, no instrumental sections, no interludes, no crescendos, and no codas. As a rule, most of Nothing Drastic rarely comes within a whiff of anything that could be described as a groove. One of the only exceptions can be found in the album's transcendent closer-- "Under Such Heavy Surveillance."

A lack of repetitive grooves runs counter-intuitive to what one might expect from a group heavily influenced by 90s rock. Laying down a groove is a tool that last decade's alt-rockers wielded masterfully. From Fugazi to My Bloody Valentine to the Pixies and Nirvana, these bands knew the value of letting their songs breath and bounce.

The 90s also saw the renaissance of original guitar playing and like so many other Vic Lazar records, Nothing Drastic excels as a guitar masterstroke. While not entirely technical, the album is chock-full of original and unexpected twists and turns of the guitar phrase. Nothing Drastic should be required listening for anyone cynical of our local talent.

Many of the songs on this new record are obtuse and multilayered, revealing more to the listener with each successive pass through. With that in mind, The Patrons are at their absolute best when unloading titanic hooks, as first evidenced in the somewhat poppier Go Whatevers! "There's No More Room in the Beehive" and "Almost Executable" are two songs on Nothing Drastic that showcase the new lineup, with drummer Dave Bordin and bass player Matt Lavin, in full pop-bombast. However, these moments are too few and far between and could be evidence the band is still better off basking in the sunlight rather than wallowing in the muck.

Redwater DIY: part 2

As a part of our continuing series on the recording of Redwater's new album Time is a Lie, the band takes a break from mixing to sit down with Silo3. The band talks about using the DIY recording process to deliberately distill a multitude of rock influences in the process of making their new record. (Part one of Redwater DIY can be read here.)