Silo3 - wny music blog

Local, Live Alt-Rappers Stay On Message

2009-11-06T16:18:00.006-05:00

Before the Benjis and the bling, hip-hoppers were all about a backbeat and a message. Whether it was De La Soul talking peace and love or KRS-One dropping knowledge, these "golden age-rs" emphasized content and commotion instead of an image or street cred. A wave of locals are returning to this ethos of early hip-hop only to take it in a new direction. Some are taking it to its more abstract, its more extreme, while others infuse the genre with new ideas and sounds. The results can be strange and abrasive one minute and propulsively upbeat the next.

BloodThirsty Vegans started as a cadre of artists playing only a once a year benefit show. A lineup began to solidify around a couple of MCs and the same core group has been together for about eight months. MC Vendetta, née Janna Willoughby, and My Rap name is Alex are the two vocalists/ MCs that anchor the variety of musical styles that the band delves into. While the term "skip hop" has been thrown around, in reference to the band's frequent fusion of ska and hip-hop, the Vegans musical style varies widely and remains difficult to pin down. Both MCs deliver rapid-fire quasi-ragamuffin style lyrics over this bubbling stew uptempo musical styles. The band says they differ from most live hip-hop acts in that they write tightly compacted definitive songs as opposed to a more "jam bandy" approach. Alex explains one unifying musical theme: "You should get up off your ass and dance."

Unifying the band as well is the message-driven content of their lyrics. The Vegans espouse a "call-to-action" mentality and challenge their audience both to appreciate what's around them and to get active, not only on the dance floor but in the community as well.

"I started writing to have an impact," says Alex. "But you can't have nearly the impact if people don't enjoy it."

"And we try to (have an impact) with the way we produce as a band too," adds primary drummer _dave. "We're getting our CD cases printed locally and on green materials; and we get our shirts prints locally."

The band continues to play more frequently than ever including many benefit shows that support a variety of causes.

"At zero money," says _dave. "But that's just cause we like playing a lot."
---
Another message driven artist steeped in the hip-hop ethos is Jack Topht (which, by the way, not a stage name). Along with The Vegetables, his partner Lindsey Grate who plays a drum kit and a variety of keyboards, Topht takes rap music to that more bizarre, abstract place. Adding elements of folk, punk, bedroom pop, and freak rock, his act is one part music, one part performance art.

"Me and Linds never really fit in with anybody," says Topht. "We do three or four rap songs, and then we got these quirky pop songs that don't really sound like anything... so I think we fit in with a lot of bands, but at the same time we don't fit in with any bands. We're like a punk rock band, or like, a weird pop band and we kind of make sense with noise bands too, cause we have an original sound."
Topht raps and sings over a myriad of beat-driven songs, which he describes as "light-hearted, upbeat and fun." He also tries to include what he calls "pep talk songs", songs that exude a positive, motivational message to serve as reassurance in a harsh reality.

"Those are the major theme's I try and cover: life's weird, do your best, stuff like that you know?"

The band recently took these themes on the road, playing shows across the Midwest and up the West Coast. Topht says the band played with a variety of acts, in a variety of settings: a sweltering basement in Reno, a garage rock fest in San Diego, an art-house/performance space in Montana. He says they translated well at almost every show in almost every city. They returned to Buffalo ready to record another full length album.
---
Zev is another artist skewing the old school ethos. A Ph.D candidate at SUNY Buffalo, Zev has his fingers in many pies. He performs both as a solo act, backed by prerecorded beats, and with live bands as well. As a solo performer and producer, his sound can be dark, rich and cinematic.

"I definitely like lush soundscapes and multi-layered stuff," says Zev. "A lot of influence (for me) comes from really early boom-bap, real stripped down stuff. But I definitely prefer more lush stuff."

As someone who's been performing with bands since the late 90's, Zev is also in touch with the live, more tactile approach to musical performance.He tailors the live hip-hop versions of his songs to arrangements written by the particular group he's working with at the time, whether it be with local indie rockers notic or musicians from an artist group called the Intangible Collective.

Some 80's and 90's rappers had an overtly political or social messages. Public Enemy, NWA, and Ice-T all drove home their message with scathing indictments of both the community and the system around them. Zev tends to stay away from hot button topics that might turn off listeners and instead focuses on more introspective issues.

"I talk about the sense of alienation (that comes from) living in this sort of, weird post-modern world and the sort of questions of identity that I think a lot people in this country and around world that people are asking themselves," he explains. "So, basically the unrest that comes from being a compassionate individual in this exceedingly violent world."

Zev performs, when time allows, at traditional venues and art spaces alike. He says while school and other endeavors take up much of his time, making music and performing in Buffalo are passions he finds time for.

"Buffalo has such a great music scene: its close knit, its good size and its definitely made me feel that I should keep doing this stuff cause there's really a lot happening here."

THE METAL DETECTOR: Twitter

2009-11-04T15:45:00.006-05:00

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 social networking website Twitter. If you don’t know what Twitter is, then you’re the ultimate hermit and therefore truly metal and don’t need this column for help.

Like other social network tools, Twitter allows long-lost friends, family and random strangers with little in common to connect and keep up on each other’s lives. Metallica would approve. I think. I’m not sure what their stance on fan interaction is these days.

Twitter has found a surprising audience with the older generation. Even congressmen have taken to tweeting during Obama speeches. There is no age limit to be a twitterer. Ronnie James Dio would approve.

On the other hand, Twitter limits you to 140 characters per post. Anything you say has to brief, thus preventing something truly epic. Voivod would strongly disapprove.

Truthfully, social network websites are pretty lame and populated by Top 40 fans and wimpy emo nerds. In other words, the very people metalheads should be beating up. On a scale of one to ten Manowars, Twitter scores a pitiful 1.3. Stick with MySpace, at least you can customize your profile page to look evil and force people to listen to some crunching metal.

Crappy Futurism: the new aesthetic?

2009-10-27T17:22:00.005-04:00

The lo-fi retro futurism of the Flaming Lips fantastic new album along with Wired's "Good Enough Revolution", and even the latest iPhone killer, with its allusions to Star Wars' futuristic dystopia, seems to be heralding a new aesthetic in our culture and music. This new aesthetic makes all the more sense when framed by these "tough economic times" we currently live in.

Call it a commentary on the materialism of the past decade. A decade that saw brand name/ designer awareness reach an all-time high. Think about it, when The Devil Wears Prada came out, no one asked for an elaboration on what exactly Prada was. Urban, which made a name for itself catering to grungy skateboarders, now sells $200 sunglasses out of a case by the front window.

Call it a commentary on the modernism of the past decade. Minimal modernism was everywhere-- Kompakt, futura, IKEA, even the White Strips saw a post millennium bounce. No doubt all this minimalism would experience some blow-back. But if minimalism were a stock, I'd short it.

Instantly transmitted cell phone video, tinny mp3s, twitter... What does this all mean for the future of music? The recent rise of lo-fi rock and glitchy techno might be more than passing fads. Will the blown out sounds of Times New Viking ever be used to sell Cadallacs? Will Sileni's micro-edited freakouts ever pack the dance floors on Chippewa? Highly doubtful, but don't be surprised to hear something like "No time, no hope" underneath a Mountain Dew commercial sometime in the crappy near future.

THE METAL DETECTOR: Dick Cheney

2009-10-01T10:31:00.005-04:00

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 former Vice President Dick Cheney. At first glance, he doesn’t seem very metal. He looks like my grandpa. Actually, he looks like Col Klink’s grandpa. But let’s take a closer look at this complicated imp, shall we? He shot a guy in the face. The members of Mayhem would approve. He’s big on starting wars for self-serving reasons. The members of Bolt Thrower would approve. He’s in favor of torture. The members of Slayer would approve. He’s intolerant of other religions/beliefs/opinions,etc. Varg Vikernes would approve (though he’d support a different religion).

Now that Dick Cheney is now longer in power, we can sit back and admit that he truly is a badass. Seriously, he shot a guy in the face and the guy was so scared, he actually apologized to Cheney. That’s pretty metal. On the other hand, he did pretty much fuck our country over. On a scale of one to ten Manowars, Cheney rates an 8.2.

Upcoming: 9.25 More new bands with familiar faces

2009-09-21T18:48:00.004-04:00

Just in time for Lego Rock Band, local power poppers will reassemble in different forms this Friday at Merlins. With lots of "ex-"s on the fliers, be sure these guys know their way around a hook or two:

On Beta (ex-Old Sweethearts, current Johnny Nobody)
Tuco (ex-Clearmotive, Miracle at Rich, The Control)
Turn it up (ex-Elad Love Affair, The Design)

September 25th, 11 p.m. $5

besnyo break-up--> new projects

2009-08-06T09:49:00.002-04:00

besnyo have announced their break-up after over 4 years of playing and recording music. As one of the premier local indie-electro bands, the band will be sorely missed. However...

when bands break-up there are always new projects coming together from the ashes of old:

Wooden Waves - being touted as Sleeping Kings of Iona 2.0, the demos being streamed here sound promising and pick up on similar themes of both bands, driving indie-dream-pop with elements of shoegaze and electro.

Cinnamon Aluminum - described as "an experimental/ambient/freak out jam group", their first demo sounds a lot like an AC bootleg with its triumvirate of loops, echos and arpeggios. Let's hope CA incorporates the African rhythms, alternate time signatures and micro-processed samples that makes that other band transcendent.

Worrywort - no footprints on the web yet for this new project. They can been seen in the old-fashioned live format in the upcoming weeks, including a Cd release party.

September 4th @ Burnwood Studios

885 Niagara Street 5 dollars 8pm

w/ All of Them Witches & Fourem

WORRYWORT CD RELEASE

October 16th @ Karpeles Manuscript Museum

220 North Street (corner of North & Elmwood) 2 dollars 7pm

w/ Cages & Fourem

Sunbaked

2009-07-30T09:41:00.009-04:00

Like a blast of hot sunlight through the cold July clouds, the new sun-bleached Son of the Sun Ep arrived just in time to breath new life not only into the summer, but into the local indie rock scene as well.

Retroists Son of the Sun have been slumming it in the garage now for a while now, making meticulous sounding yet slightly derivative guitar based rockers. Like so many other local bands they leaned heavily on retro swagger and vintage tones for their appeal.

However, the new Ep Before the After finds the band hitting a different stride. The meticulous production is still there, but the new album has the band trading their tight jeans for board shorts, cranking up the reverb and finding a real knack for writing timeless, lazy surf gems. The new songs are just as '09 as they are '59 and can be added to Buffalo's bizarrely strong surf cannon that includes songs from locals such as the Irving Klaws, Bloody Hollies, the Waves, Blue Rocket Trio, Dimetrodon, Skate Korpse and Mockba.

Songs from the new Ep can be downloaded here or streamed here.

Redwater DIY: part 1

2009-07-24T15:43:00.004-04:00

When Redwater enters the studio this fall, the band will be determined as ever to put hits to hard drive and release a full, proper album.

"Plain and simple, this record is going to happen because, for us to be together for as long as we have and not actually have something to show for it-- is one of the most frustrating things." states singer, guitarist and de facto frontman Kevin Di Lucente.

Di Lucente, like the rest of the band, carries himself as easy going-- almost to the point of reluctance. Rounded out by guitarist Tony Nash and the rhythm section of drummer Mike Dicioccio and bassist Jay Czuba, the band members maintain an understated, yet ebullient confidence, holding conversation as easily as cracking a cold beer.

The band's primary sound is based around a trio of classic rock, grunge and country. Loud, catchy, up-tempo, blues-based hooks and riffs have been the band's meat and potatoes. As the songs shift gears and change palettes they tend to highlight Nash's technical flourishes and Di Lucente's vocal swagger.

Nash, with his beard and shoulder-length hair, comes across at first impression as a rockist through to the bone. He says when they first started playing together almost three years ago, they first gravitated to a "raw, rock" sound that was a "common denominator." However, he adds that the group's sound has begun to evolve into something more complex, less immediate.

"We've had that time to get through that, just that debut period, where it's just hungry... but after a while you don't have to scream. Slower songs-- basically what it translates to-- different tempos, trying different things... we don't just listen to hard rock, or rock 'n roll and you know, alternative."

The band practices and records in a converted basement in the last house on a dead end road in Orchard Park, just a stone's throw from the Stadium. Set back from the road and bordered on one side by a small patch of woods, the space is far removed from the downtown bars where they regularly play. The sincerity of the Southtowns comes across in the band's music and attitude. Describing themselves as an "honest band" looking to reach a "broad audience", they bristle at the thought of elitism or pretension in their music.

In looking to keep their music honest, especially on the upcoming record; the group is setting the goal of giving it a raw, live sound. While Nash cites the layered production of Pink Floyd as an influence, he says the band must walk a fine line and keep the recorded songs true to their live versions.

"Kind of like Zeppelin and Beatles, all these classics, they revolutionized recording with crazy panning and all this stuff," he says. "But at the end of the day, there was a [good] song underneath all that and it was easy to see."

"We don't want it over produced, but we don't want it to sound like we just threw a tape player down," says drummer Dicioccio.

They plan on recording the entire album themselves, in their neon-sign lit basement space, with Nash's recording equipment. It's an approach the band has used before on their previous two Eps. Nash, who takes the helm with respect to engineering and producing the band's sessions, has been recording music for around 10 years and says he has a good feel what will work and what doesn't.

Jay Pagano, an engineer at Select Sound Studios in Kenmore, says bands that hone their sound live can sometimes experience pitfalls when entering the studio.

"The big difference between playing live and playing in the studio is what you can hear," he says. "[Some bands] might feel that they're well rehearsed, but when they're in the studio they might be totally off key, they're playing their pitches too high or too low, their tempos are way off-- you don't really hear that in a live aspect that much, but in the studio you hear the slightest little thing," says Pagano.

He notes that newer bands are also not set in their ways and tend to "go with the flow" more over groups who have logged more studio time.

Redwater has an ambitious agenda, setting the goal for the upcoming release at 10 to 12 songs. They say the ratio of new-to-old songs will be about 4-to-1, with the "newer" songs being played out only a handful of times. Fully embracing the idea of changing or writing songs in the studio, they say they will take full advantage of the control and time they have in Nash's ad hoc studio.

The band, currently in the pre-production stage, is posting updates on their mySpace site. Expect silo3 to follow the band through the process as a look at a local band recording their first full-length in a DIY setting.

“The Economics Of Fast Food”

2009-07-10T15:40:00.008-04:00

chit-chat from the Chainsaw--
an irregular feature
by a. cerda

As a Dollar Menuaire, the McDouble pisses me off. And not just because it robs me of an extra piece of cheese. It’s because… well, okay, it’s because it robs me of an extra piece of cheese. But I refuse to be hoodwinked by the clown. Why does getting that extra piece of cheese cost me 19 cents when a regular cheeseburger only costs 10 cents more than a regular hamburger?

The math doesn’t add up, especially the more you break it down. Okay, let’s assume each slice of cheese really costs 19 cents. Now a McDouble is only a penny more than a regular cheeseburger. That means each patty only costs a penny. So that leaves 79 cents covering the bun, pickle, ketchup, mustard, and whatever other condiments they throw on there.

Now, we know condiments really can’t cost much otherwise restaurants and sporting venues across the nation wouldn’t offer them so freely. Let’s give an estimate of about 10 cents for condiments. Now, we’re down to 69 cents for bun and pickle.

An 8-pack of hamburger buns generally goes for about $1.50, meaning each bun is about 19 cents. If my math is correct (which it is, unlike my logic), that means the pickle is costing me about 50 cents. That’s outrageous! Especially since I order mine without a pickle. I want my 50 cents back, clown.

By the way, why is it that two 4-piece pack of chicken nuggets is not only cheaper than one 6-piece pack, but you also end up getting two sauces instead of one? Maybe if McDonalds wasn’t losing money hand over fist in the McNugget department, they could put the double cheeseburger back on the dollar menu.

from the McDonald's official Web site FAQ:
"What if I order a McDouble with an extra slice of cheese. Then it would only be $1, right?
No. If you order the McDouble with an extra slice of cheese, you will be charged for the extra slice of cheese. Nice try, though!"

(Ed. Why the dickish tone?)

How Pitchfork is killing "alternative"

2009-06-04T09:36:00.010-04:00

Through top-notch writing and reviews, pitchfork.com has become the premier internet resource for all things music, especially for acts that don't show up on the mainstream pop culture radar. That being said they have effectively crippled underground, alternative or whatever you want to call it.

They have done this not by HOW they review, but by WHAT. For example:

1) They review mostly stuff that is very polished or heavily buzzed. This shuts out a lot of acts with unproven yet redeeming qualities, especially when compared to the ink/ love something like Maximum Rock n Roll gives a lot of unknowns.

2) Because of what they review, they create the mentality that image and polish are more important than the music itself.

3) Some accuse the web site of promoting style or personality over substance-- giving props to acts based solely on charisma.

So-called indie, underground or whatever has become very poppy and very trendy in this post-Pitchfork age. I hate to sound like an ol' timer but "alternative" used to be about being different or weird. Now-- its about having a different brand or image.

Like the financial sector, the advent of Pitchfork becoming the premier taste-maker for the music industry has lead to another "boom and bust" industry. Acts and genres are sequentially built up and torn down. Music doesn't seem to evolve organically anymore with Pitchfork-reading hipsters across the lands glomming on to the latest trend (or in Buffalo, last year's trend (oh BTW, it's been over for a few years now-- GIVE IT UP STONER ROCKERS!!!)) only to see it blow up in their face.

The last serious rock movement was the garage revival earlier this decade, which, by the way, was based entirely on the rebooting of old ideas. Meanwhile, micro/minimal techno seems to have turned the page on electronic music, trendiness be damned. These two examples show ground swells in "pop" music still exist, however substantive, yet it remains to be seen if the snowballing of underground trends via Pitchfork hype will have an effect on music in the long run.

On hiatus til May-ish

2009-02-26T09:22:00.003-05:00

this being my last semester and a busy one, silo3 will be on hiatus until late spring. sorry to those looking for their stories to appear. they will in due time.

-BS

Podcast: Stay Lows in Studio

2008-10-27T16:40:00.005-04:00

Silo3 was lucky enough to recently get invited into the studio with the Buffalo indie-veterans the Stay Lows. Jeff, Jim, Rick and Brandon answered a few questions between reviewing rough mixes for their upcoming album, tentatively titled The Signature Bridge. This is the first in a series of Silo3 podcasts.

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Silo3 Staylows in Studio - Silo3

Always well-documented, the band can be seen in action here.

RRIICCEE RREEVVIIEEWW @ Soundlab 9/25

2008-09-30T18:40:00.005-04:00

photo from rriiccee.com

Vincent Gallo, who put Buffalo on the hipster map with his movie Buffalo '66, bought his musical project in RRIICCEE back to Soundlab last Thursday. While Gallo's past musical collaborators in other projects include Sean Lennon, Jim O'Rourke, Eric Erlandson and legendary New York artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the current RRIICCEE line-up includes less recognizable names in brothers Nikolas and Simon Haas. Gallo describes RRIICCEE as, "a gesture of composing and performing at the same time, always hoping to avoid musical cliché or jamming... when we play live, the music is often created during the performance."

Upon descending the Soundlab steps Thursday night, it looked like Gallo had planned everything except the music. Seven rows of black folding chairs had been arranged in rows facing the stage, with a narrow, de facto walkway cutting the rows through to the back of the room. A drum set, synthesizers, amplifiers and guitars were set up in front of a white screen. The stage was completely lit by fluorescent light-- an island in the dark, subterranean Soundlab performance space.

RRIICCEE took the stage without opening act, the first song built up from guitar noise loop into abstract trip-hop. Throughout the set, the band also touched on elements of jazz, tropicalia, electronica and rock. Some of the songs had vocal melodies, a hint that some of the music is written beforehand. The music felt, at times, like the score to a film playing just behind the stage. Returning to trip-hop before the end of the set, Canadian emcee Buck 65 dropped a few freestyle verses over RRIICCEE's bed of minimal-ambient sounds.

photo from buck65.com

After playing about only 40 minutes, with no opening act, some people were grumbling about the ticket price after the show. Some were probably hipster-suckers, looking for a celebrity experience or Gallo photo-op. At $20 a pop, without hearing a single song they recognized, no doubt a lot of people were asking themselves-- who the fuck is Vincent Gallo anyway?

"Wait, I’m Not Even A Registered Voter… Am I?"

2008-09-17T16:37:00.005-04:00

chit-chat from the Chainsaw--
an irregular feature

picks up on the theme of my recent mySpace blog...

Now, normally I don’t do many political rants ‘cause I’m not the type of guy to offer an opinion on something he doesn’t know a lot about. Oh, no, wait, that’s exactly the type of guy I am. And as long as I think I’m right, I probably am. Hey, if that philosophy works for George Dubya, it’ll work for me.

I just have to get it off my chest. Sarah Palin bugs me. Really, really bugs me. More so than any other candidate. Why? you might ask. Is it because she’s a woman? Well, pretty much, yeah. I’m not afraid to admit that my voting preferences are based on genitalia. That’s why I supported Hillary. She had the biggest balls of all the candidates.

Honestly, I have nothing against Palin personally. I just disagree with her on every issue. She’s anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, pro-drilling, pro-war, pro-moose hunting, anti-polar bear, and I’m pretty sure she voted for David Archuleta. And I’m sick of hearing guys referring to her as a MILF. I mean, yeah, she is, but so is Denise Richards, and I wouldn’t want her leading the country.

And let’s not overlook the lack of experience factor. Her only major political experience is two years as governor of a state whose entire population consists of ten Eskimos and several caribous. I guess it’s all a moot point, anyhow. Our votes won’t matter come November. With the way the Electoral College is set up, no matter which candidate gets the most votes, George Dubya will win again.

--A.L. Cerda

Roger Bryan on 'Recovery'

2008-08-21T18:05:00.012-04:00

As he eases back into the beige-ing faux-fur couch in his second-floor practice space above Main Street, Roger Bryan takes a drag from a freshly lit cigarette. "It just reached a point where it really wasn't going to work the way it was," he explains.

In 2004, Roger would help start a band that would consume his creative energies for the next four years of his life, the Old Sweethearts. The band would go on to produce two proper releases. "When the Sweethearts first came together," he says, "it was a pretty inspiring period of time."

Grabbing a Miller High Life from a small dorm refrigerator a few feet away, Roger heads back to the couch as he describes how the band would fall apart as lost momentum gave way to dwindling creative drive and weakening relationships. The situation was further strained by guitarist Andy Vaeth’s commitment to his other band, the power trio Johnny Nobody. As the weeks, months and years passed Roger became increasingly frustrated.

"By the time we'd started the third record, it had been two years," he says. "Also, the 'new' songs we were recording, we had been playing all along (this period of time)."

Perhaps for a shot at redemption or maybe for closure-- Roger was inspired by this time in his life: the long, slow deaths of an important relationship between himself and the band as a whole; between himself and his band mates. This inspiration found its way into the songs on his second full-length as a solo artist, Recovery.

Although his backing band, the Orphans, includes some familiar faces, ex-Sweethearts Jeff Pietrzak and Erik Roesser, he wanted an otherwise fresh approach to Recovery. The new songs were shorter and faster. The band was recorded mostly live and in a few takes. Recording in guitarist Matt Smith's Hi/Lo Studio, the band entered the sessions without any preconceived notions on how the record would sound. The only predetermined goal, says Roger, was to finish the record with a sense of urgency and within a year from when the first songs were written. The results were better than he had expected.

"Everyone brings a very high level of play... we're lucky to all be on the same page," he says. "It was extremely refreshing, especially after years of sitting around."

Roger Bryan and the Orphans cite both Crazy Horse and the Replacements as strong influences, which can be heard throughout much of the album. The folky-garage of "This Song" punctuates distant, sing-a-long verses with searing guitar lines that flicker up like campfire. The 90’s alt-pop meditation of “If we fall” finds the band I an up-tempo gear, swapping melancholy for bitter-sweet.

And on an album filled with rebukes and flat-out regrets, Roger feels out for redemption on the record-closer “Full Reverse”, as Crazy Horse guitars wash over his scratchy vocal lines. Where he and the Orphans go from here is anyone’s guess.

JUCIFER! @ Mohawk Place, Friday July 25th w/ Chylde and Sonorous Gale

2008-08-07T14:12:00.002-04:00

a rudy sizzle review

What the fuck is wrong you? Why do you even waste your time going to shows if you are going to run away at the first signs of something dangerous and perhaps even debilitating? SO WHAT if you might be deafened by the insane decibels that Jucifer is about to spew forth from their monolith of Ampeg? Who cares about your hearing anyway, you obviously don’t use it if you sat through Chylde’s set and thought, “aw yeah, right there is some real rock and roll.”

Your friends, you know, the guys who all work at that sweet restaurant owned by the piece of shit Greek who has more cocaine up his nose than on his cheap Pier One glass dining room set. Yeah, the same gang that seems to run the show in town, perhaps bringing in all the hot shit just to be able to let their awesome rock and roll band open. The same people that base their entire ideology on remaining ten minutes behind the coolness curve to make sure it at least sticks for their entire night on the Allen Street strip. See yourself there, wearing those flip-flops and that torn up ironic metal t-shirt, chugging cans of PBR at the Old Pink flamingo while your boy is spinning CD’s and no one is really using their hearing to discern the blandness piercing the speakers as a flash-in-the-pan, waif-British novelty has already run its course. Reach out across the room to your pal to give him a secret-man-shake and perhaps exchange witty retorts that are all based on your favorite sketch comedy show. Make a snide remark about how bored you are with the fact there is nothing wrong with your life as your parents keep sending you a check once a week to keep you well submersed in the ever-so-boring lifestyle that you seem to think of as being a “hardcore existence.” You know, you are so punk that you cannot stand punk music, nor can you stomach the thought of watching live music.

However, if your bros in Chylde are playing, than it’s got to be a party. It’s got to be the place where all the shit is going down. Right? “Who is the opening band? Sonorous Gale? What do they sound like? Big Business? Tragedy? A raw version of NoMeansNo? Perhaps the coolest band in Buffalo? No way, Chylde obviously is, I mean at least that is what they told me. Sonorous Gale just can’t contend, what with all that precise musicianship and intricacy in song structure. That just bores the hell out of me, especially when it is delivered with such ferocity and honesty. I hate that shit. I like when my music sounds like it is overly thought out, as if the songs are eschewed from any type of shred of original thought. I need my music to remind me of what my cousin’s and older brother liked when they were 16. I cannot fathom anything that sounds remotely like it is original because then it might be too much for my PBR buzzed brain to handle. My girlfriend liked it, but fuck her anyways. She likes anything that pisses me off, that’s why she dragged my ass to Jucifer anyways. I went because my boys, my main dudes, Chylde were on stage promptly @ midnight. They always do it right, hitting the toll of midnight and letting the riffs roll and rage proper. I like to smoke a bunch of weed and pop some pills and act all stupid-off-the-chain when they riff, but my gal just idly watches and occasionally reminds me that I am making an ass out of myself. I don’t care, I love rock and I love Chylde. She loves Jucifer, probably because there is a girl in the band that kind of looks like a deranged fairy on acid. She probably digs them because they sing about the French revolution and Marie Antoinette (whoever that is?) I think that they are just a phase and someday she’ll realize that their complicated raucous is merely an allusion to the fact that they wish they could just let the good times roll and forget about stuff like historic events that shaped cultures and what not.”

Yep, that sounds about right, doesn’t it? I guess if Jucifer’s immense wall of Ampeg cabinets frightened you away before you even gave them a chance (they were selling earplugs jack-ass), then you might as well have went back to your hipster high chair for your bottle to be inserted back into your stupid mouth. Mommy made sure it was nice and lukewarm, like you like it.

~ Rudy Sizzle

Infrigment 08 Picks

2008-07-24T09:11:00.009-04:00

It's Infringement fest time again folks. Besides some of the local bands covered in previous posts-- here's the silo3 best bets:

Ajent-O
underground hip-hopper who's baby steps have been followed by a string of solid tracks. THE premier underground rapper in Buff City.

Saturday, July 26 10:00 pm - 2:00 am, Nietzsche's

Audibel
this Rochester, NY solo act's latest songs have him sounding more like a minimalist Panda Bear and less like post-electroclash. good stuff.

Monday, July 28 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm Burnwood

thee Audience
these guys are always lo-profile which is a shame. Best thing to see in Jamestown, NY besides the five Lucy and Desi museums.

Sunday July 27 7:30-8:30pm Gateway Gallery

besnyo
local anthemic-indiepoppers get better with every release-- for fans of JAMC, Flaming Lips,M83

Friday, July 25 Nietzsche's 10pm
Friday, Aug 1 Golden Key 9pm

patrons of sweet

less than a year old, these grizzled locals sound great already

Sunday, Aug 3 Nietzche's 9pm

Ray Tarantino

Sony artist with a Coldplay hard-on slumming it-- great voice, decent songs.

Friday, July 25	6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Buffalo Barfly HQ
Friday, July 25	10:00 pm - 2:00 am	Nietzsche's
Saturday, July 26	1:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Gateway Gallery
Saturday, July 26	6:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Skunk Tail Glass

voidologists
the minimalist "harsh" noises on the above link will put your speakers through their paces.

Monday, July 28

6:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Burnwood

Wednesday, July 30

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Squeaky Wheel

Saturday, August 2

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Squeaky Wheel

“I Don’t Love The New Millennium”

2008-07-13T20:40:00.003-04:00

chit-chat from the Chainsaw--
an irregular feature

Don’t get me wrong. The past seven and a half years have been, more or less, good to me. It’s just that I don’t miss them enough to feel nostalgic about them. But VH-1 has scraped the barrel and mined the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s for every single possible event that could warrant a half-assed joke or two. (I’m sorry, but 1983 was not interesting enough to warrant three hour-long specials.) And since presumably nothing of note happened before 1970—and as far as I can tell from history books, nothing did—VH-1 and their third-rate panelists have moved on to the… uh, aughts? Seriously, have we figured out a classification for this decade yet?

I remember when I Love the 90’s first debuted, many snobbish critics decried it, claiming it impossible to be nostalgic for a decade barely over. Little did anyone realize that VH-1 was just being cutting edge and innovative and forward-thinking. After all, in a world driven by instant gratification, why should anyone have to wait to feel nostalgic? Truly, this creative, present-tense approach has come to full fruition with television viewers now longing for a decade that’s not even over! Imagine the possibilities when these network execs find out a way to make us miss the good ol’ days of the future!

Ironically, all of VH-1’s nostalgia shows make me feel nostalgic for the days when they actually played music videos. You know, video hits. One. Remember when it was the music channel for the stodgy old parents of the hip kids who watched MTV? Well, as I’ve officially become a stodgy old parent, I feel like my needs are not currently being met. I’ve tried watching the fresh new, young bands on Fuse or MTV2, and I’m always left with the same thought: Who gave these teabags money to make a video? And it’s not that I don’t think good music is being made these days; I’m just too lazy and stubborn to seek it out. I guess my complaint boils down to what all my complaints boil down to. The world doesn’t do enough to tailor itself to fit my wants.

--A.L. Cerda

Thurrrsday at the --- bleccch

2008-07-01T16:48:00.006-04:00

Independence Day week seems like a good time for a good ol' American rant about how things got ruined, more specifically Thursday at the Square.

Local bar owners seem nonplussed at the recent developments surrounding the square. The spate of "jam" bands leads less of a bar/ drinking crowd, they say. Also, extending hours of the Square to 10pm keep people from coming in and spending money, preferring to go home in an attempt to drag themselves into work on Friday. Owners Silo3 spoke to however were quick to point out the crowd they get, which also depends on the weather, is better than none at all.

Some people have been saying for years that the crop of Square talent has been steadily declining for years. They make the case Buffalo Place knows; people are there to see the sides of beer trucks not live music.

Here's some highlights from 2001, what some would say was a high-watermark:

5/24 - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mexican Cession
5/31 - The Steam Donkeys
6/21 - moe., DJ Logic
6/28 - English Beat
7/19 - Bo Diddley
7/26 - Crash Test Dummies
8/02 - Eddie Money
8/09 - Pat Benatar
8/16 - Great Big Sea, Jackdaw
8/23 - Lance Diamond
8/30 - Donna the Buffalo, The Waz, Soulive

Compare to entire '08 lineup:
5/29 - Galactic, The New Deal
6/05 - The Disco Biscuits
6/12 - Yonder Mountain String Band
6/19 - David Sanborn Group,
6/26 - Martin Sexton, Mike Doughty Duo
7/03 - Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels
7/10 - Jimmie Vaughan, JJ Grey & MOFRO
7/17 - Mickey Hart Band, Tea Leaf Green
7/24 - The Gin Blossoms
7/31 - Spirit of the West,
8/07 - Zappa plays Zappa, The Whigs
8/14 - Mike Gordon, Samantha Stollenwerck
8/21 - Saliva
8/28 - Candlebox, Agent Me
9/04 - Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Rumors have it that changes at Buffalo Place's TATS management team are afoot. Is a better lineup possible for '09? Will they book more classic/ contemporary rock in an attempt to bring out more of a bar crowd?

End of an era - changes at the local show

2008-06-03T12:04:00.007-04:00

"WBNY isn't what it used to be," says Jessica a member of the podcast collective Through the Hiss at their Wednesday night organizational meeting in a loft space on the west side. The group sits amidst of tangle of cords and sound equipment, some new and some in various states of reuse.

Through the Hiss is a group of broadcasters who were all previously involved in the local show and are dedicated "to promote not only Buffalo music, but also creative works from a wider geographic range.

The group decided to start podcasting after the local college radio station WBNY released TTH member Brain Kedzierski, who had been the voice of the local show for 10 years and affiliated with the station, first as a regular caller, for about 15 years. Some of the DJs felt after several warning signs, this was a red flag they could not ignore, a sign the station is headed down the wrong path.

According to both the station and Brian K., his release was the result of a lackluster 2008 WBNY Battle of the Bands. That battle received about 11 submissions for entrance into the contest, when, in several previous years, the call for submissions culled around 70 recordings from local artists.

After what can only be described as a communication breakdown between the local show staff and station management, the '08 Battle of the Bands slowly began its downward spiral. Members of Through the Hiss maintain that poor promotion and a general lack of interest on the part of: the station, local (music) community and perhaps the local show itself led to poor attendance and ultimately the release of Kedzierski.

In an email response WBNY station manager Dave Vogan wrote:

"Personally, I think Brian is a great individual who has done a lot of work for the radio station in the past. Unfortunately, it became evident to me that Brian did not have the same caring attitude as he once had. Local rotation was rarely updated, mic breaks seemed to be non-existent and it just seemed as if there was no personality to the local show anymore. Whenever the program director and myself confronted Brian about a situation, he didn't have a response. Again, I think Brian is a great guy and all, but it was time to move into a different direction."

Besides his release, Brian and other TTH members had a litany of complaints about the station including: the use of local show sound equipment for a wedding and the trashing of the studios by other DJs at the station. They say WBNY has lost its way and the respect of the community due to a lack of passionate, informed DJs who care about promoting local music.

For his part Vogan, says listeners of WBNY can expect some changes and improvements to daily broadcasts:

"I think listeners can look forward to hearing a more diverse selection of bands not only when they tune into the local show, but when they hear local music on the station. Listeners will also notice more personalities and mic breaks."

He also adds, "if bands are interested in either sending WBNY a CD for some air-play or are interested in playing on the local show, they can contact the local show through the mySpace page.

New World Record's final days

2008-05-09T12:16:00.005-04:00

The bittersweetness that was record store day has come and gone. New World Record closes its doors on May 18th.

As the 21st century begins, the world is seeing the new, modern society transform at a record pace. Buffalo is no longer the industrial bull it used to be, and as the city struggles to find its place in the post-industrial economy, many casualties will pave the way of its future.

NWR was an Elmwood Avenue institution for so long that, when the store moved to its location on Delaware Avenue, to many it was already dead. Of course the move was inevitable, with dwindling record sales and bills to pay--we've all heard that story before, yet,like many other so-called progessive-minded citizens, I asked myself "why?"

Why can't they find a way?

Why does Elmwood have to change?

Like the razing of a many a vacant house, the end of NWR should be viewed not as the loss of the present, but a push toward the future. Maybe one day Buffalonians will laugh at the thought of a bricks-and-mortar record store in the center of the Elmwood Village. By then, anyone who bought indie or underground records will probably be priced out of the neighborhood anyway.

As of this being published the currently has everything at 30 percent off. Here are some of what others are saying about the store closing:

http://www.buffalonews.com/lifearts/next/story/335420.html

http://www.buffalorising.com/story/new_world_loss

New World Record Store Day 4/19

2008-04-17T11:35:00.005-04:00

A bittersweet Record Store Day celebration as New World Record prepares to close its doors. Silo3 will be there with coverage of the day:

12 -- gary zoldos
1 -- patrons of sweet
2 -- a hotel nourishing
3 -- the dense
4 -- like a panther
5 -- besnyo
6 -- the missing planes
7 -- bela's shadow
8 -- the stay lows

Chiggity-Checkout Yourself Before You Wriggity-Wreckout Yourself

2008-03-24T16:18:00.006-04:00

chit-chat from the Chainsaw--
an irregular feature

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to stop the insanity! And since Susan Powter has disappeared, it behooves me to take matters into my own hands. I’m trying to get a law passed, but seeing as I’m not a high-class escort, politicians in Albany are turning deaf ears to my pleas. So what is it that has caught my ire? Those damn self-checkout lanes.

Much too often, I find myself at Tops, dying for my late night fixin’ of Combos, frozen pizza and grape soda. But the self-checkout lane will be backed up because some douchebags are shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the convenience of bagging three carts worth of food. Maybe it’s because we have so little control of our lives in other areas, but at some point in human civilization, we’ve accepted the notion that bagging our own groceries represents an important step towards autonomy.

And it’s not like it’s cheaper to self-bag the way it’s cheaper to pump your own gas. Really, the only convenience the self-checkout lane offers is the ability to pay completely in loose change without worrying if you’re on penny 638 or 639. These machines do offer freedom from Coinstar’s loan-shark fees, but that’s all. The time-saving aspect is merely an illusion. You still have to wait in line during busy hours since everyone seems to want to use them. Not to mention that at least one of the machines will be down. And at least one will be occupied by someone with so little grasp of technology, they probably still have a flashing 12:00 on their VCR. And let’s not forget the aforementioned example of someone who doesn’t understand the tiny space allotted is not conducive to massive grocery shopping.

So folks, please, let’s treat these things as express lanes and limit ourselves to 15 items or less. I know it’s a lot to ask that we police ourselves, but it’ll help bring some harmony to the world. And it’ll represent a true step towards real autonomy.

--A.L. Cerda

Love Parade CD release party: for “All Together Now”

2008-03-18T19:14:00.005-04:00

a rudy sizzle review

When: Saturday, March 1st
Where: The Mohawk Place

Considering the fact that late February, and pretty much all of March, is when “real winter” sets in for Buffalo, the attendance for Love Parade’s CD extravaganza was great. I rarely get stoked mid-winter to leave the house, but perhaps knowing one of my favorite live bands was braving the elements, traversing across the 90 West all the way from Brooklyn, to make a special appearance and to celebrate with Love Parade was enough enticement to get me out. Upon seeing Aloke, one may consider earplugs and maybe to have a few shots of whiskey. Not that you need to mute your hearing to enjoy them; they are pummeling sonically, very confrontational on the stage and need to be appreciated on an up-close and personal level. Their poignancy is felt wholeheartedly in each of the band's four members, channeling a vibe akin to that of Fugazi or Quicksand, yet somehow honing in on their very own brand of thick indie-rock that both crushes and captivates. The vocals are washed in an ocean of delay, blending into a wall of sound, balanced on the tightly-woven rhythm section. The Aloke song craft is high caliber, despite the heavy barrage of distorted and effected guitar and vocals. There are some seriously memorable moments in Aloke’s battery of material, namely songs like “Head inside a Suitcase” and “Unresolved”, which are both spectacularly captured on their up coming full-length release recorded by Steve Albini.

Aloke is a very difficult band to follow however, Buffalo’s own noise-laden indie-rockers La Cacahouette were up for the challenge. La Cacahouette are a trio based out of the Queen City and have been steadily developing their craft over the past four years. Since their inception, the “Little Peanut” has managed to build a solid fan base locally, as well as outside of Buffalo with a regular tour roster that has seen the band make it out to the West Coast and numerous jaunts to the Mid-west. Co-fronted by the married duo Pepper Ochsner-Thomas and Gerald Thomas, La Cacahouette’s song craft mixes keyboard and electric stringed instrumentation equivocally in the sonic spectrum. By having the monster-bashing drum skills of Blake Ellman, the songs tend to lean more towards metallic-tinged stoner rock while morphing occasionally into an analog-digital hybrid ala My Bloody Valentine or Stereo Lab. At times the genuinely sweet inflections of Gerald and Pepper’s vocals syrup the sound and offset the powerful tension being built by the chaos of the heavy pounding and cacophony of heavily effected guitars and keys.

I’d also like to take moment to rewind to the beginning of this special CD release party and describe the genius that is Nick Gordon. There are certain types of songwriters, namely the folk-style purists who are offended by anything that digresses or mars the aesthetic of the preconceived folk-roots tradition. Nick Gordon makes this niche seem plausibly real and honestly easy to fall in love with. If you did not know him, you would have thought you were being privy to the roots of beat music, to the old school noir-hearted center of post-modern, post-mortem, post-post-office… etc. I know that Nick’s style is not merely a “shtick” because this fellow means it. If you did not know him, you might be willing to wager the farm on this kid being full of shit. You’d lose the farm once you spoke with him; the man has soul. Song-craft and soul are a married couple of convenience, they tend to stay together as long as they can usually to get the kids up and out of the house and into their own fucked up marriages, families and thus the cycle repeats. Nick’s songs are mad and blunt, dangerous and safe to enjoy, if there are no strings attached.

Love Parade took to the stage very late. The numbers dwindled, but not nearly enough to thwart the Parade of Love’s vigorous song sequence. They performed the track list of the new CD “All Together Now” from start to finish and this apropos statement is definitive of this trio. They all seem to be connected to the same weird muse that makes great pop music seem slightly drug induced, maybe even a bit insane. They keep this secret within the lines of the songs lyrics, such as the line “Driving is fine if you can get to a new place instead of hitting a wall so close to home…” and thus the brilliance of the Love Parade. Jason Sallese has a dry wit that keeps the serious freak-out of manic absurdity at bay. The tongue-in-cheek nature of this band is what draws you in and wins you over. Their performance was nearly flawless, which makes it more than perfect, as they tend to force themselves off the rails every once in awhile. “All Together Now” is a solid representation of this quirky and loveable trio’s musicality.

For locals: punk-is-the-new-punk

2008-03-13T10:30:00.006-04:00

ever since the punk explosion of late 70s underground musicians have been searching for the next thing to shake rock's foundations. In the 80s it was hip-hop, hardcore and new wave. In the 90s it was grunge, rave and nu-metal. In the 00s its been wave after wave of revivalist movements: garage rock, techno and ???

locally, a few revival-minded bands have grabbed the punk mantle and made it their own. Some have taken influences from punk's early years while others have taken from other sub-movements within ever-growing scope of punk rock music.

the music of White York expands on the folk resonances found within the punk movement. The band dwells in territory staked out by folk/ punk icons like Patty Smith and Tom Waits.

"we use a musical style that originates directly from a punk rock background, and we (more or less) have the accompanying ideology and attitudes," WY guitarist Alex Yoshi tells S3 via email.

basement-dwellers plates take a more purified approach to punk. According to Dave Anchovies, plates guitarist and all-around nice guy, the biggest single influence on the band is the '77 punk band the Wipers, which can be heard in the loud, tight, fast plates songs.

artvoice battle-of-the-bands winner London vs. New York is another high-profile local group proudly waving the punk banner. Their battle victory is no doubt a testament to punk rock presence and popularity in the local scene. WBFO Music Director Bert Gambini writes the band, who recently performed on the radio station's 'Live at Allen Hall' series, plays with "raucous spirit and high volume," which sound's like Yoshi's idea of what punk music should be:

"with 70's punk, there was a shift taking place in terms of how music was being treated. It was approached not as an arrangement of notes and rhythms that were foreign to the player, but as an invitation to take a simple pattern and intensify it, make it dynamic, make it explode."