The End of Halloween....

After a seemingly endless series of events leading up to the actually day, last night was, in fact, Halloween. We couldn't be happier that this holiday is now behind us...

...last night at the Nite Owl served as remarkable showcase for some great bands from Dayton and beyond. Opening the night was the "official" debut for Stone the Mayor Sheriffs, featuring ex-members of the much-loved Sputnik Halo, fully decked out in A-Team costumes. Engaging in a heavy, but dynamic aesthetic, STMS displayed a sense of adventure with their compositions that truly masked their infancy. We expect good things to come out of this camp very soon....

...next in line was Paper Thin Stages from Boston. The trio employed all manner of technological gadgetry to generate an hypnotic, ambient sound highly reminiscent of Liars' Drum's Not Dead album, as well as post-rock practitioners such as Tarentel. Upon further inquiry, I was informed that the band's set was fully improvised, as are all performances. While they might have been better suited to a show at Goloka Gallery, we are pulling for a return visit very soon...

...not letting the momentum of the evening down was Amoroso, also in from Boston. Performing as a duo of guitar and drums, Amoroso unleashed a furious torrent of heavy blues-inflected heaviness that recalled everything from Lightning Bolt to Led Zeppelin. With inconceivable dynamic range and a telepathic sensibility to turn on a dime, we could not have expected such brilliance on a Wednesday evening...

...in from Virginia was the anthemic indie rock of This Car Up. Landing somewhere between Death Cab, Weezer, and the sunnier strains of Pavement and Superchunk, TCU delivered giant shimmering choruses tinged with chiming, interweaving guitar work and the requisite vintage synths...

...closing out the night was Vows. Although admittedly inebriated (we'll give them a break; there were 5 bands after all....), the band showed no signs of impediment and proceeded to flatten the room. Dishing out monstrous riffs and searing dual guitars passages, Vows provided the perfect maniacal conclusion this Halloween season....

...we apologize for the lack of visuals. we were otherwise obligated and were not able to take photos. all apologies....

...also, if anyone made it over to the American Static/Dementia Precox show, please let us know how that went. We wanted to be in both places...