Grizzzzy Bear/Choir of Two Ohm Cicadas @ Front St. 2.15.08

...(we apologize in advance for a lack of visual evidence to accompany this report. Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to photograph this evening. In our defense, we are a small outfit and, to be quite honest, any photography would not have done the event justice.)...

....buried deep in the back of the Front Street complex, Dethfits' base of operations doubled as a venue on this particular evening. As we navigated through the ice fields and made our way into the cavernous space, we learned we had arrived just after My Latex Brain had finished. Next up would be the Choir of Two Ohm Cicadas, who we knew precious little about. The duo proceeded to launch into what was largely derided by this audience. While we here at The Buddha Den relish good noise rock and ambient offerings, on this particular evening Choir of Two Ohm Cicadas offered us little in the way of any texturing or subtle melodic content which would drive music of this style. A trace of melody would bubble up on occasion, but for the most part the grind of the band's sound was simply more than anyone could really tolerate on this evening. Perhaps a shorter set might have been the ticket...

...as the audience regrouped, local faves Grizzzzy Bear prepared to hit the stage for the second time this week. Struggling through some early technical difficulties, the band opened again with a new piece that strongly favors the band's metal tendencies. While it is obviously a work-in-progress, on this night the band seemed somewhat more comfortable with the piece. Hopefully the band will iron out their ideas and trim it down to a manageable piece. As Grizzzzzy Bear proceeded with their set, they laid heavily into some their best tracks off their debut disc. The audience lurched back at the band, singing along with some of the most infectious songs in Dayton at the moment. As Grizzzzy Bear seems to be embracing a more muscular, metal edge these days, we are curious to see if they will succeed in integrating this element into their eclectic amalgam which was so successful on their debut disc, or if they will abandon the melodies in favor of the grind. With the inclusion of a cover of "Blitzkreig Bop" near the end of their set, we're a little anxious to find out. Time will tell....

....we apologize for not having reports on sets by Akillis Green and Switchblade Serenade (who were performing as a trio on this evening). If anyone has the lowdown, we'd love to hear it...