New Year's Eve Bash @ Front Street Warehouse

...if yr looking for a way to wrap up 2008, might we suggest head over to the Front Street Warehouses tonight for a show packed with Dayton goodness. If you don't know exactly where it is, we're pretty sure that if you get close you'll make it. Just check the poster for the lineup. Should be a great show. See ya there....

VIDEO: Captain of Industry "Healthy Spines"

...this came across our desk late last week. Just when we thought Captain of Industry was laying low, they bust in with this visual gem. We're just trying to figure out how late they had to stay in their office building to get this one done...

Captain of Industry - "Healthy Spines" from trevor hollen on Vimeo.

The Buddha Den Songwriters in the Round Sampler

...if you've been following The Buddha Den for any length of time, you know we like to showcase Dayton musicians quite a bit. We do this in many different ways, one being live performances. Way back in June of this year, we hosted a very special evening at the legendary Canal Street Tavern. Some of the musicians turned in exceptional versions of songs from upcoming albums. Some busted out tracks that we have no expectations to ever hear again anywhere. Some just played their "hits", which is fine by us...

...in our unwavering efforts, we recorded the night's performances. After some technical adjustments by Ted Dankerson over the Fictionband HQ, we at The Buddha Den are very pleased to present as our final gift of 2008, The Buddha Den Songwriters In The Round Sampler. Here's the info...

Nathan Peters (from Captain of Industry) "Facefull of a Headfull of Hair"
Mascot "All My Favorite Films"
Nick Tertel (from Sleepybird) "Signals Surpass"
Derek Gullett (from Switchblade Serenade) "Burn Your Books"
Tod Weidner (from Shrug) "One Night Phase"
Miranda Penington "Beautiful People"
Dustin Rose (from Toads and Mice) "Sailor"
Andy Smith (from Andrew & the Pretty Punchers) "Goodbye Ohio"

DOWNLOAD THE BUDDHA DEN SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND SAMPLER HERE

A Message from The Story Changes Regarding Holidayton 08

...although we're rarely short on commentary, we thought we would let Mark McMillon from The Story Changes (who have so graciously organized Holidayton for six consecutive years!) speak about how amazing Holidayton was this year...

Thanks to everyone that made it out last night and hats off to all the bands and artists that performed!

Now more than ever, the Dayton scene is alive and well and the city truly does have something special and unique going on musically. The proof is in the quality of the performance that every single artist gave last night along with so many people coming out and enjoying the evening.


Dayton Daily news was on hand early taking pictures and you can check them out here.


We'll have more photos from our own collection soon.
Keep your eyes peeled to our site along with the The Buddha Den for photos and more from the show.


Thanks so much,

Marrrrrk

P.S. I would like to send out some extra love to all the bands and artists that played for helping to keep things running on time. It's not easy putting together a 10 act bill and keeping it rolling smooth with the short change overs, but everyone stepped it up and we actually had the last act on 2 minutes early.

...we plan on having plenty of photo evidence of the evening for you later this week, so be sure to stay tuned...

Sixth Annual Holidayton-Tonight @ Blind Bob's

...well kids, as 2008 winds down, the good kids from The Story Changes are putting the cap on the year like only they can with the Sixth Annual Holidayton show. Running in it's sixth consecutive year (hey, that's a big deal no matter where you come from) they've brought together some of the finest talent in Dayton. If you need to know where to be when, here's what you need to know:

Solo Side
8:30pm - David Payne
9:30pm - Jordan Hull
10:30pm - Mascot
11:30pm - Joe Anderl
12:30am - Nightbeast


Band Side
9:00pm - New Vega
10:00pm - After the Accident
11:00pm - Andrew & the Pretty Punchers
12:00am - The Story Changes
1:00am - Astro Fang

...if you like music at all, this is an amazing smorgasboard of Dayton music at this moment. We highly recommend you head down early and get your money's worth. Hats off to The Story Changes for carrying on this tradition and bringing so many musicians together under one banner...

Heartless Bastards/The Goody Two Shoes-Tonight @ Canal Street Tavern

...you've got a huge holiday homecoming show tonight over at Canal Street Tavern. On her first return to Dayton since her move to Austin and subsequent lineup change, Erika Wennerstrom will bring Heartless Bastards back to town in advance of the band's new album, The Mountain (due out on Fat Possum Records February 3). Along for the ride are local garage faves, The Goody Two Shoes. Should be a great kickoff to a weekend of great Dayton music....

More Best of Dayton 08...

...hey kids, we're very excited to introduce a couple of new contributors to The Buddha Den today. We figured what better way to get to know these people than to give you their Best of Dayton 08 lists...

...first up, we've got GladGirl...

Fave Dayton Criminal:
One legged bandit of the Oregon District.
Robbed Franco's Italian Restaurant not once, not twice but 4 times. Making off with some vino and cash, Dayton Police are asking for you help apprehending "leggy" who has managed to out run them. He is described as missing his right leg. But then again everyone whose been in the Oregon District could have told you that.

Fave House Party:
Last fall @ Wayne Manor - (not named after the home of Batman's Bruce Wayne but because it's on Wayne across from crack-Kroger)
Art on all three floors with Towhee playing in the attic while the residents of house successfully arguing with the landlady long enough for the entire set to get played before the cops were called.
Final score, Residents 1 - toothless 4ft. lesbian landlady 0

Fave Local CD Release:
Jordan Hull
self titled debut.
Find it, buy it, love it!

Fave International CD Release w/ local ties:
The Breeders "Mountain Battles"
CD release party was awesome! Everyone could and still can attend 24/7 via the band website. The CD release party was filmed at the West Carrollton VFW. In speaking to Kim personally last March she said filming that CD release vid was one of the most fun things she's ever done. I was happy to see they were doing something local in connection to Mountain Battles since they had no intention of playing Dayton. (unless you include the Cincy Obama rally during the Early Voting campaign along with "The National") They haven't entirely forgotten their roots as evidenced by taking liberties and using a tune, "It's The Love", penned by current Dayton resident, former Breeders /Amps bassist and Tasties founder, Louis Lerma. They forgot to send a check but at least remembered a hardy Midwestern "Thank-You" in the liner notes. It's the little things. (on a side note, The Tasties are re-releasing their stuff so find them in my Myspace top friends and check them out on Youtube for early to mid 90's performances.)

Fave Description of a Band:
"DRIPFEEDER" (dayton)- mammoth crust sludge locked up in the closet at the nursing home with a green lollipop.

For more GladGirl Top Dayton Faves, follow this link to my personal blog. There you will read about getting "Dirty", flip flops, robots, bonfires, bartenders, Cleopatra, deli sandwich's, Youtube AND MORE..........

...here's what PunkRockNick had to say about 08 in Dayton...

i hope this isn't too long. i kind of got carried away...
in no particular order...top five of 08

1. the beginning of the dayton dirt collective.
okay, so i am biased on this one being one of the founding members of the ddc. it was a lot of hard work getting all together and not really having an idea how to do it, we just started. we did some benefit shows at the cornerstone bar, goloka gallery, front street warehouse, and at peoples houses. it really created a sense of (comm)unity in local bands and with people who were interested in doing something different. who would have thought that you would have local area artists, poets and musicians arguing over how much of the budget to spend on toilet paper. it has had ups and downs in the past 7 months of being open but will not be going anywhere anytime soon. once again dayton has touring bands stopping by here instead of driving past on their way to cincinnati. i believe it has also pushed local bands to want to travel to other places. plus, it doesn't look like a dentist office anymore!

2. the death of the nite owl
good god did i hated going to that place. it was a disorganized mess sure to be a bad night out. one bartender was working and was continuously pissed off. (though he did tip well when i delivered pizza to him so it was probably being in the belly of the beast that was the nite owl that upset him so) it was great that they would let 18 year olds in BUT then they would charge them ten dollars. the worst stage set up ever. one time i went there to see hookerspitwindex play. one of the guitar players (bryan) cranked his amp up. they quickly told him to turn it down because they were going to mic it that way it would be heard in the back, where there was about 10 people sitting. bryan pointed to all of the people standing in front of the stage (much more tan 10) and said but what about them? exactly! good riddance.

3. jasper the colossal
Dayton's own (now) all girl punk band. somewhere in the limbo that exists between 60's garage rock and late 70's punk rock exists the soothing sounds of jasper. of course they have also been known to thrash a bit here and there and jump off the stage and tell girls not to show them their tits. they don't wanna see 'em! when i hear their softer songs it makes me think how they would fit in perfect in a John Hughes soundtrack. a scene driving down the road maybe in an 70's impala wondering what happened to that girl that dumped you and maybe she is better off. here is a short interview with nicki the lovely lady who plays the bass.
me: so, you're in jasper the colossal?
nicki: yes, yes i am.
me: i really like you guys. did you figure that would happen when you started? that i would like you that is?
nicki: no actually i didn't. i didn't really expect anyone to like us in the punk scene for some reason.
me: you know you're one of the punkest bands in town right?
nicki: well after a few shows i figured out we were. (laughter)
me: were you guys disappointed when you found out ian (former drummer, now just in hospital garden, also an excellent band!) was a dude and is that the reason he left?
nicki: yeah, we were upset wen we found him peeing standing up...so he decided he couldn't hide being a boy anymore so he went his separate way.
me: what's your new drummers name? i heard she has a double bass pedal.
nicki: and great timing.
me: but what's her name?!
nicki: her name is sarah.
me: okay that's it. thanks nicki!
nicki: you are welcome sir. (inserted "smiley" face here)thanks

4. he laughs, he learns, he loves
in order to diversify and to really create that the ddc was a locals safe haven and also to prove that i am the musically well rounded man that i am, i was going through all kinds of local bands and putting them on shows having never heard them. i booked these guys not knowing what to expect. holy sheeit! they took off like a bottlerocket held by a 5 year old kid cause his dad was too drunk to care. they were jumping all around, off the walls, off each other, they were crawling into the floorboards and busting back out of them. they were screaming, doing sexy poses with sparkly belts on, playing incredibly difficult parts that most people couldn't even play if they were standing still with their tongue stuck out of the side of their mouth in concentration. the singer's high pitched screaming and yelling permeates over the fast as all get out music. the drums thrash through with the pop of the little porker snare beats. if you are a drummer sit behind this kid and watch him. his drum beats, if slowed down, would be fodder for the late night strobe lighters and mirror dancers at club masque but sped up is like the sound of that little raver kids heart exploding from a jungle beat meth-cut ecstacy overload. these kids have so much style it's disgusting. it's punk, it's hardcore, it's new wave? it is very fast and danceable and grooving. if you're an old rocker they are going to make you look like it's past your bedtime when you play with them. they are hoping that hannah montana and the jonas brothers are coming to their birthday party.

5. defiance, ohio at the ddc
this was the first show the folky punk rockers have ever played in dayton. which is really amazing (and somewhat sad) seeing as how young Will, drummer, guitar, and singer is from dayton. they even recorded one of their albums here! our town was in a sad state of affairs as far as d.i.y. music goes and this show was a hefty middle finger to all of the bands who have passed us over for all of these years. the ddc was packed that night. it was the ladyfest benefit (which, by the way is hopefully in someone's top five cause it was amazing!) Kanible played harsh noise, amanda did some hilarious standup with a punch line that went, "you killed your mom when she gave birth to you? cool", gem city saints played some rocking tunes, hospital garden played some great upbeat noisy indie rock, last priority, a band from california who had a show booked at the pearl that night was appropriately bummed about their show there and asked to play this one to so we let them jump on and slay with some thrash skate punk, and then defiance ohio took the carpet (we don't have a stage...i know, i know) the place was packed , people were arm to sweaty arm, singing their little hearts out. the ddc's first crowd surfing took place. it was about music that night. people didn't seem to care about the lack of alcohol, or a place to sit, there was something in the air that night that i a haven't felt in a long time. dayton felt alive again. like we have a chance, a rebirth, a jesus zombie coming back from the grave to eat brains and save the souls of the bar rock sinful souls.

...look for more from GladGirl and PunkRockNick in upcoming installments of The Buddha Den in 09. Who knows? There might be more voices popping up as well....

The Buddha Den Year In Review: Top 5 Local Releases

...as far as we're concerned this was one of the best year's for local releases in a very long time. We heard a lot of music here at The Buddha Den, and here's what we're calling the cream of the crop....


5. The Northwest Ordinance State of Ohio These guys are just so Ohio it's almost like a bad joke: four guys from big Ohio cities converge in Dayton, meld their record collections and love of vintage garage and punk, and hey it's The Northwest Ordinance. This is just such a savory slab of guttural rock n' roll goodness that made it's way onto our speakers constantly this year. From their straightforward buzzsaw grind to their unsettling lurch, if this one doesn't make you jump around in yr house, you have no soul... BUY IT!



4. My Latex Brain Good Is Dead My Latex Brain have been at this for nearly a decade at this point, and it's respective members have been in the Dayton music for even longer. What's so amazing is how Good Is Dead obliterates any so-called theory about how this is a young man's game. From Hoops' insightful stabs at...well...pretty much the entire Establishment...boiling over top of the incessant grind of drummer Roger Owsley and bassist Chris Corn, this is band at the absolute top of their game... BUY IT!




3. Jordan Hull Jordan Hull We could easily ramble on about his age or his similarities to certain singer/songwriters from the 60s, but that would be a complete waste of time. What's important here is that you realize the burgeoning talent that is Jordan Hull and get on board now. With a debut this strong, it's hard to imagine what might be around the corner for Jordan Hull... BUY IT!



2. Captain of Industry The Bronze On this the band's third album, Captain of Industry honed their indie-prog into an exceptionally potent brew on The Bronze. Whether dipping into dreamy indie-pop or blasting out labyrinthe-like amalgamations, COI remains one of Dayton's finest.... BUY IT!



1. Andrew & the Pretty Punchers Goodbye Ohio Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Dayton music scene this year was the meteoric rise of Andrew & the Pretty Punchers. We first caught them late in 07, without a bass player, but by mid-year the band found its stride and just took off with it. With their debut hashed out in a matter of days, the disc captures the intensity of the band's live show and frames the songwriting of Andrew Smith perfectly. Sure, it's not an overly-polished gem, but that's why we love it... BUY IT!

...well kids, that's what we thought. Let's hear what you have to say....

...in the next few days we'll be introducing some new writers for The Buddha Den with year-end lists as well. Be sure to stay tuned to The Buddha Den for everything you wanted to know about the Dayton music scene and more but were afraid to ask...

The Buddha Den Holidayton Sampler

...we know we've been laying low as of late, and for that we're very sorry. We hope this makes up for it. We've teamed up with the good kids in The Story Changes to bring you The Buddha Den Holidayton 08 Sampler. On it you'll find tracks from the acts playing this Saturday for this year's installment of Holidayton. Here's the info:

Astro Fang "Passing" from Grizzzzy Bear's Passing: Rares and Uncommons (courtesy of Squids Eye Records)
The Story Changes "Lovers and Enemies" from The Way of the Dinosaur (courtesy of Future Destination Records)
Jordan Hull "How Dare He" from Jordan Hull
Nightbeast "Jungle First Date" from Inside Jokes for Outside Folks (courtesy of Thriving Records)
New Vega "Refocus"
After the Accident "Highways and Skylines" previously unreleased track from the upcoming The Silence and the Sound EP
Mascot "Solar Party"
Andrew & the Pretty Punchers "Love Like the Child" from Goodbye Ohio

DOWNLOAD THE BUDDHA DEN HOLIDAYTON 08 MP3 SAMPLER HERE

...The Buddha Den Holidayton 08 Sampler is the first part of our Winter Sampler this year. Check back in with us next week for a very special release that you'll only be able to find right here at The Buddha Den...

Yea Big & Kid Static Cover The Human Reunion

...this just came across our desk and we just had to get it up here for ya's. The Human Reunion have brought through Chicago's Yea Big + Kid Static a number of times. It's no surprise then that YB+KS would do something like do a mash up of the entire debut EP from Human Reunion. On top of that, this clip features some excellent fire antics from The Soul Fire Tribe. Check it out...

A Message From The Buddha Den Staff

Well, we're very sorry that there has been an obscene lack of output from The Buddha Den as of late. We know that so many of you look to us for what's going on in Dayton and beyond. We have still been updating our featured calendar, so be sure to keep an eye on that for select events.

At the moment, we are reconsidering the course of The Buddha Den. This is not to say we're throwing in the towel. Far from it. We just feel that it's time to alter the course slightly in order to continue making this as useful a tool for the Dayton music community, as well as those peeking in. Rest assured, we are still here keeping an eye on everything you wanted to know about the Dayton music scene and more...

Be sure to tune in next week as we'll have the exclusive release of the HoliDayton sampler for you. For free. It's what we do...

The Buddha Den Showcase Presents: Eat Sugar @ South Park Tavern 12.6.08

...building on our monthly tradition at South Park Tavern, everyone at The Buddha Den was certainly excited to be bringing Eat Sugar up from Cincinnati again. With the band hindered by the inclement weather, they arrived slightly late and proceeded to set up shop without delay. This night was the maiden voyage of South Park Tavern's new room, as the bar space and the band performance space had switched. Throughout the night, we received numerous raves about the improvement. Although none the wiser, Eat Sugar christened the space with their trademark electro/punk dance party....

...while it took a while for both band and audience to acclimate to the room and each other, by the band's second set the room was filling up and adding fuel to the fire. As singer Aidan Bogosian twitched and taunted, drummer Greg Poneris's relentless pulse eventually broke through to the crowd and got people up on their feet. At times their twin keyboard attack shelled out the haunting, hypnotic melodies, but Jim Reynolds moved over to bass as well and whether dirty or clean, his bass never failed to drive up the whole thing several notches. By the end of their second set, the club wanted more and South Park Tavern begged the band to come back and do a third abbreviated set. Fortunately, the band obliged and tore up a few more tunes before saying goodnight...





For photos from the evening, go here.

The Buddha Den Showcase Presents: Eat Sugar-Tonight @ South Park Tavern

...oh, so the cold and snow are bearing down on ya? Well, we've got a great excuse for you to break yr early stages of cabin fever tonight. Head on down to South Park Tavern (1301 Wayne Ave.) tonight to check out The Buddha Den Showcase for December. This month, we're bringing in one of our favorite regional bands, Eat Sugar, from Cincinnati. The band has been getting all kinds of raves from both sides of the pond, and we agree that their warranted. Although falling comfortably into the electro/punk box, they've got a darker, less obvious post-punk/soul flavor that definitely sets them apart...

...as always, The Buddha Den Showcase is FREE/ALL AGES. Music starts PROMPTLY at 9, so this is not the night to be fashionably late. We'll see ya there....

Loud/Soft

If yr heading out tonight, you've got two very different directions you can take...


...if yr feeling more like a dance party tonight, head over to Therapy Cafe (452 E. Third St. in the Cannery) to get down with DJ Jay Madewell at his inaugural set at First Fridays. Madewell spins the best 80s requests and 70s disco/soul that you could possibly ask for...


...if perhaps yr already in gear for the holiday season, head over to the Dayton Arts Incubator (20 N. Jefferson) for Sarasvati's 50 Under $50 presentation, which runs tonight and tomorrow. Showcasing some of the best locals artisans, you can pick up some goodies for yr loved ones and support local arts. Oh yeah, you'll be able to check some great local music as well, including Brandon Hawk and Mascot (tonight) and State School and Reggie Stone (tomorrow night)....

Mose Giganticus/The Emotron/He Laughs He Learns He Loves/The Happy Planets-Tonight @ Dayton Dirt Collective

...yes, we know it's snowing. You'd better get used to it because it's gonna be doing that sporadically over the next few months and you don't wanna miss that many shows, do you? DO YOU? No, we didn't think so. Head on over to Dayton Dirt Collective tonight to get in some snow driving practice and check out a great show. Sounds like it's gonna be a pretty freaky synth-dance party with Mose Giaganticus and The Emotron both in from Philly, and He Laughs He Learns He Loves and one of our favorite underdogs of 2008, The Happy Planets, bringing the local flavor. Show starts at 7, so you can still get home in time to catch the late night reruns...

Sixth Annual Holidayton Lineup Announced

...if you've been hanging around the Dayton music scene any longer than 12 months, you are probably well aware the Holidayton is one of the most anticipated events on the calendar. This year's edition will take place at Blind Bob's on Saturday, December 27. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mark and Poppy from the always-touring The Story Changes, Holidayton brings together some of the best bands and solo acts for a show that seems to deliver, and then some, every single year...

..You can dig the poster for who exactly will be playing, but the order of bands won't be announced until a couple days before the show. Plus, The Buddha Den will be presenting a very special downloadable FREE sampler the week of the show so that you can check out all the participating bands before the big Holidayton party. Better mark yr calendars now. You can't afford to miss this one...