Squids Eye Records 2-Year Anniversary @ Blind Bob's 3.14.09

...as soon as we walked into Blind Bob's last night, we knew it was going to be a good one. Mixing in with the legions out on the town for a St. Patty's warm-up round, it was exciting to see so many people out specifically to support the lovable Dayton label, Squids Eye Records. Standing at the 2-year mark, the label's work in Dayton is impressive: they've helped to revive a once-flailing scene and redefine in many ways the Dayton sound. On this particular night, label head Tony Gilbert put together an eclectic bill, giving many of the unknown artists on Squids Eye Records a minute in the spotlight. From the drum-machine driven indie rock of Scott Deadelus and Joey Deady to the jazz-prog of Five Deadly Venoms to the folk-tinged laptop dance party of The Happy Planets, Squids Eye Records showed their range. Sadly, we missed the exciting conclusion of Cry Baby Genius and Astro Fang. By the time we departed, the staff had finally removed the last few tables near the stage as the crowd swelled to near-capacity. If you were there, we'd love to hear about it....

JOEY DEADY


FIVE DEADLY VENOMS


THE HAPPY PLANETS


SCOTT DEADELUS


For more photos from the evening, go here.

Squids Eye Records Unveils New Website; New Sampler

...in conjunction with their 2-Year Anniversary party this Saturday at Blind Bob's, Squids Eye Records unveiled their new website today. With a new look and new some new bands added to their roster, Squids Eye Records seems poised to continue building up the Dayton music scene into 2009 and beyond. Among its new features, all current releases can be streamed for your listening enjoyment...

...Squids Eye Records has also put together a new compilation disc, Hi, We're From Dayton, that will be given out at their Anniversary show this weekend. Here's a preview:

MP3: the happy planets "Pregnant Prom Queen"
MP3: Five Deadly Venoms "Horror Resistance Death"
MP3: Cry Baby Genius "Welcome to the Horror"

...speaking of website updates, did anyone else catch the new Pitchfork update? Gonna take a while to get used to that...

The Sailing/Five Deadly Venoms/Nostra Nova-Tonight @ Canal Street Tavern

...if you need to space out for a while during the holidays, tonight is a perfect opportunity. Over at Canal Street Tavern, we've got a trio of escapist rockers that just might transport you off the planet for a while...

...opening the night will be Nostra Nova in from Athens. With an extensive cast contributing to the sound (some of which include members of Yakuza Heart Attack and Southeast Engine), the lush, tribal sounds might appeal to fans of Akron/Family or Man Man... Next up you've got locals Five Deadly Venoms. While they've yet to release any of their material, the fact does little to diminish the impact of their jazz/prog explorations that recall early King Crimson and Zappa. ...rounding out the night are local interstellar explorers The Sailing. With their debut disc pending (due out in the Spring on Squids Eye Records), make the effort to catch these guys before they break. We did a few weeks ago and plan to do so again tonight. See you there....