PROFILE: Enon

...hey there, it's been a while. We've been keeping an eye on things from a distance and enjoying one of the best seasons we've seen in a while. We also still take time occasionally to do some work on this blog. We recently had the pleasure of talking with John Schmersal from Enon, who will be rolling into Dayton this weekend to perform at Gilly's. Here's what he had to say...

The Buddha Den: It's been a while since Enon has palyed in Dayton [Dayton Music Fest 2007, to be exact]. What is the impetus for getting the band out on the road at this point? What has been keeping you and the band busy in the interim?

John Schmersal: Well, we have been working on a new set up with our new drummer and some new tunes and wanted to give it some air. We've never really needed a reason or an excuse to go on tour. For me, it is easy as I am from Ohio, to come back to the Midwest. It's as much of a family/friends visiting affair as it is a musical one. What's kept us busy. Well we released Grass Geysers and toured and toured and toured. That ended around last July. We went to europe like 3 times and again for festivals in the summer. Since then we've just been regrouping and working on new stuff. We are playing with a new drummer Thomas, from here in Philly, he used to play drums for Man Man.

TBD: We understand you've been working with some bands from this region that have records coming out this summer, Human Reunion and Eat Sugar. How did you come to work with both of them? How do you feel about being sought out as a recordist/producer?

JS: Well, HR I have known those guys for years and it was just a matter of time I suppose.Eat Sugar, we played with them last year on tour and then they wrote later on and asked if I'd be interested. I actually did their record in August right when I got back from finishing the touring. I like recording groups but, I am pretty selective about it as it becomes very time consuming and it always takes more time than budget allows so, it has to be a labor of love. I wouldn't want to record/produce bands all the time but, it is a nice break from Enon and other commercial stuff I do when the timing and the music is right! I am glad people approach me about this stuff. It's nice to be in demand a little.

TBD: With the recent demise of Touch and Go Records, where does Enon find itself in terms of releasing new music? How has this reconfiguration of the indie label scene affected your approach? Where do you see the music industry going from here?

JS: We aren't thinking too hard about it, just trying to write a good batch of new tunes and we will take it from there. I have no idea what is/will happen with the music industry. It's still in flux and it's affecting everything from bands, to labels, to distribution, to recording studios, budgets, even videos. You name it. I don't have any answers. People will always want to listen to new music and in fact people are kind of becoming like vampires about it which is a real turn off, in my opinion. Not too cool.

TBD: Your work with Enon and previously with Brainiac seems to have spread its influence fairly wide over the last several years. How do you feel about your work being so influential? Why do you think so many musicians have tuned into your work as a reference point?

JS: I have no perspective on what I have done from the outside looking in. I try not to dwell on the past but, I am glad that people still care about anything that I've been involved with. Music can be pretty disposable, here today and forgotten tomorrow so, it's nice that some of it is sticking in peoples' minds. That will always feel good.

TBD: Within the last year, a site came online called The Brainiac Live Archive Project. The site has collected numerous live audio and video sources in an attempt to gather together Brainiac's legacy. How do you feel about your work in Brainiac? How do you remember the Dayton music scene in the early- to mid-90s? Do you feel there is something unique about making music in Dayton as opposed to a higher-profile city?

JS: I had no idea about the Brainiac Archive Project, that sounds cool. Where is it? etc. Brainiac seems like so long ago now. It really was a happy and much simpler time. Well stocked thrift stores, pawn shops, flea markets... unraided by the successes of Ebay. Mostly pre internet, certainly pre high speed. I feel like the web has changed that dynamic a bit.. making music in a high profile city vs. a Dayton sized city. Everybody has access to culture even if it doesn't come right to the doorstep of a local venue. I don't think it matters where you are from as much anymore. Living in a small town definitely still affords you the time and space to be creative/bored/creative vs. the race to just pay rent in a major metro city. But, that's really the largest difference that still remains. Even just being in a band and going on tour is not such a big deal these days. Everybody has access to approximations of vintage keyboard sounds through computer synths, etc. Any band can cobble together some semblance of a tour through myspace or the like. Being in a band is about as dangerous or rogue as working in a fast food restaurant anymore wherever you are from. A kid from Virginia might not look much different than a kid from L.A. via American Apparel stylings readily available. I'm glad information etc. is available to all but, is homogenization cool? I don't think so.

TBD: Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?

JS: Colman's original English mustard is the best! I wasn't paid to say that.

...you catch Enon out on tour this Saturday, June 20 at Gilly's along with D Riders (ex-US Maple) and local flavor from Human Reunion, Astro Fang, and Nathan Peters...

Legalize Telephones

...as is becoming typical in Dayton these days, you've got a couple of good options for showgoing tonight...

...over at Gilly's, you've got some of Dayton's finest doing a retake of last year's highly successful Legalize Gassett benefit. This one's for the bands, however, so head on down and check out Mouth of the Architect, Captain of Industry (whose latest album, The Bronze, entered the CMJ charts this week), 8-Bit Revival, and Goatherd...

...there's also a good one over at Dayton Dirt Collective tonight with the ambient Tin Can Telephone, Men as Trees, and one of our newer favorites, Lvngs. Get on out and check these shows out...

Dirty Birds & Vampires

...for once we have a couple of good options for you on a Friday night. Check it out...

...we've got a live one over at the Dayton Dirt Collective tonight. The Goody Two Shoes have been hitting a stride lately and are headlining the bill this evening that also includes noise-poppers The Gluons, the garage-psyche of Scott Deadelus, and the provocative, yet elusive, Revampire...


...over at Gilly's, Sleepybird will join forces with The Zoot Theatre Company to present The Flight of Wigglebird. Also on the bill is Toads and Mice. Should be an interesting evening. Make yr plans, chart a course, and head on out...

Captain of Industry/Lab Partners/Grizzzzy Bear @ Gilly's 6.28.08

...while many shows in Dayton begin with a relative whimper as the opening band is forced to endure the unspoken code of show attendants arriving well past the fashionably late mark, on this evening at Gilly's the force that is Grizzzzy Bear enjoyed a nearly packed house from the very beginning of their set. As the band unleashed their newfound fury, the collective jaw dropped throughout the club. As a band that is riding an undeniable buzz in Dayton, Grizzzzy Bear on this night proved that the hype is deserved. While the band is certainly pulling away from the synth-heavy psyche/pop on their debut disc, the ADD-inflicted tendencies of their arrangements that made that album so brilliant are simply taking a more aggressive slant as the Myspace-only track "Mr. Bloodsuck" suggests. As one infectious riff turned into a sludgy grind and then spun out into a snotty pop nugget, it seemed apparent that Grizzzzy Bear stands as one of Dayton's finest young bands...




...having not been spotted on a Dayton stage in nearly a year, Lab Partners hit the stage shrouded in psychedelic fog. The band filled the club with their trademark soaring shoegaze/drone pop and seemed to grab some unfamiliar ears. Guitarist Mike Volk veered between elegiac 12-string guitar work to slashing power chords as Amy Smith's synth bass and Mike Smith's echoed jangle washed over the audience like a seemingly tranquil, yet utterly enveloping, tidal wave...




...at last the time came to celebrate Captain of Industry's release of their incredible new album, The Bronze. As keyboardist/vocalist Nathan Peters strode out in a dapper suit jacket, the rest of the band filed in and proceeded to lay down their patented brand of indie prog/pop with a joyful determination that carried throughout their set. As the band tore through chunks of their new album, they also dug out a number of tunes from their back catalog, all served up with a undeniable sense of purpose on this night. From the aggro fire of "Sabo" to the lilting saccharine of "Popsicle", on this night COI simply could not miss. Drummer John Lakes and bassist Ian Sperry held down the frantic rhythms as guitarists Kevin Oldfield and Tommy Cooper drew from a seemingly endless palate of sonic delights. As if the occasion wasn't already special, the band offered up a ferocious cover of Deerhoof's "The Perfect Me". As the band closed out an extended encore with "Good Side Son" off their debut disc, it seemed as if the night served as a reckoning of the band's past with their seemingly bright future...




...by the end of the evening, there was a consensus that everyone would like to see more shows like this on a regular basis. For more photos from the evening, go here.

Captain of Industry CD Release/Lab Partners/Grizzzzy Bear-Tonight @ Gilly's...plus The Buddha Den Giveaway

...we've been talking at great length about the incredible new album by Captain of Industry, The Bronze. Tonight is the big local CD Release show at Gilly's and you really couldn't ask for a more stacked bill. Opening the evening will be buzz band of 08, Grizzzzy Bear (who are currently in the studio working with COI drummer John Lakes). You've also got local shoegaze masters Lab Partners (who are putting the finishing touches on their new album). This could very well end up as one of the best shows of 08. You really can't afford to miss this one...

...you need another reason to come out? Well, The Buddha Den has teamed up with Captain of Industry to hook up yet another CD giveaway. Tonight at the show before COI hits the stage, The Buddha Den will present 3 lucky winners with a copy of the new album, The Bronze. How do you win??? Simple. Email us at buddhaden27@yahoo.com with "THE BRONZE" in the subject line. First three respondents will be notified and receive their prize tonight at Gilly's. Don't hesitate....

Captain of Industry to Release on All Hail Records

...we are pleased to report that the third Captain of Industry album has officially found a home for release through Columbus's All Hail Records. The band will celebrate the release of the as-yet-untitled full-length with a show at Gilly's on June 28 that will also feature Grizzzzy Bear and The Scourge of the Sea. We'll keep you posted as this story unfolds...

Toads and Mice "Ghengis Kahn"-Live @ Gilly's 12.31.07

...having been there ourselves, we can say this is pretty decent footage of the band opening the NYE show at Gilly's earlier this week. One of the most amazing things we've noticed about Toads and Mice is their ability to impeccably perform the complexities found on their debut disc. What's more, they also command incredible control over their equipment, producing incredibly full, yet balanced sound in the venues in which we've seen them. For anyone who knows, getting good sounds in different clubs is much more challenging than it sounds on paper...

...Winding through the endless series of time signatures and dynamic shifts on the track "Ghengis Kahn" (off Toads and Mice), these youngsters somehow make it all seem so effortless...


Thanks to Justin for the footage!

Captain of Industry/Male Models/Baby Teeth/Toads and Mice @ Gilly's 12.31.07

...as we said goodbye to 2007 and welcomed in 2008, we had an amazing evening of music to enjoy. Heading down on this blustery evening to Gilly's, we were excited for the musical treats we had in store...

...opening the evening was one of our favorite bands, Toads and Mice. With their impeccable execution on this evening, we were delighted to see this band in such a setting. While the tracks from their debut disc, Toads and Mice, landed in every way, the band's inexperience in such a setting revealed to us that a little more in the way of stage presence and banter could serve to improve the band's ability to further connect with their audience...




...in from Chicago, Baby Teeth's funk-inflected indie pop largely fell on indifference from the audience. Although we were somewhat bemused initally, by the end of their set, Baby Teeth had won us over, leaving us hopeful that they may return to the Gem City in 2008...



...with two Dayton ex-patriates in the band, we were excited to see Male Models from St. Louis. Despite our high expectations, we were largely disappointed in the band on this night. While some of the material held promise, the execution of the material came across as incomplete and shoddy. The enthusiasm, however, helped to hold our attention and gave us hope that with further refinement Male Models may evolve into an interesting outfit...



...just after the stroke of midnight, Captain of Industry hit the stage with their patented frentic, angular indie rock sound. On this particular night, the band seemed to be in full command of their oevure, slashing across the core melodies with muscular abandon. The appearance of the Pixies "Where Is My Mind?" was a welcome treat for the audience, as everyone fell into singalong mode, and we were well on our way into 2008...