Ides of March IV-Tonight @ Pearl/Vexx

...although we're still not sure whether to keep calling the venue Pearl or start calling it Vexx, you know the place we're talking about. Local promoter Brandon Hawk hosts his 4th Annual Ides of March show tonight with quite a billing. From frentic mindbenders Stone the Mayor Sheriffs to Grizzzzy Bear, a reworked lineup of long-time Dayton faves The Motel Beds, jazz-inflected experimental post-rock from Cincinnati Where They Landed, and acoustic openers John Gassett and Alex Arnold, you've got a bill certain to hit all the right buttons...

MP3: The Motel Beds "Loves Hurts" (live)
MP3: Grizzzzy Bear "Aim the Flame"

Squids Eye Records Presents: Astro Fang/Dead By Wednesday/Ceschi Ramos/Complete/Cry Baby Genius-Tonight @ Pearl

...you've got an exciting and potentially history-making show tonight at Pearl. Squids Eye Records is serving some of their finest, some of their friends, and, well, someone they just met. Headlining will be the incomparable Astro Fang, who will be celebrating the release of leader Brian Baker's new album from Grizzzzy Bear. Along for the ride are Dead By Wednesday (who are also celebrating a CD release), Ceschi Ramos, Cry Baby Genius, and up from Texas, Complete. This is one you can't afford to miss...

Grizzzy Bear/Friday Night Vampire Club Change Name Again

...in the ongoing saga that is the Grizzzy Bear/Friday Night Vampire Club name change game, it seems as if the boys have finally decided on a new name that will actually stick. Last night the announcement was made on stage that the band is officially now Astro Fang. Please be sure to make the correction on your scorecards...

The Buddha Den Presents/LadyFest-Tonight @ Urban Nights

...hey kids! Tonight is the big biannual celebration in downtown Dayton known as Urban Nights. This time around, the city is trying to prove that we are not a city in decline, as Forbes magazine so kindly put it....

...The Buddha Den is trying to do our part to dispel these rumors tonight by doing what we do best: presenting some of the best Dayton music. We'll be hosting bands at a couple of stages tonight. At 6 pm, head over to Kettering Tower on 2nd Street to catch a short set by Towhee. Then, head over to the St. Clair Lofts where we will be hosting a stage in their courtyard (in the back of the building). Starting at 7 pm and running until 9 pm, we will have The Goody Two Shoes, Andrew & the Pretty Punchers, and Grizzzzy Bear (we're not sure which name they're going with these days...). You know it's gonna be a party...


...also starting tonight and running through Sunday night, the first LadyFest Dayton kicks off over at 20 N. Jefferson St. in the Dayton Arts Incubator. All weekend long there will be plenty of female-driven bands, artists, and workshops. Here's what's on tap for tonight:

G-​Miche​lle Bullo​ck 5:30
M- Hot Kiss – 6pm
G- Audre​y Isabe​lle 6:15
M- Bette​r than Sax - 6:45
G- Julie​ Roth 7:45
M-​Dawn Cooks​ey and 68 South​ 8:15
G- Kelly​ Campb​ell 8:45
G-​Jayne​ Sachs​ 9:30
M-​Paige​ & Trace​y 10pm
G-​Miran​da Penni​ngton​ 10:​30
M-​Fairm​ount Girls​ 11:​00
G-​Audre​y Ryan 11:​30
M-​Vanit​y Theft​ 12:​15

Be sure to head over and check out what the ladies in Dayton are doing...

The Buddha Den Presents: Grizzzzy Bear (Friday Night Vampire Club)/Pretty & Nice/Eat Sugar/8-Bit Revival-Tonight @ Canal Street Tavern

...tonight at Canal Street Tavern, The Buddha Den kicks off its month-long birthday celebration with a bill of monumental proportions. Headlining the evening, the newly christened Friday Night Vampire Club (formerly Grizzzzy Bear) will be celebrating a birthday of their own with frontman Brian Baker. Also along for the ride will be the patented tazer rock of Boston's Pretty & Nice who are currently out on tour in advance of their new album due out on Hardly Art. Add in the frenetic electro-soul of Eat Sugar (from Cincinnati) and one of Dayton's longest running outfits, 8-Bit Revival, and you've got a show that you know everyone will be talking about tomorrow....

Grizzzzy Bear Changes Name

...perhaps it was all the confusion with Grizzly Bear, perhaps it was the confusion between the solo work of Brian Baker and the live band, but whatever the reasoning Grizzzzy Bear has announced that will now be known as Friday Night Vampire Club. They will make their first appearance under the new moniker next Wednesday night at Canal Street Tavern for The Buddha Den Presents with Pretty & Nice (Boston), Eat Sugar (Cincinnati), and 8-Bit Revival....

Grizzzzy Bear/Yakuza Heart Attack/Netherfriends/Young Turks-Tonight @ Front Street

...we apologize for the last minute notice, but if yr looking for a way to wrap up yr weekend, you can't go wrong the bill down at the Front Street warehouses tonight. Brought to you courtesy of Dethfits, you've got the always incredible Grizzzzy Bear, the return of Yakuza Heart Attack (first show in a year!!!), Netherfriends (experimental psyche from Chicago), and Young Turks. If you can find it, you know this one's gonna be out of control...

Live Grizzzzy Bear Tracks Posted; The Bootleg Collective Issues First Two Releases

...in case you've somehow missed the entire flurry of Grizzzzy Bear live performances over the last year, you now have the opportunity to enjoy the sonic portion of the band's highly esteemed live fury from the band's show at Pearl on July 3 (you can read our review of the band's set this night right here). Head over to the band's Myspace to check out live versions of "Time Machine" and the unreleased monster "Mr. Bloodsuck".

The tracks are presented courtesy of The Bootleg Collective, a new organization that has set out to document live performances in Dayton. You can check out their first two proper releases--a show from Stump and another featuring both The Gluons and Ceschi Ramos/Dead By Wednesday--should be available in the next week as FREE DOWNLOADS. Be sure to check those out...

Grizzzzy Bear/Yndi Halda/The Motel Beds/Lungs @ Pearl 8.3.08

...gathering for a rare Sunday evening show at Pearl, things kicked off with the instrumental quartet, Lungs. With their distinctive take on post-rock, the band's melodic sensibilities and dynamics place them firmly within the bounds of the style. Seemingly most comfortable with the heavier aspects of their spectrum, the more subtle passages are deftly executed. While the band may further explore the middle ranges of their dynamic range, on this evening Lungs demonstrated that they are one of the best young bands in town at the moment...




...next up we had the return of The Motel Beds, not seen on stage since the spring. Backed by members of Captain of Industry and The Human Reunion, PJ Paslosky and co. attempted to kick out the cobwebs from their dormancy and serve up their patented experimental pop. While tuning issues seemed to plague the set somewhat, the Beds still managed to pull together a set of hook-laden tunes that will hopefully continue to improve as the band returns to a more active performance schedule...




...in town from Canterbury, England, Yndi Halda gave a performance that those who were fortunate enough to be in attendance will not likely soon forget. Although the band may be easily tagged as post-rock, there is a nuance and sense of dynamics that provide them with a unique take on the style. Building from incredibly quiet spaces and allowing themselves to explore numerous plateaus, the band's ability to fully exploit their dynamics and further intensify their melodic themes only served to elevate their crescendos. While many of their contemporaries have codified the patterns of post-rock, Yndi Halda follow their own instincts and come away with a wholly unique canvas that may very well set them apart from the pack...




...closing out the night, Grizzzzy Bear proved yet again on this night why they are one of the best bands going in Dayton at the moment. With special guest John Lakes from Captain of Industry filling in on the drums, the band tore through a handful of tunes from their debut disc, continuing to expand the arrangements to accommodate a near-endless series of riff modulations that could easily provide enough fodder for another band's entire repertoire. Even intermittent technical problems could not hold Grizzzzy Bear back on this night, as the unreleased Mr. Bloodsuck served as the centerpiece of a brief set that left the audience clamoring for more...




For more photos from the evening, go here.

The Buddha Den Presents: Grizzzzy Bear/Yndi Halda/The Motel Beds/Lungs-Tonight @ Pearl

...tonight is the capper on a huge weekend for us here at The Buddha Den. We've put together a great show for you tonight at Pearl that includes the schizoid-pop Grizzzzy Bear, the symphonic instrumental outfit Yndi Halda (from the UK), the indie/power-pop of The Motel Beds, and opening the evening the grinding post-rock of Lungs. Come on out and help us celebrate an amazing weekend of Dayton music...

PROFILE: Yndi Halda

...with the recent release of their debut disc Enjoy Eternal Bliss, Yndi Halda are starting to make waves in the US. Hailing from Canterbury, England, the band are currently out on their first jaunt through the US, with a tour stop in Dayton scheduled for this Sunday, August 3. Guitarist/vocalist James Vella recently took time to speak with The Buddha Den about their schoolmate beginnings, musical growing pains, and the proposition of their first US tour...


The Buddha Den: Why don't we start by getting a little background on Yndi Halda. How long have you all known each other? How did the band come together? What musical interests brought you together?


James Vella: The band came together quite gradually and organically over a stretch of time; Jack, Olly and I have always played in bands together since we were children – we formed our first band when we 12 or 13 years old, which eventually became yndi halda when we were around 15. Daniel and Brendan have always been close friends of ours and it was only a few months after we started writing that they filled the “missing member” gaps.

The first band we worked on together was much more rock; we used to listen to a lot of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, but we all accidentally discovered instrumental music (Labradford, Tortoise, Sigur Ros etc) around the same time and started writing different sorts of songs. More recently, though, we’ve been moving away from instrumental music and writing more pop-influenced pieces. Happily, like with other musical shifts in this band, it all seems to have happened unanimously without planning anything in advance.


TBD: Having worked on the material that appears on your debut Enjoy Eternal Bliss for nearly 3 years, how did the material come together? What sort of evolutions did the material and the band go through during that period? After spending so much time on the tracks, how did the band finally reach the conclusion that it was finished?


JV: I think the reason that record took so long was that we were so young when we wrote it, and the song-writing process was all very new for us. Also, we didn’t really have in mind that we were aiming for any specific project, like a record or anything, and so weren’t particularly pushed to finish up songs for a deadline. We still have some of the early versions of the songs from that record, and the evolution is really noticeable. Although we’re now writing new material that is a huge development of the Enjoy Eternal Bliss songs, I’m still really proud of that record – we all are – and I’m really happy with the creative decisions we made. Things like, for example, the vocals at the end of Dash and Blast, and the glockenspiel part in We Flood Empty Lakes were last minute additions to the songs, and now are among my favourite parts of the record.

The next album is going to be simultaneously easier and more difficult than the first, I think. We’re much more mature now, in terms of song-writing – we were teenagers when we started Enjoy Eternal Bliss – but it’s quite hard to write songs knowing that there are people listening, comparatively.

We always write for ourselves, rather than for an “audience”, because song-writing is just something that we as individuals do, but even so it’s a lot more pressure than the first record to have things finished within a certain timescale, and to fit songs into the “canon” of what we’ve done already and what we hope to do in the future.


TBD: While YH may easily fit into the "post-rock" category, how does the band view itself in terms of stylistics? What do you feel sets your band apart from other practitioners in that field?


JV: Honestly, we don’t really think of ourselves as a “post-rock” band. We’re aware that lots of people do, and it doesn’t bother us, but none of us are hugely into the bands that I associate with the genre. I think we’re a lot more optimistic-sounding than the bleakness that I feel surrounds “post-rock”.

Someone described us recently as “expansive, orchestral indie-rock”, which I think fits really nicely; I definitely like to think of our songs as representing each one of those adjectives.


TBD: Coming from Canterbury, England on your first US jaunt, how has the band prepared for the adventure? What sorts of expectations do you have of touring America? What can audiences expect from a YH performance?


JV: The preparations for this tour have been among the most time-consuming of every tour we’ve done so far! The visa applications especially, as well as finishing new songs and rehearsing with a stand-in violin player (Daniel wasn’t able to make this tour, unfortunately, but our good friend Oli is helping out).

We’ve heard a lot of stories about touring in the states, some of them good (that audiences are really appreciative and welcoming) and some of them terrifying (that the drives between shows take hours and hours). Touring is undoubtedly the best thing in the whole world, though, so we’re looking forward to everything.

We see ourselves as quite a different live band from the recorded material; we play a little louder and little rockier. Whereas in the studio we can spend time and thought on intricate textures and specific sounds, live we prefer to just have fun. We’ve yet to smash any instruments on stage (except by accident), but I’m finding it harder to resist the urge every show!

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

JV: New songs coming soon!

...you can catch Yndi Halda at Pearl this Sunday, August 3 as part of The Buddha Den Presents series, along with local flavor from Grizzzzy Bear, The Motel Beds, and Lungs...

On the River, In the Dirt...

...while Daytonia heats up, so does the rock. There's a pair of great shows on tap tonight...

...down at Riverscape this evening, Captain of Industry will perform as part of Five River Metroparks summer concert series. Music gets under way at 7:30 and it's completely free. You know what we've had to say lately about COI, so you're gonna wanna catch this one...

...just up a few blocks from the Great Miami River, the Dayton Dirt Collective is hosting a great bill. Local sludge gurus Marijuana Johnson headline along with Grizzzzy Bear and The Atlas Moth (from Chicago). With the club being so small, you may wanna be on time for this one...

Squids Eye Showcase feat. Grizzzzy Bear/The Gluons @ Pearl 7.3.08

...as the city of Dayton's fireworks display filled the sky outside of Pearl (we're not gonna discuss why we had fireworks on July 3), the bustling patio emptied into the club for the Squids Eye Records Showcase and openers The Gluons. From the outset, the duo wrestled interminably with feedback issues that were never truly resolved throughout their set. Although this might inhibit a set by other bands, Andrew Ashbrook seemed to feed off the ghost in the machine, using it as fuel and chiding the audience to dance. At last the music finally began and The Gluons tore through a handful of industrial-grade psyche nuggets. With only Ashbrook and bassist Matt Rose performing, the duo relies a pair of drum machines to round out their sound. While the mix was less than perfect, Ashbrook made up for it with a firey delivery. While The Gluons may look to the past for much of their sonic palette, their reinterpretation is certainly driving straight into the future...




...although the evening was billed as having Brian Baker of Grizzzzy Bear doing a solo set, it turned out that he brought his band with him. We couldn't have been happier. On this particular night we were endlessly amazed at this new lineup's ability to evolve material from the band's debut disc. On tracks like "Lovers" and "Since Day One, You Were My Son", the original arrangements were rather brief and dominated by drum machines and synths. As this lineup continues to solidify, the the windouts from the songs proper turn into endless labyrinths of guitar-driven explorations. The fact that impresses us so much is that these are arrangements, not improvisations. This is a unit so tightly knit at this point that it would appear as if whatever they decide to do, it will be done...




...while there were still three acts left on the bill (Ceschi Ramos, Dead By Wednesday, and The Sailing), we departed. If anyone has any info on how the last three bands were, we'd love to hear about it...

...You can see more pics here.

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....

take it or leave it....

...as if local labels haven't done enough lately to help the Dayton music scene, both Fictionband and Squids Eye Records have offered up new samplings from the Gem City. While combing through the past, Fictionband has come up with random offerings from Ohio Casket and Cigarhead. For those of you who missed them the first time, take a listen and dig the history. Meanwhile, Squids Eye Records has made a new track available from the long-defunct Jet Kid Committee in advance of the promise of a 4-song EP from the outfit later this fall. Why? Well, keep in mind that Jet Kid Committee was the breeding ground for such current Dayton fixtures as Grizzzzy Bear and Yakuza Heart Attack, as well as the massively underrated Scott Deadalus. Just have a listen....

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...

Grizzzzy Bear "Passing" out on Squids Eye this summer

...despite what you may have heard around town over the weekend, Squids Eye Records will still be issuing the next Grizzzzy Bear album, Passing, this summer (yes, full-length. Not an EP as we previously reported). The disc will feature remixed versions of Grizzzzy tracks from fellow Squids HCMJ, Ceschi, and Keith Kawaii, a full-band version of the title track (off their first album), as well as a number of new tracks from the fertile mind of one Brian Baker. Whenever it hits the streets, you know we'll let you know....

The Buddha Den Showcase Presents: Andrew & The Pretty Punchers @ South Park Tavern & Human Reunion/Grizzzzy Bear @ Nite Owl 4.12.08

...as we began our evening with our show over at South Park Tavern, we'll start our report there. With our first foray into hosting our own events, we were very excited to be showcasing Andrew & the Pretty Punchers. Being the only band of the evening, the audience seemed more than satisfied with the new format. A&TPP turned in a rousing performance filled with love songs, screams, and drinking songs that drew the audience fully into their world. More like a house party than a typical bar show, the lines between band and audience were blurred throughout the night as both pushed each other, with the result an incredible beginning to The Buddha Den Showcase series. We'd like to thank everyone that came out to support this event....



...after wrapping up our event, we bolted over to the Nite Owl to catch the last two bands of the evening, the twin forces that are Human Reunion and Grizzzzy Bear. With the club packed to capacity, Grizzzzy Bear unleashed their newer, more aggressive onslaught with a precision and a sense of purpose that we had not heard in the newer material before. After a couple of months spent trying to solidify this new direction, on this night everything seemed to come together for Grizzzzy. Peppering the set with their more familiar material off their debut disc, the new songs seemed to gel within their set in a way we had hoped would materialize. Take notice Dayton...



...making their first appearance of the year, Human Reunion took to the stage with an urgency that fueled their set with a fire that truly placed them at the top of the heap in Dayton. Their pulsating beats firmly grounded the music as their trademark synth squibbles careened around the room, whipping the audience into an absolute frenzy. With Jeremy Fredericks prowling the stage and further enticing the audience, Human Reunion served notice that they are still a formidable musical force in Dayton...



For more photos from the night, click here.