Kuan//J

...if you've missed the first two weeks of The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO September Residency with Kuan, we can't really help you at this point. This quartet turned in two of the most inspired and outright facemelting performances we've ever had the pleasure of hosting. Tonight, the band performs without at net, going completely improvisational with a special guest vocalist. If you wanna see something in the Gem City that you've not seen before and will never have the opportunity to see again, you don't not want to miss the third week of Kuan at The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO. As a bonus special treat, we will also have power-poppers Zest of Yore opening this evening, on tour from Dallas, TX. As always, The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO is a FREE EVENT that takes place at Oregon Express, with music starting at 10 pm. See you there...

MP3: Kuan "J"

Kuan//E

...in case you missed out last week, Kuan opened their September Residency at The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO with a sonic assault that needs to be witnessed. We'd easily put them up against anyone currently running in the Gem City, as their dynamics and inventive compositions fueled by avant experimentation keep this instrumental quartet close to the edge throughout. The band will be issuing a double EP at the end of the month [featuring the track below], so catch them now before everyone else does. Opening up this evening will be David Payne. The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO is at Oregon Express every Wednesday, starts at 10 pm, and is FREE, so we'll see you there...

MP3: Kuan "E"

Introducing The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO September Residency: Kuan

...as The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO celebrates one full year at Oregon Express as a FREE weekly event, we are very pleased to kick off our September Residency this evening with Kuan. The band are currently putting the finishing touches on their soon-to-be-released double EP, which they plan to showcase throughout the month, and you can get a taste of that below. Kuan also have a slew of East Coast tour dates lined up for October...

...Having served in numerous local outfits over the years, the collective members of Kuan are anything but green. Certainly their sound falls in the post-rock realm, with its guitar-driven instrumental nature, but it's also easy to hear much influence from the jazz, psychedelic, and classic rock realms as well. Over the course of September, we're planning to hear one of the best unsung bands in Dayton stretch out and show an impressive musical range. Hope you can join us....

MP3: Kuan "G"

Pretty & Nice/Minutes/Kuan/Hills @ Blind Bob's 4.13.09

...with the skies above Dayton filled with rainclouds on a rather dreary Monday evening, from the streetview it would have been easy to mistake the crowd in Blind Bob's for a Friday night. With the trifecta of instrumental bands filing up most of the evening, Hills, Minutes, and Kuan all brought a distinctly different blend to the table. Opening things up, the duo Hills dabbled heavily in spacey atmospherics that may have been better suited to an art gallery or lightshow than a Midwestern bar. Next up were Minutes, who seem to be gaining a full head of steam as of late with their slightly jazzier instrumental compositions. Still extremely muscular, the band's expansive melodies and driving-yet-disciplined rhythm section hold attention even without uttering a word. Closing out the non-vocal section of the evening, Kuan took the instrumental track in a decidedly more classic rock direction, hinting at the Allman's harmony guitar leads and Zep-like throttle. Kuan seems to just be hit a stride as of late, so keep an eye on them in the Dayton scene. Although original headliner Unwed Sailor canceled at the last minute, a rather serendipitous turn of events brought about a surprise visit from our old friends, Pretty & Nice. With this their seventh visit to the Gem City in the last 2 years, P&N served up one their best sets yet. We're looking for yet another visit this summer, so tune in...






For more photos from the evening, go here. If you live outside of Dayton, we highly recommend you make a point to check out Pretty & Nice somewhere along this tour they're on. Maybe you could even help them fill in some of those TBAs...

04.14.09 - Detroit, MI - Trowbridge House of Coffee
04.15.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
04.16.09 - Springfield, MO - Nathan P. Murphy's
04.17.09 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird #
04.18.09 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon #
04.19.09 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
04.20.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
04.23.09 - Seattle, WA - Holy Mountain
04.24.09 - Sacramento, CA - Blue Lamp
04.25.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Zami Co-op !
04.26.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
04.28.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified
04.30.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's
05.01.09 - Houston, TX - Super Happy Fun Land
05.02.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
05.04.09 - Birmingham, AL - TBA
05.05.09 - Florida TBA
05.06.09 - Florida TBA
05.07.09 - Florida TBA
05.08.09 - Florida TBA
05.09.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
05.10.09 - Charlotte, NC - Milestone
05.11.09 - Columbia, SC - New Brookland
05.12.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
05.13.09 - Wilmington, NC - Soapbox Laundro Lounge
05.14.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
05.15.09 - Philadelphia, PA - TBA
05.16.09 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
06.05.09 - Boston, MA - TT the Bears $

# - w/ Radical Sons
! - w/ Color of Love, Tempo No Tempo, James Rabbit / Antarctica Takes it! (split set)
* - w/ Wye Oak, The Pomegranites
$ - w/ Middle Distance Runner, Reports, Big Big Bucks

Pretty & Nice/Minutes/Kuan/Hills-Tonight @ Blind Bob's

...we're taking it as a good sign that a bill as good as the one at Blind Bob's can happen on a Monday in Dayton. Headlining tonight you've got Unwed Sailor [pictured] who are currently out on a US tour. In for local support will be Minutes, Kuan, and Hills. We've had both Minutes and Kuan in for The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO over the past few months and we highly recommend you check them out. We'll see you there...

MP3: Unwed Sailor "Aurora"

UPDATE: We just received word that Unwed Sailor has canceled their appearance tonight due to an injury. The remaining locals will still be on, so head on down...

UPDATE: We just got notice from one of our favorite bands, Pretty & Nice had their show in Columbus for tonight canceled, so we've arranged to bring them down tonight to play at Blind Bob's. We know it's very last minute, but trust us, the rest of yr week will thank you. See you there...