Concert Review: Friends / Ganglians – Cincinnati, OH
I’m not a writer or a music critic, although I’d like to be. So what I lack in literary talent, I will attempt to make up for with strength of content on Thought on Tracks. As Rob has graciously allowed me to put my thoughts on his blog, I will do my best to cover my own musical interests along with the music scene from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The latest 2011 buzz band to hail from Brooklyn, Friends, has made a name for themselves over the past few months releasing stellar pop tunes. The quintet is lead by Samantha Urbani on vocals and features Lesley Hann (bass, percussion, backing vocals), Nikki Shapiro (guitar, keyboards, percussion), Matthew Molnar (keyboards, percussion, bass), and Oliver Duncan (drums). While the band has yet to release an LP, infectious dance pop singles “Friends Crush” and “I’m His Girl” show the promise of what is to come.
Opening up for Friends at Mayday was Ganglians, a four-piece psychadelic pop band from Sacramento, California. While I haven’t heard all their albums, I was delighted with their sound. Highlighted by catchy guitar riffs and loud drums, these guys put on a fun show. The two songs that stood out as their best include “Jungle” and “Hair”. With each, take that volume knob and turn it up. Listen and download “Jungle”:
Friends hit the stage after and did not disappoint the hype. I love pop music because it invokes feeling, be it happiness or misery. Samantha’s vocals have a certain darkness to them, like she is longing for something(one) in every word she sings:
I wanna be your friend . I wanna ask your advice on a weekday. I wanna plan something nice for the weekend.
We all can relate to wanting friendship and interaction with another and the excitement that comes with meeting someone new. The angst and longing to learn more, to reach the core of that person’s soul. “Friends Crush” puts this feeling front and center.
The stories in your hair that you carry all around . I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t wanna hear ‘em now . The stories in your hair that you carry all around . I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t wanna tear it out.
In all, I came away extremely impressed with Friends. While their set was short, all their material gets your feet moving and it left me with the post-show euphoria any concertgoer can relate to. They engaged the audience with Samantha even venturing out to dance in the crowd. And if you aren’t convinced Friends is a band worth listening to yet, they finished off their set covering Ghost Town DJ’s 90’s hit “My Boo”. Can you really ask for anything more? Look for their first LP to drop in March of 2012.
Connect with Ganglians via MySpace | Twitter | Facebook
Connect with Friends via Bandcamp | Facebook
Written by Greg Dahman
Concert Review: Real Estate – Lexington, KY
Participating in a road trip to see a show is the equivalent of a blood oath or rite of passage in the indie rock scene. We have all experienced the feeling of getting into a band only to discover, with disappointment, that they were not making a pit stop in our respective city. Without the requisite crystal ball, it is impossible to know when the next opportunity to see that band will come. Decisions must be made.
This weekend my indie rock partnership was solidified with a band that I have not been able to shut up about on this blog: New Jersey’s Real Estate. Their release Days is my favorite album of the Fall season and this also gave me an opportunity to meet up with an old roommate, good friend, and fellow musical connoisseur. The itinerary: depart from Indianapolis in the morning, swing through Cincinnati to pick up teammate, and then down to the land where Wildcats, race horses and bourbon are the only topics of conversation. The trip has come and gone, but will not be forgotten. Thank you Lexington, Kentucky for the southern hospitality, the opportunity to hang out with an awesome friend, and providing me a reasonable geographical haven to rock out with Real Estate.
Nearly 400 miles were covered on this voyage. While this number is not extremely overwhelming it displays a sense of loyalty to me. Expeditions to see bands are extremely fun. It is not only a bonding experience with music, but also gives you plenty of drive time to ask yourself why am I doing this? For them? Real Estate’s October release of Days immediately placed them in the category of bands that I had to see before the year was over. The venue was perfect, the beer was delicious, and Real Estate extended their property lines in my musical mind.
Three bands opened for Real Estate, but Lexington’s Idiot Glee stood out as the most interesting to me. While they were a little rough around the edges, the potential was there. I will keep my eye on this trio to see what they do next, but I have a feeling we all will be talking about them soon. Stream their latest album Paddywhack:
Real Estate hit the stage at 12:30 AM and they were absolutely worth the drive. They shredded tracks from their new album while reaching back on old favorites. This band has a certain synergy and you can tell they have fun together. They were able to translate this live and build on the energetic vibe of the audience. People were here to get excited about an emerging band, and their performance materialized with the mass.
Dedicated fans gushed over the “Killin’ the Vibe” teaser in between songs and new followers exploded for “It’s Real”.
I am not sure if it was the traveling, the album, or the opportunity to reconnect with my friend, but this was truly one of my favorite live shows of 2011. I am thankful for a lot of things this holiday season: great job, awesome family, and my health. Thankfulness for good tunes is something I always think about during this time of the year. Real Estate has cemented themselves into this category and a legitimate contender for my band of the year as we close out 2011. While I now have a new bond with a band that I appreciate, I would imagine more stories like this will be created as the career of a group of guys from the Jersey suburbs continues their conquest of your musical mind.
Written by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 
Will the Naptown Hip-Hop Fans Please Stand Up?!
This is not a review. This is a call out.
It is time for the Indianapolis hip-hop fans to come out of the woodwork. Where have y’all been hiding and what have you been doing? Some serious opportunities have been missed in recent weeks and it is raising reason for concern.
On August 30th, I attended Rock the Bells featuring veritable legends Raekwon, Ghostface and Mobb Deep. The Egyptian room was half-empty at best (half-full if you’re into that sorta thing.) The group put on a helluva performance despite the mediocre attendance. It may have gone down as one of the shows of the year had it been held at The Vogue with a near capacity crowd.
The lackluster attendance at the first Rock the Bells installment was followed by a postponement and eventual cancellation of the Mos Def / Talib Kweli Black Star performance. I know this tour struggled across the country, but unfortunately, Indianapolis was no different. Maybe tickets were a tad on the costly side, but we are talking about some of indie hip-hop’s strongest acts.
Last night brought one of underground hip-hop’s hottest up-and-coming acts, Das Racist, to town for the second time this year. The trio played to a sold-out crowd at White Rabbit Cabaret earlier this spring. The stellar performance, followed by unparalleled buzz surrounding their release Relax, prompted last night’s billing at The Vogue in Broad Ripple. Unfortunately, once again, Indianapolis’ hip-hop fan base fell short.
The Das Racist show felt more like a raucous house party than any concert worthy of The Vogue. If you care about hip-hop and would like to see Indianapolis play host to major acts in the future, these recent turnouts should serve as cause for concern. Das Racist will be featured on the cover of next week’s Spin magazine. Collectively, the Rock the Bells crew accounts for some of hip hop’s founding fathers.
If you can’t show up for these shows, what will you show up for? That’s the question I keep asking myself and I can promise that promoters are thinking the same. I hope hip-hop isn’t dead in this region, but attendance proves otherwise. The next time a decent lineup comes to town, get to the box office or we’ll be relegated to a life of Weezy, Jeezy and worse.
Written by Rob Peoni