As far as music goes, I love it when I am proven wrong. I usually stand by my blanket statement of “all new music is talentless bullshit with no soul”; I, however, should update that statement to read “all popular new music is talentless bullshit with no soul… or it doesn’t have enough guitar”. The show put on at Mohawk Place this past Saturday evening was oozing with talent and soul… and I would also go as far as assuming that execs at major labels would seem disinterested had they been there… because they are talentless bullshit people with no souls.
I like rock n’ roll.
I like guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards. I like loud.
I don’t like music that has been created entirely on
computers by people that are barely known to the supposed “artists” that will
be performing these songs live. Check
that, I love electronic music, and I think there is some really awesomely
talented stuff out there, but I separate rock and electronica like church and
state (‘rock’ is clearly church).
I knew going into the show that it would be right up my
alley, as I am familiar with the all the bands that played to some extent. Once inside, however, I was on a one-way ticket
to unabashed hard rock glory.
I had to work late and, unfortunately, missed the Hotlights set
but was told by those who were there that it was awesome as ever, which I have
no doubt is true… they just get better and better with each performance I have
seen since their first at Mohawk Place.
White Bison was in the middle of their second song when I
arrived and proceeded to prove they have a firm grip on the torch they carry as
Buffalo’s best hard rock act. The vibe
was booming, energetic, and uplifting.
The vocal harmonies, specifically, impressed me… they came across as both
well-rehearsed and effortless; each member knew when to hang back a little and
give way to the others as the singing duties transitioned from one side of the
stage to the other.
Pontiak took the stage and began the thumping intro to "Across the Steppe". The band was high octane and out for blood from the very first note and the crowd responded well to the obvious joy the brothers Carney (Lain, Van, and Jennings are all brothers) took from blowing the doors off Mohawk Place.
"Fear" would be the absolute last word I would use to describe the stance Pontiak has towards turning the amps up to 11. In fact, I would wager that they would turn their amps up to 11 to the eleventh power, were it a possibility. This was evidenced by the simple, yet effective stage set up they utilized for the show. Besides, what I remember to be some sort of echo pedal for the guitar, everything was plugged straight into the amps. That beautiful overdriven and raunchy attack was a product of volume knobs and tube amps, rather than distortion pedals and stomp boxes.
The droning guitar work of "Laywayed", the second song of the set, reminded me of a heavier version of some of The Black Keys' early work... when their sound was still raw and unprocessed.
"The North Coast" had a surf rock feel to it with shimmering chords accented by just the slightest vibrato. Fitting for a song that deals with standing on the coast looking out over the ocean.
The transition into "Left With Lights" was flawless as flawless can be as Jennings Carney laid down the bass line as brother Lain hammered out Bonham-esque triplets on the drum kit. Van joined in with crunching chords to double the bass line and the wall of sound was enough to make you sway backward with every thump of the kick drum.
The final two songs of the evening, "Shell Skull" and "Part III", were slightly more reigned in (I use that term loosely) and had a distinctive, psychedelic groove to them. The bass line got everyone bopping up and down and the echo-laden guitar and cymbal bell hits set "Shell Skull" into territory that would have made Beck proud... almost as proud as he'd be of the closing song, "Part III"; a minimalistic jam that, on the album track, includes accompaniment by menagerie of horns (tuba and euphonium to be exact). "Part III" was inspired by a the landscapes encountered on a drive between Phoenix and Texas and, as recommended by the band, was played at full volume.
I only had a chance to speak with Jennings after the show, as I had prior engagements to show up late to. Mr. Carney was gentlemanly and quite accommodating in the few minutes I spoke with him. I have had the three albums I purchased on steady rotation in the two days since the show and cannot wait to hear what Pontiak has in the pipelines.
"Fear" would be the absolute last word I would use to describe the stance Pontiak has towards turning the amps up to 11. In fact, I would wager that they would turn their amps up to 11 to the eleventh power, were it a possibility. This was evidenced by the simple, yet effective stage set up they utilized for the show. Besides, what I remember to be some sort of echo pedal for the guitar, everything was plugged straight into the amps. That beautiful overdriven and raunchy attack was a product of volume knobs and tube amps, rather than distortion pedals and stomp boxes.
The droning guitar work of "Laywayed", the second song of the set, reminded me of a heavier version of some of The Black Keys' early work... when their sound was still raw and unprocessed.
"The North Coast" had a surf rock feel to it with shimmering chords accented by just the slightest vibrato. Fitting for a song that deals with standing on the coast looking out over the ocean.
The transition into "Left With Lights" was flawless as flawless can be as Jennings Carney laid down the bass line as brother Lain hammered out Bonham-esque triplets on the drum kit. Van joined in with crunching chords to double the bass line and the wall of sound was enough to make you sway backward with every thump of the kick drum.
The final two songs of the evening, "Shell Skull" and "Part III", were slightly more reigned in (I use that term loosely) and had a distinctive, psychedelic groove to them. The bass line got everyone bopping up and down and the echo-laden guitar and cymbal bell hits set "Shell Skull" into territory that would have made Beck proud... almost as proud as he'd be of the closing song, "Part III"; a minimalistic jam that, on the album track, includes accompaniment by menagerie of horns (tuba and euphonium to be exact). "Part III" was inspired by a the landscapes encountered on a drive between Phoenix and Texas and, as recommended by the band, was played at full volume.
I only had a chance to speak with Jennings after the show, as I had prior engagements to show up late to. Mr. Carney was gentlemanly and quite accommodating in the few minutes I spoke with him. I have had the three albums I purchased on steady rotation in the two days since the show and cannot wait to hear what Pontiak has in the pipelines.
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