Buffalo is a beautiful place... Okay, well, I guess if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not the most qualified person to make that claim. As a recent transplant to the city, I'm still enjoying the process of discovering the unique opportunities that make Buffalo worth inhabiting. But even then, I hail from the Southtowns, and let's be honest, they really aren't that far away... It's just the fact that I've always been familiar with the city, I just hadn't ever taken the plunge into living inside of it.
Despite my newly discovered reverence for my place of residence, I recognize that not everyone can stay in Buffalo forever... One of these people is Rebecca Ryskalczyk. Buffalo born and Fredonia schooled, Ryskalczyk became a staple of the local singer-songwriter crowd. She cut her teeth alongside other Buffalonians like the very talented Sonny Baker, with whom she toured the US (as well as drummer Cameron Rogers in the Buffalo-based duo A Hotel Nourishing). She now resides in Brooklyn, NY, but has continued her musical career there with a new project, Bethlehem Steel, which highlights Ryskalczyk's born-and-bred Buffalo roots. Despite Ryskalczyk's exodus to NYC, Bethlehem Steel is chock full of Buffalo influences. From their moniker (named after a mostly abandoned steel mill in Lackawanna) to, what in my opinion is a very 'Harvestsum' approach to songwriting, their recently released five song EP, called Grow Up has Buffalo written all over it.
The first song on Grow Up is the fantastic "Guts," a great representation of what to expect throughout this EP. A gentle, lo-fi guitar riff is met with rim clicks and Ryskalczyk's "hushed-but-soulful-with-a-hint-of-sadness" vocal delivery. This subdued approach eventually crescendos into something full and driving. There's a little bit of Local Natives here, and even a little bit of Band of Horses. Maybe, if you concentrate enough, you can even hear some Cloud Nothings. But what really stands out to me is the quasi-folk, lo-fi, indie-pop that Bethlehem Steel (and for that matter, so many other Buffalo artists) do so well. My closest comparison might even be to the intriguing freak-folk of Sonny Baker, albeit a slightly more subdued, female-fronted version.
The quiet crush of "Mountain Song" is one of the saddest moments on Grow Up, but it also happens to be one of my favorites. Ryskalczyk's harmonies sit beautifully over her simple, somber guitar lines. The power behind Grow Up comes from moments when Ryskalczyk sings, "If you wanted mountains, then I'd build you mountains... But I am loved and loved you only." Part of me thinks Ryskalczyk is hiding an insanely powerful voice behind her hushed delivery and the other half of me thinks she purposely chose to keep her cool in favor of a more subtle ebb and flow. For this particular record, I think she made the right choice - "Mountain Song" is shiver-inducing regardless.
"Switched to 6" is probably the most intense moment on Grow Up, trading somber chords for a wall of quickly strummed guitar. As I listened to Grow Up, I kept waiting for Ryskalczyk to let loose. But even here on the most upbeat moments, she keeps herself, her instrument, and her vocals respectably withdrawn. Even at her most powerful moments (see 2:55 onward), she reaches the apex of her vocals with a chorus of simple "whoa-ohs." I personally think that's the true appeal of Grow Up. When I was younger (and maybe even still now), and when it came to my music or my emotions, I felt like I had to raise my voice to make a point. Ryskalczyk rejects that sentiment. And I have all the more respect for Bethlehem Steel because of it.
"To Levin" is when I finally experienced the "let loose" moment I had been waiting for throughout Grow Up. "Levin" is one of the most revealing and personal moments on this EP - following in the footsteps of "Mountain Song" before it. From what I can gather, "To Levin" is a letter to someone she is leaving behind in Buffalo. It inspired one of Ryskalczyk's most shining moments on Grow Up. At 2:45 in, the vocals are sung so well that you don't even need the lyrics to know how Ryskalczyk's feels - her delivery says it all.
"Great Circle Mapping" is the last song on Grow Up and wraps the ideas and instrumentation up perfectly. A long, bell-infused ending repeats over and over, relying heavily on the sparkling riff from Ryskalczyk. I guess Buffalo can't really claim Ryskalczyk as one of its many talented artists anymore, but from what I can gather, I think she is fairly proud of her heritage. As long as ex-Buffalonians are releasing albums like Grow Up, we can be proud of what they have moved on to do.
Becca went to school in Fredonia but she's actually from our Buffalo burbs.