Brother Keep is more than a name for a Buffalo band, it’s also a philosophy of said Buffalo band. Coincidentally brothers Nick Sessanna (guitar/ vocals) and Jake Sessanna (drums) are the only two uninterrupted members of the indie act’s line up, since their conception in 2010. They give a new definition to the phrase brotherly love, well they are at least more loving than the Gallagher brothers of Oasis (I know that’s not saying too much). This morning Brother Keep has released the video for “F(r)iend” the first single from their new EP, To You and Yours (due out in April). To You and Yours and the video for “F(r)iend)” were produced and directed by Brian Russo. “F(r)iend” is a nice departure from the atmospheric indie rock, that Brother Keep fans have come acquainted with. “F(r)iend” finds Brother Keep leaving the synths and Brand New comparisons at home. Hypersonic and to the point, “F(r)iend” tells the story of the worse person that you have ever known. Brother Keep take a straight up rock approach approach on this one, leaving all of ghostly driven guitars in their cases in the loft. On “F(r)iend” Brother Keep digs up a time capsule from circa 2005 when Emo was on the outs with bands like Taking Back Sunday leading the decline. However thankfully Brother Keep decides to leave out the over ambitious harmonies.
2013 was quite a busy year for Brooklyn-based songwriter Kevin Devine. He released two albums, Bubblegum and Bulldozer, both of which showcased his ability to write ridiculously catchy songs that also contain thoughtful introspective lyrics. When listening to tracks like the addictive "Little Bulldozer," one can't help but wonder if Devine would have been more at home in the early 90s alternative radio scene. Anyone who loved Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album would likely enjoy both of Devine's 2013 releases. Not one to restrict himself to a given style or sound, Devine is also quite active in the folk scene, and has recorded plenty of acoustic records throughout his career. Tonight, the multi-faceted Devine, who also plays in Bad Books, makes his way to our fair city for a show at The Waiting Room on Delaware Avenue, and will start at 7 pm, with Brother Kepp as the opening act. Tickets are $12 at the door. Anyone curious about Devine's repertoire, or any longtime fans wanting to finally see him in person are likely in for a great time.
Rochester-based, soothing group Fowls will headline tonight at DGBG's, with their math-rock infused edges and extended riffs remnant of acts like Built To Spill and Maps and Atlases. Their latest LP, Into The Wild, released this past October is a pleasant division of soft sounds, of course, as the title suggests, exploring the lone feeling of being immersed in nature.
In addition to Fowls, local acts Bryan Johnson and Family and Brother Keep (replacing Marine Biologist on the bill) will open. Bryan Johnson and Family brings a more gritty sound to their surf-pop edge, with rolling riffs. Brother Keep, based out of Buffalo, NY lends a more haunting, reverberating mesh of rock, slightly melancholic, but on par with the likes of Thursday and Death Cab for Cutie. DJ Loren MarcPro will be spinning in between sets. Music starts at 9 p.m., $5!
If you're a fan of melodic indie rock, there is a good chance you've already heard of Real People, Buffalo's answer to Saves the Day or Lifetime. If not, tonight is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted. It's the group's debut EP release show and if the track below is any indication, Ceilings is going to be one helluva release. Along with Real People tonight's party showcases some of the cities best indie acts including Lancer, Brother Keep and Del Paxton. Waiting Room is the place (6pm, $8).
ESI Events and The Tralf have been putting together some great shows lately, tonight being no exception. Connecticut two piece Mates of State stop through Buffalo tonight on their Northeast mini tour. The duo have been hard at work on their new album, the follow up to 2011's Mountaintops, as well as a soundtrack to a feature film that the two will star in, shooting later this year. All of these new developments mean you'll likely be hearing some new material tonight. Joining them will be buffaBLOG favorites Brother Keep and Go Exploring, both of whom released stellar albums this past year. Doors are at 7pm and tickets are $17.
Cure that holiday hangover tonight with the first new episode of the WBNY Local Show of 2013. Fresh off the album release party for their latest collection of music, the Eden based Brother Keep will join show host Michael Moretti in the WBNY studios this evening. The anthemic rockers will discuss and play cuts from their new album Face Like a Map, in addition to play some of their favorite local tunes once Moretti passes hosting duties over.
As always, the show kicks off at 7pm. For city dwellers, turn your radio dial to 91.3FM, or just stream the show live at WBNY's website.
As Mohawk Place winds down to it's final days, more and more bands and promoters are saying their final goodbyes. Tonight brings the final Mohawk show from After Dark Entertainment, but it also marks the debut of Buffalo's own Made Violent. I'd like to say something about Made Violent, but I have no idea what they sound like. The "listen" link on After Dark's website takes me to Brother Keep's facebook page (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, Brother Keep is good). Speaking of which, tonight is the official CD release for Brother Keep, whose terrific Face Like a Map made our Album of the Week. The show is also being co-sponsored by Quiet Country Audio, who have been producing some quality work for a number of bands both local and national, including Sleepy Hahas, who are also on tonight's bill. I couldn't find anything on Crooks, due to them being another in a long line of impossible-to-google-band-names (I'm looking at you, Love Scenes). I guess you'll just have to stop pretending to be bothered by all this snow and go find out for yourself. Tickets are $8 and doors are at 10.
Eden, New York band Brother Keep make a brand of Indie rock where dramatic and lush instrumentation is used to create something that feels much larger than the typical three minute rock song. The sound that the band captures on their new album Face Like a Map reminds of a time in the genre when this emotive style of songwriting was used by artists like Death Cab for Cutie and Brand New and caught on with fans of both classic indie rock as well as casual alternative listeners.
Frontman Nick Sessanna's songwriting carefully works towards hooks that allow the tracks on the album to come together and deliver overwhelming statements of purpose while the instrumentation elsewhere on the album is filled with enough energy to carry the songs towards the rewarding breakdowns and hooks that make this record worth coming back to.
The album's opener "Coyote" uses the band's formula of striking guitar-led instrumentation to work towards soaring choruses. From the first track it is apparent from the production that the loud-quiet dynamic has been used to give these six songs an added dimension of depth.
On the following track, "Good or Bad", perhaps the album's catchiest, Brother Keep manages to deliver a song that brings together indie rock energy with the restraint and precision of post-rock. The result is a sound that feels like a progression from straightforward punk and indie songs to a more calculated, articulate statement that is more self-assured and engaging upon first listen.
The band gets anthemic with "Echo My Sentiments" where a melodic chorus drives the track that sees some of the more aggressive guitar work and drumming on the album. The breakdowns here hit harder than anywhere else on the record and allow Brother Keep to create their biggest sounding and most concise track of the album.
Taking on a much more mellow tone, the track "Spread the Dust" shows off the band's ability to write songs that have a restrained energy that feel ready to break into the loud dynamic that they capture so well but rather remains linear in its lush instrumentation and creates a moment on the album that is striking enough to remind the listener that this group is capable of creating memorable moments throughout this record.
With Face Like a Map, Brother Keep gives us a record that reveals a band capable of perfecting subtlety in songs that are still filled with enough energy and purpose to bring the listener back as each play of this record reveals more of the sonic depth that works so well in the bands favor to define their sound.
Hailing from Philadelphia, three piece indie pop band Jukebox The Ghost performs tonight at the Ninth Ward at Babeville. Often compared to acts like They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds, the trio is touring in support of their recently released LP, Safe Travels. The piano driven pop songs of the record are highly listenable and give an indie feel to a sounds with major crossover potential. Opening the show are local indie- electro band Early Attic and indie rock act Brother Keep. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Tickets can be purchased directly from tickets.com or at the Babeville box office for $13. Be sure to catch this showcase of both local and national indie talent tonight at one of the cities' most intimate venues.
After Dark Entertainment brings a local music showcase this evening at Mohawk Place with Buffalo acts The Breathing Tree, Brother Keep, and The Temps. The Breathing Tree have that harmonic, tribal like melodies that Local natives so well down pat, while Brother Keep shows are full of anthemic and emotionally driven tunes ala Death Cab for Cutie. As for the Temps, well, they are a new outfit, so new in fact, we don't know anything about them, so at least out of curiosity sake you should check this out right?
You can still purchase presale tickets at this link ot by stopping by the After Dark offices (630 Elmwood Ave) this afternoon from 11:00am - 5:30pm, which will get you a free drink this evening, so take advantage of that deal if you wish. Tonight's show is 16+, and doors open at 7:00pm. $5 will get you in.
We first had a chance to get to know local act Brother Keep back in November. They were in the middle of prepping the release of their debut LP Patchwork Walls, an album of anthemic indie rock led by vocalist Nick Sessana, which can streamed and purchased over at their bandcamp page. The band has just entered the beginning stages of recording their follow up EP to Patchwork Walls, which will hopefully see a release sometime later this year.In the mean time, the band has been busy playing live, most recently opening for Porcelain Raft with the Canary Girls at the Ninth Ward. The band will also be a part of After Dark and buffaBLOG's Block Party featuring headliner Milo Greene on Wednesday, August 1st. Check out the video below of Brother Keep testing out a heavy yet melodic new tune, "Festival", a couple months back at Mohawk Place.
Sunday’s performance by Porcelain Raft at The Ninth Ward was, in an eye-opening sort of way, paradoxical. It felt like the most intelligent, expanding, artistic, and enveloping concert that nobody knew about. As far as timing goes, I realize that the tail end of the Allentown Art Festival was largely to blame for the disappointing turnout. That isn’t to say it wasn’t incredible for those who were there, which it absolutely was; it’s taken me four days to process all the intricacies, perceptions, and complexities of the music, and it’s massive effect on me. I know that that sounds excessive, but live music can and should do such things to the human psyche; we should often be mesmerized by what a couple of folks can do with a few guitars, keyboards, and drums, both during a performance, and in it’s afterglow. It’s hard to compare live shows (especially this year) insofar as it’s largely an experiential endeavor (although I hope I’m not the only one who was blown away), the planets aligned for me on Sunday night, and I am confident in saying that it was the best show I’ve been to so far this year. And even though the attendance was sparse, the upside was that it resulted in the show becoming that much more cherished.
While it’s probably easier to sell out shows when you’re touring with big names like Yuck, M83, Smith Westerns, Beach House, and Youth Lagoon, which Porcelain Raft has done (all in the last year mind you), there’s something to say for a musician that can make (multiple) connections of such caliber, and hit the road so often. The Italian born 37-year-old Mauro Remiddi has been making music for sometime now, and while he’s only played a short while under the Porcelain Raft moniker, he’s wasted no time making records, releasing three EPs since 2010’s Curve EP, and finally getting signed by Secretly Canadian to release his first full-length Strange Weekend,in January of this year.
In describing Porcelain Raft’s sound, there have been the usual shoegaze and dream-pop allusions, but the most intriguing might be the branding of Remiddi’s music as bedroom-pop, which is primarily defined by lo-fi vocals spiked with dreamy, white-washed guitars or synths all boiled in a steeping pot of melancholia, i.e. more hyphenated jargon conjured up by critics. Recently on his blog, Remiddi spoke to these common descriptions as he reflected on a book he was reading called, The Poetics Of Space by Gaston Bachelard. Remiddi said, “All these talks of bedroom pop for example, of melancholia associated sometimes to my music it always felt wrong or [at least] inaccurate to me, but I’m interested in what people see when they see music...The idea of [a] bedroom becomes the idea of a safe shelter where we are allowed to isolate our self from the outside storm (big cities sound like a storm at times)...It’s a big step to open the door of our room and let people see what’s going on inside. A dreamer with no sense of reality would never do that, a dreamer needs to sleep in order to keep his dreams vivid.” In entertaining the consideration of bedroom-pop, it’s an important paradox to consider, that Remiddi, being a brilliant dreamer-pilgrim in need of sleep, we would open our door to him, for him to take refuge from the storm and for us to take refuge in his music, which was The Ninth Ward last night: our collective safe shelter.
I have to give so much credit to Brother Keep and Canary Girls, who both did an exemplary job as openers. After most of the people trickled in, Brother Keep came out and played a handful of songs that just made me flat out happy. I don’t know how else to put it. The five-piece carried a youthful semblance, taking to their songs with unabashed precision, and I’m pretty sure a large percentage of the audience that night was made up of their nuclear family and close friends. It felt out of place at first, almost like you were 14 years old again at a friend’s youth group you were invited to, and that’s not meant to be an insult in anyway. It felt familial and pure. Brother Keep were sharing unadulterated airs and it kicked ass.
Next, Canary Girls came out and let their 80s vibes fill the place, as they do. It was my second time seeing the group, and it is rather impressive to see how their style of live performance has really come into its own. Lead singer, Bill Eager’s melodies are full and float effortlessly over keys and electronic drums, like a dense fog moves across the mountain tops. Their sound is so resilient, effortlessly so. One minute you’re dancing your shoes off to “Everything Is Changing” and the next you’re swaying gently in contemplation to “Night Court”. It was a fantastic opening set.
Before you knew it Remiddi and his accompanied drummer, Michael Wallace, were setting up their apparatus, and everyone was all set to go. Before they began, I looked around the dimly lit, stonewalled room and noticed that there were less people at the venue than we had started out with. That was a first. Remiddi threw on his electric guitar and Wallace borrowed a small drink table from a obliged group of people to put his laptop on so that his mother, who he had Skyped back home, could watch him play the show. That was familiar. And awesome. He jokingly told the audience to say “Hi” and turned the computer to the crowd for a brief second. We all laughed and waved and so did Remiddi. It wasn’t awkward.
Without talking they went right into the first track from Strange Weekend, which they played a lot from during the night. “Drifting In And Out” starts with a blissed-out pulse and creeps into a full on dream-pop heartbeat, with Remiddi singing (a cross between Bowie and Lennon) “Take me away, directionless / It doesn’t have to make any sense”. This first line could have been the body of an affidavit that we all agreed to and signed at the beginning of the show. Next, they plunged into “Shapeless and Gone”, a steady guitar-strummed song with sonic splatters of echoed drum samples. Remiddi croons, “It’s so good to know you’re out there...And I feel shapeless and gone / So close to nothing.” Lyrics like these are so much more prominent as they bounce between the walls of The Ninth Ward. Everything Porcelain Raft was doing, every trill, every buzz, every kick or strum or roll was another step into the storm clouds, at any moment lightening could strike. And as it did Wallace was bowed over his drums as he ended the song in sporadic fashion, slowing the tempo drastically with each measure as we waited for the best case of the hiccups we ever had dissipate.
On the next track Wallace came in striking an electronic drum pad, which was sent ricocheting across the room, sleigh bells in the other hand, dangling them against the cymbal with no rhyme or reason, just euphoria. The third track off Strange Weekend was so well-defined as a live song. It was so purposeful in the way it hypnotized every blue-lit face in the small crowd, as Remiddi joined in with pulsating guitar strumming and synth. He asks the obvious question, “Is It Too Deep For You?”. Which then begs the obvious answer, “Yes”.
Toward the middle of the set, they played a few songs from their catalog of EPs, and the previously unreleased B-side, “Something In Between”, which they had on sale as a 7” after the performance. As the next song was about to start, Remiddi looked to the crowd and kindly asked everyone to move to the stage since we were all so sparse as people were standing at the far ends of the basement, a void of 5 or 6 feet creating a moat of cement around the stage. We willingly drew to the little platform, close enough to reach out and touch the musicians. They fittingly went into a slower song, the gorgeous “Picture”, where the beauty in Remiddi’s vocals seriously stand out. And before you knew it they were announcing their last song, just as soon as they had captivated everyone in the room. As Remiddi tapped his keyboard to make sure it was ready, a pulse of organ flickered through the room, and I knew they were ending the night with, “Unless You Speak From The Heart”, a favorite of mine. The song was energetic and fast-paced, with Wallace huddled again over his drum kit, striking powerfully on the snare in deep concentration. Remiddi trilled a most intimidating lyric: “And I don’t want to listen, unless you speak from your heart.” There was no encore because nobody knew what to do, we didn’t know where our hearts were, let alone how to speak from them properly. My mind was aglaze. I walked to the merch table and bought that 7”.
Remiddi was at the table and I asked him how he got the courage to move to London from Rome. He told me he had moved there when he was young; that it was a scary thing to do. He was smiling. He sarcastically recommended I stay put, “Don’t leave! Stay here and be safe and enjoy life!” I laughed, but thought about the dangers of staying locked in one place. Porcelain Raft’s music is like the dreams of a man that never sleeps. He is constantly moving, finding new territory, probing the strange things in life that are hard to make out, and finding that there is nothing to hold back from. I slept soundly that night, and dreampt of nothing. It wasn’t until the next morning that I re-read the lyrics from the last track on Strange Weekend, entitled “The Way In”. It made the previous night that much more special.
"THE WAY IN"
ADVISING PEOPLE NOT TO TRAVEL FAR
IS THAT FOR REAL? OH BABY LISTEN NOW
YOU MAY HAVE HURT ME ALL THIS TIME AND YET I’M HERE TONIGHT
AND IF I FEEL SOMETHING FOR YOU KNOW, IT’S ALL IN MY BRAIN, IT WILL GO AWAY SOMEHOW
I WISH NOTHING MORE THEN WHAT I HAVE
I HOPE YOU COULD SAY THE SAME
AND I KNOW THAT YOU TALK TO YOURSELF AT NIGHT
DO YOU FEEL BETTER DO YOU FEEL RIGHT
THERE’S NO NEED TO PLAY GAMES TONIGHT…
THIS IS NOT A DREAM
THIS IS FOR REAL
BRING WHAT YOU HAVE INSIDE, OUT IN THE LIGHT.
THEN SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD ENOUGH
I’M LOOKING AT YOU OH BABY LISTEN NOW
I MAY NEED TO GO OUTSIDE, THE AIR FEELS SO FRESH TONIGHT
AND IT’S THE END OF SUMMER CAN YOU FEEL IT NOW
THE WORLD IS SPINNING FASTER SOMEHOW
THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAN NEVER BE SAID ALOUD
On August 1st, After Dark Entertainment and buffaBLOG will be co-presenting the cleverly titled "After Dark & buffaBLOG Block Party" at Mohawk Place. Headlining the evening will be Milo Greene, an up and coming indie folk band out of Los Angeles whose self titled debut album will be released on July 17th. The five piece outfit, who were recently featured as a Showcase Artist at the past SXSW Festival in Austin, will be touring with country/folk two piece the Civil Wars this spring and will embark to Chicago's Grant Park following the show for Lollapalooza, sounds like a nice combination of Mumford & Sons and Local Natives.
In support of Milo Greene will be fellow LA group, the post punk meets jangle pop Family of the Year and local acts The Breathing Tree and Brother Keep. Tickets will only be $5. buffaBLOG will be offering a $5 presale VIP ticket which includes a free drink at the show . If interested, please email here for more info. The party begins at 7:00pm. See you then!
Local indie-rockers Brother Keep have been making Buffalo proud for half a decade. Their sound is unique yet familiar, and their approach to recording, artwork, and merchandise is very DIY.
The band was kind enough to answer a few questions for BuffaBLOG. You can read their answers below, then check them out live this Friday, November 11th at Mohawk Place.
1.) Who are the band members and how did you meet?
Brother Keep is:
Nick Sessanna – Vocals and Guitar Chrissy Krolewicz – Vocals and Keys Jake Sessanna – Drums Ron Walczyk – Bass Zachary Vacanti – Guitar
Nick and Ron have been making music together since high school, but struggled to find a solid lineup of people who shared a similar musical vision. Two years ago, they teamed up with Nick’s younger brother, Jake (who was 15 at the time) with the intention of bringing closure to a batch of unfinished ideas. Almost immediately, they started writing new songs and added close friends Zach and Chrissy to bolster the lineup and fill out the sound.
2.) What words would you use to describe Brother Keep's sound?
To sum it up succinctly, we would probably use a phrase along the lines of “Cathartic Indie Rock.” We think what separates us from the pack is our use of subtle male/female harmonies, a strong rhythm section, and our articulate and heartfelt lyrics.
3.) Who or what inspires you to write songs, and what is your songwriting process like?
We really just want to write songs that we would listen to. Most of the time, Nick will bring an idea on the guitar to the table and the rest of the band will jam on it, filling in the parts, suggesting ideas, and coming up with a unique structure. After the instrumental parts are finalized, Nick will write the lyrics and main melodies to the song. From there, Nick and Chrissy will sit down and finalize the song with harmonies.
4.) Where have you performed live, and do you have any upcoming shows?
Brother Keep has performed around the Buffalo area including Mohawk Place and Sugar City. Our next show is 11/11 with Voxhaul Broadcast at Mohawk Place. After that, we’re playing 11/25 with Rustbelt Lights at Sugar City.
5.) Who is your dream tour-mate (musician or band)?
Two huge influences on us would definitely be Brand New and Manchester Orchestra… but we’re also big fans of the 90’s. I think a tour with Pavement would also be amazing.
6.) Does Buffalo factor in to your sound? In what ways?
Being from the Buffalo area definitely influences our songs. The most obvious examples are in our lyrics – if you listen closely to some of our songs, you might be able to relate to this sense of feeling “stuck” in a place that you love, but is holding you back. We feel like Buffalo gets a bad rap, but for the most part, we love it for all of its quirks. We hope that when people listen to our songs, they pick up on something different every time they listen to it. In the same way, when people talk about Buffalo and it’s music scene, we hope that we can be something that the city can be proud of. Brother Keep - Casual Waters by buffablog2
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