| swearing at motorists |
BANDLIVESTUDIOWEBSTORE |
may 15, 2002 - buffalo, ny - mohawk place
from artvoice
Who: Swearing A Motorists, 764-Hero, Six Parts Seven and Puma
When: Wednesday, May 15 at 9 pm
Where: Mohawk Place
East Mohawk Street has been slowly becoming a prime indie rock hotbed. This week was more proof. It was wall to wall fans packing in the Mohawk Place this past Tuesday’s Rainer Maria show. It is clear that the CMJ subscribers and 7” collectors are discovering the beloved hole-in-the-wall tavern that discriminating music fans of all styles have come to rely on for the best in live music in WNY. With upcoming shows, including the Versus offshoot +/- and the Joan of Arc-related side project Friend/Enemy, as the summer comes, the great shows come as well.
This Wednesday promises more of the best.
Swearing At Motorists first dropped into the radar around 1996, when their name appeared on a couple of compilation discs and a few of their own 7” and cassette-issue recordings. The Dayton, Ohio duo began because of their dalliance with Dayton native/universally adored Guided By Voices. Singer/guitarist Dave Doughman was GBV’s soundman for a stretch and original Motorist drummer Don Thrasher sat in on some GBV recordings. Their first proper full-length, Number Seven Uptown (Secretly Canadian), a collection of well-constructed, spanned sparse experimentation, tiny ballads and all-out rock explosion.
With the current tour, Swearing At Motorists, which is now Doughman and new drummer Joseph Sliwinski, are out playing songs from the forthcoming This Flag Signals Goodbye (Secretly Canadian) which is due in stores June 4. The record is a real jem, mixing lo-fi sensibility with clever, tasteful arrangements and thoughtful lyrics.
Doughman’s voice recalls a sweeter, less mumbley J. Masicus at times. He ably veers from Joe Pernice territory into shouty, ballsy rock. GBV comparisons seem to follow the band around for obvious reasons. Like Pollard, Doughman has a knack for pop melodies. The title track, with its bobbing bass line and simple arrangement, is a catchy sticks-to your-ribs-like-that-morning-bowl-of-oatmeal tune. A keyboard hums through the melancholy evening buzz of "Borrowed Red Bike." The haunting, evocative "Room Full Of You" deep and full, while "Anything You Want" is a simple, loose, poppy confection. The Motorists have the skill to drive the straight and narrow as well as in the demolition derby.
Ohio instrumentalists Six Parts Seven follow up their appearance a from a couple months back, returning with their unique brand of broody rock pastiches.
Headlining the bill are the powerhouse pop-rock outfit 764-HERO. Acclaimed for their string of releases, including a split with Northwest cohorts Modest Mouse, the Seattle trio has just issued their latest lp, Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere (Tiger Style Records). With a cleverly inverted Neil Young title and sturdy songcraft, it is their most straight-ahead release to date.
Of particular interest to Buffalo’s own thriving independent music scene is the debut of Puma. This talk-of-the-town outfit happened when Erin Roberts and Blaine Toney, half of the recently departed Blue Bullet Skater, got together with Palomar Sky Survey drummer Renee Roberts. Roberts promises Puma will follow in the same musical tracks of both of these bands, which is promising for those with a tastes that include hooky and infectious to warm and fuzzy.
—donny kutzbach
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