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| photo by Aidan McClendon |
I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, and I'm not sure what's been holding me back (other than time, energy, etc....).
I went to a house show on new years eve--the day before 2023. I hadn't been to a show in over a year at that point, the last one being Nothing with Midwife and Bambara in Orlando--college and work takes a lot of your time.
It was also the first step I took into the music scene in Flagstaff. A few weeks before, I found out that a friend I knew from a creative writing class was in a local band, Toothache. I followed them on Instagram and checked out what they had out at the time. I realized I was free and back in Flagstaff for this new years eve show and decided to go.
One thing that's really funny to me about house/local shows is that the lineup is always gonna be diverse. This was true when I was performing with my band, M.O. in Phoenix before the pandemic. We would perform with metal bands, pop bands and post-rock acts. Granted they were a last minute addition to the lineup, the show started with a math rock band called Ianthe from Phoenix.
They were tight and pristine. I talked to their guitarist, Richie, before their set because I heard they were doing math rock--which is quite the tight-knit community, and I stared down at his huge pedalboard as they played. It was flashy and meaty and my head hurt from banging and it was only the first act. They reminded me heavily of Intervals--those sweeping and groovy tapping licks that cascade over driving drums and bass with those moments of almost-djent that make the crowd go so wild.
Next was Syrn, a punk/minimalist rock duo. They got the same, if not better reactions out of the crowd by playing stripped-down, primal jams. Loose and messy--emotional and fun. They played a devastatingly heavy and animalistic cover of "D.T.A.H" by Knocked Loose and I believe a Rodan song with a guest singer. Almost the exact opposite of Ianthe's set/vibe. They balanced each other out like a magnet. It was bizarre to switch between the two.
I think that's part of the charm and allure of house and local shows. It's like a live mix of your scene's up-and-comings. In Flagstaff, that's so much more concentrated than big cities like Phoenix, where the scene is over-over-over saturated by acts playing every day, night, event...
Toothache played next--Flagstaff's upcoming "shoegunk" monger. Over the past few months I've seen them gathering a cult-like following. Their screaming overdriven guitar passes with bubbling drums and passionate and inventive vocals drive the nail right in. It's not hard to see why they're driving the shoegaze-adjacent scene of Flagstaff forward out of obscurity.
While I couldn't stay long enough for 137 Ways to Kill A Fly, I walked away satisfied with an inspired look at the city and local scene--both as a musician and a fan, knowing that there is so much more to come.
I went to a Friday the 13th show in January at the same house. I stood in line waiting to get a tattoo over the thrashing and bumping below by Alvah, SSIK and Overthinking. I think Gushr played a set as well--possibly instead of SSIK if I remember correctly. I came down for most of Toothache's set and the debuted a new song that blasted through the rooms as their heaviest yet.
As small as it is, Flagstaff's music mix grows with inventive, diverse and groundbreaking sounds.
- Foster
See Toothache with CenÓ§bite, Taciturn and Flowers this Sunday (02/26/2023) at The Hive @6:30.
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