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| photo courtesy of @leahhh.kg. |
It's been a while. I've been busy with school, work and projects--some of which I'm very excited to share here eventually. Finally, though, I got the opportunity to attend another show. Sorry for the inactivity, guys. Going to two more shows next (this) weekend (Both Toothache shows... obviously--and you should come, too), I'll try to get those blogs out soon as well. As always, comment or shoot me an email [ fosterhildingmusic@gmail.com ] or DM if you have anything you think I should check out or cover on here. I'm always looking for new things to do for this page, possibly even album reviews/promotion for local artists? Again, let me know what you think. And, if you see me at shows, feel free to come say hi. :)
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| show posters stolen from respective bands'/venues' Instagrams. |
I really would've liked to have attended more of Femme Fest, it seemed like there were some really cool events going on around town. Would you guys be interested if I covered more than just music on here as well? I was considering covering the Northern Arizona Book Festival, but ended up lacking on notes.
Anyway, I was running a little behind for this show. Parking is always insane. Luckily I made it just moments before the first act came on. Maybe that's why the whole setup felt quick--a short sound check and then before I knew it the set had started. Frizzy mind.
The minimalist, acoustic duo, Peach Blud was a fresh and new face for me--one that I was thoroughly excited to see. You get burned out of punk shows. There was something so sweet and personal about their performance, though. In the best way possible, it was like they were playing to each other rather than the audience--like we were observers in this passionate experience of music making. It's like we were rooting for them in their battle against this nostalgia. In short, I felt connected to them more than anything. Burps, raspberries, laughs, and fun little oral interjections built this sense of connection, of home.
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| shitty photos courtesy of me. |
The guitarist, Eli, commented on his guitar sounding like shit because of the weather--which surprised me because it sounded perfect to me and, in fact, captivating. I think it added to the stripped-down, lo-fi folk feel. He and Dusty's voices blended so perfectly that they couldn't be separated from each other at any point. Towering above the crowd in the corner, a little boy sat atop an older man's shoulders--if I had to pinpoint any image to represent their sound it would be this. There's a feeling of reminiscence and childhood to all of their songs--although some do boarder on the more psychosexual with lines like "I was fucking my stuffed animals so they won't murder me."
Peach Blud does a fantastic job at pulling you in. I know I said this before, but it feels so easy to root for them. Their lyrics are relatable and warm and passionate and Eli's guitar performance is bouncy at its highest and moving at its lowest. My only wish was that more of their songs from this night were out. Such a powerful performance, even in its quietest corners. But, for now, you can stream their sweet album, I Have Fortified the Passion and Now You Are Spreading It on Your Toast.
I went outside for a change of scenery and stood around awkwardly. I was alone and only knew one other person there. I decided to go back in, just as aimlessly as I had exited. The next act had already begun splaying out their array of instruments, objects and toys. I'm not sure if this experience/reference even transfers, but going to shows always reminds me of that game Rocksmith. You play a song for an audience and their "hype" level demonstrates how well you're doing. That's always what I think about when I'm subtly bobbing my head to a band--I gotta get their hype level up...
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| photo courtesy of @leahhh.kg. |
I met Dead Bugh a while back--I was doing a last minute acoustic set for one of their shows. I couldn't stay since I was under 21, so I was looking forward to finally being able to see them perform. Their "double-phone-mic" set up reminded me of Midwife, who used the same type of landline during her performances. It was amazing to see one person produce so much and such big sound.s The synth layers were inventive, with some fun melodies that didn't shy away from borrowing from popular songs (their first song referencing Tequila by The Champs).
The whole performance felt like a short circuiting robot playing their gothic, new wave sounds to the grave. Certain songs sounded like the schizo recollection of a bygone children's cartoon theme--ecstatic, noisy, boppy, itchy. Their dirty, dark sounds were plastered with a springy, reverb-drenched vocal performance, classic synth melodies right out of the golden age of new wave, screaming, high-end guitar and a devotion to the endless weirdness that makes them uniquely equipped for the job.
"They have a weird-ass sound, they're like singing into a phone." - The guy standing next to me to his friend. Stream their EP, Is That a Dead Bugh in Your Pocket or Are You Just Sad to See Me?
It was interesting to see all of these bands for the first time, its been a while since that was the case--I really felt like a little music journalist. Sadly, I wasn't able to see DJ LUVLANGUAGE before the set, but I did get to check out some of the amazing art by Grayson Buckley. I was super thankful to be able to catch this lineup--and I was definitely impressed by Diva Bleach.
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| other photos courtesy of @antihe.ro. |
Every song was driven by a tighter-than-tight rhythm section. Christian's drums hit the exact spot that's demanded for more angsty alternative rock. Sydney's bass passages just lock in with the kick drum so well you'd feel like they were the same sound. All of their songs take obvious inspiration from a variety of different bands and sounds--some bordering on the more pop-punk/early 2000s emo vibes--mainly because of Sydney's strong and emotional belting, others the fun and bouncy surf rock--definitely in songs like Beaches, and others venture into a more (dare I even say) Weezer-ish sound.
The mosh pit that was simmering during Dead Bugh's set finally broke out here to the driving sounds of Diva Bleach's alt rock. There's something so retrospective and sweet about their emotional performances--amplified by Brie and Sara's on-point guitar passages. This is probably what adds so heavily to their emo-adjacent feel. It's also most apparent on their song Temper, Temper.
With instrumentals that are direct and compressed to their most powerful core, vocals and lyrics that are both emotional and dynamic, and drums that tie a nice little bow around it all, Diva Bleach is a rock group powerhouse. Not to mention, they're just fucking fun to watch. Stream their EP, No Fun.
This show was so funny to me because the names of all the bands fit so well together--all the B's, D's and P's. I have some cool things in the works--one that I'm so excited to share with you all that involves an awesome band... Hoping to do more of my own music stuff soon as well, I'll post on here about my stuff eventually, but I want to keep this mostly about local bands. I'm hoping to have two more blog posts out after this, I'll try to post them weekly. Thanks everyone for reading these, I know they've gotten to become pretty long, but I hope this can help in any way possible to get more eyes on amazing local Arizona bands--especially in Flagstaff.
- Foster
See Peach Blud in a more intimate show on April 20th at Flag Brew. (No poster, sorry).
See Dead Bugh with Vacant Skies, St. Pop and Rad Pinckard on April 20th at The Rhythm Room.
Or, see Dead Bugh with The Scumdrops and Alien Arcade on April 22nd for the DOUG VOL. 1 Video Premiere.
See Diva Bleach on tour in support of Sundressed and Telltale from May 7th to May 20th.
Some other shows that you should definitely check out (some I'll also be at):
Hope to see you guys there :)
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