The Blog of Jason “Jayce” Olshefsky

All the stay-up-late preparation I had been doing led up to this trip to Ithaca. I stopped by to see my old friends Sean and Kelly — so long has it been, that they have a 3-year-old kid I had never met. Nonetheless, we picked up where we left off and had a nice time catching up.

Afterward, I headed to Castaways (413 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca) to catch the show there. The place is great to see live music. I can’t think of a comparable venue in Rochester: it’s laid out as one big room with the bar on one side and the stage on the other. Low ceilings and acoustic drapes keep the sound from being overwhelming. Plus, the people I met were pretty nice … I expected it out of Ithaca, realizing it was just an arbitrary opinion about the town.

Starting off the show, Willie B. (a.k.a. Brian Wilson) played drums with some MIDI electronics. I was kind of disappointed because I thought his songs really don’t go anywhere — I suspect he’s better in a band such as Johnny Dowd which I really liked years ago (although I don’t remember if it was this same guy on drums). Headlining was That One Guy who was just fantastic. As I’ve described before, he plays a custom-made, 7-foot tall “magic pipe” which includes a guitar string and a bass string along with a bunch of buttons that control a synthesizer. As such, the gyrations necessary to play the magic pipe automatically affect a dance performance. Plus the sound is practically unclassifiable: it’s cousin to jam bands, hip-hop, rock, synth-pop, and novelty acts — in degrees that vary considerably from song-to-song.

Although I didn’t leave all that late, the two-hour drive won out against my stay-up-late practice and I had to pull over for a quick nap before getting home around 2:30 a.m.

I headed over to the show at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) so I could get back in practice staying out very late for tomorrow’s show. It turns out, it was the 1-year anniversary of Tympanogram blog and they arranged the show. I chatted with one of the guys doing it and he seemed nice enough — and glad the show was going great.

First up was Walri who are a nice, harmonius rock band; “psychedelic love rock”, they say. Gerry Szymanski told me to check them out, and despite numerous performances in town, this is the first time I’ve seen them. The Static Jacks were next and did an entertaining, animated, high-energy punk-rock show. I lent a hand to plug in a lost microphone cable and keep the show going. These Electric Lives finished off the night with some excellent, thumping, power-pop rock. And, like The Static Jacks, I was there to try and keep the microphones connected, working, and not breaking in half (the last of which without success as the lead singer was so brutally strong and/or the mic stand was already busted.) In all, it was a fantastic show in my book.

I walked through the blowing snow (because, believe it or not, it beats dusting, scraping, and shivering in the car several times) to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) to catch the show. When I got there, from Hinkley was already playing. If you read other critics, or talk to local rock band members around town, you’ve likely experienced the universally glowing reviews of Hinkley. In my mind, they’re one of a few bands that I have weak memories of strongly enjoying, but when I’m actually at a show, I find their musical intelligence to be overwhelming and I kick myself for not going to every Hinkley show. Perhaps it was the [literal] cold weather, but I thought they sounded [metaphorically] extra warm. I describe their sound as deceptively mellow, complex rock-and-roll. I find there isn’t much more point than saying, “I think they’re worth seeing for this reason”, and avoid the “sounds-like-these-three-bands” cliché [and remember, kids, the trendy way to pronounce is "clitch" as "clee-SHAY" is totally cliché].

Next up was the new-to-me band The Corrections. I threw the word “warm” in the adjectives in my notes, down from “extra warm” for Hinkley, so I guess it was all about average kinetic energy after all. I also described them as bouncy, alt-country rock. I’m easily swayed, and visiting their website, I decided to add “acoustic pop-rock” as well. Any of those descriptions will do. Their musicmanship was also top-notch — and their lead singer was a charismatic smiler, sending a message of welcoming familiarity to the audience. Their musical style led me to compare them to early Barenaked Ladies, 1980’s Elvis Costello, and a bit of Tears for Fears, even though cliché dictates the last band be obscure. Alas, I may have tainted you alls opinions, but I believe in your ability to ignore me.

Finishing up was Burning Daylight and I was getting tired and still had an hour of walking ahead of me, so I left after just a few songs. I can’t help but give them lukewarm monikers like “solid acoustic-driven bar-rock” because I just don’t hear the complexity. It’s good, accessible, and it rocks, but I’m seldom surprised. Like Hinkley, I have weak memories of enjoying them. However, in this case, it’s indistinguishable from strong memories of somewhat enjoying them. Lots of people love them, so don’t take my word for it, and don’t sweat it that I’m not a big fan.

I braved the snow and headed to Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) to catch Paul Burke’s show there. Paul himself stopped by for a while, but he was performing with his other band, other/other/other at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) that same night (in a sadly under-advertised show). Starting out was The Bogs Visionary Orchestra who played a rich tapestry of their modern Americana. Next was Eric the Taylor who I also liked: one guy playing ethereal, meditative, synthesized soundscapes. I’m really glad I stopped by.

Paul encouraged me to go to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) as well so I went there and caught the tail-end of other/other/other. Next was Cuddle Magic who I hadn’t seen before. They are a large band with a variety of instruments. They play what I’ve come to call “motley folk” like Baby Shiver’s Boutique but with their own nearly orchestral arrangement. I was getting tired, and alas, couldn’t stay for the rest of the night. I’ll look forward to seeing them sometime soon, though.

I went to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) and caught up with Old Boy who played great power acoustic like I expected. I can rely on these guys to really pound out some awesome music. They were followed by The New York Vaults who played some excellent punk-rock. I didn’t stay for long, though: I’ve been less of a party monster lately and headed home early.

I headed out to Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) where Paul Burke was hosting bands he liked. Tonight, he included his own production BELBIVDEVOIVOD which consisted of excellent electronic near-melodies with a bit of a dark edge. I like to listen to his work because it makes me look at everything in the world differently, and somehow intensifies a sense of serenity and inclusiveness, almost like a drug. Next up was Godlazer who DJ’s and remixes, frequently heading into mashup and experimental territory. Not everything he played piqued my interest, but it mostly hit home.

I started out by heading to The Record Archive (33 1/3 Rockwood St.) to catch the in-store bands. First up was Jay Repp playing solo. I generally liked his acoustic-rock and modern-rock style, but I wasn’t particularly drawn-in by it either. As before, I greatly liked other/other/other with their melodic trancey synthesized music. It just touches on dreamy and ethereal, but stays rooted in gently danceable beats.

Ali and I got a chance to get out of the house for a bit on our visit to her mom and step-dad in Florida to check out the local fauna. I searched the Internet for Pensacola’s Mad Happy (a band I’ve liked quite a bit and who I would expect to play in places I’d like to visit) to see if they had played anywhere in nearby Tarpon Springs.

They apparently had [although in a more thorough search, I don't think they did], so we went to The Neptune Lounge and Cyclery (13 S. Safford Ave., Tarpon Springs, FL): a bar/lounge by night and a bicycle shop by day (albeit next-door to one another) situated along The Pinellas Trail. We managed to hear the last song from the first band but got to see The Sound of Armada who played a good variety of jammy modern rock with a distinctive country flair.

From there we went to The Zone (121 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs, FL) which was a nightclub and lounge. I gather that the reggae-funk band on the nice outdoor patio was called Paris, and indoors, they were playing a typical dance DJ mix. It was almost like two clubs in one … something I guess I should expect from such a small town.

I stopped by The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) for the show — one I was quite excited about. Dr . Hamburger was providing projected video over the bands. Starting out was The Leaky Boat Blues which was Tim from A Wonderful. He played some great acoustic that I really liked. Next was a nearly minimal version of Baby Shiver’s Boutique. I have to make it a point to see these guys more often — their “motley folk” music is enhanced by their singer’s crystal clear and ever-so-melancholic voice. Finishing up the night was Autumn In Halifax — just Dave this time accompanied by the electronic-boxes form of the Leaves. His luscious, poetic acoustic rock always cracks open some inner creativity and I’m left longing for the night to never end.

I headed to Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) to catch the show there. When I got there, Where is Fred Brown? was already playing. Conceived as a three-piece with John Valenti, Alfred Brown, and Paul Burke, it’s temporarily named for the absence of its middle member. They played a great set of melodic trance-snyth. It had this nice dreamlike finish to it. I also stayed for The Bogs Visionary Orchestra who played some excellent “new Americana”, so-to-speak: rooted in Americana, but with a modern-rock presence. Unfortunately, the flu I’d been fighting for the past three days was getting the best of me and I didn’t stay for Seth Faergolzia.