..It’s time again for The Buddha Den to bring you some of our favorite music from Dayton. As always, we’re giving all this to you for free. We’ve got some of Dayton’s most notable bands as well as several bands old and new that are slightly off the beaten path. Regardless, we think it’s a pretty fun comp. Check it…

Sleepybird “Certain Guessing” previously unreleased
Captain of Industry “Facefull of a Headfull of Hair” from The Bronze (courtesy of All Hail Records)
Accidently On Purpose “AKA” from the Miminari EP (courtesy of Consumer Value Deluxe Records)
Nightbeast “Jungle First Date” from Inside Jokes for Outside Folks (courtesy of Thriving Records/Eastwest)
The Happy Planets “The Summer Slime” from Death; Midwest
Drexel “Trick Knee” from Sexual Pancakes
Paego Paego “Liberation Through Miracles” from A Bird For Every Country
Mountain Screamer “Midnight Molester” previously unreleased
Umbrella Men “Sing Along Song” from Umbrella Men
The Human Reunion “Badge Mask” from the upcoming Arc de Square album (courtesy of Squids Eye Records)
Lungs “Lanterns” from Lungs
Jet Kid Committee “Rock N Roll 4U” previously unreleased (courtesy of Squids Eye Records)

…a very special thanks to Ryan France for putting together the artwork which is included in the download. The art includes instructions to make a nice little jacket in which to put your Summer Sampler. That’s right, we took care of you…

DOWNLOAD THE BUDDHA DEN SUMMER 08 SAMPLER HERE

UPDATE-11:42 AM EDT: We have a small technical glitch with the music files. We are working to correct them and they should be fixed within the hour. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will update this post when the file is fixed. Thank you for your patience and continued support…

UPDATE-12:37 PM EDT: We have corrected the glitch. The link above should provide you with all the audio files and the artwork for The Buddha Den Summer Sampler 08. Thank you for your patience. Enjoy…

…as many of you know, the inexplicable Nightbeast put out his debut disc, Inside Jokes for Outside Folks, a while back. Well, it’s gotten some reviews. It’s actually gotten a review from a pretty big publication: Alternative Press. Well, seems the reviewer didn’t care for it too much. Actually, not at all. The album got summarily panned. Well, Nightbeast didn’t care for that too much. So, he took the only action he really could: he wrote a song about it. You can check it out here. Different strokes…

…while many shows in Dayton begin with a relative whimper as the opening band is forced to endure the unspoken code of show attendants arriving well past the fashionably late mark, on this evening at Gilly’s the force that is Grizzzzy Bear enjoyed a nearly packed house from the very beginning of their set. As the band unleashed their newfound fury, the collective jaw dropped throughout the club. As a band that is riding an undeniable buzz in Dayton, Grizzzzy Bear on this night proved that the hype is deserved. While the band is certainly pulling away from the synth-heavy psyche/pop on their debut disc, the ADD-inflicted tendencies of their arrangements that made that album so brilliant are simply taking a more aggressive slant as the Myspace-only track “Mr. Bloodsuck” suggests. As one infectious riff turned into a sludgy grind and then spun out into a snotty pop nugget, it seemed apparent that Grizzzzy Bear stands as one of Dayton’s finest young bands…

…having not been spotted on a Dayton stage in nearly a year, Lab Partners hit the stage shrouded in psychedelic fog. The band filled the club with their trademark soaring shoegaze/drone pop and seemed to grab some unfamiliar ears. Guitarist Mike Volk veered between elegiac 12-string guitar work to slashing power chords as Amy Smith’s synth bass and Mike Smith’s echoed jangle washed over the audience like a seemingly tranquil, yet utterly enveloping, tidal wave…

…at last the time came to celebrate Captain of Industry’s release of their incredible new album, The Bronze. As keyboardist/vocalist Nathan Peters strode out in a dapper suit jacket, the rest of the band filed in and proceeded to lay down their patented brand of indie prog/pop with a joyful determination that carried throughout their set. As the band tore through chunks of their new album, they also dug out a number of tunes from their back catalog, all served up with a undeniable sense of purpose on this night. From the aggro fire of “Sabo” to the lilting saccharine of “Popsicle”, on this night COI simply could not miss. Drummer John Lakes and bassist Ian Sperry held down the frantic rhythms as guitarists Kevin Oldfield and Tommy Cooper drew from a seemingly endless palate of sonic delights. As if the occasion wasn’t already special, the band offered up a ferocious cover of Deerhoof’s “The Perfect Me”. As the band closed out an extended encore with “Good Side Son” off their debut disc, it seemed as if the night served as a reckoning of the band’s past with their seemingly bright future…

…by the end of the evening, there was a consensus that everyone would like to see more shows like this on a regular basis. For more photos from the evening, go here.

…we’ve been talking at great length about the incredible new album by Captain of Industry, The Bronze. Tonight is the big local CD Release show at Gilly’s and you really couldn’t ask for a more stacked bill. Opening the evening will be buzz band of 08, Grizzzzy Bear (who are currently in the studio working with COI drummer John Lakes). You’ve also got local shoegaze masters Lab Partners (who are putting the finishing touches on their new album). This could very well end up as one of the best shows of 08. You really can’t afford to miss this one…

…you need another reason to come out? Well, The Buddha Den has teamed up with Captain of Industry to hook up yet another CD giveaway. Tonight at the show before COI hits the stage, The Buddha Den will present 3 lucky winners with a copy of the new album, The Bronze. How do you win??? Simple. Email us at buddhaden27@yahoo.com with “THE BRONZE” in the subject line. First three respondents will be notified and receive their prize tonight at Gilly’s. Don’t hesitate….

…as the release of their stellar new album The Bronze is this weekend, Captain of Industry will hit the airwaves yet again this afternoon. Stepping up for their third appearance in the fabled WOXY Lounge Acts, COI will be performing tracks off their new album and chatting it up. Tune in here at 4 PM today, and if you miss it, you can grab the download later over here. Be sure to tune in to The Buddha Den tomorrow morning for a very special announcement regarding the release of The Bronze…

…here’s what we played in The Buddha Den DJ Hour at Pearl last night…

8-Bit Revival “Led Astrea” from Under the Fairweather
Accidently On Purpose “AKA” from Miminari EP (out July 4)
Captain of Industry “Gold For Your Mouth” and “Healthy Spines” from The Bronze (out July 28)
De Novo Dahl (Nashville) “Shakedown” from Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound
Electric Banana “Denim on Denim” from Denim on Denim
The Gluons “The Modern Late at Nights” from Meet the Gluons
Grizzzzy Bear “Stale Body” from Grizzzzy Bear
Jordan Hull “On To Me” from Jordan Hull
Human Reunion “Red Ape” and “Hug Jail” from Squids Eye Sampler
The Interiors (Chicago) “I’m So Happy” from The Interiors
Jet Kid Committe “LOL” from Dayton, OH Vol. 1
My Latex Brain “Capitalist Knife” from Good Is Dead
Nightbeast “Jungle First Date” from Inside Jokes for Outside Folks
Pretty & Nice (Boston) “Grab Your Nets” from Blue & Blue EP
Jesse Remanant “Better Than You” from The Human Cannonball
Toads and Mice “Ghengis Kahn” from Toads and Mice
Towhee “Streetlights” from Streetlights
The Whathaveya “The Other One” from The Whathaveya Explodes! (out July 4)

…following our set of local tracks, The Northwest Ordinance lunged headlong into a furious set of brilliant garage-grunge. Serving as a lightning rod stretching back through Detroit-via-NYC-via-Seattle, this band knows its lineage and serves to update the mold. As the band tore through a number of newer tracks as well as those from the most recent album, State of Ohio, their raw intensity left most of the audience stunned. Navigating string breaks and various technical issues, the band might need a few adjustments in balancing out their levels for maximum effect. Regardless, NWO stands as one of the most interesting bands in Dayton at the moment…

For more pics from the show, go here.

…as is becoming custom here in Daytonia, looks like Thursday night is gonna be alright. Here’s the lowdown…

…over at Pearl tonight, Fab Gear presents a very special show, featuring The Buddha Den DJ hour from 9-10, followed by garage/punk faves The Northwest Ordinance and special guests The Wholigans (The Who tribute band). Afterward, the Fab Gear DJs will be spinning all the best vintage jams you can think of…

…another good option tonight is the show over at Jimmie’s Cornerstone featuring up-and-coming sludge purveyors Mountain Screamer. Also on the bill are Gem City Saints and space-age punk of Atomic Johnny…

…if your tastes seem to be leaning a bit more toward the avant this evening, head over to Acid Fever House to check out sludge/funk/experimentalit drum/bass duo E=MC Hammer (from Milwuakee), one-man noisefest Mannequin Hollowcaust (from Tennessee), and the electronic/noise machinations of The Killbot…

In many band’s catalogs, it is their debut offering that ends up as their defining work. After honing their sound on the stage, a band is often able to capture the intensity and immediacy on their first venture into the studio. The material presented is typically so well-rehearsed at that point that it seems there could be no way to top it. However, in some cases a band takes a few albums before finally hitting a stride and making that definitive statement of their sound. In the case of Captain of Industry, their third album, The Bronze, (out on All Hail Records) seems destined to fall into that latter category.

Since their last album (2005’s The Great Divide), Captain of Industry expanded their ranks by adding long-time Dayton journeyman Tommy Cooper on guitar (augmenting core members Nathan Peters on vocals/keyboards, John Lakes on drums, Kevin Oldfield on guitar, and Ian Sperry on bass). With this addition, Cooper gave the band additional stability in the rhythm section and enabled Oldfield to more confidently indulge his gratuitous knob-twiddling. As their first work with Cooper in tow, The Bronze is a decidedly more muscular affair than either The Great Divide or the band’s debut !, which suggested a band more in love with Herbie Hancock than David Bowie. While COI has always had a penchant for prog rock and twisted, sprawling arrangements, with The Bronze the band has refined their ideas to such a razor-fine point that nearly every track on the album serves as proof of a band in full command of its prowess.

The one-two punch of “Gold For Your Mouth” and the manic “Sweet Nectar Action” indicate the band’s growth from last year’s studio binge on The Gold Teeth EP. Most notably, the guitar interplay of Oldfield and Cooper drive the tracks in a way that the guitars have not done elsewhere in the COI catalog. This is a trend that most notably defines the shift on The Bronze from the band’s previous work. Perhaps one of the most defining moments on the album, “Facefull of a Headfull of Hair” showcases Peters’ melodic gifts and effortless wordplay draped in sheets of vibrato guitars and piano stabs. The scale-running workout at the song’s conclusion only further builds the case for the band’s newfound guitar-centric sound. As if the point needed further evidence, check out the ferocious prog workout of “Sabo” and the dynamic slashing shuffle of “TKO”.

While the Captains may be steering their ship away from calm waters, this is not to say they have not taken with them the melodic gifts which helped craft their sound. The track “Popsicle” is easily as memorable as anything James Mercer has dished out, and its irreverant lines of “One man gets wasted/Another joins the rodeo/One DJ quits his job/Because what he plays blows” highlights Peters’ ability to infuse a dose of humor into his sublime melodies.

While it may have taken Captain of Industry a few swings to come up with the long ball, The Bronze is a shot that may very well be heard ’round the world. With their idiosyncratic blend of prog-infused-indie pop and a stack of songs that easily stand up against most of what passes for modern rock, Captain of Industry have produced an album that may very well move them up out of the minor leagues and send them to the show.

…since it’s a weeknight, here’s a good early show for ya. Head down to the Dayton Dirt Collective to check out one of new faves, Hospital Garden, along with local ambient outfit Engine the Gun, the one-man tape-driven experimental/noise/ambient of Juffage (aka Jeff T. Smith from Chicago), and the Dischord-flavored post-rock Lost Apparitions (from Iowa). Show starts at 7 PM, so get down there early for what looks like an excellent mid-week show…

…the ever-busy Squids Eye Records announced another new venture late last week. The new Mouth Fu label will focus on hip-hop releases that may not necessarily fit into the Squids Eye format. The first shot slated to be fired from the Mouth Fu cannon will be Mike Cooley Presents Trunk Bound Music…