…after 4 1/2 years, we are officially announcing that The Buddha Den will cease to be an active blog as of February 10, 2012.

We appreciate all of the support we’ve received from our readers over the years.

We’d like to thank all of the bands from Dayton [and beyond] that we met as a result of presenting this blog. Without your music, we’d obviously have had nothing to talk about.

To everyone that came to any of our shows, thank you.

Special thanks goes out to Don Thrasher, Kris Neises, and W.C. Ruffnel for their writing contributions over the years.

Thanks to Tim Krug for website design and maintenance.

Thanks to Ryan France for our logo design.

Thanks to Shaine Sullivan at South Park Tavern, Bob & Lisa Mendenhall at Blind Bob’s, Mick Montgomery at Canal Street Tavern, and Katie Mervar at J-Alans for allowing us to host Buddha Den shows at their respective venues. Also, a special thanks to Jay Madewell and the staff at Pearl/Vex for helping us put on our earliest events.

Thanks to everyone, every place, and everything that makes the Dayton music scene worth documenting…

-KYLE MELTON-

…as one of the most jubilant bands currently working out of the region, we’re very excited to see the return of Cincinnati’s The Seedy Seeds to South Park Tavern this evening along with local openers Wake Up Mordecai. With their infectious blend of big beats, folk instrumentation, and catchy-as-hell songwriting, the trio has earned a devoted following over the past few years. We spoke with Mike Ingram of TSS about the band’s past year, lineup changes, and their trajectory for 2012. Here’s what he had to say…

The Buddha Den: As TSS wrap up 2011 and head into 2012, what were some of your favorite moments from the past year? How was the reception to your last album, Verb/Noun?

Mike Ingram: 2011 was our biggest year ever. New album, new agent, new drummer, two music videos, and about 22,000 miles worth of touring on top of it all. There are too many moments to even begin to say which one represents my favorite, but I think the ones that I’ll always remember are the sort of eye-of-the-hurricaine moments. Sometimes you find yourself in situations that seem ridiculous but they’re even more ridiculous when you think of how many more ridiculous moments happened to lead you to this one.

For instance, we had our good friend Andrea along for a couple of months of tour, selling merch and keeping us company. And it just so happened that at just about every single truck stop and gas station and restaurant we stopped at—which amounts to several times a day—Andrea, while a perfectly normal and non-insane person, had what was always the MOST INSANE PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE come up to her and start a conversation. Like, for whatever reason, crazy-serial-killer-truck-driver-who-collects-the-toes-of-his-victims-in-a-jar happened to be in the restaurant at that time, and absolutely without fail would happen to be in her vicinity and turn to her with no warning and start striking up a conversation, ranging from his life story (”I can’t stand potato chips to this day and here’s why”) to proposing marriage on the spot (”girl I know how to treat a woman and I would treat you right”). About once a day, this exact thing happened, for two months straight.

I think my favorite thing however was the release of Verb Noun, which I really think is our best album yet; we finally had the right studio and the right time frame and the right tools to flesh out the sounds in our heads, and I’m really proud of it. We had a really successful radio and press campaign, toured around the US and Canada in support of it, met countless new friends and saw countless old friends as well. It’s a little crazy that it’s basically my job to go on vacation and collect crazy experiences.

TBD: The band recently parted ways with drummer Brian Penick. What was the story behind the lineup change? How did you meet up with your new drummer, Joe Frankl?

MI: We had been pals with Joe’s other band—aptly named The Frankl Project—basically since we’ve been a band ourselves. I can’t rightfully recall but I think we might’ve actually played our third show ever with them, in a basement no less. Joe had filled in this past summer for a handful of festival dates while Brian was on vacation, and he fit right in without missing a beat, har har har. Brian came back and at that point we realized we had two drummers, and in fact at this year’s Midpoint Music Festival we performed with a dual-drummer assault! Brian then announced that he was going to take a break from playing music, after spending the better part of a decade constantly touring; we’re all very much friends and totally understand, and Joe kind of just slid right in there. It couldn’t have been an easier transition. Joe brings a lot of exciting things to the table because he also plays guitar and bass and piano and a pile of other instruments, and sings like an angel. We will defiantly be exploiting him to the fullest extent of the law!

TBD: You recently released a new video for the track “I am the Conductor” off Verb/Noun. How was that experience? How did you come up with this concept? How do you feel it compares to your other video concepts?

MI: The director, Anthony Moorman, came to us originally with an idea for a video that was reasonably straightforward, and while it would have been cool and a great video, we asked him to come up with something crazy to compare it to to make sure it was really going to work. He came back the next day with the concept for the I Am The Conductor video, almost shot-by-shot how it eventually turned out. It was our first big-time rock-star video, and we had an absolute blast. It was amazing to see it all come together, and to see 25 or so people working together and filling in every piece that needs filled exactly when it needs to be there. We’ve done videos before that are loosely based on story and a couple that are kind of simple “band-in-a-room” kind of deals, but we couldn’t be happier with how Anthony was able to fit just enough story and character development and humor and music into a two-and-a-half minute song.

TBD: You just played your last show at the Historic Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky. How was that night for you and the audience? How did you feel about the venue closing down? What kind of effect do you think this loss will have on independent music in the region?

MI: The Southgate House has been an enormous part of our story, and we’ve always viewed it as our “home base” as it were. The staff and the sound and the stage and the whole vibe is just indescribable. Not only have they given us specific opportunities (opening for good bands and playing good shows etc), but by nature of their existence they gave the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky music scene a platform, shelter from the storm, a soap box where you could present your music to fans of all shapes and sizes and ages etc. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a place like it – where you can have three venues under one roof, with three genres of music, almost every night; anything from Indie to bluegrass to rockabilly to punk rock. And if you didn’t like that band, you just walk to the other room and watch a different band in a different style.

Margaret wrote an op-ed piece on the EachNoteSecure, a local music blog, that pretty much sums up the whole story. A venue is not just a stage and a sound system, it’s the heart and soul behind the place that keeps it going and keeps it popular. You can have the best stage and lights in the world and no one will go if it’s not the whole package, done for the right reasons. The Southgate House has always been a haven for original music, and never gave way to the “make money off of cover bands” model that their neighbors quickly adopted.

Fortunately, the heart and soul of the place—the people that run it, the sound crew, even the ghosts—will be moving to a new space over the next couple of months. It won’t be the same, of course—all things and buildings must return to dust—but the new place could be an even better place to see music. It’ll be the next chapter in the legacy and we can’t wait to be a part of it.

TBD: With a new lineup in place, are you currently working on new material? Have you been recording? When do you expect a new release to come out? What else can people expect from TSS in 2012?

MI: We’ve been working on new material for a while now. It’s a really exciting process because for a while, we were really focussed on putting out as many albums as possible and everything we wrote was with that in mind – we were always writing for the next one. However, right now we’re writing without a specific album or project in mind, so instead of trying to write songs that fit with the other songs so they’ll all fit on one disc, we’re letting each song go in its own direction and flesh it out into its own existence, and try to take it as far as it can go. It’s really fun to work on each song like it’s its own little album, and see if evolve and change as we play it live and make changes and record demos and change it again and again until it really fills out its own identity. Of course we will eventually organize these songs into an album, but writing with Joe, who also plays several other instruments, is a totally different process than we’re used to and it’s keeping us fresh and on our toes; after four albums worth of material I feel really happy that we’re continuing to evolve our sound and our writing.

This year we are working to make a lot of changes to how we present ourselves live. I feel like live music should always be an important and unique experience, and as personal and unique as recorded music is, it’s important to be a band that is as fun to see as it is to hear. We’ve got some big things coming down the pipe for our live show; as well as the fact that Joe plays a variety of instruments, we are finding more and more opportunity to deviate from the sort of “trio” format of guitar, drums, banjo. We’ll be on the road a lot in 2012 and we can’t wait to start breaking out our ideas!

TBD: Is there anything else people need to know about TSS and their upcoming show at SPT in Dayton? Anything else at all?

MI: I guess the only thing to say is despite being from Cincinnati, it feels like our two cities are expanding to the point where they join in the middle – right around the Trader’s World exit, as if that flea market is the light on the end of God’s finger in the famous Sistine Chapel mural. We feel like Dayton is just as much part of our home as Cincinnati. We’re really, really fortunate to have so many people in Dayton treat us like a hometown band, and it’s really exciting to have two cities right next to each other that have so much respect and support for original music. We had an absolute blast at South Park Tavern last time, and I suggest folks bring their dancin’ shoes!

…it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from Dayton expatriate Erika Wennerstrom and Heartless Bastards, but the Austin quartet have a new album, Arrows, due out Feb 14. They’ll be touring through the area in February as well, hitting 4 dates within 2 hours of the Gem City for those of you willing to make the drive. You can get the lowdown on getting the new album and all tour date info HERE. For now, have a listen to the first track they’re offering up and let us know what you think…

…Me and Mountains, Dayton’s favorite band with a dude named “Burris” in it, have released a preview of their newest album, Feral. Along with the snippets is a rather cryptic message: At some point today, they will have launched a Kickstarter campaign and it will be unleashed on the public to help fund it’s inevitable future on vinyl. With any luck, they’ll reach their goal. More as this develops…

UPDATE: M&M have launched their Kickstarter campaign. GO HERE TO SUPPORT

…here we are barely into a new year. A year in which the world, according to some ancient cultures, is sure to end. Well, who doesn’t love a good doomsday story? If the end is indeed nigh, tonight is a perfect opportunity to get in your last slice before it all goes bye-bye. If you wanna know where the kids are gonna be tonight, odds are you’ll find them at South Park Tavern. Why? Oh, just another night out with The Motel Beds [whose new album Tango Boys you should REALLY pick up], their No More Fake Labels buddies from Athens, GA Mass Solo Revolt, and their little brothers in upstarts King Elk [ex-Andrew & the Pretty Punchers, for those of you keeping score]. We’ll see you there….

…it’s been several silent months here at the Buddha Den, but we’ve decided to return despite our better judgment. We’ve got a new contributor joining us from the ranks of the Dayton City Paper, the controversial and enigmatic W. C. Ruffnel. So, we thought we’d let him kick things off for us here in 2012 with a feature on our first NTRO/XPO Residency of the year, The Trash….

MY EVENING WITH THE TRASH

^ _ ^

The Trash arrives at my apartment around 9:30. This is more or less when they said they would pick me up; I had asked lead-singer Ben Dale if meeting at a bar and having a few drinks will be indicative of ‘the Trash experience’ and conducive for an interview. An exuberant “hellyeah” is my affirmation and we arrange to meet. When we convene, I am greeted by three of five members. The gang and I agree to conduct our ‘interview’ at a distinctly un-hip local bar possibly known for possibly having once filmed a porno on the patio[i].

The band consists of two brothers, Maxwell & Sam Ervin, (bass and drums respectively) and their cousin Ben. It’s like some sort of fucked-up Kings of Leon, although there is no overt inclination that they are trying to propagate an image-centric branding based on family ties. Also perhaps because longtime friends Craig Myers and Matthew Dunham (no relation – though Myers, Dunham & Dale are all ’89 Pisces) round out the lineup on guitars. Both guitarists play upside down (!) – Craig being a lefty who learned to play by stringing his right-hander upside down, and Matthew who learned to play upside down. Ben and Craig sing, and the others are apt to make noises as well – when I see them practice, Sam shouts joyful obscenities at the end of each song.

The Ervins elect to continue obligations elsewhere, so Matthew, Craig, Ben and myself purchase a small pitcher of a recent migrant beer – and due to it’s small nature, I am correct in assuming we will need more. We chat, and although Craig prefers to be difficult (despite the fact that he is not), we have a great time. I of course ask about the recent string of songs they have made available online.

“These are just the first seven,” says Craig. “We have, like, 26 songs, and we wrote a new one today.”

Adds Ben: “We try not to write any stereotypical song, but these are all the Trash.”

The Trash’s songs are short, anthemic in nature, contain no shortage of harmonious hooks, and have copious amounts of guitar heroics. When I ask the three of them what some of their main influences are[ii], they happily oblige.

“Well, obviously the Beatles,” says Matthew.

Craig adds Cheap Trick, while Ben agrees with both and adds Guided by Voices and the Strokes. When listening to the tracks, the cited influences do shine, along with a general sense that it sits with you like an old friend or a worn-in pair of sneakers. The band is far from sounding like a throwback – they pack what seems like a very lively greatest hits collection into a scant half an hour or so.

This is how we want to be; it isn’t very healthy the gang boasts on stand-out track “Strong and Healthy,” an off-kilter pop song that sounds like a cross between Rick Springfield and Brainiac.

“It’s all based on some sort of youthful exuberance,” says Craig. “Ben’s lyrics are like a very raunchy honesty, and the music represents that as well.”

When I ask them about the influence of Dayton bands, the band states that both the legacy-bands of Dayton’s past and present do impact, but it’s the city itself, along with its people that is the real influence.

Craig: “Our music expresses frustrations of a small city, but in a fun and rock-and-roll way.”

Ben tells me the writing process is very organic, and I can’t help but notice that the word organic is thrown around a lot. The album does indeed sound real, and I ask them if they’re a real band. They all nod.

Ben: “We are real.”

Matthew: “We are alive!”

The band is fun, the record is real. Craig tells me that he absolutely abhors music “that is so overproduced that it sounds good to any ignorant ear,” listing off the recent bands that couldn’t hold a candle to Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold,” which is now blaring on the jukebox. They tell me The Trash became ‘The Trash’ in July, and were cemented when Max joined the band in October. With another brother in the fold, they were all ‘on the same wavelength,’ and ambitiously hit the studio in Cleveland later that month.

The result sounds great, and the gang is pleased. I know this because when we get into Ben’s car, I urge him to play the tunes so I can see their reactions. They head-bang and sing to the songs, and I tell them I am going to include that in this article[iii]. They don’t care.

“This music is kind of about not giving a shit,” says Ben.

“Here it is,” says Matthew. “This is it. This is us. If you don’t like it, I’m sure you’ll find something else to listen to anyways. But I wouldn’t be doing this if we all didn’t believe in it.”

Says Craig: “To me, it sounds like my own home – where I live. Kind of like a state of being.”

And that’s real, and that’s the Trash, and it’s pretty awesome. I sang along too[iv].

[i] Some guy told me this.

[ii] I know this a trite and classically boring question, but this the first time I have interviewed anyone in person, and it’s one of the only notes I can read from my scribbled shorthand.

[iii] You would ask this too if you were an asshole like me.

[iv] Like a motherfucker

The Trash will appear every Tuesday night at the Buddha Den’s NTRO/XPO Series at South Park Tavern throughout the month of January.

]]> http://thebuddhaden.net/2012/01/02/the-buddha-den-ntroxpo-presents-the-trash-january-residency/feed/ 5 http://thebuddhaden.net/2011/07/21/dayton-music-fest-2011-schedule-announced/ http://thebuddhaden.net/2011/07/21/dayton-music-fest-2011-schedule-announced/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:03:19 +0000 admin http://thebuddhaden.net/?p=2386

…hello everyone! It’s been a while since we’ve been on here and we’re very sorry we have been away for so long. Today we just wanted to make a quick announcement regarding Dayton Music Fest, which is taking place this year on September 9 & 10. This year’s event features 29 acts at 7 venues, with Omega Music making their first appearance and Canal Street Tavern returning this year as well. Here’s the official schedule, so have a look and make yr plans now…

FRIDAY, SEPT 9

OMEGA MUSIC
7-R. RING
8-JASPER THE COLOSSAL

CANAL STREET TAVERN
9:30-WAKE UP MORDECAI
10:30-NEW VEGA
11:30-C. WRIGHT’S PARLOUR TRICKS
12:30-BUFFALO KILLERS

SATURDAY, SEPT 10

SOUTH PARK TAVERN
5-DAN RARIDAN & THE CALIENTES
6-THE WHITE SOOTS
7-THE FAIR SHAKES

TROLLEY STOP
9-PAIGE BELLER
10-FATHER’S DAY
11-BJSR
12-AL HOLBROOK BAND

TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION
9:30-OXYMORONATRON
10:30-THE FERVOR
11:30-ROLEY YUMA
12:30-THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE

BLIND BOB’S
9:30-FOOTBINDER
10:30-GRENADES?!
11:30-OH CONDOR
12:30-ASTRO FANG

OREGON EXPRESS
9-SAD CADILLAC
10-MOON HIGH
11-NATHAN KALISH & THE WILDFIRE
12-MAGIC JACKSON

CANAL STREET TAVERN
9-SLEEP FLEET
10-ME & MOUNTAINS
11-FLOTATION WALLS
12-LEGBONE

…well kids, it’s that time of year again for Dayton Music Fest submissions. Head on over to the DMF Official Website to get all the details, but hurry as submissions close June 30. Festival organizers Kyle Melton & Don Thrasher moved the event up a full month this year to September 9 & 10, so be sure to mark your calendars accordingly. More details to come as the event approaches, but rest assured that we will keep you abreast of all developments here on The Buddha Den…

* logo by Ryan France Creative

MIKE BANKHEAD

GREG TUDOR

….we’ll see the rest of you out tonight!

Captain of Industry – “Healthy Spines” from trevor hollen on Vimeo.