…while it’s been several months since we first began to hear about Bandcamp as a site by which bands could easily distribute their music, in the last few weeks, it seems to have caught fire amongst Dayton bands as THE method of dissemination. With the high quality audio in a number of formats available to listeners, an exceptionally fair pay system to artists, and a clean layout that makes it easy to forget nearly any other previous music site, it seems that Bandcamp provides bands with an unparalleled opportunity to get their music out to listeners. We’ve gone through and taken some of the search work out for you and listed a number of bands whose albums you should give an ear to….

…from the mastermind that brought you such lovable Dayton faves as Grizzzzy Bear and Astro Fang, Brian Baker recently unleashed his newest project, Pharoahs. Harkening back to his earlier work with GB, Pharoahs employs the glitchy 8-bit pop melodies underpinned by hypnotic programmed beats that first brought him to our attention all those years ago. Have look & a listen and keep an ear out for when you might catch them live…

Pharoahcious by Pharoahs

…we’re continuing on today with our previews featuring bands you will be able to see live on Saturday, October 2 at Dayton Music Fest 2010. Today we’re featuring two of Dayton’s favorite live acts, Astro Fang and Kuan…

Astro Fang

BAND NAME: ASTRO FANG
HOME BASE (city): DAYTON OHIO
FORMED (year): 2006
STYLE OF MUSIC: PROGRESSIVE PUNK
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): BRIAN BAKER GUITAR, BRYAN
SAUNDERS GUITAR, CHRISTIAN ROERIG BASS, COLIN CROOM DRUMS
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: KING CRIMSON WEEZER BLACK SABBATH LADIES
AND FAST CARS
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): ASTRO FANG EP
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): GALACTIC DRACULA LANDING – IT
IS THE TALE OF OUR ORIGINS, INTERESTS, AND ANTICS
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): VIRGINS
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): RECORDING MORE TRACKS AND MUSIC VIDZ
PLANS FOR 2011: RECORDING TOURING PLAYING BARFING
WEB SITE: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ASTROFANG
THIS IS OUR FACEBOOK LINK I GUESS
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ASTRO-FANG/101617948240?ref=search

MP3: Astro Fang “Galactic Dracula Landing”

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Kuan

BAND NAME: Kuan
HOME BASE (city): Dayton, Fairborn, Yellow Springs
FORMED (year): 2006
STYLE OF MUSIC: The kind that makes sweet sounds
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): Brett-Drums, Bryan-Bass and keys, Chip-Guitar, Paul-Guitar and keys
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Haven’t figured that out yet
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): On/Standby-2009 Colors-2010
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): N- it’s hard to pick one, but N probably best represents our love for jazz and our roots in angular rock.
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): 0
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): Just released our new ep Colors & got back from a national tour
PLANS FOR 2011: We’re going to work hard on trying to write material for full length. While we we’re on tour we got attention from a pretty sweet label that doesn’t do eps so we’ve got our work cut out.
WEB SITE: http://www.myspace.com/kuankuankuan

MP3: Kuan “M”

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…as one of the bands we’ve been following so closely since this humble little blog began [albeit under another banner], we are extremely excited about this new track that’s just been posted by Astro Fang, “Super Rat”. As captured by local recording guru Darryl Robbins [The Motel Beds/Me & Mountains/Smug Brothers], this is a brutally raw, yet incredibly articulate performance that showcase each element of the band incredibly well. With Brian Baker’s snotty vocal delivery leading the charge [with welcome howls from bassist Christian Roerig], the twin guitar attack of Baker & Brian Saunders offers ample & nimble riffage while Lucian Naragon weaves warbly synth along the sugary melodic center. Holding the down rhythmic core with thunderous authority, the aforementioned Roerig and drummer Colin Croom provide punctuation and dynamics with scary subtlety. While the plans for a future release remain nebulous, we have it on good authority that plans for a video are underway as we speak. Dig in…

SUPER RAT by ASTROFANG

…a while back we introduced you all to a great new video resource for Dayton music [and more], The Music Seen. As presented by Andy Rowe, his live footage of a variety of Dayton acts both past and present has certainly helped to liven up local music coverage. Well, today Rowe announced that The Music Seen will now become an interactive platform via YouTube Direct links right on their site. We would encourage anyone and everyone with the technology available to use this opportunity to its maximum potential…

…and just because, here’s some excellent footage that Andy Rowe shot a while back of Astro Fang at Blind Bob’s with special guest Sean Patton of Electric Banana. Enjoy…

…we came across an exciting new local music site this past weekend: The Music Seen. As someone that has been around the Dayton music scene for many years, Andy Rowe is finally bringing his insights and visual viewpoints on local music to you via the Interweb. With footage currently available from such local notables as Mouth of the Architect and Astro Fang, yr gonna want to check in on this site regularly to see what there is to see in local music. We’re very excited to welcome The Music Seen to the world of Dayton music blogging…

…as one of the most prolific forces on the Dayton music scene, Squids Eye Records has issued a string of releases over the past few years. Tonight, the label will present two more discs a show at Blind Bob’s that features some of the best-loved acts, as well as some newcomers that you’ll want to check out as well. Trunk Bound Regime presents their new disc Now You’re All Fucked and the long-awaited follow-up to the 2007 release Dayton, OH, Vol. 1 finally sees the light of day, which is limited to 200 copies worldwide. In addition, you’ll get performances from SER heavyweights Yakuza Heart Attack and Astro Fang, as well as newbies Creatures and Golden Kong. Trunk Bound Regime will also take to the stage as well in support of their new album. If yr looking for where it’s at tonight, odds are you’ll find it here…

…although the snow refuses to relent its grasp on Daytonia this week, we will forge ahead with The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO this evening, featuring our February Resident, Brandon Hawk. Along with Mr. Hawk this evening, we have the duo, Doom Patrol, featuring Brian Baker of Astro Fang and Mike Payne aka Cry Baby Genius, who also serves as drummer for Andrew & the Pretty Punchers. As always, we’ll be at Oregon Express this evening, music starts at 10 pm and is FREE. See you there….

…while it had been some time since we’d been out to Blind Bob’s for a rock show [forgive us, dear readers], the summer air seemed to beckon to the masses, filling the venue to near-capacity during this evening. Perhaps you’d also have to factor in that last night was only the second showcase for the much-loved Squids Eye Records in 2009….

…Even early in the night for the opening set of Brooklyn’s Starscream, the venue was percolating with activity. While we had sampled some of the band’s songs, seeing them in a live setting was an entirely unexpected event. First and foremost, we simply had no idea that the majority of the band’s music was composed and performed using only a Nintendo Gameboy. Yes, you read that correctly. While some may cringe at the mere notion of such blatant non-traditionalism, rest assured the presentation and the music itself was nothing sort of stellar. While the onset of a free-for-all dance party never quite manifested, it was perhaps the most engaged audience we’ve see for an opening act in quite some time…

…rather unexpectedly, we next came face to face with one of Dayton’s most popular, and in our opinion, most talented outfits, Astro Fang. With the band celebrating the release of their long-awaited debut disc [albeit an EP], we expected they would take the stage much later in the evening. Alas, it was fortuitous for the band to play early, as by this point the crowd was already reaching a critical mass [no small feat for a Dayton crowd pre-midnight], and the energy in the room was palpable. Despite, or perhaps because of, whispered tones circulating the room suggesting that this was likely to be the band’s swan song, from the fist note, Astro Fang delivered a collection of tunes that has served as the meat of the band’s set for the better part of a year. What was so astonishing for us was how the band tore through the material as if it was fresh off the drawing board. From the cascading metallic guitar runs to infectiously twitchy synths to the unrelenting singalong choruses of the alternate-universe hits “Lovers” and “Passing”, Astro Fang proved, yet again, why they are considered to be amongst the current Dayton musical elite…

…with lights dimmed and video projections running amok, NY quartet Anamanaguchi stepped into the void and slowly but surely won over a typically suspect Gem City crowd. As their beats got people moving and the guitar-played synth lines reeled in listeners, Anamanaguchi proved the theory of a well-placed cover in a set. Just as the crowd’s curiosity was piqued, the band dropped into the utterly unanticipated cover of Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” prompting everyone in the room into singalong and completely winning over the evening….

…with their first public appearance in a year, Yakuza Heart Attack took to the stage in support of their new album, II and proved yet again that, despite their relative inactivity, they are undeniably one of the Gem City’s most loved bands. While the band clearly draws heavily from the vintage prog of King Crimson and ELP, Yakuza possess something that neither of those monumental dinosaurs ever possessed: a raging sense of humor. The playfulness in the melodies and the arrangements only further heightens their majestic, epic gestures and connects with their audience in a human and humane way. It was a testament to their audience as well that, despite not having been seen on stage for a year, this crowd knew every nuance of the band’s music, despite the complete absence of any vocalization. So much for short-attention spans…

…for more photos from the evening, go here.

…while the Squids Eye Records camp has been relatively hush thus far in 2009, tonight the venerable Dayton label will issue a twin shot that kicks off a string of releases that should take the label well into the new year. Tonight at Blind Bob’s, the long-dormant Yakuza Heart Attack returns to the stage with a prog-minded fury that is seldom matched in the Gem City [or anywhere else for that matter]. The occasion? The release of their second album, titled simply II. The other prong in this dual attack tonight features the ubiquitous Astro Fang, who issues their debut EP this evening. SER has also brought in a pair of East Coast 8-Bit enthusiasts to bolster the evening: Anamanaguchi and Starscream. Head on down tonight to pick up these new releases before they’re officially released…

MP3: Yakuza Heart Attack “Power Surge”
MP3: Astro Fang “Galactic Dracula Landing”