…a couple of years ago, Jake Giesege disbanded Dayton faves Wild & Free and headed out of Brooklyn. Upon landing in the big city, he began work on a new outfit, The Judy Blooms, which have played sporadically in NYC. Tonight Giesege will return to his hometown of Dayton for a show at South Park Tavern with close friends and compatriots Andy Smith [of Andrew & the Pretty Punchers], Mascot, and Mike Justice [of Wetnight]. This will be a free show and music gets going around 10 pm. We’ll see you there….

MP3: The Judy Blooms “Now There’s a Famine [demo]”

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MP3: Andrew & the Pretty Punchers “Love Like the Child”

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MP3: Mascot “If They Like You”

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…in historical context, the significance of some bands seems greater than it was during their actual existence. It’s just the way things work out sometimes. An idea emerges and fails to find an audience. The legendarily erratic behaviors of musicians thwart forward progress. People just move on….

…A few months ago we came into possession of a three-song disc by The Years. The band ran for most of 2005 and featured Jake Geisege (vocals/guitar; Wild & Free and The Judy Blooms) Josh Wickersham (bass/Wild & Free, Andrew & the Pretty Punchers); Brandon Guthrie (drums/Toads and Mice), and Dave Kitchener (guitar). What’s more, the band’s recordings were made by Dustin Rose, currently of Toads and Mice. So, clearly, there’s some interesting history here…

…through special arrangement, The Buddha Den is very pleased to issue as a FREE DOWNLOAD, The Years Live @ Elbo’s 7.3.05. This set is dynamic, yet driven. It’s spacious, swirling arrangements harness the deranged urgency of Modest Mouse and the earthy, Midwestern stomp of My Morning Jacket. The seven tracks offer an interesting insight into the divergent paths of its members: Geisege and Wickersham turned a corner back toward more traditional songcraft; Guthrie would soon pair up with Dustin Rose to form the wildly popular Toads and Mice, retaining, yet further exploring the sonic possibilities presented in The Years. As seems to often occur, one member of The Years, Dave Kitchener, seems to have retreated from music. In many ways, his wiry guitar runs foreshadow part of the essence of Toads and Mice…

…you can grab this tasty little nugget of Dayton’s recent musical past for free through us…

DOWNLOAD THE YEARS LIVE @ ELBO’S 7.3.05 HERE

…while exile may often be perceived in a negative light, many have reveled in its uncertainty and ushered in a new era of personal creativity. In this particular instance, we are witnessing exile in progress. More specifically that of one Jake Geisege of The Judy Blooms. Today Geisege issued forth a new demo for the song “Meg, You’re Starting to Slip”. While its demo quality has its charms, what’s more important here is the way in which Geisege is breaking into new territory. More than any of his post-Wild & Free tracks, there is a more refined sentimentality and a sharper control of the melodies. Sure, he’s still got a rock classicism that is his stock in trade, but as time wears on his ability to infuse an increasing number of elements continues to impress. In many ways, it reminds us of the bristling wit of a younger Ray Davies combined with Jack White’s effortless singalongisms. Have a listen for yrself….

…as if relocating to Brooklyn wasn’t enough for songwriter Jake Geisege, now he’s gone and cashed in the moniker Wild & Free for The Judy Blooms. Geisege also recently posted a few new demos that he’s dubbed I Wasn’t Born This Handsome, featuring crowd-pleasers like “Call On Your Heart”. We anticipate there will be more to come, so definitely keep an eye on The Judy Blooms….

…for those of you seeking a mellow Friday evening to match the dreary weather that has enshrouded the city, head over to Jasper Wall Cafe this evening for the monthly, Echos Dayton. In addition to several featured poets and your hosts, Matthew Estvanic and Dave Nichols, a couple of our favorites will be doing acoustic sets: Jake Geisege (ex-Wild & Free) and Andrew & the Pretty Punchers. The times we’ve been to Echos Dayton it’s been packed out, so head down early and get a good set. Festivities kick off at 8 pm sharp….

…we were recently informed that one of our favorite locals, Wild & Free, have officially disbanded. From all of us here at The Buddha Den, we hope to see all the members of the band in new pursuits very soon….

…as some sort of posthumous statement, the band will be releasing a DVD of a recent performance of a show at Peach’s in Yellow Springs. The disc was done by Mezzlab Multimedia, and this clip of the title track from their album Andiamo leaves us highly anticipating this final gesture…

…you’ve got a good opportunity to do a good thing today, kids. Over at Goloka Gallery in the Front Street warehouses (Third and Dutoit) there will be over a dozen artists showing their work and some musicians doing their thing with all proceeds being donated to Hospice of Dayton. Musical entertainment will provided by Outside Residential, Hills, Jake Geisege from Wild & Free, DJ Mattheo, and more. For additional info, call Brandon Hawk at 626-8211….

…just in case HoliDayton last night wasn’t enough for your musical holiday hunger, head over to Canal Street Tavern tonight to catch a few of our favorite bands. We’ve written extensively about how we feel that Wild & Free, Umbrella Men (who were recently featured on NPR’s All Things Considered for their cover of “Jingle Bells”), and Andrew & the Pretty Punchers are some the best young talent in Dayton at the moment and we expect great things from all three in 2008. We consider it a real Christmas miracle to get all three bands on one bill in one night. Opening the night will be newcomers The Jones Boys. You’ve got all the makings for what should be an excellent evening of music….

…for those of you wondering where our coverage of HoliDayton is, we will have a full report, along with the Holiday Revue shows, tomorrow for you…

…after gorging ourselves on the proverbial Thanksgiving feast, we regrouped and headed downtown for our first visit to J-Alan’s in order to catch Wild & Free and Andrew & the Pretty Punchers. Man, were we in for a perfect dessert to the day….

…opening the evening, somewhat unexpectedly, was Wild & Free. At this point, the band is building such an incredible momentum that they have willed themselves into being one of the best bands in this town within a matter of months. As guitarist/vocalist Jake Geisege continues to unveil one remarkable tune after another we can only say that Wild & Free is writing some of the most infectious and memorable songs in Dayton at the moment…



…without allowing any of the evening’s momentum slip, youngsters Andrew & the Pretty Punchers stepped right onto the stage like a well-seasoned band and delivered their own brand of high-intensity, earthy pop tunes. Enduring technical difficulties, the band soldiered on and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. With Josh Wickersham pulling double duty on bass this evening and Cry Baby Genius dropping in on drums, the lineup continues to expand and fluctuate. Eh, who cares? The songs are great. Truly, it was a great evening of great songs with two of the best young bands in Dayton….



…as it was our first time venturing into J-Alan’s for a show, we should say that we saw a lot of potential for this venue. With a sizeable stage, plenty of floor space, a pool table in back, and tables off to the side, both band and audience could be satisfied with the environs. Not to mention, there was no cover charge….so, who’s next?

For more photos from the evening, go here.

If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that we’ve provided extensive coverage on Andrew & the Pretty Punchers and Wild & Free over the last few months. You may have also noticed that these two bands really like playing together. Really. By our count, this is the fourth time in three months they’ve done so. Quite frankly, they’re an amazing pairing. The two bands have a genuine admiration for one another and their sets are so complimentary that it makes for a near-perfect event every time….well, we hope you don’t think they’re going to play every show together forever. You know that isn’t true….so, eat yr turkey (or Tofurkey, as the case may be), let it all digest, and get on over to J-Alan’s (on Ludlow near the Schuster Center, in the Talbot Towers) tonight to catch two of the best younger bands in this town on their respective ways on up…

…to seal the deal, here’s some video of A&TPP doing “Helluva Lot Colder” over at Goloka Gallery a while back…