I was a big fan of bands like Galaxie 500, Hum, Superdrag and Nada Surf in the 90s. The fuzz of the guitar was and underlying tension in the music, even if it was slowcore, always drew me in. Even now as I write this I am listening to Popular from Nada Surf, a 20 year old song. The bands that were influential to the shoegaze scene (or part of it) hold a place in my musical history. I've been really excited by what I'm seeing and hearing happening in CNY with bands that seem to be impacted by this era of music.
A little over a week ago I asked every band that I didn't know to connect with me. I received many more links to bands than I expected and some I had not heard of before. Sound Discard was one of those bands. As it turns out, I'd met one of the guys in passing several times in the past. Devon reintroduced himself to me via Facebook and reminded me that he played with Mike Watson (Bleak, The Afro Nips, Anorexic Beauty Queen) as part of Watson and Son. I released records for the latter two. A friend over at Hex Records presses Bleak. Devon compared the new band to acts with the feel of Sunny Day Real Estate and My Bloody Valentine. Those are lofty comparisons to lead with but I promised every band that sent me music that I'd listen. I'm going to make good on that promise to all those bands but Sound Discard caught me early so I was diving in.
Now to set this up, I love Sunny Day Real Estate. It's always tough to hear a comparison to a band you absolutely love because you often set a standard in your mind that is too high to attain. I started playing their song Faith in my office and was instantly taken by it. Vocally you can hear the SDRE influence and it's in the guitar work that you feel the MBV impact. The cleaner vocal against the more abrasive and fuzzy guitar gets me back to those mid-90s years. I was into it back then and am into it now. I saw that Sound Discard was the spotlight band over at 95X Locals Only so it's fitting that we all give them a boost this week.
I have been excited to see these new shoegaze bands popping up. Sound Discard. Trench. Forever Plus (disclaimer they are on Aux Records). I really hope we get to see a few of these bands come out of Syracuse and bring a disproportionate amount of sound to stages across the region, if not further. I've got Forever Plus playing a show I'm doing on September 23 but I expect to make it a weekend of concerts by seeing Sound Discard play alongside Subtle Words, Ethernauts and Trench on September 24. Before these bands start traveling, we've got them here in Syracuse. I hope to see Funk n Waffles on the SU Hill full for this one.
Find your tickets here: http://aftr.dk/2bbRRV3
