MONDAY DEC 12, 2016
Bornstars
Oak House
Formed in Athens, GA in January 2014, Oak House plays a heavy synthesis of melodic indie rock, psychedelic, experimental and grunge. Chaotic moments of Southern-infused guitar riffs turn themselves into quite invigorating moments in their live renditions. Oak House is comprised of Gresham Cash, Connor Sabula, and Wes Gregory--with studio work from Slade Adams and Wes Kent.
They finished recording their debut double EP (album-form), Plastique Cash, with Ryan Monahan (Easter Island, Monahan) in February 2014. After the mastering work of Suny Lyons (Emergent Heart, Pacific UV, Phosphorescent), they self-released the album in the spring of 2014. Oak House has opened for other Athens' greats such as The Whigs, T. Hardy Morris, and Easter Island but is on track to spread their local success beyond the confines of Athens, GA.
Formed in Athens, GA in January 2014, Oak House plays a heavy synthesis of melodic indie rock, psychedelic, experimental and grunge. Chaotic moments of Southern-infused guitar riffs turn themselves into quite invigorating moments in their live renditions. Oak House is comprised of Gresham Cash, Connor Sabula, and Wes Gregory--with studio work from Slade Adams and Wes Kent.
They finished recording their debut double EP (album-form), Plastique Cash, with Ryan Monahan (Easter Island, Monahan) in February 2014. After the mastering work of Suny Lyons (Emergent Heart, Pacific UV, Phosphorescent), they self-released the album in the spring of 2014. Oak House has opened for other Athens' greats such as The Whigs, T. Hardy Morris, and Easter Island but is on track to spread their local success beyond the confines of Athens, GA.
Antbrian
Antbrain plays their brand of rock music with a crooked smile. Audiences can't help but smile back as their ears get gently tickled by the fuzzy guitars, driving basslines and pummeling rhythms. Starting out as a sporadic recording project for guitarist Jiyoung Lee and bassist Dave Bonawits in 2008, the band discovered their true self when they added drummer Josh Hall in mid-2010. Since then they've been winning audiences over with their self described "slop-pop."
Deft songwriting and a feral energy form the core of Antbrain's music. Just underneath the wisecracks and zen-like koans burns a 21st century lyricism wavering between crippling neuroses and supreme confidence. Lee and Bonawits sing with a semi-shouted roar, often at the same time, never losing sight of their innate melodicism. The overall sound is decidedly 90's, coming across as a weird mix between the Pixies, Moldy Peaches and Pinkerton-era Weezer. Someone once said they sounded like The Presidents of the United States of America, but they did not like that comparison.
What more can be said of giddy pop music? You will either be charmed or you won't. Like it or not, you are almost guaranteed to get one of their many hooks woven into some hidden synapse deep inside your brain. And contrary to so many players of rock and roll these days, those crooked smiles reveal much about the joy in their performance.
-Shane Morgensson, Portland ME, January 2012
Antbrain plays their brand of rock music with a crooked smile. Audiences can't help but smile back as their ears get gently tickled by the fuzzy guitars, driving basslines and pummeling rhythms. Starting out as a sporadic recording project for guitarist Jiyoung Lee and bassist Dave Bonawits in 2008, the band discovered their true self when they added drummer Josh Hall in mid-2010. Since then they've been winning audiences over with their self described "slop-pop."
Deft songwriting and a feral energy form the core of Antbrain's music. Just underneath the wisecracks and zen-like koans burns a 21st century lyricism wavering between crippling neuroses and supreme confidence. Lee and Bonawits sing with a semi-shouted roar, often at the same time, never losing sight of their innate melodicism. The overall sound is decidedly 90's, coming across as a weird mix between the Pixies, Moldy Peaches and Pinkerton-era Weezer. Someone once said they sounded like The Presidents of the United States of America, but they did not like that comparison.
What more can be said of giddy pop music? You will either be charmed or you won't. Like it or not, you are almost guaranteed to get one of their many hooks woven into some hidden synapse deep inside your brain. And contrary to so many players of rock and roll these days, those crooked smiles reveal much about the joy in their performance.
-Shane Morgensson, Portland ME, January 2012