Last year, fans of Cincinnati rockers Buffalo Killers were treated to two superb new releases — the critically acclaimed full-length Heavy Reverie and the excellent EP Fireball of Sulk. The Buffalo Killers action is revving up again for 2015, this time in the form of the solo debut album by the band’s singer/guitarist Andy Gabbard. The musician’s Fluff is scheduled for release March 24 on Alive Naturalsound Records, which has put out several of Buffalo Killers’ previous efforts (the band’s 2014 releases were on Sun Pedal Recordings).
Gabbard is getting a jumpstart on touring behind the album with several dates across Ohio this month, including this Friday’s free release show at MOTR Pub (1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com).
Fluff is a magnificent Rock & Roll album overflowing with so many stellar, brain-burrowing melodies, it’s more than fair to call it a Power Pop record (emphasis on both the “power” and the “Pop,” equally). Gabbard recorded the entire album in one 12-hour session and played all of the instruments, something you would never guess by listening — it sounds like a full band that has been together as long as Gabbard’s main project. The guitars are often loud and blissfully fuzzed out, while the bass and drums pound out the rhythms with muscular abandon. Blended with those remarkable, often gorgeous melodies, it creates a sort of joyous “dirty beauty” that is irresistible.
Buffalo Killers’ albums have shown an increasing songwriting finesse over the years since the band’s formation nearly a decade ago. Fluff is the natural extension of the group’s work to date and should have fans even more pumped for whatever comes next from the members.
Here's the music video for Gabbard's Fluff track "More":
For more on Gabbard’s solo happenings, visit facebook.com/andygabbardmusic.
Bad Veins’ Album ‘Remade’
On Tuesday, Cincinnati duo Bad Veins will see its latest album, The Mess Remade, released nationally. The 13-track effort isn’t an entirely “new” album, but a re-recorded/remastered version of Bad Veins’ sophomore full-length, The Mess We’ve Made, which came out in 2012 on the Modern Outsider label. The record — which features new cover art as well — comes after some big changes in lead Vein Benjamin Davis’ band — the departure of original drummer Sebastien Schultz (who now plays with local Indie Pop group Multimagic), the addition of new drummer Jake Bonta and a new label home, the third nationally distributed label in Bad Veins’ lifespan (its self-titled debut was released on Dangerbird Records).
The Mess Remade is being released on the Dynamite Music imprint, a multifaceted music company founded by Marco Liuzzo and Mitch Davis (son of music biz legend Clive Davis). The label is partnered with Caroline, which is part of Capitol Records and Universal Music Distribution.
The Mess Remade includes two new tracks, “I Shut My Heart Down” and a cover of The Muppets’ classic “Rainbow Connection” (see the puppet-fied music video below). The album also features a shorter “radio edit” of the leadoff track “Kindness,” as well as the original 5-minutes-plus version. (badveins.com)
More Local Release News
• Friday at Betty Bar (301 W. Fifth St., Downtown, bettybarcincy.com), Ronnie Verl & the Wallbangers are celebrating the release of their debut album, Mostly Drinking Songs. Bulletville also performs at the 8:30 p.m. show.
Singer Ronnie Verl Bryant has been a writer for more than 40 years, crafting novelty songs with the late Shad O’Shea for Fraternity Records and also contributing comedy bits to former local radio icon Gary Burbank, among other projects. Mostly Drinking Songs is a collection of songs written over the past several years and, while there are some humorous moments, the nine-track release is loaded some seriously well-crafted vintage Country. The Wallbangers feature Bryant’s son, Dusty (a local musician with his band Chardez), wife Paula and a cast of local music all-stars. Visit them on Facebook here for more info.
To sample some of the sounds of Mostly Drinking Songs, visit soundcloud.com/ron-bryant-11.
• Sean Geil of the popular local Folk trio The Tillers is playing every Thursday in March at the Crow’s Nest (4544 W. Eighth St., Price Hill, cincycrowsnest.com), but this isn’t your usual residency. Each week at the 9:30 p.m. shows, Geil is putting out a new CD, part of his Gus’s Garage Sessions series.
With The Tillers off the road for the winter, Geil set up a makeshift studio in his garage for fun. The recordings came together so well, he decided to issue them publicly. The first CD was a solo album, while this Thursday’s Vol. 2 release features Mt. Pleasant String Band, the Bluegrass group in which Geil also performs. The next editions include a collaboration with fiddler Uncle Mike Carr and a collection of traditional songs recorded by The Tillers.
More details on the recording project and residency can be found at facebook.com/gussgaragesessions.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: [email protected]
