If you like band names that are direct and to the point, you’ll love Buke and Gase, a New York Indie Rock duo with a singular style. The twosome — Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez — derived its moniker from the (primary) handmade/self-manipulated instruments each member plays. Dyer is on the “buke,” a baritone ukulele that she modified to play more like a guitar, while Sanchez plays the “gass” (the band was original called “Buke and Gass,” but reportedly changed it to avoid pronunciation confusion), a guitar/bass hybrid he initially built out of metal from an old Volvo.
The twosome utilizes other homemade instruments, including foot-operated percussion, and runs them all through various pedals to create Buke and Gase’s big, spacious sound. While this may all lead you to believe Buke and Gase makes wildly experimental music, the duo actually comes off as fairly conventional, writing compelling Post Punk songs that are guided by Dyer’s magnetic vocals and alluring melodies and elevated by unique arrangements and atypical rhythms and beats. Read more in this week's Sound Advice.
See Buke and Gase with Landlady and Dream Tiger Wednesday at Madison Live. More info/tickets: madisontheateronline.com.