#schak

Floodwall is a local post-rock band (broad label, I know) headed by Sam Friedman, one of my favorite musicians in the Greater Richmond Area. Their beats are Radiohead-esque (think In Rainbows and King of Limbs) and the vocals, which are done by Friedman, fluctuate between an Edward Droste-like croon and a hair-raising Yorkeian falsetto.

“An ambient odyssey through space and time,” is, perhaps, a fitting way to describe their music, if you want to take it that far.

“Great,” you might say. “But how does the music make you feel, man?”

Well, warm, for one. Friedman’s vocals are comforting - like a lukewarm breeze on an early autumn evening - and they swim smoothly in and out of choppy drums beats and reverberated guitar arpeggios.  His voice is an anchor, a guide, a caretaker that strolls calmly beside you, hand and hand, and leads you safely through a swirling, expansive musical landscape.

It’s a spiritual experience, one that will leave you feeling cleansed…if you let it.

As a side note of sorts, I saw Friedman perform at Alley Katz back in 2010 when he was still a member of the (mostly) instrumental psychedelic jam-band Schak, and it was apparent even then that he was in his own league, musically speaking. He assumed the role of lead guitarist, utilizing a multitude of spacy effects to capture a number of different emotions, but the formula at the heart of a good portion of their songs was very similar, and it went something like this: draw the audience in with an atmospheric, reverb-heavy movement (for lack of a better term), and then blast them into orbit with a sonic tidal wave of fiery, distorted free-form solos. 

Sour Deemsters show tonight in Harrisonburg, come on out!

After a week off, FND is back in full force! This week, we are invading Pheasant Run, the oft forgotten annex land off-campus JMU student housing. We always strive to bring the party to new areas, and P-Run definitely deserves some good ol' whippet lovin'.

Furthermore, we are excited to announce that our musical cohorts from Richmond, Schak, will be coming up to get things started. Check out their tunes here: http://www.reverbnation.com/schak Come out early and groove to these guys - having them in Harrisonburg will certainly be a treat.

So come out to 378 Pheasant Run for the "Deemschak, baby deemschak!" - The Sour Deemsters

Date & Time: Friday, February 4 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm Address: 378 Pheasant Run Circle, Harrisonburg, VA.