Buke and Gass

Buke and Gass are the most interesting experimental-ish, avant-indie band I stumbled upon in awhile. And I will take the opportunity given to me by this record of the month to explain why I believe these words describe their music well.

It appears that in the indie world a lot of bands are in love with the word "experimental". This word, of course, means everything and nothing: you don't play guitar? Grab one and experiment with this finger position, it's an E chord: hurray! An experimental artist has just been born!!! So yeah, there are a lot of self-proclaimed "experimental" indie artists that do things that have been done a million times before. Experimental music is something else of course much more conceptual than rock'n'roll (and a lot less fun?)

But notwithstanding all this, I really appreciate indie artists who make an effort to sound unique, not only in their songwriting, but in all aspects of their music. Being unique requires some kind of experimentation with instruments and vocals, hence my use of the word "experimental-ish" to describe artists whose style is particularly original. But as all words ending in "ish" end up sounding somewhat pejorative, here comes "avant-indie" to satisfy our positivity needs: avant as in "forward thinking", indie as in "rock music for the discerning masses".

Yes, Buke and Gass make forward thinking music for discerning ears; they have a thing for writing songs that manage to make your body move spontaneously and generate alternate feelings of tension and release - something Soul Coughing were very good at as well. This is what rock'n' roll is all about. Their intricate rhythms and edgy vocals will find them many fans among the lovers of other avant-indie artists (Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Gang Gang Dance, St. Vincent, Yeasayer etc.). It's just two of them, playing mostly electric and acoustic guitars and derivates, while hitting a kick drum with a tambourine hanging on it. Go enjoy their show at the Glasslands on February 28. - The Deli Magazine

When artists send a physical copy of their offerings to us in the post, the music comes in a wide range of impressive and sometimes amusing forms. We've received everything from beautiful glossy resume-type folders to a modified Blockbuster movie rental box (labeled in crayon, as I recall) containing music that always gets a thorough listen. This time around, we have our hands on one of the most eco-friendly submissions to date with a simple, seemingly hand-stenciled foldout of the recycled paper board variety. All packaging discussion aside, we now have our hands on a lovely and elaborate collection of songs, one of which can be previewed below. Buke And Gass is the multi-instrumentalist duo of Aron Sanchez (gass, drum, vocals) and Arone Dyer (buke, voice, bells) from Brooklyn, New York. Although they have only been writing and performing this music together since 2008, there is already a brand new EP, simply titled +/-, that was recorded at Polyphonic Workshop and is currently available for purchase. The handful of tracks that make up this new release are filled with asymmetrical transitions that could easily have any listener imagining another three or four songs within each one, yet the overall flavor presented requires each little piece remain intact. The consistent portion of building musical tension combined with Arone's beautiful vocals easily finds us with another early favorite for 2009. - Milk Milk Lemonade

It's always a special thrill to see a band that forces itself to do more with less. Not only do they end up finding all sorts of ingenious backroad ways to arrive at their music, but their shows seem to radiate with this funny, inspirational charm. It's a little like watching that video of the kid with autism who got to play on his high school basketball team for one game, except that it's art and it's totally not nearly as good.

Buke and Gass, a budding two-piece from Brooklyn, is one new band whose ramshackle approach continues to make me smile. Their sound consists of what they call a 'buke' (a six-string baritone ukulele), a 'gass' (a guitar-bass hybrid they invented), some bells, and a kick-drum. Each member plays both strings and percussion simultaneously, even at live gigs. Impossible, you say? Exactly what I would have said until my mind was utterly blown, that is, by the musical advent of sitting down.

Even more amazing, Buke and Gass's live shows actually sound a lot like their recordings. What does that sound like? Well, folks, it's complicated but I'd venture to say they're a mainstream mix between DNA and The Carter Family (though for the reductively inclined, a folkier Yeah Yeah Yeah's would be a safe bet, too). Their tinny, rankled chords at times sound like sawing sheet-metal, their kick-drum like a hammering in the next room. Yet this is pop music, people. And it makes me happy.

Matt Robison - The Morning News

By Jeff Patlingrao

From the Basement of AVE-R

Many bands can thrive in a scene based on their ability to recreate, re-contextualize, or repackage familiar musical gestures. True innovation however, is surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) scarce in such a lawless, over-saturated, and creatively-centered “community” as Brooklyn.

Then there’s BUKE AND GASS, a male/female duo consisting of Arone Dyer (Buke, voice, bells) and Aron Sanchez (Gass, drum) who are so unique, I can’t appropriately compare them to other bands. Though there may be minute glimpses and tiny reminders; only the feelings they conjure are truly familiar.

B+G achieve their mountainous sound from unusual instrumentation: Arone plays the Buke, which is a 6-string bass ukulele, electrified; Aron plays a guitar/bass hybrid – an acoustic body with both guitar and bass strings with separate outputs for each, which go into their own respective effects and amplifiers.

Aron also employs a mighty kick drum while Arone straps bells to her leg which correspond to her stomping feet. Their selective use of percussion at only certain points in their songs make for both delicate and explosive textures balanced on a needle teetering between chaotic doom and absolute ecstasy.

And on top of that (!!!) is Arone’s wildly dynamic singing that seems to soar, swirl, and traipse through complex song structure and tempo changes.

Can you tell I love this band? I saw them a couple of months ago and was completely blown away. Their 7 song EP, “+/-” is available through their site for $6 or $5 at shows - Microphone Memory Emotion

Every now and again you’ll hear or see a band that stops you dead in your tracks, whose music and performance elicits either a blissed-out “whoa,” or an amped-up “holy shit.” Buke and Gass is one such of these bands. Having first seen them live at the Jezebel Music October 2008 Feature Show — featuring The Art of Shooting — I had heard their music only a handful of times before their performance. When they began to play, from an adjacent room it seemed this was yet another four or five person rock band, but entering the showroom revealed the exciting truth.

Although at first mysterious, the band’s name is wholly appropriate: Buke and Gass contains only two members, Arone Dyer on “Buke and voice,” and Aron Sanchez (hailing from the now defunct Proton Proton, Jezebel Music’s November 2006 Feature Artist) on “Gass and drum.” Because I know you’re wondering, a Buke (pronounced “byook”) is a bass ukulele, and a Gass (pronounced “gase”) is, to quote Aron, “a bass guitar with guitar strings and bass strings, each going to corresponding pickups and amplifiers.” In this way, two people are essentially playing four instruments (or at least two instruments capable of covering great sonic ground). Add in Aron thumping on a kick drum and Arone stomping bells tied to her leg, and the five-person band is complete.

Buke and Gass take great care of their sound, both in the delivery of their performance and tone of their unusual instrumentation. Few times does adding distortion to an acoustic instrument work, and it is even rarer that two people can produce such a thick, layered sound. Their songs feature acoustic resonance, a warm and driving heaviness and rhythmic intricacy, combining the best of various styles including the folksy grit of early blues (the same that no doubt inspired Led Zeppelin, to whom Buke and Gass bear resemblance), and progressive/experimental modern rock. Credit must be given to Arone’s extraordinary vocals for the overall vivacity and color of Buke and Gass. From behind a blissful smile effortlessly leaps an explosive, high altitude voice and unforgettable, often exotic melodies. The end result is a new level of performing and songwriting that should not be missed.

by Dan D’Ippolito - Jezebel Music