Federal Bison

Sports bars aren't my first choice for music venues; but after receiving an e-mail invitation to check out Federal Bison , I headed over to All Stars Sports Bar in Manchester. And hey, it turned out to be an alright spot. It was a very young crowd on Friday night -- and by young I mean just turned 21. Which is probably why Federal Bison tore through a set of covers ranging from alternative to the moderately heavy. They had a wonderful blend of polish and raw rock obnoxiousness -- exactly what the circumstances called for.

Guitarist James Cipollini absolutely overpowered the bar's small corner stage. You sense at first glance that he's the bad boy of the band -- his hair is too long, his face is scruffy, and his guitar playing is somewhere between '70s New York punk and '90s grunge. He puts one foot up on an overturned milk crate and stands his guitar on his leg as if to say "you need to watch this." Meanwhile, singer Gabriel Silverman led with a voice that never once wandered off-key. For that matter, neither did anyone else's -- everyone but the drummer contributed vocals at some point, with each of the band's three guitarists sharing the lead. But the real clincher was the way Federal Bison left absolutely no downtime between songs. From the Offspring to Jimi Hendrix to Lenny Kravitz with literally not a breath in between -- now that's a hard-working band. They even threw in (gasp, shock, horror) two originals in a row, and not only were they good songs in their own right, but they jived perfectly with sound and feel of their cover material. What a great band for a young crowd on a summer night. - Dan Barry- Hartford Advocate

Federal Bison - Let It Out

Although they are a new band to me, and probably Soundclick too by the looks of their SC page they are not - I suspect - new to making music, at least judging from what I have found out about them. A five peice rock and roll (yep) outfit from CT, USA the band are: Gabe Silverman (vocals), Brett McQuiggan (guitar), Dan Porri (bass), Jim Cipollini (guitar) and Adam Barker (drums). Moreover they are ' high energy, no gimmick rock n’ roll' and in my books that raises the stakes immensely because if there is one thing I love it's a good rock party. It's the animal in me, ya see... I cain't he'p it. So, anyway, to clarify the term rock and roll, I digress a bit. To most of us Europeans the term rock and roll applies to figures such as Elvis Presely, Bill Haley and the like. To Americans rock and roll encompasses a much wider remit and is probably better known to us as heavy rock or even - at a pinch - heavy metal. So it's probably best not to go combing your quiff just yet. When I think of 'high energy, no gimmick rock' I automagically get transported back in time to the first time I witnessed the MC5 in action, and that is the closest comparison I can make to this artist. Guitar heaven if you love that kind of pyro-technicality, as bad as spitting nails if you can't stand anything with long hair and beautiful groupies. Not that FB have long hair mind, judging by this they WILL have the odd nubile stringing along in their wake. At least, if there were any justice in the world. Federal Bison are exactly what they advertise themselves to be, rock well up to its highest standards. A song that is intelligent, well constructed and enough fire and brimstone to satisfy even the hardest purist. I bet these guys kick ass live (they do live gigs in the Connecticut area if you happen to live there) so if you see them, let me know. Let It Out has everything I look for in my rock music, a song that makes sense lyrically, performance of a high standard all encased in a wall shattering, solid, pin-your-ears-back mix that my neighbours just seem to love. Or at least, I imagine that's what all the shouting is about outside :D Very, very nice track to introduce me to this band and one that has merely served to whet my appetite for more. Paaaaaaarrrttttttyyyyyy and kiss ass. Recommended.

--Steve Gilmore - Steve Gilmore - SoundClick