Fire Bison
Richmond, Virginia, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
In addition to the main event in Shockoe Bottom last Sunday, the RVA Music Fest featured multiple showcases scattered across town on Saturday night. This idea brought to mind pre-existing festivals such as Harrisonburg’s Macrock, Austin’s South By Southwest and perhaps even the Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh (which was happening during the same weekend). Each of the hosting venues was showcasing different facets of the music community. If you wanted to find a dance night, the Hat Factory and Bellytimber could be the places for you. If rock was the word, Strange Matter and Balliceaux were the destinations. If you wanted to find out what the hip-hop scene has been up to, look no further than The Camel.
Now, the challenge was set. How do I make it out to see as many acts as possible witha short radius to work with and a very tiny window of three hours? This was the adventure of trying to scour this city to take in as much live music as possible on the eve of a landmark festival.
I finished my cigarette before running into Strange Matter. I was unbelievably early and I was surprised to find this working towards my advantage. As I shared a Genesee Cream Ale with friends from The Snowy Owls and Baby Help Me Forget, Fire Bison took the stage, right at ten. This is unheard of, yet made perfect sense considering Fire Bison’s plan to play at The Cellar Door later that evening. While they are still a relatively young band, you wouldn’t be able to tell given the finesse behind their live sets. They channel everything about post-hardcore that I crave into their music. I find myself making any and all efforts to see them play as often as possible. Maybe it’s a Richmond mentality, but I want to say that I was there and be a part of these moments where we celebrate what they create, before it’s all said and done. Thankfully the end of Fire Bison doesn’t appear to be coming anytime soon. It’s understandable why they are one of the most talked about bands in Richmond after not even playing a dozen shows yet. This is a band to watch. Every band in town should want to be good enough to be able to get on the same bills as Fire Bison.
... - RVAnews
Palindrone, The Fordists, and Fire Bison
Friday, July 8 at Sprout
Fire Bison played their first show at Sprout last Friday night, and it was well worth leaving the house in the rain. Their lineup is Laurie Lay of Catnip Dreams fame on bass, Adrienne Shurte of Hail Hydra and other bands on guitar, and Wess Brockman playing some mean shirtless drums. I got there fashionably late, and they'd already started their set. Spared the awkward stand-around-and-make-smalltalk-with-acquaintances portion of the show, I pushed my way up front. Fire Bison plays the kind of music that made me want to go home and pick up my guitar. Adrienne's guitar playing is pure rock with a punk edge, and Laurie's bass lines are simple yet powerful. The dual female vocals were reminiscent of Sleater-Kinney (without their tendency to be overwrought), and strong enough to match the music.
I was most impressed by a slower song they did later into the set, which managed to still hold the attention of Richmond's party-hardy music fans. They didn’t have the fast tempos of a punk/hardcore band, but still rocked pretty hard. Their last song, introduced as “This song is called 'This is a song about fucking',” brought back the punk riffs and highlighted the wailing vocals that I hope continue as this band progresses. At the end of the set, someone yelled “That was so cool!” and everyone cheered in agreement. I don't know what a Fire Bison is, but based on this set, it's a really cool and magnificent beast.
... - RVAnews
Mixing elements of Dischord-style post-hardcore, riot grrrl sounds, and post-punk from overseas, it should come as no surprise that Fire Bison have been taking the scene by storm. After only a handful of shows, the group shows a ridiculous amount of promise, which makes music nerds and peers eager to see what they do next. Fire Bison are planning to record and release an EP by the end of this year. Until then, catch them any chance you can get. Fire Bison will be performing as part of the RVA Music Fest at the Strange Matter showcase on Saturday September 10. - RVAnews
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Fire Bison walks the razor's edge of post-punk angst and pure rock and roll, like a savage urban cowboy with a chip on his shoulder and a knife in his boot. Guitarist, Adrienne Shurte, hammers out piercing guitar riffs, forging an iron grip on your eardrums, while bassist, Laurie Lay, fills your soul from within pulling at your heart strings until the shade is drawn. Wess Brockman, takes control of all things fleeting, keeping time on the drums like a grandfather clock down the rabbit hole. Dual female vocals like tigresses on the prowl, with Wess's wandering undertones, attack you with one last caress.
Fire Bison was formed out of necessity and is maintained by the constant need for raw, honest expression. This band burns the boundaries that separate musical genres, and allows the heart to beat in its own time. Influenced by the archived sounds from late 90's grunge and indie bands to late 60's garage rock, Fire Bison holds on to the anger but lets you in.
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