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The best kept secret in music
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The rain collided with the grandstand lights from 5th/3rd field to accent the brown brick of Canal Street Tavern Wednesday night. The Canal Street parking lot spilled out onto 2nd street as fans packed the bar to see the first place band after two rounds, Halos Were Found At The Landing Site, perform in round three against a very energetic and experienced jam outfit, The Sandals.
This was the first show so far that The Sandals were considered the underdog, but watching them you would not have known. They came out first with a wall of sound that included a sliding bass, a flanger tinged Les Paul, trippy keys, and a butterscotch blonde drum set. The Sandals music is constant motion. Each piece is in movement at all times and the band did well to continue through their set with very little down time. Cameras flashed from in front of the stage as the band played through a version of Cocaine by Eric Clapton. As their fans danced and cheered the band traded leads from keys to guitar. With each bend of the guitar, the tie-dyed player made his patented ‘Robert Dinero’ frown and head bob.
The band finished out their first set with a couple instrumentals and a bluesy power chord friendly song called All Mixed Up. I know it’s a jam band thing, but the songs were a little long for my taste. But, the musicianship was worth the time.
The excitement in the bar heightened slightly as Halos Were Found At The Landing Site set up. Their fans packed the front of the stage as the couple curly haired guitars and their effects table, the 5-string side burned bass, and the 4-piece drum kit (including triggers) got set to play.
Their set began with feedback and a snare that dropped to an electronic drum loop and soft falsetto. The band's use of interesting changes, effects, and descriptive vocals bring their energetic and stylistically mysterious sound to life. Throughout the set the guitar was highlighted by unreal quick finger tapping that sounded like it came off a Minus The Bear record. Decked out in a "My Bloody Valentine" t-shirt, the front man sang melodies built around one-liners with an effortless voice that was on par with Mr. Gibbard. They won me over completely when they played an accurate cover of Stars by Hum. Other highlights included their “new song� and my personal favorite Your Facials Are Showing.
Both bands really deserve to be noticed and shows such as these really make the Playoffs so fun. I circled Halos on my ballot, but only because of my personal musical taste not necessarily because they were the better band.
Let me know what you thought? - Kris Neises | Thursday, July 27, 2006, 07:44 AM
Discography
Halos Were Found At The Landing Site - 2006 (self-produced and self-recorded)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Halos Were Found At The Landing Site is an independent rock group with a name culled from the infamous “Dr Octagon” alias of the even more infamous hip-hop visionary Kool Keith. Knowing this, you can get a decent idea of what to expect from the group; paradoxes and unpredictability abound. This band of merry men’s sound can almost be easily labeled as “arena-friendly indie.” An oxymoron? Perhaps, but then again, so is a group that offers dense guitar heavy atmospherics and progressive song structures that whip about in roller coaster fashion deciding to name itself after a vulgar and bizarre indie hip-hop star. The sound is unpredictable and propulsive as such, blending a churning tapestry of dynamics, dramatic sonics and distinct melodies into a package that’s both boundary pushing yet surprisingly accessible.
Hailing from Dayton, OH, the city that birthed many of independent rock’s greatest such as Guided By Voices and Brainiac, the group takes pride in the DIY aesthetic made especially popular by those groups, yet they have managed to find a sound that is vast and expansive enough to beckon the arenas since their inception in 2004. With drummer Adam Ciarlariello’s previous experience in former Dayton mainstays Parker Ben Parker, he connected with younger brother David Ciarlariello, Marcus Pulkas and Jakob Murphy to explore some electronic and indie rock influenced ideas he was crafting. As the group’s collective influences began to take shape, it became apparent that the band was going to be something altogether different than initially planned. Pulling influences such as Hum, The Dismemberment Plan, Jawbox, Squarepusher, Guns N Roses, The Poster Children, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Maps And Atlases, Bjork, Death Cab, Explosions In The Sky, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Built To Spill, you can expect a vibrant listen, from spaced out bliss, to hushed whisper, and back to the grandiose heights from you which came, usually all within the same song. Having been performing live only since March of 2006, Halos Were Found At The Landing Site has shown a rapid acceleration in winning over those in Southwest Ohio in search of interesting and original independent music. With the release of their self-titled and entirely self-produced disc at the tail end of 2006, the group looks to further expand their fan base, and to connect with an audience that still appreciates the independently produced guitar rock album.
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