Bayonne – 7th Level Music

Top 30 albums of 2019: #’s 25 – 21

Here we are at my top 25 albums that I heard from 2019.

#25 – Fat White Family – Serfs Up!

These hard-partying Brit weirdos make mind-warping rock that blends psychedelia with 1970’s funk. Serfs Up! is a cool blend of both genres and tackles themes of 1%’ers taking advantage of all of us.

#24 – Bayonne – Drastic Measures

Drastic Measures is another fine electro record from Bayonne. I love how he blends his vocals with bright synths, sometimes to the point where you can’t tell one from the other. The lyrics aren’t often discernible, but that’s okay. The album is meant to be experienced as a soundscape. Just sink into it and experience bliss.

#23 – The Schizophonics – People in the Sky

This album is loud, brash, cocky, and everything you need if you love garage rock, sweaty dive bars, the MC5, and power trios. It’s the antithesis of overproduced dreck that pollutes most of the FM airwaves, which means it’s great.

#22 – Skull Practitioners – Death Buy

This EP from Skull Practitioners has more guitar shredding than some double albums by more well-known rock acts. It’s a sonic assault that can catch you unprepared, so have the volume up and brace for impact when you play it.

#21 – Beehive – Depressed + Distressed

Beehive weren’t on my radar until their label sent me this fun record of grunge / shoegaze rock that captures millennial angst (and self-deprecation) in its title and lyrics. It pays homage to their rock idols and also trashes them (The song “90’s Trash” is particularly good.).

Come back tomorrow when we reach the top 20!

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

Top 30 live shows of 2019: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reached the top 10 concerts I saw this year. Read on!

#10 – Priests – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL – April 22nd

This was my first time seeing Priests in a small venue. The first time I saw them was at the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival. Priests had just released their great (and, sadly, final for now) album The Seduction of Kansas and all of the songs sounded great live, and downright threatening at some points.

#9 – New Bomb Turks – House of Blues – Chicago, IL – November 28th

I hadn’t seen New Bomb Turks in well over a decade, and they still sounded as raw and feisty as ever. They were a wild punk rock injection to the Reverend Horton Heat’s “Holiday Hayride” show. I was thrown back in time and in the small mosh pit for the entire set, even jumping on stage during “Let’s Dress Up the Naked Truth” and having my mouth violated by lead singer Eric Davidson’s microphone.

#8 – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL – August 24th

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard never disappoint, and I attended this show after going to a memorial service for a cousin who loved live music. I thought of her multiple times during this show, which featured a wild set that mixed psychedelia, thrash metal, electro, and blues and two mosh pits happening at the same time in different parts of the ballroom.

#7 – Bayonne – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ – May 10th

For anyone who missed this show, let me express my condolences. It was the last show of Bayonne‘s spring tour. It was in a small Tucson venue and I think fewer than thirty people were there. He could’ve just phoned it in and did the bare minimum to get by and then motor home to Austin, Texas, but he didn’t. He slayed that stage. I knew halfway through his set that it was going to be among my top ten shows of the year.

#6 – The Black Keys – United Center – Chicago, IL – September 27th

Seeing the Black Keys live had been on my bucket list for years, so I jumped at the chance to see them in Chicago. I didn’t know how their raw blues rock would sound in such a big venue, but my apprehension was short-lived. They filled the United Center with powerful sound and clarity, mixing old tracks with new ones and thrilling the crowd.

We’re almost to number one. Who will take the crown? Tune in later today to find out!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

Review: Bayonne – Drastic Measures

Bayonne’s Bandcamp page describes each track on his new album, Drastic Measures, as being “orchestral in texture.” I’m not sure I can describe it better than that, because it’s evident from the opening notes.

The first song, “QA,” begins with string section-like synths and heartbeat rhythms as Roger Sellers (AKA Bayonne) sings like he’s coming out of a dream with the words still fresh in his mind. The title track is an instant toe-tapper that builds into a whole body-mover with Afrobeat-tinged percussion and joyful synths. “Same” is a lovely track that starts with soft piano and builds like a breeze beneath you that almost feels like it’s going to lift you off the ground.

“Gift” continues the orchestral / cinematic feel and by now one realizes how good a pianist Sellers is, and how well he melds piano chords with electronic beats. “Enders” is a slightly trippy instrumental, and “I Know” starts off with what sounds like creaky sounds from an old boat tied to a pier but then turns into a bright, bouncy love song. I couldn’t help but think of Christopher Cross while listening to “Kind” thanks to Sellers’ floating vocals and its smooth synths.

“Uncertainly Deranged” not only has an interesting title, but it also has interesting beats and a happily manic feel to it. “Abilia” reminds me of a horse galloping in a field on an early spring morning before the sun has thawed the frosted grass as Sellers sings to a lover he’s wronged in the past and is now, perhaps like that horse, running toward his ex in hopes her heart will thaw.

The album ends with “Bothering” – an interesting title for a closing track because Sellers certainly hasn’t been bothering us throughout the record. It’s a beautiful song (with more great piano work by Sellers) about hope and presence in a time or constant bother from outside forces. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to quiet the endless feed of white noise coming at us from all sides, but sometimes the simplest measures yield amazing results. Ending an album called Drastic Measures with a hopeful, simple song is both bold and subtle – as is this entire record.

Keep your mind open.

[It’s no drastic measure to subscribe. Just drop your e-mail in the box to your left. That’s it.]

Live: Bayonne and Palm Daze – May 12, 2019 – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ

I happened to be in Tucson, Arizona on the same night of the final show of Bayonne and Palm Daze‘s most recent tour. I’d wanted to see Bayonne since I’d heard his fine album Primitives and missed his set at Levitation Austin a few years ago.

They were playing at a small club in downtown Tucson called 191 Toole (named for the address). It’s a nice small venue with no bad places to stand for a view of the stage. It’s the kind of venue I’d love to own – small bar, good-sized room, ample parking, not far from a college campus. Fewer than forty people showed up for the gig, probably due to that weekend being graduation weekend for the University of Arizona. It’s a shame for those who missed it, because Bayonne and Palm Daze closed their tour with a great show.

Palm Daze, the Austin psychedelic dream-pop three-piece opened the show and played most, if not all, of their 2017 EP Controls (review coming). Eric McClung and Tyler Delaune bounced back and forth with synths, bass, and percussion while drummer Ryan Heath laid down serious chops. I was hooked by the third song.

Palm Daze (L-R: Ryan Heath, Tyler Delaune, Eric McClung)

Mr. Heath joined Bayonne (Roger Sellers) onstage for drum kit smashing while Mr. Sellers sang and played synths, guitar, and / or percussion, looping a lot of it on top of each other for great effect. Many artists would’ve phoned in a performance on the last night of a tour to a crowd of fewer than forty people, but Bayonne went for broke as he wowed the crowd with tracks of not only Primitives, but also his fine new record – Drastic Measures (again, review coming). Empty water bottles, sweaty towels, and broken drum sticks littered the stage by the time they were done.

This small show currently has the top spot on my list of best concerts of 2019, and will probably remain in the top 10 by the end of the year. Bayonne is playing Lollapalooza this year, and I can tell you his set will be a must-see if you are there.

Keep your mind open.

[Subscribing isn’t a drastic measure. It’s pretty easy. Just drop your e-mail address into the box to your left.]

Austin, Texas’ Solstice Festival reveals lineup and offers discounted tickets.

Austin, Texas, the live music capital of the country (if not the world), brings us another music festival this year. The annual Solstice Festival brings in acts like JJ Grey & Mofro, Built to Spill, Golden Dawn Arkestra, and Bayonne this year.

General admission tickets are only $35.00, but for a limited time you can pre-order tickets for 15% off with the code SOSFEST.

Don’t wait too long to get your tickets. It’s sure to be a fun time.

Keep your mind open.

Bayonne – Primitives

Roger Sellers, otherwise known as Bayonne, is an electro artist from Texas who makes great soundscapes of sunrise synths, dance club beats, and drifting cottonwood vocals. He’s a one-man show and his beautiful Primitives album is inspiring. It will make you consider, as LCD Soundsystem once put it, selling your guitar to buy a synthesizer and starting your own music career. I know I am…and I don’t even have a guitar.

“Intro” has a simple title for the first track, but it’s far from simple. Big drums combine with pulsing synths and distant vocals. The percussion keeps building until it cuts to a sparkling wall of sound. It flows into “Appeals,” a peppy song with racing electric piano bringing a happy sound to a tune about a lost love.

“Spectrolite” is not only one of the best electro songs of the year, it’s one of the best songs of the year – period. Sellers sings vocals that barely push out of the background from his synth bass and bouncy tones while his pal Matt Toman lays down house music drums. This should be on your summer playlist if it isn’t already there.

“Marim” is thumping bass and clockwork beats with more vocals that almost disappear. I love how Sellers doesn’t let his vocals overpower his soundscapes on most of the tracks. He knows when to back off the vocals and let the sounds take the song in the right direction. He also knows when to put the vocals in front, like when he sings about his yearning for someone far from him on “Waves.”

The beginning of “Steps” reminds me of the beginning of “Baba O’Riley” with its repeating synth motif. “Lates” is a beautiful ballad with simple piano chords, beats, and synths wrapped in lush reverbed vocals. The beats build to a simmer and then a rolling boil. It’s delightful.

“Omar” starts off quirky but soon morphs into a pulsing, toe-tapping, shimmering song about shattering one’s illusions. It’s ideal for the first rays of daylight coming into your car after a long drive all night.

Primitives is quality stuff. Don’t be surprised if you see Sellers headlining music festivals before too long. Sounds this rich can’t stand hidden for long.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t stay hidden from us. Subscribe and get updates sent to your e-mail address of choice.]

Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Bayonne

Austin’s own Roger Sellers, otherwise known as Bayonne, creates great electro dream pop all by himself. He’s the type of guy who makes me think I could create electro music if I made the time and bought even discounted gear at a pawn shop. He’s inspiring, and I’m sure his set on April 30th at Levitation Austin will be, too.

Keep your mind open.

[You subscribing to us would be dreamy.]