Echo Project
Gun Safety Film – EP
While local favorites LUX are on an indefinite hiatus due to members’ college and work schedules, vocalist/guitarist Chaz Owens has taken the solo route. With help from a variety of people, Owens’ latest musical endeavor Echo Project has just released its debut 4-song ep, Gun Safety Film. With its emotional, melancholic, even somewhat haunting melodies mixed with explosive, driving, powerful rhythms, the LUX comparison is unavoidable. However, Echo Project is far from a rehash of Owens’ previous band, as there is something quite different going on here. While the indie rock, shoegaze, and post-hardcore influences are still there, the grunge and rock elements are certainly more prominent here. And with the synthesizer taking on a big role in these four tracks, there is a definite post-punk vibe here as well. The songs are cleaner, brighter, and even — dare I say — poppier and far more upbeat. Owens’ vocals really shine here, as he seems to have come out of his shell and fully embraced what he is capable of; taking on different vocal styles and pushing them to higher peaks than ever before. There is a strong underlying vibe here that brings to mind that ‘90s Louisville sound of bands like Slint, Rodan, Falling Forward, and Telephone Man, as well as modern-era local bands like Thee Tabs, Zerg Rush, and Nerve House. With Echo Project, Chaz Owens has certainly come into his own, and the results are spectacular!
linktr.ee/echo.proj
foolstack
All Fools Day – album
Hunter Crump, otherwise known as foolstack, has had an interesting path that has lead him here. An Ashland, KY native who moved to Louisville to study at UofL, he was set to pursue his PhD in Psychology after being accepted to a program in Palo Alto, CA. Then Covid happened. It was during this downtime that Crump realized music is what he truly wanted to do with his life. Four years later, he’s still in Louisville, now playing drums in four local bands and DJ’ing in a fifth. So yeah, this is a busy guy! The seeds for All Fool’s Day started taking root three years ago after Crump’s grandmother’s funeral when he began creating his own music as a way to get his sadness, anger and confusion out. Between then and April of 2024, Crump continued making and recording music just for the sake of creating. The resulting All Fool’s Day collects 14 of those songs — each track seemingly spanning the spectrum of music from psychedelic, lo-fi, indie, alternative, hip hop, electronic, hyper pop, garage rock, shoegaze, folk, and jazz — painting incredible soundscapes along the way. From the slow lo-fi groove of “Gitgot” (featuring sinkpots), the shoegazy “Inherit” (featuring an intense flow by XEONXEONXEON), to the jazzy undertones of tracks like “Barclays Blend,” “Underbite,” and “Pickup” (featuring Hendo Houdini). Foolstack is bringing a whole different vibe and musical element to the table here, and you really have to experience it for yourself to understand.
foolstack.bandcamp.com
Indignant Few
SMÜT – EP
Those snotty-nosed little punks you knew and hated in the ‘90s are back! SM Ü T, Indignant Few’s first EP release since 1992’s Street Smart Girl, sees that band picking up where they left off. A little older, a little wiser, but still the same abrasive, bratty, ‘77 style punk rock with an attitude that made them legendary in the Louisville punk scene of the early ‘90s. But with age has come experience; specifically with songwriting and playing. The material they’ve been creating since reuniting in late 2021, (they broke up in 1994), is miles above their ‘90s material. Thankfully the energy and the attitude they had thirty years ago is still very much intact here.
Four tracks —altogether barely clocking in at over eight minutes total — of straightforward, powerful, energetic, driving, unapologetic punk fucking rock in the vein of Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, U.S. Bombs, and Blanks 77. The band has certainly mastered the art of the sing-along chorus, as “Deadbeat”, “I’m Just Paranoid,” and “Dark as the Night” all have punchy, crowd-chanting, fist-in-the-air, sing-along hooks that get you riled up. The fourth track “Bring Me Down” may not have the sing-along chorus, but certainly makes up for it with catchy-as-fuck riffs and beats. Indignant Few is the past, present, and the future of Louisville punk rock, and we’re all just along for the ride!
indignantfew1.bandcamp.com
James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg
All Gist – album
Have you ever heard music you wish you could climb inside of and stay there awhile? All Gist is a collection of 10-such songs. Chicago-based James Elkington and Louisville-based Nathan Salsburg, both highly accomplished and critically acclaimed solo guitarists, team up again for their third album of instrumental guitar duets, (their first since 2014’s Ambsace), and the result is stunningly beautiful! Delicately balancing folk, classical, bluegrass and Appalachian music, Elkington and Salsburg have created a sound that is as peaceful and relaxing as it is grand in scale. While many tracks are backed by a cast of equally as talented musicians, it’s the guitars Elkington and Salsburg that are shining stars here, both dancing and playing off one-another while intertwining together in a marriage of gorgeous harmony that embraces the listener like a warm hug from a loved one. And while there are covers one might expect to find on here, (English composer Howard Skempton’s “Well, Well, Cornelius,” and a composite of two traditional Breton dance tunes), it’s the cover of Neneh Cherry’s 1988 hit “Buffalo Stance” that really steals the show, completely deconstructed and reimagined without the hip-hop element while still maintaining sincere reverence for the original. This isn’t ambient background music to put on and zone out to, this is truly music that speaks to the soul and should be experienced with full attention paid. Just surrender and let the music take you on an unforgettable voyage!
jameselkingtonandnathansalsburg.bandcamp.com
The Shondas
The Shondas – album
One thing Louisville could certainly use more of is just straight-up rock n’ roll bands like The Shondas. Formed by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter David Serchuk, (who is also a former LEO Weekly contributing writer), along with veteran musicians Kevin Peacock (guitar), Aaron Selbig (bass), and Jeff Gard (drums), The Shondas bring a diverse mix of influence to the table with elements of classic rock, power pop, garage rock, Americana, folk, post-punk, rockabilly, and indie rock all blending seamlessly together in their sound. This actually reminds me a lot of Louisville/Lexington hybrid band Letters of Acceptance, whom I’ve highly praised in the recent past. Like LoA, The Shondas have a knack for writing catchy, hook-filled, guitar-driven melodies that are easy to get lost in. Comparisons to Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Elvis Costello, Buddy Holly, My Morning Jacket, and REM are certainly not unfounded. These are great rock songs with excellent pop sensibilities. Each of the 12 songs here seem to take on a life of their own, all the while flowing back-to-back smoothly. Highlights include the raucous country-tinge of album opener “The Clawback,” The Cars-reminiscent “Underrated Girl,” the laid-back jam of “Strange Wine,” the folky power pop “Tell Me Your Name,” the ska meets My Morning Jacket vibe of “Murder By Proxy,” the Buddy Holly-ish “Run Little Lola,” and the upbeat power pop album closer “Last Year Was A Bitch”. The Shondas’ debut album proves itself to be an excellent way to forget about your problems and lose yourself in the music for an hour.
https://theshondas.bandcamp.com/
This article appears in Jun 5-18, 2024.