The Veayo Twins |
• A thousand congratulations to THE VEAYO TWINS, winners of this year's MAMM SLAM High School Rock Off. Lest you think it's merely a crafty name: the band is comprised of an actual duo, surname Veayo, who were armed with keyboard, guitar, drums, and vocal harmonies in creating their easy listening acoustic set. Looks like the keys played a crucial role in the decision: Katherine Veayo also took Best Alternate Instrument for her keyboarding skills, while members of SAINT MONDAY, THE STOLEN MURAL, and BEWARE OF PEDESTRIANS also grabbed individual awards. Want more Twins? You can find the girls' music and commentary on the national documentary Bullied to Silence, which premiered last month at the Boston International Film Festival.
• One weekend after playing a set at ETERNAL OTTER's (glorious, we're told) Sun and Moon Celebration, A SEVERE JOY releases the third in a series of ten online two-song singles this week. The stirring "Inside Out and Hand Grenades" also appeared on Hillytown's newly released Free Range Music Fest sampler (a great way to catch up on what you saw . . . or missed, at hillytown.bandcamp.com), and the noisy "If Ever I Find You" sees José splitting the difference between blissful dance-pop and heartsick ballads, subverting an awkward dubstep rhythm with a warbly bassline. Hear for yourself at aseverejoy.bandcamp.com.
• We're just getting around to last fall's demo by the band CUSS, a project by local lo-fi adventurer Alex Merrill, Sean Thomas Ferrante, and VANISHING ACT drummer Elijah True, and we're glad we did. The seven-song offering is a fearsome gesture. Substituting guitar for the meandering, maniacal vocals of Merrill, whose approach is a physical event unto itself, CUSS manage something like a union of Shellac, No Trend, and Man is the Bastard. "She's Right" is a monster, Merrill ferociously detailing the finer points of social grace, while "Strip Strip" is a welcome mangled take on dance-punk. The noise-rock trio played a ton of shows in the early days of 131 Washington (which is apparently kaput?); we wonder where they'd fit now. Visit oldnight.bandcamp.com and take a hack at it yourself.
