Local music is still
alive and well in the Little Apple despite (or perhaps, in spite of) the recent departure
of the Klammie award winning power-pop-trio, Ultimate Fakebook when they hit the road
January 26th for a two week tour of points West. Things should be busy for UFB since they
signed their contract with Sony's Epic/550 record label, making them full-time rockers. We
will miss them here in our parkas while they live it up out West.Close on the heels of
Fakebook are the high school prodigies, Podstar, formed nearly four years ago during their
middle school jazz club years in Manhattan. Now seniors, these guys have just released a
CD on Noisome Records (also home of UFB, The Creature Comforts, and soon, another
Manhattan staple: Ruskabank). See reviews elsewhere in Synapsis.
Podstar, in a way, has evolved into a kind of younger version of Fakebook. Once they
were known for their edgy, punkish sound found in songs like "Tim’s Asbestos
Breath" (found on the Manhattan Project CD from 1997). Today, Podstar writes the
hook-laden tunes that will likely earn them precious radio air time.
This show turned out to be a preliminary CD release party for them in fact - though
their ‘official’ CD release will happen at Manhattan’s Streetside Records
on February 10th.
Podstar played second, and were able to keep a crowd interested till 1:30am at least. I
think they all must’ve skipped school the next day.
You can learn more about Podstar by visiting the Noisome Records website or by e-mailing them at podstar@noisome.com.
The Egomaniacs, a trio of seasoned Manhattan musicians, graciously opened for Podstar.
Each member has done time in fondly-remembered (or ill-reputed as the case may be) groups
over the years.
Guitarist and vocalist, John Evans, was a key member of El Fontain and brings a good
bit of that flavor to the mix. Drummer, Matt Anderson, paid his dues with Seraphine 7 and
Nifty’s Lounge. Bassist, Dave Boomer, played with Scully (a.k.a Puke Weasel).
The Egomaniacs’ sound feels hard but has an airy quality to it, largely due to
Evans’ howling reverb on the vocals. Evans uses his voice more as a fourth instrument
and less to convey lyrical content. Vocals swim atop the churning surface of the melody.
Other musicians in the audience seemed to appreciate the Egomaniacs’ sound simply for
its complexity and unpredictability. As a non-musician, I found myself trying less to
listen to the music and more trying to let the sounds just wash over me, each one more
unusual than the last.
When asked how he would describe the Egomaniacs sound, Evans called it "anal
rock", saying "We are only out to please ourselves."
Evans says that fans should expect to see something along the lines of a recording by
early summer, though they have not decided whether it will be an EP or full-length CD. He
said they will finish at Engine Studios in Chicago with former Dime Store Wonder guitarist
turned recording engineer, Andy Boznic.
The Egomaniacs can be reached via email at egocentricon@hotmail.com.
Egomaniacs and Podstar will play together again at the second annual K-State Chapter of
Amnesty International’s benefit concert at the Wareham Opera House in lovely downtown
Manhattan on March 11. Stay tuned for more information on that show. As of today, the line
up for this benefit concert includes Ruskabank, Money Penny, The Egomaniacs and Podstar
from Manhattan; Kindir (formerly known as Starsky) and The Black Water from Lawrence;
Sense of Self and Pulse from Kansas City.
