Tag Archive: Walri

[video] Walri // Pay No Mind

In 2011 I caught local love rockers Walri at least a handful of times. I am fairly certain that for each and every one of those times, the lineup behind the core duo of Amos Rose and Chris Coon was a little different. Through their various incarnations however the band has been able to maintain its sound quite well and has been slowly adding new tunes to their repertoire. One of the new ones, “Pay No Mind,” premiered at the Lovin’ Cup last November with the old-timey Windsor Folk Family in tow. The song, culled from the folksiest corner of folk music, is a bit of a departure from the usual Walri fare. You can practically hear the hammers hitting iron out in the hot sun on this one.

Walri recently recorded for the third season of WXXI’s OnStage. They played an intimate set upstairs at Abilene (an unfortunately underutilized live music space if I do say) which featured a few of their new tunes, including a set-closing and tightened up (though Windsorless) version of “Pay No Mind.”

OnStage is essentially Rochester’s answer to Austin City Limits and generally features homegrown acts. The third season has been recording in various venues around the city and just started airing last Sunday. It’s a great way to discover some of the great talent that is playing around the city from the comfort of your couch with no cover charge. Check out the OnStage website to see the schedule and make sure to catch Walri when they are on, it was a good one. Another recently featured artist on Tympanogram, Mikaela Davis, will be featured on this Sunday’s episode.

Connect with Walri // web | Facebook

Connect with OnStage // web | Facebook

[mp3/video] Backwords: “And Then Sigh”

As I wrote yesterday, Brooklyn trio Backwords, played this past weekend here for the Rochester Indie Fest. Their official show was at Boulder Coffee last Thursday, but they stuck around to play the basement show we attended Friday night showcasing local bands. Self described as folkadelic, we caught their set after our friend Tim deemed Backwords bassist/vocalist ‘ready to party,’ due to his psychedelic garb and general demeanor. The band played a few songs, but finished with a rocking rendition of “California Dreaming” that I wish was available to post here. But anyways, check out their video for “Center of the Earth” and grab an mp3 below of “And Then Sigh.”

Backwords – And Then Sigh (mp3) from Quilt

[mp3] The Dads: “Choice Between Two Ends”

l 767b83772b5746c6a014c7dc7bab31e3 [mp3] The Dads: Choice Between Two EndsFriday evening, Andy, our friend Tim, and I, went to the house of Walri member(s) for a party/concert in honor of Rochester’s Indie Fest. Four bands were slated to play: local acts The Dads, Sports, and Walri as well as out-of-towner’s Backwords. The show took place in the basement, and it was surprisingly awesome. The acoustics were better than I might have anticipated, and it was an intimate atmosphere for some good local tunes.  When we were walking up to the house, we could faintly hear music downstairs, but nothing that would get the cops called. Later in the evening, when the cops apparently did show up right before Sports got into their first song, we decided it was time to head out. Though we left the party with the impression that we have a far more vibrant local scene than one might anticipate here in Rochester.  It was a good time, and exciting for the future of local music here in town.

The Dads just recently put the finishing touches on their debut album, and we got our grubby mitts on it before heading out. I’ve attached my early favorite off the record, a track highlighted by some superb guitar work, an engaging keyboard part, and an answering machine message thrown in for good measure.

The Dads – Choice Between Two Ends (mp3)

[mp3/local] Walri – Joyful Things

l 9a5b6ae106bc48fc8982f2dbc0e2ddad [mp3/local] Walri   Joyful ThingsOur birthday show this past March had a late addition to the line-up, if you weren’t there or already aware: Rochester’s own Walri.  (That’s pronounced ‘wall-rye’ if you were curious.)  And I’ve been meaning to talk about them a bit more since the re-release of their debut album Paper Crane showed up in my mailbox via their lead singer, Amos.

Walri make the kind of sun-is-shining rock that you wouldn’t expect to come out of a city that is blanketed with snow 4 months out of the year.  Their music is hopeful, hearkening back to a simpler time in rock history, when harmonies and songwriting were the key.  Paper Crane boasts both.

This track is representative of the band’s overall aesthetic.  It moves from an Harry Nilsson intro (no joke – it sounds like “Everybody’s Talking” is going to start at any point) into horn-infused communal jam and back again.  It’s not to be taken too seriously.  It’s too fun to be.

Catch up with Walri: [MySpace] [Facebook] [web]

Walri – Joyful Things (mp3) from Paper Crane

These Electric Lives, The Static Jacks & Walri: Bug Jar 3/6/2010

11 300x225 These Electric Lives, The Static Jacks & Walri: Bug Jar 3/6/2010Never having put together a concert before, Dave and I were nervous for probably a straight week for the concert, but Saturday was especially nerve-wracking.  It wasn’t that we were unprepared – I think we were making sure our asses were covered for the last month or so – but more that something would go wrong, be missed, etc.  I said repeatedly that I was going to be nervous until I saw people I didn’t know walking through the door.

Around 7 we went and picked up pizza and wings, since we only provide the best for the rock stars we bring to town – and that’s what they asked for anyway.  Once we got to the venue, however, no one was there to open it, and Dave and I learned a valuable lesson – always get someone’s phone number who works at the venue.  E-mail is fine, but when it gets down to brass tacks, phone numbers work best.  So, we milled around for about 45 minutes, trying to find numbers until someone showed up to open who told us that we were early, and load time wasn’t until 8 anyway.  So that sucked, but we all eventually got inside, warmed up, and the bands did their respective soundchecks.1 300x225 These Electric Lives, The Static Jacks & Walri: Bug Jar 3/6/2010

Walri came running in the door around 9:30 or so, drums and amps in hand, and started playing around 10.  They’ve played Bug Jar often, so they knew what to do.  They tend more toward the psychedelic vein, but everyone enjoyed their set – as evidenced by their lead singer Amos telling me that they had sold out all their CDs.  That was nice to hear.

The Static Jacks were up next, and while we gave them an hour, Henry told me they only had about 45 minutes worth of stuff – especially since the band rips through each song.  Their performance was excellent – mixing in a couple of new tracks.  For a venue where not many had heard them before (their previous gig in Rochester drew about 6 people – me, 3 of my friends and 2 others) – the crowd was into it.

10 300x225 These Electric Lives, The Static Jacks & Walri: Bug Jar 3/6/2010These Electric Lives rounded out the show, and they are a fun band to watch.  It’s easy to tell that they are having a good time, and with it being their first time in Rochester, they told us repeatedly that they were going to bring it.  I missed a good portion of their set since I was talking with people, meeting new people, but what I did hear was excellent.

We are very thankful for all the help from everyone – from the venue to the bands to the bartenders – to our friends who came out to support us.  We hope to continue to put on shows in Rochester, and have other ideas already in the works.  But for our first show, this was memorable, and that is thanks to everyone who assisted us in making it come together.  We learned a lot over the entire process, and hope to be able to put together a lot more concerts in Rochester. We have some pictures below, though we didn’t get our act in gear with the camera or iPhone until after Walri was finished, so we apologize to those guys.

A big thanks to all from the humbled Tympanogram team. Let’s do it again sometime.

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