AMFMS EP Currently on tour from coast to coast. Bio: With a rakish frontman evocative of dead 70’s rock icons and taut live rhythm section, the Baltimore-DC area band AMFMS’ music straddles
It’s no secret that we here at The Porch Beer Club love to revel in the success of our local bands. It’s been awesome to see local boy done good Benjamin Booker skyrocket into the national spectrum, and super cool seeing Merchandise achieve critical acclaim with their last record, After the End. It certainly has been a solid year for bands with Tampa ties, and the emergence of AMFMS could mark the next act on the verge of hitting the national scene with a big, loud, echoed bang.
Tampa’s own indie Rock and Roll troubadour, Shawn Kyle is bringing his latest Baltimore-based project AMFMS, into the bay area over the course of back to back nights in February. On Valentines Day, AMFMS will take part in St. Pete’s Whigfest, and will properly bookend the weekend with a headlining show of their own at The Hub with support from Geri X on the 15th.
They have posted five songs on their Soundcloud page, and to be frank, they are incredibly fucking good. The guitar driven tracks and echoic melodies are simple in nature, yet carry epic overtones. They’re catchy and carve their own unique niche into the world with their insanely intertwined brilliance of Austin inspired psychedelic rock, and post punk nuances. Even more mind blowing is the fact that these tracks were not recorded in studio, but are a result of live sessions that were recorded in an abandoned mansion with only two microphones. Holy. Shit. Bands should take note: sometimes simpler is, without a doubt, better. One does not always need an elaborate studio recording to transcribe brilliance.
Kyle has more than proven himself as a consummate professional musician, who has mastered the art of portraying the Rock and Roll front man. (Just check out his other projects, The Beauvilles & Florida Kilos if you do not believe me. (I still say that Lips (Fourteens) by The Beauvilles is my favorite track recorded by any Tampa band.) Not too many can command the stage in the manner of Kyle. He possesses an effervescent presence on stage that is commanding, without being demanding.This charm exudes as he performs, and it resonates in his music. Kyle is synonymous with Tampa music, and makes all of us proud.
There are traditionally no frills with a performance from a Kyle-lead band. No elaborate stage setup. No crazy light shows. No epic video screens. I don’t suspect anything less from AMFMS.
Just in your face, old fashioned rock and roll. That’s all you need, and all you should truly want from a band.
These shows are not to be missed. Mark your calendars, and be sure not to miss out.
-Idiot, drinking Cigar City Jai Alai
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