Jouska, The Peach Pits, Soft Cough, more play Rochester’s The Vineyard Community Space
The Vineyard Community Space is a venue in Rochester, New York that means different things to different people. For some, it’s where they go to take part in a fitness group. For others, it’s the location for their weekly craft-making session. And for some children, it’s the battleground for a communitywide Nerf gun war.
Whatever the activity may be, the building remains the same; a homely space about the size of a large living room, mostly open but bordered with cozy couches, colorful wallpaper, and hanging pieces of art. Inviting, but nothing particularly special. It’s the various communities that this place fosters that makes it memorable. One of those communities is the local DIY punk scene, and on March 12 a mix of local and regional bands conjoined to create a beautiful representation of what the Rochester scene is all about.
BEDS, a one-man act from Massachusetts, opened the show by introducing all of his songs at once and explaining how he likes to play his whole set straight through, rather than pausing between songs as most musicians do. Compared to the full-band noisiness of the rest of the bill, BEDS’ acoustic indie-punk songs very well could’ve floundered and been forgotten. However, his army of effect pedals allowed him to loop some of his guitarwork and generate a much more dynamic, layered sound than a sole guitar would permit. There was hardly a second of silence throughout his set, as he violently stomped on his pedals at the end of each song to trigger a series of recorded conversations that served as mood-setting interludes. Upon finishing a solid rendition of The Front Bottoms’ “Flashlight,” the room returned to a sea of chatter, littered with approving head nods of his unique set.
REMITTERS by BEDS
Geneseo natives Nappetizers followed with a collection of mid-pace power pop songs in the vain of fellow Geneseo residents Soft Cough (more on them later), except with a female vocalist. Compared to the statue-like stance of BEDS’ crowd, Nappetizers’ dancey tunes gave way to some skanking and two-stepping as the room began warming up to the change of pace. However, the band seemed to lack the savory melodies of some of their contemporaries (Diet Cig, Frankie Cosmos, Jawbreaker Reunion) to really propel their songs into earworm territory. That is until the last song, in which they belted about eating Byrne Dairy ice cream, which was a fantastic ode to Upstate New York’s finest creamery. That song in particular needs to be recorded and released immediately for repeated jamming.
The Peach Pits--Photo by Justin Chadbourne
However, both acts were quickly outshone by BEDS’ tourmates The Peach Pits. Their performance was scrappy, as the drum set fell apart twice and the bass amp kept resetting, and all five members appeared to be under 20 years old. Sonically, they fell somewhere in the middle of Pile (post-hardcore blended with classic rock wonkiness), Girlpool (two nasally female vocalists mostly singing in unison), and The Ramones (raw punk energy). Somehow, despite the stage malfunctions and their cacophony of a sound, The Peach Pits came off as charmingly bold, passionate, and eclectic.
Destroy Everything by The Peach Pits
The guitarist was a nonstop orb of energy, literally jumping off the bass drum and still maintaining to play cleanly. As one vocalist stood tall and used the mic stand as support throughout most of the set, the other grasped the mic and, during one song in particular, shrieked a spitfire of inaudible lines while hunched over, red-faced. The rhythm section was visibly drenched in sweat, the bassist even going so far as to tear his shirt off shortly before the set ended. However, what was most shocking was that even with portions of songs that were full of heavy riffs, they had some real melodies that exploded through the clamor. The Peach Pits were a ball and considering how young they are, this band has some real, real potential.
However, the night was far from over as Albany’s Jouska took the stage next, juxtaposing the grittiness of The Peach Pits with the emo-inspired, post-rock finesse of a band like The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die. Unlike the other bands, Jouska would begin their songs in verse/chorus form but slowly creep into an instrumental crescendo that was repeatedly satisfying, much like a Foxing or TWIABP song would be. Pulling off that sort of grandiose delivery is difficult, especially for a four-piece. Their incredibly tight rhythm section remained steady throughout the tempo changes, and vocalist/guitarist Doug Dulgarian’s maneuvering between his position at the mic and a tabletop synth machine sounded pristine. Additionally, guitarist Eric Mongonia’s footwork on his hefty pedalboard looked easy, but was obviously a product of the band’s evident dedication to rehearsal. Although not vivacious like The Peach Pits, Jouska are a fantastic live band for anyone who appreciates superb musicianship.
this kid thinks hes sick. EP by Jouska
Closing out the night was Soft Cough, who play the type of fuzzy, smile-while-dying-in-the-inside power pop of early Built to Spill, LVL UP, or their Utica pals Comfy. Although their set was cut short due to a time cap, they were just an inherently fun band to see live and it was great to see numerous members of the audience actually singing along and bringing back the dancing. Soft Cough make music that’s designed for DIY spaces and hearing them rip through 15 minutes of their material was a perfect finale to a truly remarkable bill of young bands.
Soft Cough by Soft Cough
I go to college in Albany, New York and I’ve recently begun actively attending as many of the DIY shows throughout the city of Albany as possible. We’re fortunate to have a variety of houses and small venues that cater to the underground punk/indie scene there and becoming part of that community has been incredibly fulfilling. So many great bands and people.
However, I was born and raised in Rochester, New York and I’m always proud to call the 585 my home. I hadn’t been to a DIY show in Rochester in a while and I honestly didn’t know what to expect before going to this one. I’m overjoyed to see that the scene up here is thriving and that people are just as friendly, welcoming, and excited about underground music here as they are in Albany. I’m so fortunate to be able to attend all of the wonderful shows that I do and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
At some point I may move out of this state, but I will always, always align myself with the Upstate New York DIY community.
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Eli Enis