Live Concert Photography: Bambara with Cinemechanica, Dead Tenants and Geometers at Saint Vitus 10/16/16
If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past roughly four years or so, you’d be familiar with Brooklyn-based, JOVM mainstay act Bambara. Comprised of their primary and founding trio, twin brothers Reid and Blaze Bateh and their childhood friend William Brookshire, the band can trace their origins to when it initially formed when the members were all living in Athens, GA. After relocating to Brooklyn and recording their debut effort DREAMVIOLENCE, the trio exploded into the national scene for a punishing sound that compared favorably to the likes of A Place to Bury Strangers, Weekend, and others. With the release of their long-awaited sophomore effort Swarm, which was released earlier this year, the band’s sound increasingly incorporated elements of punk rock and thrash punk paired with Reid Bateh’s lyrics describing a stark, grimy, mercilessly bleak New York, full of neurotic, unhinged and deeply unstable characters desperately trying to survive with whatever dignity, decency and shred of their own sanity they may have remaining. And in some way it gives Swarm‘s material a tense, bristling fury.
The band headlined an incredibly hard-hitting night of live music as a quartet at Saint Vitus, which included Athens, GA-based act Cinemechanica and two other locally-based acts — Dead Tenants and Geometers; all of which had joined the renowned Athens, GA-based math rock band on their tour to support their long-awaited, sophomore, self-titled effort. More on those further down the page. . .
Although they initially formed more than a decade ago, the Athens, GA-based math rock act Cinemechanica have only up until recently released their critically applauded and groundbreaking debut effort The Martial Arts and its follow-up Rivals EP, thanks in part to the band’s primary and founding trio comprised of Bryant Williamson (guitar), Joel Hatstat (bass) and Maserati‘s Mike Albanese (drums)’s reputation for crafting material that possessed a meticulous attention to detail, in which they would frequently take several months to write and then record songs that may only last for a few seconds at most. The band recently released their long-awaited sophomore, self-titled album through Athens, GA-based indie label Arrowhawk Records and from singles like “Vietnamese Pool Party” and “Hang Up The Spurs,” the math rock act’s latest effort brings up a number of adjectives, simultaneously: punishing, frenetic, abrasive, sneering and muscular. And as a result, it may arguably be the hardest album I’ve heard all year, and the hardest live set I’ve seen this year as well – and holy shit, was it absolutely necessary.
The members of the renowned math rock band, are on the last week of their tour. Check out the remaining tour dates below.
Cinemechanica Tour Dates
10/19 Louisville, KY @ Haymarket
10/20 St. Louis, MO @ Foam
10/21 Madison, WI @ Williamson Magnetic
10/22 Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse
10/23 Chicago, IL @ Emporium
10/24 Lexington, KY @ Best Friend Bar
Also opening the night was Dead Tenants, a trio comprised of Doug Tenant (guitar), Alex C. (bass) and Alex McKendry (drums) features members based in Brooklyn and Queens. Influenced by Brainiac, The Ex, Wire, Crazy Stallion and Lester Bangs.
