Fennario Coffee Shop in West Chester hosted a stellar night of DIY music this past Wednesday, with sets from Andy McLeod, The Mellowells, Hodera, and Piranha. Each act brought something unique to the table, and the locals helped New Jersey indie rock band Hodera kick off their tour in style.
Andy McLeod started the show with a calm, meditative set of instrumental acoustic tunes. The crowd gathered around and sat on the floor indian style, and was put in a trance by the young folk artist’s impressive technique of playing finger style guitar. His relaxing and contemplative tunes were mostly from his newest album, Forge the Valley, which was recently released on German folk label, Dying For Bad Music.
The Mellowells are an up-and-coming indie rock band from Philly’s suburbs, and they are making a name for themselves with forceful rhythms, shredding guitar riffs, and well-crafted lyrics. The band has been around for about two years, and their set was filled with older songs like “Author of Modern Thought” alongside newer tracks like “Indian Style.” They sounded tight, and often pulled off quick instrumental stops and outbursts with precision. Bassist Caden Myers moved through intricate, jangling riffs on his Rickenbacker in time with drummer Cory Paternoster, who often pushed himself out of his seat to slam hard on the drums. Jesse Barkin and John DiCocco share vocal and guitar duties, and each delivered their lyrics with fervor while contributing slick guitar riffs.
New Brunswick indie rock band Hodera recently released their debut full-length album, United By Birdcalls, and are embarking on a tour that will take them out as far as Oklahoma and Texas. The folk-inspired band rocks hard live, taking soft moments to their absolute extreme with intense, complex guitar riffs, thumping bass, and ruthless drum hits. The band writes personal songs, and live they delivered them with an intensity that matches the emotional hold of the lyrics. Some of the most memorable tracks from their set were “Breathe Easy” and “Reset to Default.” You can pick up a copy of United By Birdcalls via All Sounds, a New Jersey based record label, here.
Piranha closed out the evening with a genuine and artistic set of shoegaze punk. The three-piece band created loud, emphatic sounds that packed emotional punches, and fused them with a biting feedback that gave their music a fearsome edge. Their set consisted of tracks from their debut full-length, Style, which they thoroughly brought to life. Guitarist/vocalist Roy Atadgy’s melancholy vocals laid in the mix to add more definitive, chilling tones, and his subtle use of pedals came through like a painful sting. Bassist Jeff Shoolbraid played stirring bass lines, and often thrust himself around stage and screamed the lyrics despite lacking a microphone. Drummer Kenny Miller kept creative beats going with pounding hits, and eventually got so fed up with his defective kick pedal that he forcefully overturned his bass drum and cymbals. Piranha closed out the night with a fiery performance of “War Song,” perhaps the most emotional track from Style, which solemnly drove home the feelings of personal confinement and anguish that their music deals with.
Check out photos from the show below, and be on the lookout for more awesome gigs presented by The Old Button.
All photos by Jay Breslin.
PhillyPunk 