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KRIS HARRIS
Staff Writer
One of the greatest benefits of being in Fredonia would have to be the music that comes through the town. From on-campus to off, there is never a dry spell for a live music fix. Being near Buffalo adds to this experience, as bands travel to Fredonia to show their talents. Every other week, BJ’s shows off what the city has to offer along with some local talent. On Nov. 18, Elemantra and The Slums played and did not disappoint.
Elemantra went on the stage first and took over the crowd with its mix of alternative rock fare and instrumental ambient sounds. For its first show at BJ’s the band looked comfortable and full of energy, coming prepared with a wide array of effect pedals and drum fills that put the crowd in awe. This was not Elemantra’s first time playing in Fredonia, as it has played several house shows, including at the “Canadaway House,” in the past few months and are hoping to play around more.
Starting in Salamanca, the band consists of Brett Bergstrom, a senior bio-chemistry major, on guitar; Nick Beiling, a junior political science major on bass; Justin Woodmancy, a junior media arts major at Jamestown Community College, on guitar and vocals; and Jonah Rosel, a sophomore music industry major rounding out the lineup on drums.
Bergstrom, Beiling and Woodmancy began the band together around 2012, just jamming and going through a “revolving door of drummers” before Rosel came through this year rounding out the lineup.
“[We] grew up on a reservation with not much to do,” said Beiling, which, according to him, drove them to start playing music. In the beginning they claimed they played hard and stoner rock, similar to Electric Wizard and Black Sabbath. But the band has definitely moved on from those sounds.
Elemantra’s album “You Feel Bad About You” clearly displays their diverse sound. Available on Bandcamp, the majority of the recording was handled by Woodmancy within Adobe Audition, with help from Bergstrom.
The production of the album was never very structured, as the whole process took eight months to make.
“It was never a ‘sit down, do [a song] all in one day’ [thing]” said Rosel.
Along with taking pride in what they do, a true pillar of the band is its desire of building honest relationships with fans.
“As a local band, you need give people incentive to listen to you or buy your music. They have to know that you care.” said Woodmancy. “We handmake all the artwork, we handmake all the CDs.”
In addition, the band puts comics within its CDs to show its sincerity. The band even added notes to each cassette purchased last week. Cassette is a format that rarely anyone sees anymore, so it’s amazing to see a band going the extra mile.
More can be expected from Elemantra as it is recording again for a new EP, also to be released on a compilation through Sputnik Music.
The Slums rounded off the night, and the band couldn’t have ended it any better. Playing a set of straightforward indie rock melodies, the group genuinely seemed like it was enjoying itself while playing¸ which carried over to the crowd.
The group consists of Steven Floyd on guitars and vocals, Matt Zych on guitar, Jake Strawser on bass, and Ryan Schlia on drums. They have been together only since 2014, but have been putting in work ever since.
On social media, the band is extremely quiet, with no new messages posted since December of last year. The only view into The Slums’ world is its YouTube video, appropriately named “Slumday,” which displays the band’s jovial nature.
The last release from the band was a self-titled EP that came out last May. Recorded with Paul Besch, who also has worked on The Naturalists’ newest release, “Hi Honey, I’m Hi,” The Slums are looking to release new material sometime early next year. Eight songs have been done with Besch and hopefully it will come out next spring.
The band commented that the album is going to be a lot more focused than “The Slums” EP. For a band who seems so focused on its sound, their influence and taste are very diverse — from hardcore rock, to rap, to top 40, to self-proclaimed “dad rock.” Some of the names of influential artists thrown around were Vince Staples, Tokio Police Club, Kaskade and the new Future and Drake Mixtape, “What A Time to Be Alive.”
“I do have trouble now keeping up with new music,” joked Zych.
The Queen City natives take pride in hailing from Buffalo and see a great change coming within it.
“It was weird for a while — the music scene was super dead, and there was a lot of animosity between bands. Recently people who used to be in bands got with other people … and it just turned into ‘oh, we’re all doing this; let’s do this together [and] have a really good time,’” explained Strawser on the new positive direction of music in Buffalo.
“Anytime you play a show, you are playing with people you enjoy being around,” added Floyd,
Battle of the New Bands winner Ce JJR will be playing their first show downtown along with the fresh indie sounds of The Traditional on Dec. 2.