Big name bands with small town appeal

have emptied their hearts and souls into various bars and venues on Fredonia's downtown strip.

On Monday, Oct. 22 Gonculator opened for Anathallo, one of Fredonia's most publicized bands of the semester at BJ's Saloon.

Hailing from Chicago, Anathallo is an eclectic band reminiscent of The Shins. They blend elements of classic and indie rock to make a unique sound. Currently the band is on a U.S. tour stopping in cities like Washington D.C. and Albany.

"This was my first time seeing Anathallo. They definitely were not what I expected, but it was a pretty interesting show," said senior visual arts and new media major Matt Evans. "Their songs blended multiple vocal harmonies with a lot of unique instruments,"

Anathallo's vocal harmonies and precise musicality made the crowd swoon. On this night many concert goers came for the drinks, but stayed for the music.

"I didn't expect to like them but they were really good. It's a new type of sound that really grabs your attention and draws you in," said Sarah Eager, a junior childhood education major. "The music was loud but good; different than what I'm used to." Music tends to seem louder than usual when you are listening in a setting like BJ's but the crowd did not mind the ringing in their ears.

This raises the question of how Fredonia, a small rural town in the middle of nowhere, is able to book bands like Anathallo and Thursday.

Dylan England, a sophomore drawing/painting major and Matt Byrne, a sophomore music business major run fredoniashows.com. Local bands from all over looking for bookings e-mail the site for an opportunity to play alongside respected and esteemed acts.

England and Byrne said the Web site was started approximately three years ago in part by Kimberly Saben, Andy Silva, Elliot Rothman and Steven Googin. The Fredonia music scene has expanded since then.

When the creators graduated, England and Byrne took over the responsibility. Although they are the current coordinators of the site and deal with booking the bands directly Byrne said, "We also have a lot of help from our friends who help us promote these shows; it's not just Dylan and I. Friends help make posters and advertise upcoming shows, we've all seen the flyers. You can attribute that primarily to Mike Avery."

Robb Clark, the owner of BJ's, where most of the shows are held, also has a major part in the planning of shows. Byrne said, "Robb does a lot with the contacts he has made to bring in bigger bands like Saxon Shore and Damiera and now Anathallo."

"I have nothing to say but positives. They're very cool guys and easy to work with," said Clark, of England and Byrne. "It seems to me that bringing bands here have made the scene more appealing to college kids. The music scene died off years back and now it is becoming bigger."

The idea of running of a Web site is a lot of hard work with no pay. These guys do it all for the sake of music.

"We just try to bring them in because we like having memorable shows. Seeing talented local bands in a setting like BJ's is an experience that you don't get at a huge show," England said.

Byrne and England are a time-tested example of the Internet's ability to help create hype and advertising. By receiving emails from a plethora of bands and choosing ones to perform here, this Web site and the people behind it have enhanced the music scene in Fredonia for students.

"It's important to us to keep having local shows and to keep bringing in bands that we would like to see and that we think other people would like to see. It's never really felt like a job or a chore, we just love doing it," said England.