BLOW!

Signed to Angry Mom Records. If “Loaded” and “Better Day” are any indication, they are major label material. - Music Hunch

Johnny, one half of the band Blow!, recently sent over some tunes and they are a must share. Their approach reminds me of the first time I listened to Veils or even The XX. Their style is a perfect foundation for growth, which is why this band should be closesly monitored. Before you know it you'll forget about the first time you heard them and instead, think about what the future holds for this band. Listen/watch the video for their stand out track, "Was", and immediately head over to their bandcamp to locate their EP. - Digital Hygiene

So. Heute gibt es endlich mal wieder ein Freitagsvideo. Ist was für Träumer. Weiß nicht ob der Song das Video besser macht als es ist oder ob es sich umgekehrt verhält. Jedenfalls konnte ich einfach nicht wegschauen. Noch beeindruckender ist das ganze wenn man weiß, dass es nur mit einer digitalen Spiegelreflexkamera und Cinema 4D produziert wurde… Kompliment. Ausgezeichnet. - The Lager

BLOW! är en ny duo från collegestaden Ithaca som skapar exprimentiell indiepop med loopar och konstiga ljud. Den här låten finns med på duons ep Silvertone som du kan ladda ned gratis HÄR! - ACE

For the past year, BLOW! has been one of the most prolific bands on the Ithaca scene. The pair of Bruce Hyde and Johnny Zachman has gigged constantly, released a couple of records, tried out a few different lineups, channelled the legendary duo Suicide at a New York City tribute show, and continually honed their sound.
With the completion of their latest EP, "Silvertone," and a solidified stage show (they've finally settled on the duo format), BLOW! is poised for their next big move: they'll be heading down to Austin, Texas, to play at the South by Southwest music industry conference early next month. And along the way, they'll be doing a bunch of gigs in the Midwest and South that will take them to some new markets.
"From a business standpoint, it's a good place to network," said Hyde of SXSW. "But it's also a good place to meet other bands and set up some gig swapping. If you meet a band from a city you want to play in, it becomes a more personal connection than just doing it online.
"We're also hoping to have some fun," he continued. "We don't have any grand idea. But there is something to be said about playing an event where a lot of similar bands are also playing."
Before hitting the road, Hyde and Zachman will return to the Chapter House on Saturday, Feb. 26, where they'll be joined by two Ithaca College-based rock bands, Tropical Punk and Music Band. There's a $5 cover for the show.
About a year ago, BLOW! put out a quickie EP, titled "Overrated." Its stripped-down sound barely hinted at the massive sound displayed on "Silvertone."
"When were making the first one, we didn't even know what we wanted to sound like," said Zachman. "We had been only playing for a month. Bruce wrote a lot of those songs, and some were written the same day we recorded them. We just wanted to get a product out there to start playing some shows."
"We were just learning how to record," Hyde added. "But I don't think we'll ever make a typical sounding record-it's more fun for us to always to do something different."
Indeed, those who have seen BLOW! perform over the past year have noticed a shifting sound, as the duo toyed with a few lineups (a bass player here, a drummer there, or the occasional backing singer or multi-instrumentalist). But they've finally found an equipment set-up that will enable them to capture much of the power of their studio sound.
Zachman, for instance, has finally ditched his laptop, which laid down the sequences the band played to.
"My primary instruments are a sampler, a microKorg (synthesizer) and lots of weird things to make sounds," he said. "We still use loops and samples, but the nice thing now is that nothing is sequenced so it's all very live and improvisational. We don't ever want to be in a jam band, but we like the ability to go with a certain part or play at half tempo. We both like weirdness in recording, and our new live setup is going to allow us to be a lot more weird and interesting."
"With Johnny on that setup, it feels like playing with a real drummer," Hyde noted. "We can stop whenever we want, or break it down."
Zachman also ditched the guitar, leaving the on-stage duties to Hyde. "I'm going all really fuzzy," he said, thanks some new effect pedals. "We're getting more of what I like, rather than just putting some random stuff in there. I can play really noisy guitar if I want."
Last summer, the band released a limited-edition vinyl EP for local label Angry Mom Records; they've already recouped their costs. "The great thing about Angry Mom is that we're able to get out stuff really quickly when we have it," Hyde said. "So I see us putting out a large volume of EPs and records."
At the New York City tribute show last November at Castaways, BLOW! did an all-Suicide set, re-creating the jittery techo sound of that trend-setting duo.
"That rubbed off on us more than we expected," Zachman noted.
"Just being able to cover those songs you realize how - whether you love or hate Suicide - you have a very strong reaction when you here that stuff," added Hyde. "That woke us up to the fact that we could be a lot more impactful live. We used to be a quieter band, but now we're much louder."
"The thing about us is that we're constrained in a lot of ways because we're a duo, but I think we're constantly trying to be as creative as we can within those confines," Hyde continued. "The next record we'll do will probably be a lot more shoegaze-y and dance-y, but I have no idea if the one after that will be acoustic or something else."
To learn more about the band, visit www.blowexclamationpoint.com. - Jim Catalano in The Ithaca Times

This band are called Blow! and they're from Ithica in New York. This is their debut single, from their upcoming 7" release, Overrated. It's pretty straightforward pop, with beautiful 50's harmonies. - Pop Goes The Radio

So I thought I’d give a shout-out to an Ithaca, NY band, Blow!, composed of Johnny Zachman and Bruce Hyde. These guys are just putting out their first EP, Overrated. and as they know, my favorite song from the EP is a track titled Living. Maybe it’s the overwhelming applicability of the lyrics to (my) real life, the raspy somnolence in Bruce’s voice or the galvanizing riffs during the chorus; I don’t really know, but not only is this song introspective, its also pretty damned catchy. I suggest you take a listen and if you’re in the Ithaca area, pop into one of their shows at The Nines — you won’t be disappointed. - Catchy Song of the Day

Though the title of their debut EP is "Overrated," it would be difficult to exaggerate the talents of the newish Ithaca music duo Blow! It's only been about seven months since Bruce Hyde and Johnny Zachman met at an open-mic night at The Nines, and the pair has already scored a publishing contract, recorded a single with a legendary New York producer, and developed a strong regional following in Rochester and Brooklyn.

Now that it's clear that Blow! is poised to, well, blow up, Ithacans have the chance to judge for themselves how the band rates, as Hyde and Zachman will hit clubs across town four times in the next month, before performing as part of The Ithaca Festival Inside in early June. Catch them on the rise as they hit Castaways for the first of two performances next month, at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 2 opening for Boise's Finn Riggins.

"I was like relatively Van Wilder-esqe for a period, I've got about 20 credits left at Cornell," Hyde said over drinks at Bandwagon earlier this month. "I graduated from Notre Dame in May of last year, and I moved here in July to pursue music," Zachman added. "Johnny came up to me and goes, 'Hey my name is Johnny Zachman and I just moved here to pursue music full time, I really enjoyed your set!'" Hyde said. "And my first impression was, 'Why the hell would you move here to pursue music...I really thought Johnny was f*cking with me about how nice he was."

Hyde is the band's songwriter, and he sings, plays and loops electric guitar, bass, percussion; the multi-instrumentalist Zachman arranges the material. After forming Blow! in the late fall of last year, the two recorded their first EP on Cornell's campus in the winter while students were not in session, and released "Overrated" digitally on January 19 of this year. The five-track album, which was mixed by Hyde's friend David Peters, caught the attention of Fish Music Group in Manhattan who signed the band up for a publishing deal for the song "Better Day."

"A lawyer involved in Bug Music somehow read a feature that The Sun did on us, went to our myspace page and heard the song, and called me up and immediately came up to see us play," Hyde said over drinks at Bandwagon a few weeks ago. "He seriously said, 'Kid, let me tell you, I know it, and that song's got it!"

"He drove up like two weeks later to see us open up for some random band at the nines," Hyde recalled. "And he took us out to coffee afterwards and the first thing he said was 'That song would make a great Tampax commercial.' Then he said, "Just kidding. But seriously, that's good money." By mid-April, the two were in the studio with legendary producer Jimmy Bralower, who has previously worked with Peter Gabriel, Celine Dion, Hall and Oates, and R. Kelley.

"Better Day" is a looping and hook-laden pop song, which recalls '50s pop like the Diamonds and old Beach Boys. "It's a better day," Hyde sings, elongating the vowels and stretching the words like syrup over lush strings and layered harmonies. "The rain's washed away, and I feel good, and I knew I would..." If Hyde's vocal approach is decidedly retro, he at times sounds like a natural 60s soul singer that might appear on a Stax Record, Blow! is decidedly modern, a cross between Andrew Bird and the best of popular indie rock.

Live, Blow! builds complex soundscapes while maintaining the catchy and danceable appeal of rock and roll. "I feel like if you can prove to the audience that you are capable of doing everything that they're hearing then they give you a lot more leeway," Hyde said. "So we always do a really stripped down mini acoustic set when we play live, because first, I just think that if a song can't stand up with just an acoustic guitar then it's probably not that great of a song, but also because it develops an intimacy with the audience."

Blow! has been slowly building its local presence, developing a grassroots following with shows at Collegetown Bagels, The Shop and a Record Story Day appearance at Angry Mom, but made a splash with its first real gig: a February opening slot for the post-shoegazing group Asobi Seksu at the most crowded WildFire show in recent memory. Blow! will hit The Haunt on May 20 and Castaways again on May 11 with Givers.


http://www.ithacatimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=67&ArticleID=11611 - Luke Z. Fenchel - The Ithaca Times

Saturday night’s show at Ithaca’s Wildfire Lounge was one of reinvention. A local Ithaca band, The Cos, transported the audience to the nitty-gritty streets of New York City. Cornell group Blow! — who recorded their debut EP on a laptop in the bathrooms of Willard-Straight and Balch arch — created a sound as big and full as an orchestra. The headliners, Brooklyn’s Asobi Seksu, may have made their reputation blasting layered guitars in the tradition of the best elements of shoegaze, but brought out the acoustic guitars and piano for their return to Ithaca.

The first band of the night hailed from downtown Ithaca, but announced they were playing songs from New York City. Though only using an acoustic guitar and a snare drum, the band covered a whole host of New York-centric songs as well as played originals from the group’s mainstay, Cosmo Alpern. They draw from the anti-folk aesthetics of Greenwich Village stalwarts like the Moldy Peaches and Jeffrey Lewis, and from their first song (a mash-up of radio friendly hits like MIA’s “Paper Planes” and Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind”) the duo established that they had no shortage of street cred. The group then explored the isolation that one can feel in the Big City — playing songs ranging from Paul Simon’s plea to Art Garfunkel: “The Only Living Boy in New York,” to Johnny Thunders’ vividly described bottom of the barrel lifestyle: “Chinese Rocks.” Alpern’s original lyrics, such as “there goes my selective memory again/telling me I should believe in love,” also reflected the isolation that has defined much of the anti-folk movement.

The next band to play was Blow!, a duo that built one instrument upon another to create a sound that won the chatty crowd’s full attention. While their debut release, Overrated, shows a band striving for a big pop sound, their show on Saturday revealed an act that was just as comfortable playing in an intimate setting. The band played a set that demonstrated a mastery of songwriting and the strong musicianship of the two musicians. Front man Bruce Hyde’s voice was impassioned and weathered in the best sense, adding depth to the instrumentals. Though they built their backing tracks on an electric drum pad and effects pedals, the band proved they weren’t an solely an effects band when they walked into the audience and performed an “unplugged” number that remained true to their sound. The band returned to the makeshift stage for a cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends,” transforming the upbeat electronics of the song into a ragged tune that fit right in with Blow!’s aesthetic.

The night closed with a rare intimate set from shoegazers (or post-shoegazers depending on who you ask) Asobi Seksu, who returned to Ithaca after a Fanclub Collective. This Brooklyn band has made its reputation on shows that are usually “pretty fucking loud,” as front woman Yuki Chikudate told the audience. Tonight, though, was the end of the band’s three-week tour in support of their new album Rewolf, which features acoustic renderings of old classics as well as new tracks, recorded at London’s famed Olympic Studios. These recordings were done at the bequest of their United Kingdom label head, Chikudate told The Sun after the concert, and while originally marketed as a tour-only release, U.S. label Polyvinyl pushed for a full-fledged release and tour. And so, for three weeks after their yearlong tour supporting their previous release, Howl, Asobi Seksu has been back on the road with acoustic guitars, leaving the effects pedals back home.

The show was a personal and intimate event within itself, as the audience crowded around a band that is typically known to wail on instruments in a much bigger venue. While many of the songs were recognizable, they were transformed to meet the new abilities of the band. Songs like “New Years” and “Thursday” (off their strongest LP, Citrus) which were previously notable for the engulfing swirl of sounds the band created, became precious gems that were at once tangible and ethereal. Even covers, like Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Never Understand,” were swept into this treatment. Parts that had previously been played by electronics and effects, were replaced with xylophone and tambourine, giving the group a much more indie pop/twee vibe. Through the changes though, one element stayed the same: Chikudate’s voice was still the center of the sound, a strong and controlling pierce that was melodic and beautiful while revealing the power of the singer.

Chikudate maintains that Asobi Seksu “always knew we wanted to be an overwhelmingly big band,” with no separation between the different instruments. They have no plans to become an acoustic band, and their next record is definitely going to be a return to their shoegaze roots. However, Chikudate did concede that it was good to go over old material and the process definitely “gave new life to old songs.” As she put it, “we don’t want to just be another loud guitar shoegaze band.”
- Peter Jacobs - The Cornell Daily Sun

Back in the day (a.k.a. September), I had the pleasure of attending Ithaca's annual music festival, Porchfest. I saw a lot of musicians play, but one of my favorites was local Johnny Zachman. It's recently come to my attention that Zachman has formed a band, duo BLOW! He did me the favor of sending me BLOW!'s recent EP, "Overrated" and I have to say I was impressed.

BLOW! consists of Zachman and singer Bruce Hyde, but you'd never know it's only the two of them by listening. Both band memebers play and loop guitar, bass, and percussion, while Hyde sings and writes the songs and Zachman does what their website calls "laptop-related things" and arranges. Their sound is a little Andrew Bird-esque, but its mostly just good, complicated music with emotional lyrics. Hyde's voice is soothing and the lyrics are interesting, but I think the coolest thing about BLOW! is their straight-up music. It's fun to try to figure out what they're up too and how they do it! If you want a preview, check them out on Lala.com, where you can listen to their EP once before you have to buy it (you can do so on Itunes).

I'm hoping to get to one of their live shows later in the semester, but since I can't make it to their Wildfire Lounge show on Saturday, I'm hoping my fellow Rattle blogger Angelina Castillo will report back. Keep an eye out for those amazing photos she's bound to take, and keep an ear out for BLOW! - Lucy Gram - Ithaca College Rattle

Located on South Cayuga Street, slightly off the Commons, the Wildfire Lounge has the potential to become one of Ithaca’s premier music venues. This is a place with multiple options: you can sit a good distance away from the action and talk while enjoying a drink from the bar; you can relax on plush couches, put your legs up and rest your eyes; you can sit or stand as close to the music as you want and share the experience with like-minded friends and friends-to-be; and Saturday night, the up and coming Wildfire Lounge was host to one of Cornell’s up and coming bands —Blow! The band opened for Brooklyn group Asobi Seksu, and did not fail to impress with their innovative set.

Blow! is the brainchild of Bruce Hyde ’06 and Johnny Zachman, whose meeting last September was purely coincidental. Hyde, who has played in several local bands in the past couple of years, met Johnny at an open mic night at The Nines restaurant last year, and the two started comparing backgrounds, favorite artists and ideas for a new band. Although the two band-mates get their musical inspiration from completely different places, Bruce and Johnny recognize a mutual respect for the other’s talents. While Bruce is a self-taught artist and a jazz lover, Johnny is a classically trained musician who cites indie-rock bands The Books and The National as two of his favorites. In fact, the looping present in Blow!’s songs can be traced back to some of Johnny’s musical influences; indie and alternative music fans may recognize looping from many of Andrew Bird’s songs, and the soundscapes and digital layering are influenced by Animal Collective and Bon Iver (Johnny uses his laptop to record music for replaying live). Though Blow!’s songs are technically masterful, the musicians’ talent is also evident in their lyrics. Bruce is a stellar songwriter with a unique, raspy voice to match, and has been writing songs for quite a few years.

Blow!’s dynamic show was particularly fun because of the interesting way they constructed their songs on the stage. Live recording and looping, now semi-famous because of Andrew Bird, band mates Hyde and Zachman created tracks on a variety of instruments, and then replayed those tracks to create a soundscape which they used as background music for their live performance. At first, it was odd to see Bruce tap out some stray beats on an electric drum set prior to a song, but the way those sounds became an integral part of the upcoming song allowed a fresh appreciation for the music’s intricate form. Indeed, both members of Blow! are well-versed in looping, and commonly loop electric guitar, bass and drums into their songs. In addition, both members were playing electric guitar, bass and acoustic guitar for the entirety of their set, with Bruce adding the vocals. Looping and layering functions in many ways for Blow!: it creates intricate soundscapes for Bruce and Johnny to use in their songs; it showcases how rhythmically aware they are at all times; it is an incredible way for everyone in the room to realize how complicated the song constructions are; and it creates a delightfully ghostly mood because much more is happening than meets the eye.

The two act in perfect synergy on stage, and although they didn’t talk too much between songs on Saturday, it is only because each was focused on his own work. The end result was fantastic — their unique soundscape gives their music a spacey sound, while the repetitive background lets Bruce’s vocals take center stage.

Blow!’s first EP, Overrated, is set to release March 26, the band will be playing at the Wildfire Lounge again, as well as at The Shop and The Giving Tree (formerly the ABC Café) in the next couple of months. Each show is a unique experience, not only because they perform some interesting covers, but also because the band is always experimenting with new electric and acoustic looping and layering. Blow! shouldn’t be missed, and you can keep up with them at their website http://www.blowexclamationpoint.com. - Roger Strang - Cornell Daily Sun

As the Facebook event states, there’s an “EPIC BILL” going on over at the Nines this Saturday night, one that is absolutely not to miss. Sexy bearded locals Caution Children will be playing alongside another Skipster favorite, BLOW!, with additional support from Electric Tickle Machine and Gabe Tavares. Make sure to clear your Saturday for what will be an awesome orgy of incredible local music — minus Electric Tickle Machine, who will be coming from NYC but will still be contributing to said orgy. Oh, and did I mention how sexy Caution Children are? Because they are. Sexy.

On a related note, BLOW! just revealed they’ll be heading into the studio soon to cut a full-length, though their fantastic Overrated EP has totally been filling our appetite here at Skipster HQ. The group will be working with the legendary Jimmy Bralower, who has produced the likes of Peter Gabriel, Britney Spears, and even Celine fucking Dion. To say the least, both these guys and this show are brimming with promise. - Skipster Independent Music Blog

Analog warmth makes it sound like a perfectly preserved piece of a past relationship, one that was documented by a collection of songs on a cassette tape. From reel to reel the tape replays a vivid sequence of memories; a slideshow of favorite moments runs on the canvas of your mind. Dust falls from this capsule of nostalgia as the feelings all come rushing back through every fiber of your being. When it all reaches your heart, there's no escaping the past as you find yourself overcome by memories of better days.

"Better Day" is a warm, welcoming song that's coated in bright, lush harmonies. It pairs '50s innocence with a modern day indie pop aesthetic that results in a very agreeable sound. Deep down, there seem to be roots in doo wop -- or at the very least '50s pop -- for how it succinctly tackles heartache in such a pleasant and accessible way.

Blow! is New York duo Bruce Hyde and Johnny Zachman. - Mixtape Muse