Doors 7 Music 8, $10-20 Sliding Scale
Bound by circumstance, identity, and creative spirit, three trans multi-instrumentalists founded THUS LOVE in 2018 in Brattleboro, Vermont. But the shared experience of Echo Marshall (she/her), Lu Racine (he/they), and Nathaniel van Osdol (they/them) runs much deeper, tracing its roots to poor, rural towns where it was difficult to find communities to call their own. That feeling of loss and solitary longing has also, paradoxically, cemented their powerfully close connection in THUS LOVE. The band lived together in a one-bedroom apartment above downtown Brattleboro during the entire recording process of their debut album (release date TBD), with Marshall cordoning off a room to build a studio from scratch.
Musically, THUS LOVE combines their love of post-punk with a loose, eclectic experimental streak that owes as much to van Osdol's jazz collection as it does to Marshall's classical training as a cellist. The band is unafraid to tackle weighty themes with startling intimacy and vulnerability -- and with a goal of amplifying the voices of those who continue to struggle. Says Marshall: "What I hope we're able to accomplish with THUS LOVE is to redirect opportunities to those who haven't had them and to create communities in the kinds of places where we grew up. We want them to know they're not alone."
Lahnah is currently comprised of Thomas Shadis (vox, guitar, engineering), Asher Johnson (bass, cello, violin), Kevin Berry (guitar, sounds), and Kyle Ross (drums). We live in Portland Maine and often play around that town as well! Over the course of five years we've self produced and released sixteen albums, some good, some inscreamably good. We are currently in a RaunchadeliaTM phase. Formerly known as Father Spatter (2016-2018) and Poolilly Boolilly and the Dog (2018). Previous members include Jamie S, Emily T, Asa S, Harm, and Jarred S. Formerly based in Brattleboro, VT.
The genre is post-proto-anti-contemporary music. Or experimental punk or something.
Inspired by hazy, relentless post-punk and the unique anxieties of 2010s living, FonFon Ru (Portland, ME) is a band glued together by friendship, sustained by love, and fueled by anguish. Guitarist/Vocalist Harry James, Session Guitarist Cormac Brown, Bassist Jimi Ledue, and Drummer Wes Sterrs issued their first album “Death and Texas” in 2019. This record earned them acclaim from their local scene and national tastemaker UPROXX, who deemed them “aggressive yet precise, a tribute to what made the rock of yesterday so appealing and what could make the rock of tomorrow worthwhile.”
FonFon Ru’s sophomore record, Collapse of the Silver Bridge — releasing February 18th via Repeating Cloud — serves as a time capsule of harrowing moments and a surefire mission statement. This album is vignettes of modern dismay - smoky desolation, staring down hypocrisy, embracing the immense spectrum of identity in full acrylic color, all culminating in a sonic representation of the beautiful ballet between panic, love, and self.
The world is a scary place and FonFon Ru is here to wear cowboy boots and guillotine earrings and kiss their pals. Don’t let the cat out, don’t let the cops in.