NYS Music 20​16

Tag: emo

  • Social Repose Performance in Rochester before Starting Month-Long Tour

    Social Repose made a stop in Rochester on November 2nd as he was making his way to Toronto to join some friends for a month-long tour. The artist/musician with a penchant for goth performed an hour-long electronic pop set on the stage of the historic Harmony House Ballroom.

    Social ReposeAs we entered the hall, we spotted Social Repose signing autographs and taking pictures with fans between opening acts. He wore his trademark feathered headdress and wings – all black, of course. It’s a look instantly recognized by anyone who has seen his YouTube Channel, which has attracted nearly three quarters of a million subscribers. Over the past five years, he has used YouTube to post hundreds of videos featuring original songs, a cappella covers, comedic skits, and performance art.

    In fact, watching him and his crew set up the stage, I felt like I was witnessing a live art installation. Multiple light towers stood behind a DJ Booth featuring a dream-catcher logo. He launched the evening with “I Can’t Sleep,” an ode to insomnia with digital tick-tock beat. A light show was timed to the rhythms, and the back-lighting emphasized the silhouette of Social Repose’s figure in full regalia as he dominated the stage.

    The local scene turned out, wearing T-shirts from alternative bands and beanie hats over vibrant hair colors. We jumped, clapped and sang along. At one point, when Social Repose thought the crowd was a little too cheerful for the mood of a particular song, he brought us down by reminding everyone that My Chemical Romance has broken up and will never re-unite.

    Social ReposeHe sang a handful of fan favorites, and even threw in a cover of a Twenty-One Pilots song. The highlight of the evening was “Filthy Pride,” the new single released on Halloween, just three days prior to the show. A warped music-box melody augments the heart-wrenching lyrics: “I should’ve known a little better / Good things never last forever / My heart in repose / I need you the most.” Winding things down, Social Repose pulled out a ukulele for “If You’re Thinking of Leaving, You Should.” This emo ballad is about setting a loved one free while yearning for her return.

    The sentiment echoed as we all parted at the end of the evening, hoping that Social Repose will make his way back to our city again someday.

    Social Repose is the stage persona of Richie Giese, a 24-year old who resides in the vicinity of Washington, DC. He can be found on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. His music is available for purchase through iTunes and Google Play.

    The day after this performance, he joined fellow musicians Say We Can Fly and Johnnie Guilbert for the Something Before Christmas Tour. Shows are listed as open to all ages.

    Something Before Christmas Tour dates:
    November 3 Toronto, ON Hard Luck Bar
    November 4 Philadelphia, PA Voltage Lounge
    November 5 Cambridge, MA Middle East Downstairs
    November 6 New York, NY Webster Hall
    November 7 Kittanning, PA Radioactive Events Center
    November 8 Lakewood, OH The Foundry Concert Club
    November 9 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
    November 10 Columbus, OH Park Street Saloon
    November 11 Chicago, IL Reggies Rock Saloon
    November 12 Burnsville, MN The Garage
    November 13 Saint Louis, MO Fubar
    November 15 Denver, CO Moon Room @ Summit Music Hall
    November 16 Salt Lake City, UT Billboard – live
    November 18 Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk
    November 19 Van Nuys, CA White Oak Music
    November 20 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction
    November 22 Mesa, AZ Nile Theatre
    November 23 Albuquerque, NM Blu Phoenix
    November 25 San Antonio, TX Korova
    November 26 Fort Worth, TX Tomcats
    November 27 Houston, TX Scout Bar
    November 29 Orlando, FL Backbooth
    November 30 Saint Petersburg, FL Local 662
    December 1 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
    December 2 Nashville, TN Rocketown
    December 3 Greensboro, NC Arizona Pete’s
    December 4 Freehold, NJ GameChanger World

  • Hearing Aide: Bruce Horan’s ‘Tigershark’

    Artist-turned-musician, Bruce Horan offers the listener a glimpse into his creative mind on his debut album Tigershark. A graduate of Pratt Institute with a Masters of Fine Arts, and currently based out of Norwalk, CT, this guy has clearly got talent, which comes through on the seemingly careful thinking that went into each step of producing and recording this album. While primarily an artist (he paints in many mediums), Horan courageously ventures into the world of music through this work. Being a solo venture, with every instrument and vocal part recorded individually and then mixed and mastered at 30 Below Recording Studio in New York City, Tigershark is a true work of art.

    Every song offers the listener a poem put to music. The vocals on this album have an almost spoken word-like quality on many of the tunes, putting more emphasis on the lyrics, which are definitely worth giving a listen to. Some of the lyrics even teach lessons, including “Stalactite,” which contains a description of how stalagmites and stalactites are formed, and “Combined,” which features a whole verse of a couple speaking French that sounds like it is sampled from a language learning tape.

    Although tough to categorize, one could consider the first half of the album to be in the family-friendly genre, with some more repetitive and easy to follow instrumental patterns, and goofy lyrics about how Horan likes his eggs cooked on “Eggs,” and what would happen if the poles were reversed on – surprise, surprise – “If the Poles Reversed.” The second half of the album takes a more “emo” turn, with some more melancholy tunes about unrequited love on “Bumble,” and about having eight different worlds going on in his head on “Entropy.” Overall, most of his songs have a very stream of consciousness-like quality to them, with a bit of a perhaps intentionally unpolished sound. Hints of inspiration from bands like Ween and Weezer seem to come through in Horan’s quirky musical stylings.

    If you are interested in giving Tigershark a listen, you can stream or download it for free on Bruce Horan’s website, where you will also find music from his second album Riptide, as well as samples of his impressive artwork. Horan also keeps his Facebook page pretty well up-to-date with music videos as he produces them, so there are plenty of opportunities to check this guy out. While not currently performing live, one can only hold out hope that he will decide to do some shows in the future. In the meantime, you’ll just have to enjoy the listen.

    Key Tracks: Stalactite, Combined, Peregrine’s Wall