On Thursday, Cornell’s Fanclub Collective organized yet another fantastic line-up for a sweet night of trippy light shows and punk and noise music at Cayuga Lodge.
Up first was Nicki Duval of What Nerve. Unfortunately, I could only listen from several stories up in the building as I was hurriedly finishing school work so I could head to the show. Luckily, their glitchy dance-noise beats shook the whole house. I only heard positive things about the performance. I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for upcoming What Nerve shows, but for now I’ll have to satisfy my ears with their Bandcamp page.
I made it down just in time for the start of Eagle Daddy’s set. This New Jersey band started things rolling down the hard rock hill. They played a punk alt-rock set complete with wailing vocals from the guitarist who put on a show with some athletic moves. The bassist also contributed vocals that ranged from moody and sensitive (see “Upset” off of 2016’s You Should Try Jogging More) to hardcore shouting. He graced the audience with goofy dancing and between-song-banter. The crowd really seemed to enjoy their set, dancing wildly and responding to the bassist’s jokes. They said they were missing a band member, but the trio nevertheless played their tunes without missing a beat. They closed their set with a bang, playing a song with abrupt halts and climbing guitar riffs called “Staircase.”
Courtesy of Siobhan Brandman
Aaron Goldstein of Therm
Next up was Therm, previously called Lust. They kept the fun going with a silly Ramones vibe, able to incite the kind of pit that has the crowd smiling and laughing rather than what you might find at a Motörhead show. They played two covers: “Hanging on the Telephone” by The Nerves, which really pumped up the crowd, and closed out with “New Rose” by the Damned. While their covers were fantastic, their original music was just as much fun. Drummer Aaron Goldstein ’15 contributed most of the vocals. His voice is something special: simultaneously smooth as David Byrne’s and strong as Billy Idol’s, and as memorable as both. Therm’s guitarist, Jon Samuels, and bassist, Lewis Chesebrough, contributed some shouting vocals as well, and with smiles on their faces. The band seemed to have as much fun and energy as the crowd and perfectly prepped everyone to be Guerilla Toss-ed.
Hailing from NYC, Guerilla Toss has a stand-offish east-coast punk attitude. They didn’t catch me at first song, which I found just little too whiney and loud. But by the second tune, they added in some Latin beats and I was hooked. They described themselves on their Facebook page as “new age rage,” but I like to think of it as psychedelic-riot-funk. I felt I was on a rocket ship hurtling through an asteroid field like a pinball. The female lead singer’s vocals were screechy in the best of ways, rising above the heavy synths and spacey guitar effects. Some of her squeals were like sexy battle cries, forcing the crowd to rebel with their bodies, and a pit would ensue. But it would quickly tone down back to funky grooves. Although they were coming to the end of a long tour for their new album Eraser Stargazer (2016), they mustered up enough energy for an enthralling performance. The crowd was left sweaty, sore and smiling after the most fun night of music at Cayuga Lodge this semester.
Ailis Clyne is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].