Tag Archives: The October Accord

Show Review: Midday Records, 95.5 WBRU, & Naragansett Beer Presents: The Sweet Release, The Skinny Millionaires, The Brother Kite, & The Morgana Phase at Mardi Gras in Cranston, RI

Posted on by
Reply

95.5 WBRULast night (Friday, April 18) was another fantastic night celebrating local music for Midday Records, 95.5 WBRU, Narragansett Beer, and Mardi Gras MultiClub Presents: The Sweet Release, The Skinny Millionaires, The Brother Kite, & The Morgana Phase at Mardi Gras in Cranston, RI

The Sweet ReleaseThe Sweat Release kicked off the night and we can say that everything you have been hearing about The Sweet Release is true. Musically, they borrow from 70’s punk, hard rock, and some classic rock. Frontman, Austin Sheridan is a combination of Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop with a dash of GG Allin (without all the self-mutilation, defecation, and beating up fans). And we don’t say that lightly. Austin brings the sex, controversy and provocation, and one hell of a performance. When you see them you’ll either get it or you won’t. You’ll either love them or hate them. There is no in between.

10259706_844689025548644_5054199807491904484_nUp next were The Skinny Millionaires. Anyone who saw Mike O’Donnell play an acoustic set at The Midday Social and were expecting a similar sound with some drums, as we were, were in for a surprise. Mike gave an amazing performance at The Social but the full band brought more of a punk rock element to the table. They describe themselves as folk rock n roll and while their is plenty of rock there is also plenty of good old fashion punk. Especially in how they approach their backing vocals and harmonies. Pure bliss.

The Brother KiteThings shifted gears when The Brother Kite took the stage. Incredibly tight and absolutely beautiful. Last time we saw them was over at Fete Ballroom in Providence, RI opening for Civil Twilight. They’ve been around for some time and are just one of those bands that capture the beauty of local, independent music. Their sound is ethereal at times and rhythmic at others. As a musician watching other acts you often unintentionally zone in on the strengths as well as the weaknesses. There were no weaknesses. These guys are damn near flawless. Interesting and beautiful guitar work, extremely tight rhythm section, and vocals with harmonies that were spot on. I heard elements of Arcade Fire, Death Cab, and even some Cure (good Cure) in the lead lines of some of their older material.

 

The Morgana Phase95.5 WBRU were up last. These guys pull from post-hardcore with some punk/emo. It was definitely evident before they covered a Taking Back Sunday song that they were heavily influenced by them and bands like Brand New. They gave a very energetic performance, engaging the crowd and getting every last person in the venue up on their feet. Could not have asked for a better closing to the night

The great thing about events like this, other than the performances, is hanging out and getting to know artists. We spent much of the night hanging with Mike O’Donnell of The Skinny Millionaires, a man who is as sincere as he is polarizing at times. And while we won’t go into details, we want to publicly give props to The Sweet Release for their willingness to step up and do whatever it took to make the night a success and run smoothly.

The Brother Kite, Skinny Millionaires, The Morgana Phase, The Sweet ReleaseThanks to the BRU crew for coming out and giving away some great swag and for their continued support of local artists. Also, thanks to 95.5 WBRU and Narragansett Beer for sponsoring the event and their help promoting. Thanks to Mardi Gras for hosting these events and allowing Midday to bring in local artists. Also, thanks to our friends from Providence Night Out, 990Wbob.com, Downcity Armory, and The October Accord for constantly coming out to support local artists and our events.

One Hell of a Weekend… And it’s Just Begun

Posted on by
2

First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS to The Rare Occasions. They’ll be moving on to the final round of 95.5 WBRU‘s annual rock hunt!

The Rare Occasions We headed over to The Spot Underground last night for the first semi-final event of the 2014 Rock Hunt. Both Here We Just Dream and The October Accord played amazing sets. But The Rare Occasions have definitely stepped up their game. They played a fantastic set last year in the Rock Hunt and still managed to top it this year. These guys have been on the rise and have obviously been working hard at it. They don’t even have time to enjoy their win as they are hoping on a plane Wednesday for a few SXSW tour dates. They’ll be back in the area in time for the Rock Hunt finals over at The Met.

We were pretty psyched this event was being held at The Spot. One of those venues where we are fortunate to call just about every staff member a good friend. Always great to have a few drinks with our pal, Josh, who keeps things running over there. But have to say, Joe Ferro is not as fun when he’s on the clock! It was definitely nice catching up with them and the WBRU crew. We also ran into the boys from Fly Kite Canvas. We may have to start an official petition to get these guys back together. Also, met up with George from Providence Night Out, Todd from Downcity Armory, and Nina from BB Entertainment. After the event, we all headed over to Dusk to catch Nymphidels and Viking Jesus.

Even with all the rushing around we, unfortunately, missed Nymphidels set. Grrrrr. We made it in time for Ants in the Cellar‘s and Resistor’s sets. Major props for Rob Duaguy for putting together this lineup. A great bill that drew lots of heads out even going up against the Rock Hunt kick off. Viking Jesus, of course, killed it. We say this every time but these guys are made up of some of the most talented people in the Rhode Island music scene. George Dussault was sick and still managed to play a beautiful guitar solo with his eyes shut. Literally. He even played it with the guitar behind his back. Show off!

Dusk is another venue where we always seem to run into so many good people. Our crew spent the rest of the night hanging with Rick, the owner; Marc Clarkin from Motif Magazine;  Kelley Bowman from 990WBOB, Dave from 13 Folds Magazine, and the boys from Torn Shorts. (Who, coincidentally, won last years 95.5 WBRU Rock Hunt). Some of the nicest cats you’ll ever meet.

Fun nights can also be exhausting nights. But no time for rest. Tonight we have our first official meeting for Music For Paws with Tracy & Shawn from VulGarrity and Chris Conti from Providence Phoenix. There are some great ideas being tossed around to raise funds and make this one hell of an event.

FlyerThen we’ll be at Mardi Gras MultiClub in Cranston, RI for Midday Records Presents: Dylan Sevey and the Gentlemen, Bourne, Daddie Long Legs, and Most Dangerous Men Alive. This is a great bill so I hope to see you there!

Tomorrow, (Sunday, March 9th) we’ll be heading over to Fete to pig out on some scrum-diddy-umptious treats for RI Food Fights 3rd Annual Great Cupcake Championship with  Providence Night Out and then we’ll be rushing over to The Spot to guest co-host Sully’s Cafe. Weld Square will be our guests. Good times!

Let the fun continue!

Perform At The Midday Social: Get To Know The Artists

Posted on by
Reply

Check out our interviews with the 6 artists in the upcoming “Perform at The Midday Social” competition for a “Get to Know the Artists” segment. 6 questions for the 6 bands; Echoes of Petra, The October Accord, Downcity Armory, Weld Square, Escape Pod, & Most Dangerous Men Alive.

Jump To The Interviews:
Echoes of Petra
The October Accord
Downcity Armory
Weld Square
Escape Pod
Most Dangerous Men Alive

The Midday Social You can catch all these bands this Friday, January 24 at The Met in Pawtucket, RI. (Doors at 7:00. All ages. 10 bucks. Click here for the event page.) They’ll be competing for our judges: Mike Delehanty, talent buyer for Lupo’s and The Met; Marc Clarkin, music journalist for Motif Magazine, and Brian Manfredi, Senior Account Executive at 95.5 WBRU for a chance to perform at the next Midday Social. The Midday Social is one of New England’s fastest growing music related networking events. Held quarterly by Midday Records at Platforms in Providence, RI, we fill the room with the area’s top promoters, venues, radio stations, publication, etc. for a night of networking. The event is always free and open to all genres. For more details click here.

The October Accord

Posted on by
1

Midday Records sits down with Kerri from The October Accord for a “Get to Know the Artists” feature. The October Accord will be competing on Friday, January 24 at The Met in Pawtucket, RI for a chance to perform at the next Midday Social.

Midday Records: Let’s start off with the basics. Can you tell us a little about the band and the story behind your name, “The October Accord“?

The October AccordThe October Accord: The October Accord is a pop punk band from Blackstone, MA. Our lead guitarist, Holly Desautels and I, Kerri Gross, lead singer of the band grew up, knowing we wanted to start a band. In the summer of 2010 we finally decided to take action, and made it happen. October of 2010 we became official with five members and played our first “show” ever in Holly’s backyard. It was at that time we all agreed we wanted to buckle down and become noticed. Since an accord is an agreement we came up with the name The October Accord! Although the lineup has changed since then (due to certain circumstances) we’re more than happy to have members Austin Eskeli, bassist, and Joshua Remillard, rhythm guitarist, who we’ve met going to the same school, and Taydon Kennet, drummer, from North Smithfield, RI, whom we met at a jazz competition! Us five have been playing together for almost a year now and we plan on sticking together.

MDR: You’re a younger band (relatively speaking), have any life changes like going to college or starting careers affected the band in anyway?

TOA: Well so far, only Kerri and Holly attend college. Josh, Taydon, and Austin are currently in their senior year of high school. Although this makes it harder to get together, we all make every Sunday available to practice, and aim for shows on the weekends when Holly is back from school. We plan to work around everyone’s busy schedules but we always find a way to make things work.

MDR: You’ve recently released a video for “Better Off Without You“. What was it like filming the video and how has the new content affected the band?

TOA: Filming “Better Off Without You” was extremely fun. We had Mitchell Gamache, from Clark University come down to film the video and he did an amazing job!. We also had Dylan Salmon, from Cumberland, RI who came down to help be a part of the story line. He was a big help even though we threw paint all over him. We can’t forget Chris Piquette of Trophy Wives who recorded the song in the studio, we really couldn’t have done it without him! Currently this song has helped increase our fan base leaving over 1,200 views on YouTube! The feedback is great so far and we hope it continues!

MDR: Which of your songs do you enjoy playing live the most?

The October AccordTOA: Our favorite song to play live would probably be “The Flood.” At the beginning of this song we all gather around Taydon, our drummer, and make faces at each other. The song is very upbeat and aggressive. Overall, it’s easy to have fun and mess around with!

MDR: You’ll be competing for a chance to perform at The Midday Social, have you attended a Midday Social in the past or worked with Midday Records prior to this event? If so, what was the experience like for you?

TOA: We have had members attend a Midday Social in the past, and they say it was a great experience! In the end, we plan to attend the next Midday Social whether we win or not! We have also worked a lot with Davey Moore who has helped us in so many ways. We first met him when he asked us if we wanted to play a Midday Records Presents show at The Spot in Providence. We were excited to accept and begin working with Midday Records! He’s been a helpful mentor since then and we couldn’t be more thankful! So far working with Midday Records has been nothing short of amazing and we look forward to playing at The Met!

MDR: What can we expect to see in this upcoming year from the band?

TOA: This year is going to be a very exciting year! We have so much coming up! Definitely some pretty awesome shows will be in place, an EP is being recorded in February; we have some new songs being written and much more! We don’t want to ruin it all!

Midday Records Presents

Posted on by
Reply
Satellites Fall

Satellites Fall

Thanks to every one that came out to The Spot Underground last night in Providence, RI for Midday Records Presents Satellites Fall, Kids Felix (Southern New Jersey), Joe Marson (Brooklyn, NY), Paryah (RI), & The October Accord (MA). All the bands played spectacular sets! We packed that venue and can’t thank you all enough for helping make the night such a success. Special thanks to Pat from PALS for helping out by working the door.