WHAT A TEMPER!: BRICK + MORTAR

I attended Riot Fest here in Denver in mid September, three days of music with a punk theme. I arrived Friday afternoon and departed the Sports Authority stadium parking lot Sunday evening, sleeping in the back of the truck. Many bands were on my list of "must see." On Friday night I had the good fortune of making it all the way up to the barricade in front of the May Farms stage, getting a front row seat to Die Antwoord, The Flaming Lips and Weezer. What an experience! Seeing Weezer up close was worth the price of the three day pass! As the days passed I found myself standing farther out, wanting to avoid the packed crowds in front of the stage, such that by Sunday evening I took pleasure standing outside the throng of people, where I had plenty of room to dance to the music that I had no trouble hearing.

This post features Brick + Mortar, a new band who's performance and sound I like, having performed at The Big Gig back in August. They were one of the first bands to play on the May Farms stage Sunday afternoon.

Brick + Mortar was identified as one of "8 Bands You Absolutely Must Watch At Riot Fest Denver This Weekend," describing them as:

Brandon Asraf and John Tacon formed Brick + Mortar six years ago after countless attempts to do something meaningful with other musicians were less than encouraging. Keeping it lean and mean has worked for the New Jersey-based duo: Last year, they aligned themselves with Photo Finish Records for the release of Bangs, a six-track mini-LP that isn’t impenetrably experimental as much as it is slightly askew. Distorted keyboards, slamming rhythm tracks and grating samples are couched within fully realized pop songs, topped off by bassist Asraf’s highly expressive vocal melodies. It’s a chemistry that wouldn’t sound out of place on a bill on the Fest or foreshadowing a plotline on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. When they roll up onto the Riot Fest stage, there’s a good chance the smattering of rocker tribes in attendance will find something in Brick + Mortar’s high-spirited set to gravitate toward.

Read it all here:
http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/8_bands_you_absolutely_must_watch_at_riot_fest_denver_this_weekend