Cumulus Festival: Talkdemonic, Bronze Fawn, Diminshed Men

To See Rating: 7.5/10
Just Curious Rating: 7/10

Not really knowing to much about the Cumulus Festival was a great way to approach the night’s music. A band by the name of Talkdemonic had snagged my attention about three years ago, and since they were a part of this fledgling festival, that seemed reason enough to check it out.

Walking into the cramped space of the Mars Bar, I noticed that the band Diminished Men were already soaking down the audience with distorted, fuzzed-out guitars, and a smoke machine to boot. At times during their set, it seemed hard to figure out where songs started and where some would end, which would leave the audience giving the band less than ample applause. Understandably, some of this avant-garde, post rock music can leave you a bit confused, and Diminished Men were proving this theory correct. One thing is for certain; the different genres of music that were melded within the confines of these three men were inspiring. Hearing some straight up quintessential jazz beats off the drums, paired up with some Hendrix chord bending fuzzed-out guitars, with a couple dashes of California beach rock was fresh. This band seemed to be a great appetizer, but the protein was coming up next.

Bronze Fawn took the stage and did so with power and complete and total ownership. Instantly grabbing the audience with their soft introduction to each and every one of their instruments with tight beats, beautiful swirling fuzzy guitars, and a sturdy bass line, then unfurling the musical prowess of their instruments by song’s end was captivating. These guys should be touring with Russian Circles or Pelican, or is that too much of a good thing? It has yet to be seen, but we would can only hope. This band can hang with the best of them with no problem. Maybe they are not as avant-garde as some of the other bands on the festival bill, but they are still light years away from average, and push the envelope of music,  these guys know their instruments and push them to the limits. Just another Seattle band that you can be proud of just as I am.

And from the sister city of Portland, Oregon comes the dessert, Talkdemonic. If you have heard any of their stuff, it’s pretty lush, full and busy, so when only two people take the stage it’s a bit confusing, but of course once the Mac Book is revealed, it all makes sense. The ”not so hard on the eyes” duo of  Kevin O’Connor & Lisa Molinaro took the stage and let their music do most all of the talking. Molinaro’s violin seemed to have the most to say, layered over quick up-tempo beats through a lot of the set, this band literally reminded me of Matt and Kim, and not because of the obvious. If you were to replace her violin with a synth keyboard, I could hear it, and that’s not a bad thing. Like a hip, cool, baroque version, and that’s pretty rad. The crowd nonetheless was immersed in the electrified strings of her violin and she splayed out the vast array of sounds it was willing to create in a beautiful and masterful way. Overall it was an impressive performance, and it was clear this was a festival of sounds and a celebration of music in its purest, yet newest forms. Hats off to Levi Fuller and gang for this triumph. Now maybe a bigger venue is in order.

To check out some live footage, see below: