Big Fat Music Week

My favorite way to listen to music is in a low-lit room, staring into space and contemplating my place in the universe.

However, I sometimes get off my behind, leave the house, and actually go to a place where I can take in a live show.

I stopped in to the East Ave. Record Archive on Tuesday for the “Versatility of Emotion” CD release party. I recently did the cover for said album, the debut from Reality Fix. Or, as I know him, Nick Bovenzi.

Nick put on a great show, with a little help from another hip hop up-and-comer, ASAP. They began by speaking against “corporate” rap, which seems designed to sell merchandise to suburban kids and defame women. This led into performances of songs from the album, as well as spouting some freestyle rhymes.

One Reality Fix song, “Father Earth,” includes a real unique beat featuring harmonica(!) by Nick’s uncle. (Some trivia: The track kicks off with a sample from the anime Full Metal Alchemist, which also inspired the album cover.) Nick encouraged people to check out track 11, which is a sort of cross-genre fusion piece. Great stuff.

Check out some tracks online over at music.myspace.com/realisticfix.
You can visit the main site at www.realisticfix.com, and be sure to stop into the Record Archive and pick up a copy.

My next adventure in music-going was last night at Milestone’s, where the MDG Band rocked the house. I’ve known MDG (Matthew D. Guarnere for you squares) for several years now, having designed his website. For this particular show, Matt and company were video recording (four cameras, no less!) for an upcoming promo disc he’s planning.

When the MDG Band gets going, there’s no stopping them. They do big, loud, adventurous prog rock. This includes many of MDG’s recent tunes, like “White Trash Wonder,” “Underachiever,” and “Roadmap,” but also classic rock covers of Rush, Queen, and even Stone Temple Pilots. Matt plays his rock star role to the hilt, with shiny clothing and stage acrobatics. It don’t matter how big the room is, he performs like the world’s gonna end tomorrow.

Maybe I should also mention that they can do quieter numbers, too. Like the original “Where’s everybody gone?” — but I do so enjoy the rockin’ tunes.

Anyway, visit matthewdguarnere.com to find out more about the band. MDG CD’s are available at a whole lotta record stores around Rochester.

Last up was The Niche, a Rochester jam band. I’ve heard about them for a long while, since my friend Ryan DeClerck does their posters. Well, I stuck around and grooved to their song stylings. They’ve got quite a hippie following, folks who get right up to the stage and dance. If you’re into Phish, String Cheese Incident, and even Kansas, check out these guys at www.theniche.org.