The crowd is thin at the Bowery Electric on this wet Tuesday, but the folks who made it out are determined to have a good time in spite of damp socks and train delays. This East Village venue has two floors, and I came to see the show happening downstairs in the Electric Room, where the combination of gritty exposed brick and a swanky full bar on the mezzanine gives the space a funky vibe attuned to the personality of the neighborhood.
First in tonight’s lineup is Everything Falls, an alternative rock band from Springfield, New Jersey whose biker bar brand of music fits the same bill as Seether, and other heavy alternative bands of the mid-2000s. Everything Falls strikes a nice balance between light and dark by pairing thunderous, bloodthirsty drums with fluid, flowery guitar solos, and steely, rigid bass riffs with impassioned vocals. Guitarist Kenny Sheldon plays melancholy, blues-tinged notes that dance up and down the scale, adding a touch of raw truth to what otherwise might be a too-rehearsed sound. Everything Falls is a highly polished, radio-friendly group, and almost too well-oiled for the rowdy crowds they’re sure to appeal to.
Up next is New York-based punk trio Thundera, whose bedroom confessional style lyrics are potent and piercing, parallel to punching drums and razor sharp guitar riffs. Thundera seems to have come here straight from a 90’s riot grrrl festival and they retain all the best features of that subgenre: stark lyrics discussing taboo subjects, chantable hooks and hummable tunes, and vocal quality more dependent on personality than on tone or technical dexterity. Vocalist Rissa Aponte hops and struts around the stage like the outsiders’ heroine from your middle school dreams, and her emotional range far exceeds her vocal range, making her an ideal punk singer. She bubbles with anger in one number before melting into romantic wistfulness in another, an accepted vulnerability written on her face and ingrained in her dancing that authenticates her lyrics and captivates her audience. “Cool” is a hard-hitting anti-anthem in the vein of Bikini Kill and Garbage, while the largo tune “Sally” is enchanting and beautiful without fitting any specific style. “Sally” is the one moment of Thundera’s set where the punk element fades almost completely, but it is this moment of versatility that reveals how special they are. The remainder of their stage time is spent firing the small audience up. Bruni Lee plays her drums in the same ferocious, tinny style as Tobi Vail, a constant, hungry pulse that underlines every word Rissa sings. Lead guitarist Marianna Cantos brings a touch of pure hard rock to the group, playing rich, languid riffs that overlap each other like ocean waves rather than the rapid, staccato chords so typical of the punk sound. Her playing has a touch of the early 70s, and the dense, metallic phrases oozing from her instrument remind me of Ritchie Blackmore’s work in Deep Purple. Thundera lays down a solid performance and as they pack up their instruments, I’m wishing their set was longer and wondering when their next show is.
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| Drummer Bruni Lee and Singer Rissa Aponte playing "Sally" |
Following Thundera is Freya Wilcox and the Howl, a Brooklyn-based group led by Australian singer and guitarist, Freya Wilcox. From the first note, this is old fashioned heavy metal, descended from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Janis Joplin, and all the godparents of rock and roll. Their energy is epidemic. Their sound weighs a ton and soars like a rocket ship. No one can possibly stand still as they fill the room with iron vibrations, but Freya Wilcox rocks harder than everyone, head banging furiously as she strangles screeching rhythms from her guitar. Her raspy alto voice has a bluesy texture nuanced by real anger, and the band’s cover of “Rhiannon” seems to ring truer in her chain smoker’s tone than it ever did in Stevie Nicks’ honeyed one. Even slower numbers are thick with rage and laden with warlike drumbeats, courtesy of CJ Dunaieff. This is the kind of mutable rock that would enrapture an audience in a stadium as much as an audience in a dive bar.
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| Freya Wilcox and Craig Shay |
Unfortunately, the Bat Signal shines in the sky, and I have to miss the last band of the night, Mighty Kind. But I refuse to leave and save Gotham without talking to the ladies of Thundera, who are nice enough to consent to an interview. Below is our conversation, conducted over email and edited only for grammar.
HJ: Tell me about the moment you discovered punk rock. How did it change you?
Rissa Aponte (singer): I can’t really remember the very first time I heard punk rock, it might’ve been longer ago than I recall and I just didn’t realize it was punk at the time, but I do remember the first time I heard Bikini Kill, and they’re the ones that really got me into punk rock music. I was in my basement doing a chore or something and playing music from YouTube on my laptop so I wouldn’t get bored. I saw “Rebel Girl” as one of the recommended videos and clicked it, and I was floored. I loved everything, the music, the lyrics, the attitude, the song’s power and message, all of it! I had never heard anything like that before, and I kept replaying it. From there I researched the band and saw a picture of Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer, wearing a T-shirt with The Clash on the front, so I looked them up and loved their music, too, and it kinda snowballed from there.
Marianna Cantos (lead guitarist): The first time I ever really heard about punk rock was when I read a biography about Nirvana. The book mentioned how Kurt Cobain was influenced by punk rock when he started out playing in bands. He mentioned he was into bands like Bikini Kill. It didn’t occur to me to look up Bikini Kill until I joined Thundera. That’s when I really started to explore punk music. Bikini Kill, The Sex Pistols, The Stooges, Misfits, all different styles of punk, but they all have that raw attitude that I love from a band. They weren’t trying to be perfect, they just wanted to be heard.
Bruni Lee (drummer): I can’t really pinpoint the first time I heard punk. I’ve always been into all kinds of music, so [I] was probably listening to it before identifying it as punk. I do remember the first time I head Horses by Patti Smith. I heard this story unfolding alongside a barrage of sounds being pushed forward by a topic I had never heard addressed that way in music before. The imagery, the poetry, the honesty. It was amazing! I loved it. I also remember hearing “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill in some movie I was watching. I was spellbound. I felt a heat rising up in my body. I wanted to scream. I wanted [to] move. I wanted to do something! It made me want to take action!
HJ: Who are you individual influences, in terms of creative style and musical technique?
R.A: Lyrically, Brandon Flowers from The Killers inspired me to start writing songs of my own, since I admired his writing so much, but we have very different writing styles. He uses a lot of metaphors and imagery in his lyrics, while I tend to write more straightforward and direct, which is inspired by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones from The Clash, and Bruce Springsteen. Vocally, I really like the style of Alison Mosshart from The Kills. She can sing really hard rock songs with lots of grit and attitude, but [she] can also sing slower and more melodic songs really well, which is what I try to do.
M.C: I’m influenced by Slash of Guns N’ Roses and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden. They are both very talented and have distinctive styles. Kim Thayil’s tuning, heavy sound, and catchy riffs are what got me into grunge. I try to incorporate that heavy style and add some melody to it for our music.
B.L: I love drummers/musicians who have a sense of power in their playing, not in the physical sense, but in their purpose and delivery. I love drummers who know when not to play and how not to overplay. I truly appreciate a drummer who can play something simple or complicated and make it interesting without losing the basis of the song. John Bonham is a great example of that. He’s my top pick for his creative instincts and his groove.
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| Left to right, Marianna Cantos, Bruni Lee, Rissa Aponte |
HJ: What is your favorite song that you’ve written? What is your favorite cover to play? Why?
R.A: I think “Shake It Off” will always have a special place in my heard since it was the first uptempo song I had written, before the others that I actually thought were really good- haha! It definitely inspired me to keep going. But another song I’m really proud of is “Sally.” When I wrote the lyrics and the rhythm guitar part I thought it was pretty good, but when Marianna and Bruni added their parts, I loved it, and when we played it like and I saw people singing the chorus to themselves for the first time and enjoying it, that’s when I realized the song had something special. As for the covers, I really enjoy when we play “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways. It’s just a lot of fun to play, sing, and dance to, and the crowd gets really hyped when we perform it.
M.C: I haven’t written any lyrics, but some of the guitar parts I’ve come up with for our songs, like, “Gettin’ By” and “Thundera” have been my favorites so far. I enjoy the riff for “Gettin’ By,” and really like the guitar changes in “Thundera.” My favorite song to cover is “So What’cha Want” by Beastie Boys. I really enjoy Rissa’s vocals on that song, they’re so in your face. I love how Bruni’s drums sound deep and bassy. The guitar parts are simple and fun to play, too.
B.L: I’ve written a few songs that we haven’t played yet, and there are some songs that i’m still writing, so it’s hard to say. The one song I’ve written that we play is “Thundera,” so I guess that’s my favorite for now. I like how it’s kind of a manifesto about who we are. It’s hard to pick just one cover. I really like all the covers we play. I really love playing “Sabotage” and “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” by Beastie Boys, and “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre. Beastie Boys are cool because they’re rap and have a fun vibe. It’s also fun to play these because people don’t expect us to cover their songs. After we play them, people are like, “Whoa. Didn’t see that coming. It was awesome.” I love the song “Deceptacon.” I’ve played this song on my iPod so many times. It’s such a dance-y/pop song. It really puts me in a good mood. Plus, it’s Kathleen Hanna. Love her!
HJ: How are you affected by the heavy reliance on social media needed to promote underground music these days?
R.A: I know that having social media is essential now if you want to promote anything you’re working on, whether you’re a musician, artist, writer, filmmaker, etc. Having platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has definitely helped us extend our reach in gaining more fans online, but it’s even better when fans that found out about us, either though our page, a shared post or a hashtag, message us to let us know that they really enjoy what we’re doing, or better yet, come to a show! Finding out about a local band online that you end up liking is fun and exciting, but it would be great if more people acted on that initial interest and came out in person so see bands perform and brought friends with them, or even bought some band merch. I think bringing out fans from the digital world into the real world is pretty hard to do nowadays, but it’s definitely possible. It just takes more work than it did in the past.
M.C: Social media is very helpful. It makes it easy to share and communicate with others. We’ve reached lots of fans through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Reverbnation.
B.L: Social media has been very helpful in getting the word out about our music, shows, and presence on the scene. Everyone is on some form of social media so it’s important to reach out and connect through as many avenues as possible. Any indie artist trying to make a name or sustain a name must be plugged into social media. Having said that, it is a challenge to be “seen” amidst so much activity on social media. You really have to work on creating messages/posts that engage the audience and cut through the constant flood of information.
HJ: What are your thoughts on the punk scene in New York City?
R.A: Punk rock is definitely not dead in NYC! There are a lot of punk bands that we’ve played with that are awesome, but I think the ones that stick out to me are the bands with female and/or queer musicians. Seeing them perform onstage and hearing their songs is always exciting and a good time, and also really important, since I think inclusion in punk rock is a promise that isn’t always fulfilled, both onstage and in the audience. But when you see ladies and queer musicians playing onstage, fully supported by everyone in the room, it’s a great thing to be part of.
M.C: I really enjoy the punk scene in NYC. All of the people we’ve played with have been awesome. There’s a mutual understanding with punk rockers. We want to be heard and we want people to understand us through our music.
B.L: We have been really fortunate to play shows with bands we love who support us and whom we support. It’s especially great to see such a thriving female/queer/LGBT punk scene here in NY. I love playing shows or going to see shows where everyone is unified by the same principle of acceptance and encouragement for artists representing different walks of life. Punk is alive and well in NYC. There are so many great shows to go to, it’s hard to keep up!
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Get a taste of Thundera’s wicked style here, and keep an eye on them with Facebook and Reverbnation!
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