Concert in your area for Rock and Indie & Alt.
Find out more about Rock.
After finishing his first year of college, vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Brain Sella, along with childhood friend and drummer Mathew Uychich, began playing together under the moniker The Front Bottoms. They had been writing songs since sixth grade and first performed together at their high school talent show, playing an original song and a Modest Mouse cover. Before long Uychich’s brother, also named Brian, joined the band playing keyboard. In 2007 the EPs “This is Ours but You Can Have It” and “You’re My Boyfriend Now” were released, along with a year later their debut studio album “I Hate My Friends".
The band supported the releases, initially with local shows around New Jersey, before working their way along the East Coast, playing anywhere that would have them. After releasing their second DIY album “My Grandmother vs. Pneumonia” in 2009 and the EP “Slow Dance to Soft Rock”, Brian Uychich left the Front Bottoms to focus on his education. In 2011 the band signed with independent New Jersey label Bar/None Records, who issued their eponymously-titled label debut in September of that year.
The band made a name for themselves for their extensive touring, enlisting the help of bassist and backing vocalist Tom Warren and guitar, trumpet and keyboard player Ciaran O’Donnell to do so.
The Front Bottom’s released their fourth full-length album “Talon of the Hawk” in May 2013, inspired by the character Hawk from the David Lynch TV series “Twin Peaks”. The album earned a critical response from the musical press and spawned the video and single “Twin Sized Mattress”. The band has subsequently issued the EP “Rose” released in June 2014 again on Bar/None Records.
I've had the pleasure of being able to see The Front Bottoms live and meeting them twice. Both of them have been by far the best concerts I've been too. I've watched megadeth; Roger Water's, Iron Maiden, Blink-182, Slayer and many more, but there's no concert as unique as The Front Bottoms. Everyone screams along and knows the words of every song. They're also both really nice guys, I've taken pictures with Matt and Brian and got autographs and they don't blow you off like other artists. They make their fans happy and give them a hell of a show full of energy and fun. Any music fan will love to see them.
Foxy Shazam is an old fashioned rock band that puts on an incredible live show. They have a modern sound, but the appearance and stage presence of an 80s hair band. I have seen them live on several occasions and their lead singer, Eric Nally, reminds me of Freddie Mercury. He has a tremendous stage presence and his voice is about ten times larger than his body. He is soft-spoken when he speaks between songs, but he turns into a giant when he sings. He can hit high notes that I did not even know existed. When I saw them the stages were not elaborately decorated, but the band relied in colorful costumes, fog, and lights to create an amazing visual performance, to compliment their excellent music.
I last saw them touring with the Darkness last year and they were a perfect pair. Foxy Shazam is glam rock, just Queen, the Strokes, and the Darkness, and fans of over the top rock and roll will love them. They performed a lot of new material but also made sure to go back and revisit some of their older songs, like “Oh, Lord,” “A Dangerous Man,” and, my personal favorite, “Unstoppable.” The crowd was involved during the entire show, dancing, singing, and generally having a blast. Foxy Shazam is sure to deliver a high energy show and any fan of rock and roll will have a blast at one of their shows.