Nietzsche’s is a bar in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood that doesn’t accept credit cards and has live music almost every night of the week. It looks like once it could have been a distinguished place with intricate light fixtures, a mahogany bar and shelves for fine whiskeys but now all these details are hardly discernable under a layer of dust and cobwebs in the low glow of red light. It seems like the place was dressed up as a haunted bar for Halloween several years ago, and no one decided to ever change the mode of décor as the holiday passed. It also seems that over the years Nietzche’s has become the final resting place for a bicycle, the head, shoulders and arms of a witch made out of papier mache that was probably used in an advanced puppet production sometime in the mid ‘90’s and a smattering of other random objects.
A man of Native American descent, usually wearing a plaid shirt, string tie and (hopefully) cowboy boots greets patrons and collects for cover. The doorman’s imposing frame blocks out most of the doorway, making it difficult to know exactly what is through the threshold. Once in, the bar is to your left and straight back is a small-ish stage and a decent-sized dance floor. An elevated seating area flanks the sides of the venue for those who wish to sit on ancient vinyl-covered cushions while drinking PBR on draft rather than grooving. This option is accompanied by service from a cocktail waitress who might be older than your mother.
I handed over a few dollars, walked into Nietzsche’s and was entertained by Dali’s Ghost.
The sound was earthy, medieval, organic. This is rock music for druids. It seemed as though the band could have been wearing monk’s garb.
Their sound is strong, and well-cultivated. Their songs are mystic chants written for the drums, two guitars and a bass. On numbers like Shark Hunter there was an occasional fanfare of the trumpet, which added an acidic element of pomp and class. The horns had more of a jazzy, latin-influenced presence. Despite a somewhat trippy style, overall their sound is strong and polished. There is something refined about the music. It’s apparent that this ensemble has practiced together a lot, and put a significant amount of thought into the lyrics. It was difficult to make out some of the verses, but a lyrics sheet would undoubtedly reveal some poetry, probably on the abstract side.
Dali’s ghost communicates a pensive, positive joy that runs deep, a happiness, a knowing that comes from experiencing or finally understanding something powerful. This is especially true on Sands of India. There’s nothing synthesized about this band’s sound. It sounds like it could have come from the depths of a magical forest a long, long time ago.
I would most closely compare Dali’s Ghost to the following bands: Radiohead, Sigur Ros, and Phish. These are three bands that have had a significant impact on music, and comparing them to a local band creates a comparison of misleading vividness.
Just to give you an idea of what my frame of reference is…Not to trivialize but, if I had to REALLY break it down.
Radiohead: Music for computers, aliens, and the contemporary suffering human.
Sigur Ros: Music for birds and whales. In Iceland.
Phish: Music for people.
Dali’s Ghost: Music for druids and mystics.
Although these guys are just a local band who plays local bars and local festivals they are practiced musicians and thoughtful lyricists. They have a long way to go before becoming great, but they’re already pretty good which is more than current up-and-comers could say a year or so before things really started to happen for them.
I enjoyed Dali’s ghost imore than a generous handful of the tracks featured on Nylon’s and Urban Outfitters’ recent playlists. Those playlists certainly had some obvious gems by St. Vincent, Phoenix, Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear plus others like The Plasticines, Polly Scattergood, Alberta Cross and Of Montreal. Still, over half of the tracks did not quite leave an impression.
As a handful of scruffy guys, admittedly Dali’s Ghost doesn’t fit the overall aesthetic and attitude of Nylon and Urban Outfitters, which is fine, but they deserve to gain some exposure nonetheless. There are potent traces of jam-band influence in their sound, and they have really taken that genre to a new place without going the electronic route and incorporating synthesizers etc. like some Disco Biscuits tracks, or Lotus. All of that being said, check out their Myspace page.
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