Pygmalion Preview: Moonwish, Mille Nomi, Dino Bravo, The Fights, Barrowe, Finer Feelings
Here's a Pygmalion preview for the show at Exile on Main Street on Saturday, September 28.
Moonwish is the breathy folk project of Megan Johns. She weaves doo-wop adlibs into heartfelt lyrics seamlessly, conveying a deep loneliness accompanied by a tight strung guitar and crashing symbals.
Noisy and cut with a heavy dose of acid guitar, Mille Nomi is a metallic rock project from Central Illinois formed in 2011. Punctuated with groove bass lines and candy-coated fury, the group has found a way to balance their cutting breaks with charming zeal.
Formed in Champaign-Urbana, this sludge rock duo takes their namesake from the wrestler who proclaimed himself “Canada’s Strongest Man,” and was eventually shot seven times in the head for his role in an illegal cigarette smuggling ring. Their music is as grisly and gruesome as the fighter’s demise, guitar shrieks that make your blood curdle and screamed, unintelligible lyrics. Ivan Catron and Jake Mott, band members of Dino Bravo, are united with a love for heavy metal ballads and good old fashioned wrestling.
Local folk rockians hit Pygmalion with their introspective, catchy lyrics and slight country twang (we are almost in Southern Illinois). Don't let their tracks about broken hearts get you down. Their mellow guitar riffs will ease you into reminiscing about past and current loves while you browse the selection at Exile.
Another Champaign native, Barrowe is a heavy handed indie effort with no signs of stopping. The lyrics are yelled in a guttural stupor, eliciting the same fury from the listener that’s reverbed from the constant sputtering of guitars. Sure to be an energetic and unforgettable show.
Garage folk of the most organic variety, Finer Feelings pulls at the heartstrings of basement dwellers everywhere. The Champaign duo is spared of any effects pedals or 808s, reverberating back instead to a simple setup of guitars, drums and whatever else they could find lying around to bang on the table. The songs are textured and rhythmic, reminiscent of Waylon Jennings in their twang and the way they beat up their guitars. A nice, folksy jam to close out the exile.