Published on September 17, 2004
© The Buffalo News Inc.
Lazlo Hollyfeld (Chris Gangarossa, bass; Jeff McLeod, guitar; Scott Molloy, keys; Matt Felski, drums) has been generating a serious buzz around town with experimental, instrumental music that crosses over many genres -- jazz, funk and trance atop a long list. The band has managed to consistently draw great crowds at their 11 p.m. Monday night shows at McGarret's (946 Elmwood Ave.). But this isn't your cousin's favorite jam band. What sets them apart from that meandering flock is a strict adherence to melody and syncopation.
Solos are rare -- when one player finds a riff he likes, he repeats it, and the others build around it. Each is fully capable of steering their captivatingly cohesive sound, and they've been galvanized into high gear by an unexpected lineup change. We caught up with them in their room in the Lafayette Hotel, where even their practices draw crowds.......

You guys have a sound all your own. How'd you find it?

Molloy: We strive for simplicity and texture. We keep things structured, but sometimes we'll go off for an hour on stuff we've never done before. Just play with emotion, with your soul, and make every note count.

That sound has undoubtedly changed since the release of "Our Universe is Feeding" barely six months ago. Are you still happy with the album?

Gangarossa: Definitely -- it's somehow selling at Tower Records, and there's a head shop in Japan that's sold 100 copies. But we're already thinking ahead -- we have a giant, frothy batch of new tunes and a new direction. The next album will be more break beat and electronic, more crafted. We're experimenting with new equipment, like sequencers and samplers.

I hear your practices in the Lafayette Hotel have been drawing crowds.

Molloy: When the weather's nice and the window's cracked, we get a little audience, whether it's people in their cars or just walking by. People have climbed up the side of the building to peek their head in at us.

McLeod: There was this one cute girl who used to stop by and watch -- she always wore a blue dress and we saw her right in front at the (Thursday at the) Square show, it was awesome.

Is there anywhere in Buffalo you guys didn't play this summer?

Gangarossa: We got to play a bunch of festivals -- Hybrid was amazing, Allentown, Artvoice, Blind Baby, Beast Bash. Opening for Arrested Development at Thursday at the Square was huge -- we played for thousands that had never seen us. We've played about 250 gigs since last January, and we've barely spread out of Buffalo. We just got a van, the Silver Bullet!

Where will the Silver Bullet be aimed next?

Gangarossa: Alaska.