Carnival of Soul

Fury In Few, an up-and-coming rock band, drove more than 900 miles from Decatur, Georgia to play one small house show for a crowd of 80 in Syracuse. Its dedication proves a simple fact: rock is not dead. 

During the concert, front-man Brayden Gomer said, “This song goes out to all of the Generation X-er’s who say that rock is dead: I’ve got a few people in a Syracuse basement who might disagree.” 

Upstate New York plays host to a vibrant heavy music scene. Buffalo is the birthplace of hardcore music. Rochester is home to some great intimate venues such as Anthology, The Montage Music Hall and Bug Jar. And, Syracuse University has a thriving underground music scene in addition to a host of staple venues in the area. 

The SU neighborhood has always had a cyclic plethora of student-hosted house venues catering to local artists: Space Camp, The Ark, Big Red, The End, Treehouse, the list goes on. With last year’s rotation of venues cycling out, it is newcomers like The Hotbox and Coney Island who continue to carry the torch for local music. 

As for music trends on a national level, it is hard to argue with the fact that rock and metal are very much alive. This past week, progressive rock band Tool released its first album in 13 years. The album, titled “Fear Inoculum,” debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart, toppling Taylor Swift’s “Lover” after only one week on top. 

Earlier last month, extreme metal band Slipknot earned its third number one album with the release of “We Are Not Your Kind.” This was the first hard rock album to top the chart since Foo Fighters’ “Concrete and Gold” debuted in September of 2017. 

A point of interest with rock and metal band releases is the proportion of actual album sales to streaming and track equivalent albums; Billboard takes in all three figures to determine chart placement. “Fear Inoculum’s” first week sales were a staggering 91.8% in album sales while “We Are Not Your Kind” brought in 84.4% in album sales. 

Compared to chart-topping albums of other genres, it is night and day. “Lover’s” first week tally clocked in at 78.3% in album sales and Billie Eilish’s “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” brought in only 54.3% in album sales. 

Rock and metal are thriving, and Syracuse is seeing the benefits. There are more artists recognizing Upstate New York as a legitimate touring market and the city is hosting many shows as a result. This coming week, Vineyard Churchyard is hosting post-hardcore bands Vanish and LONELYOUTH, and The Westcott Theater is hosting pop punk phenom Neck Deep. Meanwhile, Brayden Gomer and Ryan Calatayud of Fury in Few will be back in the Syracuse area on Nov. 22, at a venue that is to be determined. 

Attend any of the house venues around campus or established event spaces in the city of Syracuse to experience the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll alive and well.