Milo's Trip: Ferndale's 'Before Pictures' and More Local Bands to Perform Thursday

I dig punk music that's got a snarl and a fervent shake to it but can still dazzle with dips into lush-n'-lulling dreaminess.

Take Ferndale's Before Pictures' latest demo "Admired" (stream MP3), for example.

It's essentially two (or even three?) songs in one:

Torrential shreds and cathartic yowls, slaloming and slamming its way down in under two minutes, tumbling, in effect, to the slope and into a dimly lit room, twinkling with the faint luminescence of lava-lamps and warmed by the meditative whir of atmospheric synth groans and purring guitar feedback. The beat goes from trounce-to-traipse and our vocals soften to a cooing, haunting lullaby.

Before Pictures performs at Small's this Thursday. They'll be joined by another Ferndale-friendly band, Betty Cooper, a quartet kicking sweet, feisty, harmony-hallowed pop jams. I profiled them about 11 months ago via Patch's music section ().

Listen to more Betty Cooper here ("For The Girls" MP3).

Joining Before Pictures / Betty Cooper is yet another B-named band with Ferndale-ties: Bastion. This band is the re-alignment of members who previously performed as The Nerve - pop-minded post-punks who could throw a bit of an edgy elbow into their electro-effected grooves but wouldn't shy away from a major key or an anthemic (albeit atmospherically-layered) chorus. 

Not every one of our rock shows needs to be a or affair - we Ferndalians can flock down to Hamtramck every once in a while, especially when it's in support of the sounds/songs of our neighbors.

Thursday, Aug. 9 at Small's: Before Pictures / Betty Cooper / Bastion. 

Now then, Bastion shares a drummer (Steve Gamburd) with another Ferndale band I think you might want to hear: Superbomb.

Heavier, headier, post-grunge musings and throaty-psyche-blues howl-and-hums; a rough-hewn punk thing that can, as I said, be disarmingly alluring, but for less prettier ways than, say, Before-Pictures; a grittier-groove. 

Listen: Superbomb - "Mery Pill."

Anyhow, as you can see by one of the photos above^, Superbomb just wrapped up some productive sessions in the studio with skilled engineer/producer Tony Hammera. The trio hope to release a series of CD/digital-release EPs and then, hopefully, some vinyl compes and split-7"s. More info here. 

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One last note: After an unintended span of days closed to the public, , Found Sound, re-opened to the public five days ago.

The staff kicked-things-back-off in style with a screening of the remarkable 1964 concert-film T.A.M.I. Show, part of their regular series of "movie-nights" to compliment other interesting Found features, like in-store band performances. But hey, go check out their records, too! Local, new, used... Come browse.