The Evolution of So Many Dynamos

Over the past five years or so, Target Market and So Many Dynamos have played scores and scores of shows together. Some of us went to grade school with Dynamo members, some of went to high school with them, played in school band together, participated in wedding parties together, etc., etc. Our bands have taken road trips together (Ryan's balls were roaming), we have interchanged members in cases of absence (thanks Clayton); our bands even played a battle show together in Columbia Missouri wherein we set-up on opposite sides of a basement, with audience in the middle, and alternated songs, each song serving as an attempt to sink the others' battleship. Even on the occasions when our bands are not playing together, at least a few members of the band that isn't playing the show can usually be found in the front row. That is to say, we have seen So Many Dynamos hundreds of times. This is why, at this moment, Target Market, collectively, is so goddamn proud of our brotherband So Many Dynamos.

Over the years, these more experienced boys have served as a model for young, up-and-coming independent, Midwestern, aspiring touring bands such as ourselves. From their moment of inception in early 2003, we have seen So Many Dynamos do everything the right way; from booking their own tours, to helping local bands by creating compilations, releasing their records, and booking their shows. The Dynamos' aim from the beginning has been to create communities of like-minded bands, and they have succeeded greatly, creating a strong, nation spanning network of terrific bands such as Cinemechanica and Maps and Atlases. All of this, and I have yet to make mention of their music.

So Many Dynamos' music has always been energized with complicated drum beats, clever guitar interplay, and even more clever lyrics, but overall, So Many Dynamos' discography can be characterized by one common thread: growth. With The Loud Wars, the Dynamos have grown into a skin in which they seem to feel comfortable. They have taken some of their old tricks (spastic drums and guitars, dance beats, group vocals, angular key/bass, etc.), and refined them, but also expanded on lesser explored themes such as electronic feels (see: "New Bones") and good ole' fashioned riffs (see: every other song). This album is by far their most cohesive work to date both musically and lyrically. While previous work had the Dynamos nervous about the end of the world, on The Loud Wars Dynamos turn their attention toward both the transcendent possibilities and future of sound with self-referencing in abundance, while still using macro-level analogies such as evolution, religion, and seismology.

To borrow one of these metaphors, the history of So Many Dynamos has been one of evolution. Just as we humans bare little resemblance to our early evolutionary ancestors, the Vagrant Records-signed, serious live band So Many Dynamos of now bare little resemblance to the four teenagers I saw open for Dan Potthast almost seven years ago, but bare a lot of resemblance to the bands we all grew up idolizing. These boys have pulled themselves up from the bootstraps of their own Chuck Taylor's, and for that, we are goddamn proud of them. With that said: go see So Many Dynamos play The Loud Wars in its entirety tommorow, June 25th, at Vintage Vinyl at 9pm. Also, come see So Many Dynamos and Target Market play yet another show together, this one being of great significance as it is So Many Dynamos' CD release show for The Loud Wars. This show is happening on Saturday, June 27th, 8pm at the Firebird, and will feature another great artist the Dynamos introduced to this area, Emeror X.

Let this be our last sappy post for awhile.

-Nathan