Columbia.

Last night I caught the first show by a new Albany band, Columbia. Their drummer is none other than Pat "The Dwyer" Dwyer of It's Alive. Not only did Pat prove his prowess as a multi-instrumentalist, but they did a great job as their first gig. It's by no means hardcore, but does have a slight Quicksand, Texas is the Reason vibe if you're into that sort of thing. I also can't help but compare it to a lot of Hyra Head style bands (Isis, Jesu, Pelican). It's not nearly as heavy, but it definitely uses the approach of building on a single chord or riff to create a droning melody.

With that said, while their live show might get a little stale for me, it's definitely something I could see myself listening to on a long drive or through ear buds.

Unfortunately they don't have any finished product recordings, but if this sounds like something you could be into bookmark their Myspace and and check back for finished demo tracks (all that's up their at the moment is instrumental tracks.)

www.myspace.com/columbiany