Many young bands in the Buffalo music scene have been assigned "up-and-coming" status. Each faces the struggle of putting together a unique style that will make the band stick out from the competition.
This Wednesday at The Icon in Buffalo, post-hardcore quintet Inferis takes a stab at sticking out among a few groups that have garnered national attention.
"We're hardcore, a little bit of metal, a little more spastic, and a little more technical (than traditional hardcore bands). You have to integrate your different influences. As far as the stage goes, you have to keep the energy going. We do lights and live audio, anything to make it more interesting" said bass guitarist Dennis Ferry.
For this show, Inferis breaks the ice for Eighteen Visions and Misery Signals, a line-up sure to do some melting of its own. Ferry, only 18 years old, is an English major at UB.
No member of Inferis can legally purchase or publicly consume alcohol. Vocalist Adam Curtin is the oldest at a tender 20 years of age. Guitarist Bill Grissy is a 19-year-old student at Niagara University. Jason Podkulski, the band's drummer, is an 18-year-old student at Erie Community College. Kevin Brennan, also a guitarist, is only 17. He attends Orchard Park High School.
"With the guys we have together now we have been playing for almost a year and a half," said Ferry.
It's always a pleasure to see ambitious young artists balancing school with music and making it work, because one of those is undoubtedly much more fun. That'd be the one that rarely, if ever, involves long division. Being in a band involves its portion of work as well, though.
"We are planning 40 days of tour this summer, we're trying to get some shows out of town and get some shows around here. We went on tour last summer for 10 days so we are trying to step it up this year as soon as the weather breaks," said Ferry.
Increasing a tour by 30 days is a step worth noting for a young group. During the scholarly months of the year, fans can find Inferis at any one of the many Buffalo venues, but during the summer, the guys hit the road.
"We've played as far south as Virginia. We were supposed to play in New Jersey but it got canceled. In the next couple of months we'll be playing a lot of New York State; Albany, St. Catharines (Ontario), places like that," Ferry said.
One can sense the anticipation in the young artist's voice.
Although Inferis is currently unsigned, the summer tour promises many new opportunities. For now, the band is concentrating on balancing their school and music successfully.
"It's all coordination, we have practices a couple days a week, just to try to work at it for a few hours," said Ferry.
Three hours of weekly dedication would make participation in the group the equivalent of an average college course, and raise the question of whether it is a viable career path. The decision between the job and the dream is one that plagues all serious young musicians.
"A lot depends on the next year and if we can strike up some kind of deal with a record label. It depends but all of us have agreed that we would drop a lot to take somebody up on an offer," said Ferry.
Success relies on the upcoming tour, but the band has set a high bar for its first tour exceeding a spring break trip in longevity. A group can count itself lucky for breaking even financially on their first tour - so a legitimate record deal would be more in the "Godsend" echelon of wishes come true.
For the moment, the members of Inferis are having fun playing their music, making adjustments in their live performance. With the right presence at the right show, they have the chance to materialize their class-time daydreams.
The group gives a promising look to the future of the Buffalo music scene.
