Posted by Nikki Benson
To See Rating 7.5/10
Just Curious Rating 8/10
Band Members
Brandon Salter: Bass, Programming
Brian Woods: Guitars, Loops
Michael Clark: Drums, Percussion, Piano
I have had the pleasure of Seeing You.May.Die.In.The.Desert (YMDITD) three times; each time I pick up a little something different from them. The first time I saw them, the structural diversity that Brian Woods brought to the songs stood out. The second time I saw them, Brian Woods stage presence stood out. This time when I saw them, I noticed that there are more people in the band then Brian Woods. 
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert is a really great band. To be honest, they are one of my top five local bands to see live. With such a bold statement you might wonder, why were the previous SSG reviews so short and sweet? And for that matter, why weren’t they rated higher? YMDITD is a solid band that I think has a niche appeal; it just so happens the unique style of music that they give is the unique style of music that I want. However, just because they are my brand of a perfect live show doesn’t mean that they are going to occur that way to others. I factor a bands general likability into the “To See Rating” and I assert that a YMDITD show will either be something that you strongly connect with, or you won’t at all. I pity the fool who doesn’t get as much pleasure out of YMDITD as I do though; it’s a fun and powerfully explosive place to be.
My opinion of YMDITD has grown higher every time I’ve seen them which is in part to my perception of them growing as a band. The first time I saw them in December of 08, I enjoyed them quite a bit. I couldn’t justify rating them higher then a 6.5 because the drumming was a bit sloppy. YMDITD’s mathy song structures have abrupt changes. When you write show-off math-rock songs and they aren’t played exactly right, it looks like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. I really enjoyed the Dec 2008 show, but I cut out most of the footage due to the drumming. When I saw them in January 2009 at The Vera, I thought that they were all in sync. As much as I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a YMDITD show; it was a Brian Woods show. There is something about Brian’s energy and presence; if not vigorously kept up with, he will leave the other band members behind. What can he say? He can’t help it! He’s a wild stallion! The most recent show at The Sunset Tavern was spot on. The band was a well oiled machine, my attention was focused on the entire band as opposed to a single member, and the quality of the music was atomic.
If the growth of this band over the past few months is an indication of their forward moving velocity, they are going to amass a strong cult following and be a fearsome band to behold. I’m scared. I look forward to seeing YMDITD many times to come.
Please enjoy a clip of a song that is so new, I don’t even know what the name of it is.
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert on Myspace
Upcoming Shows
(no shows currently listed, please check their myspace page for their upcoming shows)
Well its good to see that SSG didn’t die and is wokring on getting her que emptied.
Ok… here we go with these randos… These guys are a SSG all time favorite. I wouldnt be surprised if she was their manager at this point. They aren’t playing any other shows?! Really?! The crowd looks like it consisted of SSG, her camera, Mr. Chess Board and Spike Rocker. Are these guys gaining steam at all or did you stumble across them?
Despite this, the drummer is on point in this song. Highly impressed with the rhythm and speed. I would like to see older footage to compare how much they have improved. Question: Are there any vocals? I dont see a mic stand up there ready for some?
Also dude in the white, who I am assuming is “Brian Woods”, is sure putting on a spectacle. It doesnt surprise me SSG is in love with him considering he is a guitar version of Buffalo Madonna, except his back is turned the whole time? I mean it isn’t that hard to turn your back to the entire 4 people in the audience and pretend you have a seizure. Its another thing to face them and try to keep a straight face so they take you serious. However, its that reckless abandon style that SSG is in love with which makes sense why YWATEVRD is her all time favorite.
Ok enough of the ranting… Overall this music seems legit, but i am skeptical with no vocals. I couldnt take straight up musical scores for a full set. If i could, i would buy the who Titantic Score before listening to this.
LOL!!! You are SO funny! this comment had me in stitches
I can see how you can liken the Brain Woods presence aesthetic to Buffalo Madonna, but it’s a different thing. Actually, now that I think about it, I do love Buffalo Madonna because he’s crazy. Brian Woods is crazy too, but he’s crazy like a wild bucking horse; Buffalo is crazy like a crack head.
You can see the earlier footage that I refer to by clicking on the bold underlined references in the post. I really need to start making my links different colors…
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert is a great band. There were more people then what was visible. I raised my tripod about the crowd so i could get a clean shot. Plus, The Sunset Tavern is a small venue! You should check them out… They are fully instrumental, but their music is story telling. There is plenty of contextual change to keep you interested. If you a high impact show, you would like YMDITD.
And your little acronym is hilarious.
To me their drummer is killin it in the begining i cant stop but watch him. Then BM Jr. gets going and gets to tweakin out. I am sure live it hits you 4x harder than the video. I would be interested in seeing how the whole set blends together, but ::sigh:: doesn’t look like they have any shows booked for the rest of ’09, so hopefully i can get to them in ’11.
Speaking of BM, I went and saw MR this weekend and dude was not himself. I almost felt ripped off.
YET ANOTHER TIME YOU DIDN’T SAY HI!!! Fox you man…
There were some circumstances where Buffalo and Radjaw weren’t themselves, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it. But you were right, you’ll have another chance to see them this Friday at Nectar. It’s going to be bomb!
I’ll be in NYC, but you can bring down the house for me.
hmmmmm… isn’t inside trading not ethical?
I’m not insider trading, I just am not talking about things on a blog that I’m sure they wouldn’t want to have talked about. I’m not even supposed to know, I just walked up just after something happened and Psmoov blurted it out. If it were me I wouldn’t want it written about, I’m just respecting privacy.
This isn’t the tidbit about them being served is it?
It is! I guess the secrets out.
Yeah, I was actually there when it happened…
I just read JC’s article in Reverb. I was actually the one who told him that Mad Rad got served! I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal after all… My mind just goes to worst case scenario… Not that big of a deal at all…
Understandable, most people don’t want their dirty laundry aired. Its always a good thing to have discretion with these situations. However stuff like this fuels MR so it’s a good thing. AND for the record I didn’t see them at The Mix.. Which begs the question, what is The Mix? Never heard of it.
It’s a venue in Georgetown. The new talent buyer in there, Geoff Minor, is looking to make it the most happening spot on Georgetown. We’ll see how it goes.
I’ll make sure to post next time YMDITD plays a show so you can check them out… They are pretty bomb.
Check out their older videos in the articles linked in the post. Their Jan 25th show at The Vera was BOMB… That Brian Woods… ahhh….
Hey thanks for all the support. Just thought that I would explain a bit to ManAce the idea behing youmaydie.
We don’t have vocals because we don’t want to make the songs about something. We want the songs to be as much apart of your life as is is ours. For example, If you were going through a hard time in your life and you happen to listen to one of our songs or any song for that matter, that certain song sticks with you and reminds you of that part of your life every time you hear it. Instead of us telling you what a song should mean to you, you come up with your own meaning.
As far as my back being turned, Im not trying to impress anyone and say “Hey look at me”, I don’t need a fan on stage to blow my hair back when im playing a solo on my knees while sliding on the stage… I am connecting with a period of my life when I was going through hard times and just releasing my own emotions into the songs.
I feel like we are playing music for all the right reasons and not trying to get famous or think we are better than people because we play instruments.
I hope you come see us at the Comet Tavern Monday, March 29th w/ Caspian, our label mates from boston.
These are simply MY thoughts and not necessarily the bands view.
Brian-
I appreciate the response Brian.
In all honesty, personally, I am not a fan of this genre of music but I respect your ability to express yourself within it. No hard feelings, to each his own.