Some people prefer to welcome a new year of life without much commotion. But in the case of Buffalo Brown, a staple in the local music scene for over a decade, candles and a sheet cake just won't do for his fast-approaching birthday.
Brown, together with bandmate Ulysses Perez, are known as Cog Nomen, an ambient robot-voiced electro-pop duo featuring Brown on guitar and Perez on drums.
The pair has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the release of an upcoming EP titled Twins Stars. Because Brown’s birthday lands on the 9th, the two decided to combine the campaign with a birthday party.
“We were looking at having the kickoff party in August, and I liked the idea of sharing my life’s work with different friends and family throughout town as well as the art scene. So it was a bit of a
Cog
“There’s a recurring theme of connectedness with ourselves and with others and the place that technology has in this," Brown says. "There’s a section in a Marshall McLuhan book, Understanding Media, that deals with narcissists or narcosis. McLuhan points out that all technology is an extension of our persons, of ourselves, and so any kind of obsession with any technology is basically a form of self-obsession. We’re born thinking of ourselves, so there’s no escape from that. But the question is at what point are we choosing our experience and our perception, and at what point is the technology deciding."
In addition to funding the release of the mostly completed EP, the campaign will also assist in funding the production of a music video for the duo’s forthcoming single “Fear of Missing Out.” The local team behind the critically acclaimed short-film Papa Machete, Third Horizon, will be the masterminds behind the music video. Brown says producer Jason Fitzroy Jeffers approached the duo after hearing the song performed live and expressed interest in making a video.
“I am not attached to any particular visual representation of this particular art," Brown says. "In other words, there is a thread that could be considered a story that I hold in my head when performing these songs, recording, or for that matter writing these songs, and they do trigger visuals in my head, but I’m always curious how other people hear and see our art.
“When I read the draft for the treatment for the ‘Fear of Missing Out’ video, part of me was pleasantly relieved because the sci-fi or future technology undertone is just that; it’s an undertone throughout these songs. The treatment so far for the video is in total harmony with that vibe and undertone without distracting you from the visual storytelling.”
With a new year of life approaching in the midst of all the celebrations, what Brown hopes for is to be able to put out more interesting and original content, stating that sometimes what is interesting isn’t always original and what is original isn’t always interesting.
“It’s fresh and interesting for us, and we hope that that is the case for other people,” says Brown.
Cog Nomen Launch Party with DJ Woozles and Deviant. 7 p.m. at Made at the Citadel, 8325 NE Second Ave., Miami. Admission is free and the event will be live-streamed by Jolt Radio.
