Generationals
Splashh, Companion
Mon, April 22, 2013
Doors: 7:30 pm / Show: 8:30 pm
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY
$12 advance / $15 day of show
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This event is 18 and over
http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/224815/
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Generationals
Brutal is one way of putting it. The only way, really, considering the thermometer-cracking highs that faced Generationals during the month-long sessions for their second album, Actor- Caster.
"DC is very unforgiving in the summer. It just radiates heat," explains singer/multi- instrumentalist Ted Joyner. "So even though it was sunny outside, we sat in the basement most of the time."
That explains the melancholic/morose bent of the band's lyrics this time around, like how Grant Widmer-also a singer/multi-instrumentalist-refuses to pick up the phone in "Goose & Gander" or the way Joyner's lovelorn melodies linger well after the last dust-clearing note of "Dirty Mister Dirty." It's as if they're chasing every smile with a sneer, and at least one of them's brandishing a knife behind his back.
As for the duo's songwriting, it's still sunbaked in spots (the persistent piano lines of "Greenleaf," the galloping grooves of "Ten-Twenty-Ten" and "You Say It Too"), but nothing's stuck in the '60s. More like the here and now, combined with the warm, inviting vibe of classic pop cuts.
"It's important for us to record the old way-with analog equipment and tape machines,"explains Widmer, "But we also incorporate lots of electronic elements that wouldn't have been available to someone in the '60s. That combination is our sound."
And by electronic elements, he means everything from the shimmering synth lines and spare handclaps of "Yours Forever" to the lonesome keys and lacerated drum loops of "Black and White." None of which sounds all that strange when you consider the time machine tendencies of Generationals' widely acclaimed debut album, Con Law, a decade-spanning disc that features the same producer as Actor-Caster (Daniel Black) and sounds as familiar as a stack of slightly scuffed 45s (the heated horns and heaven-sent harmonies of "When They Fight They Fight," the snake-like bass lines and steam-pressed beats of "Bobby Beale").
Of course, it helps that Widmer and Joyner have been close friends since they were 13-a pair of freshmen trying to learn Beatles tracks on their first guitar. The New Orleans natives have shared apartments, jobs, schools and stages ever since, to the point where they practically finish each other's sentences.
"We know exactly what the other person is going for when an idea comes up. I think you can hear that in this album," says Widmer. "I played him the chords for 'Black and White' on guitar, and he knew exactly how to play them on piano and make them sound. So much so that it didn't even need a guitar after the piano was down; the guitar would have been redundant."
"DC is very unforgiving in the summer. It just radiates heat," explains singer/multi- instrumentalist Ted Joyner. "So even though it was sunny outside, we sat in the basement most of the time."
That explains the melancholic/morose bent of the band's lyrics this time around, like how Grant Widmer-also a singer/multi-instrumentalist-refuses to pick up the phone in "Goose & Gander" or the way Joyner's lovelorn melodies linger well after the last dust-clearing note of "Dirty Mister Dirty." It's as if they're chasing every smile with a sneer, and at least one of them's brandishing a knife behind his back.
As for the duo's songwriting, it's still sunbaked in spots (the persistent piano lines of "Greenleaf," the galloping grooves of "Ten-Twenty-Ten" and "You Say It Too"), but nothing's stuck in the '60s. More like the here and now, combined with the warm, inviting vibe of classic pop cuts.
"It's important for us to record the old way-with analog equipment and tape machines,"explains Widmer, "But we also incorporate lots of electronic elements that wouldn't have been available to someone in the '60s. That combination is our sound."
And by electronic elements, he means everything from the shimmering synth lines and spare handclaps of "Yours Forever" to the lonesome keys and lacerated drum loops of "Black and White." None of which sounds all that strange when you consider the time machine tendencies of Generationals' widely acclaimed debut album, Con Law, a decade-spanning disc that features the same producer as Actor-Caster (Daniel Black) and sounds as familiar as a stack of slightly scuffed 45s (the heated horns and heaven-sent harmonies of "When They Fight They Fight," the snake-like bass lines and steam-pressed beats of "Bobby Beale").
Of course, it helps that Widmer and Joyner have been close friends since they were 13-a pair of freshmen trying to learn Beatles tracks on their first guitar. The New Orleans natives have shared apartments, jobs, schools and stages ever since, to the point where they practically finish each other's sentences.
"We know exactly what the other person is going for when an idea comes up. I think you can hear that in this album," says Widmer. "I played him the chords for 'Black and White' on guitar, and he knew exactly how to play them on piano and make them sound. So much so that it didn't even need a guitar after the piano was down; the guitar would have been redundant."
Splashh
Splashh began life as the brainchild of Toto Vivian and Sasha Carlson forming in late February 2012. The duo initially bonded over their mutual music tastes and then began plotting their sun drenched musical assault on the UK. Growing up between the South Pacific and the UK they left the beaches behind to record in a small bedroom in Hackney. The result was a myriad of floating, fuzz laden grunge pop tunes with a punk twist. With a number of songs in the can the boys then recruited close friends Thomas Beal on bass and Jacob Moore on drums. The 2 new additions made for a sense of excitement that Splashh were primed and ready to roll as a band.
The carefree attitude within their music transports the listener to the summers of yesteryear kicking back with good friends. Sounds of dreamy fuzz being thrust through the walls of your neighbour’s garage as the “slackers on summer holiday” dream of adventure, fun and the open road. With releases planned through the summer, plenty of gigs and a hungry music loving public awaiting, it seems as if the adventure isn’t too far away.
The carefree attitude within their music transports the listener to the summers of yesteryear kicking back with good friends. Sounds of dreamy fuzz being thrust through the walls of your neighbour’s garage as the “slackers on summer holiday” dream of adventure, fun and the open road. With releases planned through the summer, plenty of gigs and a hungry music loving public awaiting, it seems as if the adventure isn’t too far away.
Companion
Companion, a new project from Pepi Ginsberg (Red, East Is East), is defined by lush vocal arrangements and strong rhythmic hooks. A clear departure from Ginsberg's earlier work, Companion delivers artful pop with a twist.
The process of developing this new sound began around Ginsberg's thorough home recordings of her songs, along with vocal harmonies she created with Anna Thorngate and Amy Carrigan—both of whom she enlisted from the ranks of the Brooklyn Ladies Choir, an all-women singing group she'd formed in the winter of 2010. To flesh out these vocal-centric versions of the songs, she picked up her own guitar and turned to her longtime bass player, Tim Lappin, plus new guitarist Kirk Schoenherr and drummer Justin Veloso. In the studio, the band started to create a sound that incorporated elements both organic and electronic, often incorporating Ginsberg's homemade beats: "I needed to learn how to write harder parts on my guitar and sing more challenging melodies, and I was listening to a lot of HOT 97," she says. "I wanted to build beats and have electronic aspects to the music, so I had to figure out how to write them, and blend those ideas with the organic nature of the songs."
The production on the band's eponymous debut is big and airy. With help from people like Jake Aron (Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Jamie Lidell) and Nathan Sabatino (Dr. Dog), the album is powerful, rich and compelling. It marks an auspicious and mature beginning for a young band.
The process of developing this new sound began around Ginsberg's thorough home recordings of her songs, along with vocal harmonies she created with Anna Thorngate and Amy Carrigan—both of whom she enlisted from the ranks of the Brooklyn Ladies Choir, an all-women singing group she'd formed in the winter of 2010. To flesh out these vocal-centric versions of the songs, she picked up her own guitar and turned to her longtime bass player, Tim Lappin, plus new guitarist Kirk Schoenherr and drummer Justin Veloso. In the studio, the band started to create a sound that incorporated elements both organic and electronic, often incorporating Ginsberg's homemade beats: "I needed to learn how to write harder parts on my guitar and sing more challenging melodies, and I was listening to a lot of HOT 97," she says. "I wanted to build beats and have electronic aspects to the music, so I had to figure out how to write them, and blend those ideas with the organic nature of the songs."
The production on the band's eponymous debut is big and airy. With help from people like Jake Aron (Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Jamie Lidell) and Nathan Sabatino (Dr. Dog), the album is powerful, rich and compelling. It marks an auspicious and mature beginning for a young band.
