The Two Man Gentlemen Band bring hot banjo fire to the Mercury Lounge this Sunday
Below you'll find the message that the Two Man Gentlemen Band has just sent to their email list.
Dear Friends,
Greetings from The Two Man Gentlemen Band! It is with great delight that we announce our appearance at one of NYC's finest music venues. Please join us:
This Sunday, May 18th The Mercury Lounge
217 E Houston St, New York City
Gents at 8pm sharp!
$8 Admission, FREE KAZOOs!
w/ our NC pals The New Familiars (9pm)
See the two-man show that has wowed audiences from Paonia, CO to Montpelier, VT!
The Unsacred Hearts return this Friday with a show at the Delancey. Plus --- new album update.
The Unsacred Hearts, who haven't played a show since the Serious Business Christmas party in December, will return to the NYC stage this Friday night at the Delancey. It's a late one. The Hearts' set is at 12:30 AM right in the middle of the Delancey's 2-for-1 drink special hour (12-1). Show details below.
In studio update news, the Hearts have been slowly but surely constructing their full length follow up to In Defense of Fort Useless. We're hoping to get this baby into your ear-holes by the end of October.
The Unsacred Hearts
Live at the The Delancey
Friday, May 16
Hearts @ midnight
with Superfortress, Blip Blip Bleep, The Picture, The Diggs.
168 Delancey St (btwn Clinton and Attorney)
In case you forgot, watch the Hearts rock it at the Delancey one year ago in the YouTube clip below:
Dave and Travis (Unsacred Hearts) play with The Homosexuals this Sunday at the Knitting Factory with John Zorn and Bill Laswell, Martin Bisi, Susu etc.
If you're out and about this Mother's Day (I love you, mom!) be sure to get tickets to this big big show at the Knitting Factory.
Who are the Homosexuals? Tsk tsk. Bruno Wizard, Anton Hayman and Jim Welton were legendary late-70s UK D.I.Y. cult heroes. Read this, this, this, this and this. In the wake of two recent reissues, singer and auteur Bruno Wizard has been performing under the name again with various bands, most recently the mighty Remarkable Man, an outfit made of Dave and Travis from The Unsacred Hearts and Mike DosSantos (ex. Realistics) and Phil Aceto (ex. Blue Sparks) both of Apache Beat. Thr Homosexuals recently played two very well received shows at SXSW.
Here's a little taste of what you are in for --- The Homosexuals playing "Neutron Lover" live at the Beauty Bar ... Austin TX SXSW 2008. enjoy:
Rocketship Park celebrates the release of Off and Away (SBR16) with big show at Sound Fix Records in Williamsburg
.
If you haven't heard Off and Away yet, you must quit the dilly-dally, get a glove and get in the game because this is the record to beat in '08, without a doubt. Join us on Saturday, May 24th in celebrating its release at Sound Fix Records in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Yes its a record store and an excellent one at that, but its also a cozy, great sounding venue and an ideal environment to hear a band that's been lauded as "friggin' awesome," "so the real-deal" and "completely un-sucky," mostly by me, your humble news-poster. But other very nice and far more articulate things are being said too we're sure, as the record oozes through the internet into the hearts and minds of music lovers like you. Please help yourself to the free MP3s posted below. SBR16 - Rocketship Park : Off and Away DOWNLOAD: "Seasons" [MP3] DOWNLOAD: "Run Away" [MP3]
Buy the record at the show, at our store, or from your favorite digital retailer.
Saturday, May 24th Rocketship Park
Record release party for Off and Away
at Sound Fix Records
110 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn NY
HIGGINS album update, biographical video, KP's ode to the world's most flavorful potato chip.
The musical man force that is Higgins have found themselves ass-deep in the final stages of record making. Their forthcoming full length platter, a magnum opus begun in the twilight of '06, is finally nearing completion. No word yet on release date or any of that stuff. But if you're a Higgins freak (or a Hig-aholic, or El Higgerino if you're not into the whole brevity thing) then you'll be pleased to know you can watch the video embedded below:
The fine folks at Vimby.com stopped by the Serious Business recording studio to capture some of this joyous but painstaking process on film. Interview footage gives you a portal to biographical details on the Higgins that you might not have known. That's SB engineer Halsey Quemere on the knobs as the dudes add shakers to "Charlie" and tweak the mix of "Jamy." Not all of the song titles on the record evoke the names of dudes but these two do.
So now that you've gazed into a session at Serious Business, its time you understand the importance of our most cherished of fuels. No we're not talking about alcohol or drugs, or sandwiches or pizza, we're talking about the finest of chips, the Kettle Chips Cheddar Beer potato chip, the most flavorful chip in the known universe, a product that has been an indispensable accoutrement at nearly every Serious Business Higgins session. Head Hig Kevin Fish (aka KP) wrote a song in honor of these holy chips. You can hear it by heading over to his KPMy Space page. This page is a good spot if you want to hear his synth 'speriments, Higgins demos, and buckets of sweet, juicy melody. Of course, there's always the My Space page too.
So for those of you waiting with baited breath for Higgins to unveil their masterpiece, you'll have to settle for this audio snack in the meantime, their digital single for "Yes I Know" which we put out back in January. Mmmm. So crunchy and flavorful.
SBR21
HIGGINS - 'Yes I Know' / 'Slap or Pinch'
Buy it on iTunes, eMusic, Amazon or your favorite digital retailer.
Bluegrass Journal gushes over Heavy Petting. Of course! Plus, the Gentlemen's return to NYC
I know there are thousands of you out there who religiously check Bluegrass Journal everyday for the latest news in the world of hot pickin'. So this news-post won't bring a revelation to those multitudes. For the rest of us, allow us to direct you to their gushing review of the Two Man Gentlemen Band's latest album Heavy Petting. Read the whole thing here. The whole thing is pasted below as well.
In other Gentlemen news, the group has been on the road spreading hot banjo fire across the great United States for many many months now. May brings our heroes home to NYC for much needed relaxation. But don't think they're lazily resting on their laurels! On May 18th the Gentlemen make their Mercury Lounge debut. Click here for details about the show.
And now for that review...
THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND - Heavy Petting
The Two Man Gentlemen Band is comprised of Andy Bean ( Vocals, Banjo, & Foot Tambourine, Piano) and Fuller Condon (Vocals & Bass) who got there start spending two years as street musicians in New York’s Central Park. The CD also includes Travis Harrison on percussion and Justin Smith on “violin.”
“Heavy Petting,” the Gentlemen’s 3rd record on Serious Business Records, features a batch of songs that are chock full of humor, heavy innuendo, wit, energy and some raucous grooves. Bean and Condon’s music is a veritable melting pot of influences seasoned with vaudeville, swing, jazz, blues and old time country. The pace on the CD runs from a trot to absolutely frenetic with some of the haughtiest kazoo solos you’ve ever heard.
The CD kicks off in high gear and sets the tone for what’s to come with a tongue in cheek ode to the United State’s largest President, “William Howard Taft,” touting “you can’t sneak nothing past William Howard Taft.” The Gentlemen have also released a video for “William Howard Taft.”
“The Square Root of Two” is an upbeat geeky romantic serenade for those who are more mathematically inclined. The wit of Andy Bean proclaiming “My love is like the square root of two written as a decimal” will surely come to be the “pop the big question” theme song for mathematicians everywhere. After one listen you’ll agree, how could it not?
“Heavy Petting” is one of the funnest albums I’ve listened to in a long time. On the first, second, heck even the third listen, the Gentlemen’s songwriting leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout the album wondering what hilarity or subtle twisted lyric is coming down the pipe. Andy Bean, the group’s main songwriter, writes lyrics so off the beaten path they are virtually cliche free.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band , at the very least, should go down in the history books as the duo who made the kazoo hip again.
Spit for Your Shine sends rock thrills down the bones of your back. Its a minor-key guitar thumper that induces a physical reaction in listeners' ears, heads and hearts. Boshra al Saadi's singing leads the charge, leaping across registers and cutting deep. Spit has been a live staple for the better part of the past year; the band performed it on Steve Lamacq's BBC radio show during a recent UK trip.
Flip the single and you've got Born in the Desert, a crystallization of all Looker's best bits, the big hooks, great words, the sheer exuberance. Producer Erik Paparazzi wisely indulges the band's willingness to explore , with long churchy reverberations and swirling feedback bashing up against cave-stomp fuzz-tones and big big beats.
View new Two Man Gentlemen Band live performances on the YouTubage. Allow yourself to be entertained.
Last week at The Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA the Two Man Gentlemen Band took part in an exquisite triple bill along with their pals the Wiyos and the Hunger Mountain Boys. A fan posted a gleaming review on her blog which you can read here and also captured two songs on video which she then posted on YouTube.
Watch above as the Gentlemen perform "They Can't Prohibit Love" which appears on their latest album Heavy Petting
And here you can watch and listen as the Gentlemen perform one of their newest original compositions entitled "Fancy Beer." Of particular note in this performance is the Councilman's furious bass solo which will tear the bones from your back. Special accolades should also be heaped upon Andy Bean's new foot percussion contraption which colors the music in newly vibrant hues. The world waits with baited breath for a recorded version of this soon-to-be Gentlemen classic. Enjoy!
Special thanks to Ammuse's Weblog for the footage and the fine words.
SBR23 is Benji Cossa's Vault Volume 2: Jewels and Gems.
Limited edition CD available April 22. Digital release available NOW on eMusic, Amazon, etc! +PLUS! 3 MPFREES.
Ladies and gentlemen! Now announcing the release of Benji Cossa's Vault Volume II: Jewels and Gems! Formed and cut in the years 2000-2003. Observe these beauties' many facets. Behold their rich colors. Value their clarity remastered in a new digital format. You can pre-order this 19 piece collection now! The CD will ship to arrive on or around the April 22nd release date! For Benji fanatics, the album is also available digitally right now at eMusic and also at Amazon. iTunes will follow next week.
Since 1995, Benji Cossa has amassed an extensive body of work but few outside of his inner circle of friends, loved ones and cult followers know much about it. Benji spent years and years recording his little masterpieces alone or with close pals on a 4-track. After years of D.I.Y. tapes and 7-inches and compilation appearances, his growing cult was rewarded with the Cossa's debut album in 2005. It was called Vault Vol. 1 and it culled 17 glorious nuggets recorded in the years 1995-2000. An excellent Portland label called Magic Marker brought it to the world. Vault Vol 2 is the sequel to that release, concentrating on the years 2000-2003, and further delving into Benji's treasure chest of magnificent jewels and gems. His songwriting transcends the "lo-fi" sub-genre by pulling more inspiration from the Brill Building, All Things Must Pass and ELO than scratchy, punky indie-rock. In Benji's world of songs, the hook is the king.
Some of the songs are recording collaborations with Devin Flynn (Pixeltan) including "April," which was featured on excellent the Hishaam Baroocha-curated They Keep Me Smiling compilation in 2003. Others feature the 24-Karat Band (Eric Copeland from Black Dice and Joe Bradley from Cheeseburger). The tracklist unfolds in chronological order.
CD pre-orders will ship to arrive on or around the release date of April 22nd, 2008.
SBR24 is a digital EP from Jack and the Pulpits, starring Josh from Rocketship Park and the lovely Annie Nero
Three concise, beautiful and poetic pop tunes comprise this sublime EP made by Josh Kaufman and Annie Kaufman in the comfort of their home. Organs, whistling and tambourines shake up the walls of your heart. Flawlessly constructed, these little melodies will become immaculate staples in your ears.
This music was committed to tape in Brooklyn right after the '04 presidential election, but in no way is a reaction to it. Dance Area and The Dismember were written at that time but Dear Andy dates back to 1998 and was conceived in New Paltz, NY. Josh and Annie recorded, played and sang everything. They mixed it too.
-Josh also performs with Rocketship Park, Higgins, Caithlin De Marrais (formerly of Rainer Maria), the Homophones. He was the producer of several tracks on the forthcoming 2nd Secret Dakota Ring album.
-Annie performs with Ladystein and El May.
-Together they perform with Balthrop Alabama and Benji Cossa and also Mary Mulliken and Rob Burger.
-A previous collaboration between Josh and Annie was The Mansfields which featured Bryan Devendorf and Geoff Mann.
SXSW. Half of the Unsacred Hearts back up THE HOMOSEXUALS, and JAYMAY
Alright ... so no Serious Business bands are going to be down in Austin, TX at SXSW. Everyone's, like, busy...or whatever.
But there will be a presence down there in the form of 50% of the UNSACRED HEARTS, Dave Siegel and Travis Harrison, who will be running around backing up some extremely talented folks. If you're in Austin, you can see Dave and Trav playing with two separate acts, both amazing but very different:
JAYMAY
(Jaymay is an ultra-Dylan-y NYC songstress. Dave and Travis grew up in the same town as her. She's very excellent. D&T will be her two man backing band at SXSW.)
Fri Mar 14 : THE HOMOSEXUALS
@ Spiro's, 611 Red River
Austin, TX
WFMU Party!
Homos at 8PM
w/ Psychedelic Horseshit, Paul Metzger, Cheveu, the Lexie Mountain Boys, the Bad Trips, Citay, Half Japanese, Evangelista, Hank IV, Kelley Stoltz, Harvey Milk, and Los Llamarada
Sat Mar 15 : JAYMAY
@ HIT SHEET/BMI showcase @ Momo's
618 W 6th St
Austin, TX
Jaymay on at 3PM
Sat Mar 15 : JAYMAY
@ Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
323 e. 6th st.
Jaymay at 8PM
Sat Mar 15 : THE HOMOSEXUALS
@ The Beauty Bar (front room)
617 E. 7th St
Austin, TX
Homos at 10PM sharp!
with/ Caps & Jones (8), Twin Crystals (9), Apache Beat (11), Dandi Wind (12), Tough Alliance (1)
Also, BONUS NEWS.
If you enjoy watching television, you'll be able to see Travis on it this Monday, March 10th when he backs up Jaymay on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Also in that band will be Chris Mitchell, Steve Lewis, and Steve Shiltz (Longwave). Booya.
More Gentlemen news
"William Howard Taft" video featured on Blender.com. The Two Man Gentlemen Band are the Blender Breakout!
If for some reason you've neglected to watch the Two Man Gentlemen Band's extremely gentlemanly one-shot video for "William Howard Taft" on YouTube, now you can watch it within the glitzy internet confines of Blender.com! Today that site, an outgrowth of the esteemed music/sexy-boobies mag Blender has named the Gentlemen their BLENDER BREAKOUT! Huzzah! Visit their homepage and you'll see our distinguished duo holding their own amongst Rhianna, Chris Brown and Soulja Boy! Score one for old-time novelty banjo music!
The Two Man Gentlemen Band get excellent praise from PopMatters, continue touring exhaustively, make cameo in Hollywood rom-com.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band, badminton net and corn liquor in tow, have been scorching their way across the USA for the umpteenth time. They are supporting their new album Heavy Petting and at every stop, fans kazoo along, throw their dollars at the stage and leave battered and bruised by good cheer.
This week, influential online music mag PopMatters bestowed Heavy Petting with a very favorable review. Scribe Spencer Tricker wrote the following: "Overall, Heavy Petting's success lies in its being a refreshingly crude batch of Americana that buzzes with enough overtly intellectual humor and raucous energy to make even the coldest of hipsters crack a smile. It's a record that's completely unpretentious and, consequently, enormous fun." Indeed! BE SURE TO READ THE ENTIRE MAGNIFICENT REVIEW HERE.
The AllMusicGuide's blog also posted this sweet little write-up, which was featured on allmusic's home page and which you should read right away.
In additional news, the Gents had the honor to be featured extras in the new movie "27 Dresses" starring that blond lady from Grey's Anatomy. They play the part of Central Park Street Musicians. It took them little effort to get into character.
SBR01 available as FREE DOWNLOAD | The UNSACRED HEARTS debut EP. This week only.
The record that started it all for us here at Serious Business was The Unsacred Hearts' debut EP. The year was 2004 and the future seemed so vast.
Join us in reliving these glory days by downloading The Unsacred Hearts EP for free. We're going to take the .ZIP file down on Friday night February 29th at midnight. Share this information with all your loved ones. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP FILE OF THE ENTIRE RECORD
SBR22 is the second Serious Business single from LOOKER. Plus! A sweet video clip.
Here's the second Serious Business single from NYC lady-fronted power-pop hook factory Looker. This one, like its predecessor "After My Divorce,"delivers maximum melody, lyrical sophistication and bittersweet ear-candy, leaving your finger stuck on that repeat button. Looker has two charismatic and expressive lead vocalist/songwriters in Nicole Greco and Boshra AlSaadi, and the sublime balance between the two, which this single demonstrates, is the heart of the band. "Gates of the Old City," a tuneful slab of visceral rock classicism, explodes into a soaring Greco chorus with words that keep your brain pinned to speakers. "Help Me Roada" is a laid-back AlSaadi masterwork, a truly touching gem that marries Dylan-y verses and Beatles-y chorii. Producer Erik Paparazzi (Cat Power and The Dirty Delta Blues) ran the proceedings with Serious Business recordist Travis Harrison as his first mate.
Production for the third single is currently underway. Expect that in the Spring.
SBR22 Looker Gates of the Old City' / 'Help Me Roada'
Digital-only single
Release date: March 4th, 2008
Plus
Check out this sweet video clip from Vimby.com. See interviews with the band and producer Erik Paparazzi, live and rehearsal footage, all around excellence. Enjoy!
NEW VIDEO! The Two Man Gentlemen Band endorse our fattest US president "William Howard Taft" in their new YouTube video. In other news, they themselves continue to blow up.
Feast your eyes.
Please enjoy this music video for the original composition entitled "Wiliam Howard Taft."
A word from the Gentlemen: "The Gentlemen maintain that our president ought to be a physical representation of the national spirit. To this end, we always cast our vote for the moustachioed, fat man. Sadly, we haven't picked a winner since 1908."
-USA Today's Pop Candy pop culture blog included "William Howard Taft" in a recent podcast. Blogger Whitney Matheson's exclaims that the Gentlemen are her new favorite band (this week). Read all about that here.
-This blog called MainstreamIsntSoBad posted some nice things. Read it all here
-Matt Winters, who is the host of The Moonshine Show on WKCR-FM in New York City, a bluegrass and old-time radio program that has roots dating back to 1963, posted this nice stuff on his blog called Sound of Blackbirds. Read the very thorough and very well crafted post here.
-Here's a review of Heavy Petting on a blog called The Late Greats.
-Concert industry supersite Pollstar did a little write-up on the Gents outrageous touring schedule. Read that right here.
In anticipation of the forthcoming full length from the 60's styled guitar pop man-force named Higgins, we give you this digital single. The guitar heavy A-side "Yes I Know" will appear on the album later this year. Close your eyes and you might hear some Ray Davies, some Beach Boys, some of Zeppelin's rhythm section, some Mike Bloomfield guitar, some McCartney, some Zombies; and all kinds of good good stuff. The B-side "Slap Or Pinch" is a delightful must-have home recording from head Hig Kevin Fish. This single is for lifetime lovers of melody.
This release hits the digital outlets like iTunes and eMusic and all those places on 2/26/08. Please support us. Thank you.
Help Rocketship Park win $10,000. All you have to do is vote.
Election fever?
Rocketship Park has been entered in a contest sponsored by LG phones. There is a clip of the group playing "Seasons" live at Pianos from the Serious Business Holiday Party competing against a bunch of other bands. PLEASE VOTE! In fact, you can vote three times a day. We're gonna ask you to go ahead and get all OCD with this thing here. You see, there's a pretty big prize. The band who receives the most votes, wins 10 grand. We really could use 10 grand. So all you have to do is register your email address (yes we realize that's incredibly annoying...sorry...we really could use your help), and get to voting. Stuff that ballot box.
Feel free to repost this shameless solicitation.
WARNING: Our experience with this lg contest site can be a little frustrating if you aren't on a super fast internet connection. The clips tend to freeze up and that can be super annoying. So if you're interested in actually watching the clip, check it out on the Youtube.
So now we'll reward you for your efforts.
The Rocketship Park album (SBR16) has been done musically since the middle of last year but the CD (featuring cover art by Benji Cossa) isn't slated for release until this Spring. We've had the song Run Away kicking around on our music page since October. To further tide you over, download this MP3 of Seasons(the song in the above clip). We're only gonna keep it up for a short while so grab it while it lasts.
P.S. Who knows? If we snag that $10K its a pretty good bet we'll see a sweet vinyl pressing of SBR16.
January 30
Union Hall
Brooklyn, NY
w/ Polite Sleeper and Alberta Cross
If you're still sleeping on Nothing But Change, WAKE UP! Get in on these jams now! The Skinny says, ""Rock that's both sloppy and strung-out, shades of Pavement and The Minutemen, with hooks that fall stumbling out of an alleyway before you realised they were coming. You don't expect a song like this to be so catchy." Also, Minnesota's St. Cloud Times had this to say about NBC, listing it as the #2 album that no one ever heard of in 2007. "The Octagon crafted an amazing second album...Songs such as “The Narrow Road To Oku” deserve a spot in every jukebox between here and Spain so people can nod along to the clever lyrics while pondering their mistakes. Check out ...“Oku,” and be prepared for love at first song."
Then, somewhere between the end-of-the-year drinking, feasting, and more drinking, the group over at 3hive.com wrote about not one, not two, but three SBR acts- Benji, the Two Man Gentlemen Band, and the Unsacred Hearts. They said nice things, such as, "With their Dixieland, Tin Pan Alley, goofy slapstick kazoo-billy rock, [the Two Man Gentlemen Band] tend to have a blast in the recording studio" and "I fell for [The Unsacred Hearts'] elastic, spastic sound and booze-soaked narratives." Aside from this being the first ever recorded instance of the Gentlemen being referred to as "rock" of any variety, we humbly thank the proprietors of the site for their attentive ears and friendly words. find the permalinks (with MP3s) to the original posts here: Hearts, Benji, the Gentlemen
If that doesn't make your new year sweet enough, be sure to catch the Gents as they tour the country, The Octagon as they head up north, Looker with a few local dates, and MIG in DC. Dates over here.
We at SBR give to you this shirt, designed by Jared Friedman at Econo Graphics. Hell yes. It's January. It's cold. Make your bottom layer this handsome number, which is definitely a limited edition type of thing (meaning we don't have that many). The design depicts the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island. Dark blue on light blue with yellow light bulbs. Printed on super high quality American Apparel Tees. TO BUY: Visit our store, scroll down and plop the appropriate T Shirt icon in your shopping cart. Booya.
Photo of Rocketship Park auteur Josh Kaufman printed in mag for reasons having nothing to do with music Also another free MP3...
This photo of Rocketship Park auteur Josh Kaufman was recently printed in Time Out NY for reasons having nothing to do with music. A photographer came to his place of employment, took his picture for completely non-musical reasons, and by some strange stroke of fate, it wound up in the magazine. Josh, who along with Serious Business stable mate Benji Cossa works for a fancy SoHo letterpress company, was excited enough by this rare yet barely newsworthy occurrence to email us with the details. Anyway, um, we hope this pleases you. To read the full article which focuses on a nine-months pregnant creator of a designer stationery line and has nothing to do with beautifully crafted soon-to-be-classic, country-tinged and divinely poetic pop music, click here.
THE YEAR IN BUSINESS: 2007
Free digital compilation record.
The "Best of 2007" from Serious Business. 11 TRACKS. FREE!!!
Its December and we're all about giving until it hurts. To celebrate an amazing year, we're issuing an all-free digital compilation record. It is called The Year In Business: 2007 (SBR20). This is basically a "Best of '07" type of thing, with the hit jams from all the records we issued this year. There will also be 3 exclusive newies on there too in the form of unreleased business from The Unsacred Hearts, Secret Dakota Ring and Higgins.
Tracklist: 1. HIGGINS - Yes I Know - previously unreleased
2. BENJI COSSA - Sunset - Between the Blue and the Green (SBR13)
3. THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND - William Howard Taft - Heavy Petting (SBR18)
4. LOOKER - After My Divorce - 'After My Divorce' b/w 'Master's Gone Away' (SBR15)
5. THE OCTAGON - The Narrow Road to Oku - Nothing But Change (SBR14)
6. THE UNSACRED HEARTS - I Am Joe - previously unreleased
7. ROCKETSHIP PARK - Run Away - previously unreleased
8. KICKSTART - Harmonica - Kickstart (SBR12)
9. MAN IN GRAY - Stranded - I Can't sleep Unless I Hear You Breathing (SBR11)
10. DRACULA ZOMBIE USA - Right Makes Might - 'Right Makes Might' b/w 'Long Shot' (SBR17)
11. SECRET DAKOTA RING - Keep It Down - previously unreleased
Man In Gray on TV this Saturday Night! Also, #95 record of 2007!
Serious Business' resident punky-poppy-neck-breaking-noise merchants Man In Gray recently set off some rock-bombs in front of TV cameras. The results are airing this Saturday night 12/22 on Fearless Music (FOX channel 5 in NY area). Here are the details.
Saturday, 12/22/07, 12:30AM
MAN IN GRAY on
Fearless Music
Airs Saturday nights at 12:30AM on FOX Channel 5 in NYC.
If you are not in NYC, check www.fearlessmusic.tv/channels.html to find out when and where else this fine program airs.
95. Man In Gray I Can't Sleep Unless I Hear You Breathing; Man In Gray come out with guns blazing on their debut LP I Can't Sleep Unless I Hear You Breathing. The album is paced at break neck speed, with their furiously frantic songs taking a nice neat album and thrusting it into near chaos. It's probably the fastest album on this entire list because its a fairly long record, but when you're listening to it it just seems to fly past you. Of course this is all led by the screaming yells of their front woman, and the quick rhythms and tempo changes found throughout the music. These are the kind of tunes that should get people going nuts in a small sweaty venue, which is some of the most fun and exciting music out there!
SERIOUS BUSINESS CHRISTMAS PARTY. 12/20/07 @ PIANOS, NYC
Come one, come all. Don't be shy. We're having a Serious Business Christmas party. And we're gonna bring just a little bit of the true spirit of Christmas back into your lives. You're going to love it.
Starring ROCKETSHIP PARK BENJI COSSA's Christmas Spectacular THE UNSACRED HEARTS
Special treats for all...including...an all Christmas set from Benji Cossa who'll joined by Travis Harrison from the Unsacred Hearts on drums. And also...speaking of the Hearts...founding member Andy Ross will join the Unsacred Hearts on stage for several numbers. Not to be missed.
In other Gentlemen news
We seemed to have missed this write up of their set at Pianos during the SBR CMJ Showcase on 10/16/07. Thanks to Pop Matters for the kind words.
"I don’t know what it is about banjos, kazoos, and pork-pie hats that makes the kids go crazy, but it’s clear that I’ve seen the future of musical comedy. With an upright bass player, a banjo, a small drum set, and various novelty bells and whistles, retro-Vaudeville pickers the Two Man Gentlemen Band got a jaded crowd of New York industry folk to clap, stomp, and shout out prime numbers (the last for their charming love song “Square Root of Two”). By the time they got around to a sing-along about William Howard Taft (“the last president to wear facial hair”), I was smitten—these zinger-happy, fast-talking folkies are gentlemen indeed. (SB) " -See the whole PopMatters post here.
Benji Cossa puts FREE DIGITAL X-MAS RECORD beneath the tree.
In keeping with the true spirit of Christmas, Benji Cossa gives a you gift from his heart, a gift he made. Merry Christmas to Friends and Family is Benji's nine-song home-made holiday record featuring seasonal standards, lesser-known hymns and one heart warming original. And this year, its all yours TOTALLY FREE.
To the Editor:
David Brooks is right about one thing: American music today is increasingly fragmented. But he seems to have missed the real reasons why.
Modern recording technologies allow virtually anyone to record music and make it available to listeners worldwide, a privilege once enjoyed exclusively by large record companies. As a result, major record companies have increasingly less control over what gets heard, while consumers have increasingly more.
It should surprise no one that in an environment of almost unlimited consumer freedom we would end up with a wider variety of preferences than those prearranged by a few record executives.
As a guitar teacher, I see teenage kids today who have more artists in their iPods than I would have ever known to exist when I was their age.
It’s strange that Mr. Brooks, the individualist, would be bemoan the triumph of individual preferences and choices over the centralized control of a few.
Not to beat a dead horse, but there were quite a few things written about our recent CMJ showcase at Pianos, and another little nugget was just brought to our attention. It's from a site called New York Cool.Read the whole post here.
Again, across the board ridiculously complementary things were said. The Two Man Gentlemen Band
Bunny from the Octagon.
Also, our pals at StereoactiveNYC gave us some high marks too. Click here to read their entire CMJ recap. For our A.D.D. fans, here are some excerpts...
..."Rocketship Park blew us away. Their country rock sound was just what we wanted to hear and the pedal steel guitar through most of set was especially gorgeous sounding."
...The Two Man Gentlemen Band's old time, rootsy country tunes and stage antics had the place mesmerized and the duo — accompanied by Travis Harrison on percussion, so actually it was a trio — had the crowd eating out of their hands like nothing we’ve ever seen before. It was truly exceptional. Plus the new material, including a raucous song about President William Howard Taft, from their next album was really great.
...Then it was time for the Unsacred Hearts, playing for the first time since May. And speaking of raucous, the stage was basically treated like one of those inflatable moon-jump things you see at carnivals and the drumset was like a min-trampoline with frontman Joe Willie leaping on and off it at will. But while this was all entertaining, it was, of course, the music that really rocked the place, just as it would again the next night at Matchless. The Unsacred Hearts
BBC DJ Steve Lamacq was nice enough to invite Looker to play a couple songs and sit down for an interview. Learn about their recent travels, their future plans and their love for deep-fried burgers. The girls rip through heavy-duty live versions of both tunes from their just released Serious Business 7-inch.
You have to listen through to the whole program to get to the Looker bit which comes on about a half-hour in. No worries. It is a fine show and worth your time. If we had more guys like Lamacq on the airwaves in the States, we'd be in much better shape.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Benji Cossa.
He wrote a Halloween song. Here it is. It is the best Halloween song of all times. it was produced by Mr. John Walsh.
Benji's latest album is called Between the Blue and the Green and it is AVAILBLE HERE. While Benji's newly finished and completely cerebellum-melting Halloween hit What's That Sound is absent from this record, it is still full of timeless AM gold you will love till the end.
AM NY caught Rocketship Park, the Two Man Gentlemen Band last week at Pianos and wrote nice things
Ubiquitous free New York tabloid AM NY run a music blog on their website called AM/FM and one of their writers was at our CMJ show last and caught two of our acts, Rocketship Park and the Two Man Gentlemen Band. She liked us. Here are some excerpts:
About Rocketship Park:
"I was blown away!...Their sound is melodic (with actual sung harmony, which seems rare these days), twangy, laid back and kind of reminiscent of early Neil Young. It's good music to feel bad to...I particularly enjoyed whatever whiskey-soaked lament that started, "Your drinking buddies are your drinking buddies — don't get used to that." So true."
And about the Two Man Gentlemen Band:
"AWESOME. These guys rule in a totally old-timey, banjo and stand-up bass way. They've got charisma, energy and kazoos, and they definitely have fun up there, with compositions that are a little bit dorky and a little bit dirty. Banjo player Andy Bean works the crowd, addressing members of the audience and his own band with the honorific "friend," and employing other affectations of a Depression-era huckster. Their lyrics are twee and hilarious, and each song clips along at approximately twelve-million bpms.
"The band should be atop every geek's play list. They played, not one, but two songs related to mathematics — and Bean worked the word "erudite" into his introduction to a song which used the square root of two as a metaphor for love. (The other math-related song led to a listing of prime numbers; we as a crowd made it to 11 (someone said 9, ending the fun).
"A song about Badminton brought about the first instance of audience participation. We were instructed to chant, "Smack the bird" (or alternatively, "Smack the cock" — you see what I mean about a little bit dirty?) during the chorus.
"To cap off this complete and joyful celebration of dorkitude, we had a brief discussion on William Howard Taft — the last president to have facial hair in office — followed by a song.
"I have such a crush on Bean, and his fedora."
The AllMusic Guide is our favorite online all-encompassing music encyclopedia. They also have a blog. A writer was at our label showcase at Pianos. The AllMusic Blog had all of this to say about Tuesday night:
"You have to love a record label that isn’t driven by profits, hipness, or some misguided attempt to capture and define a style. New York-based label Serious Business is a label of love — love for music of all kinds (their roster is a diverse one seemingly guided by label founder Travis Harrison’s personal taste) and, judging from their showcase at Pianos on Tuesday night, love for each other. Bands shared members and instruments, made sure to thank each other and Travis many times and, sweetest of all, they made sure the bands on stage were properly hydrated at all times by bringing up numerous cool refreshments." and more...
...about Benji Cossa: "he brought on even more players on piano and pedal steel, and the band began to rollick like a low-scale version of the Band. It takes a lot to rock, but it takes some specific skills to rollick. You have to have light-hearted, easy charm and the band has to lay back and play exactly right. For a few minutes during the song “Volcano,” you could have closed your eyes and imagined you were in a basement of a big pink house. Impressive feat and a fine way to start the night."
...about Rocketship Park: "They kept the good feeling going with a sound that was kind of like an pretense and angst-free version of Wilco with big sunny hooks, swooping pedal steel, and an earnest, good-natured everyman behind the mike. Add a little down-home psychedelia with the chiming guitars, some folk-rock in the vocal harmonies, and you get Beachwood Sparks without the beach (they are pasty New Yorkers after all) and with plenty of sparks."
...about the Unsacred Hearts: "The Unsacred Hearts took the stage, grabbed it by the throat and never let go for a second. Their loud, fast, and scientific sound is equally drawn from post-punk sources like Gang of Four and the Fall, pre-punk bands like Dead Boys and Electric Eels, and more modern-day acts like Rocket from the Crypt. Led by singer Joe Willie, who jumped, strutted, and raised hell while spitting out his dead-serious lyrics like a cross between Roger Daltrey and Stiv Bators, the band was razor sharp and dangerous. Travis Harrison on drums played like he was on fire, guitarist Dave Siegel reeled off angular chords and the noise they made wasn’t joyous exactly, but it did feel like you were being lifted off the floor an inch at a time."
...and Looker: "...a breathtaking rush of Suzi Quatro drumbeats, Shangri La’s vocals, and pure power-pop guitar crunch"
And the The Deli Magazine's blog had this to say about the Matchless show:
"The Unsacred Hearts, for whom The Deli has had much love, were blowing up the stage as I walked in. They're less of a band than they are UPS delivery-men each song a neat little 3 minute package of tight catchy riffs and shout/sung lyrics. Each song was like getting a hallmark card from your Nana but instead of there being a ten dollar bill inside it just says "Fuck you."
"Following The Unsacred Hearts was Kickstart (picture) who sound like the Misfits if they watched more Charles Bronson and John Holmes than Bela Lugosi flicks. The lead singer had a distinctly sleazy voice ala The Cramps."
CMJ Showcase wrap-ups, write-ups. More to come tonight and throughout the week
The show last night at Pianos was a joyful overload of good times.
Thanks to Hank at Time Out NY for this extremely complementary T.O.N.Y. blog write-up: "CMJ means a lot of different things to a lot of different people," said The Unsacred Hearts‘ frontman, Joe , the Pianos stage tonight. His subtle but unmissable note of sarcasm made it very easy to tell what the festival—and its attendant hoopla—meant to him: business as usual. The Hearts, a joyously unhinged quartet whose brief tunes neatly summarize the last half century of rock & roll, might have been playing Manhattan’s trendiest neighborhood on the eve of one of its most cutthroat popularity contests. But they weren’t pandering to anybody. Neither were other local groups I saw—rakish, effortlessly virtuosic roots duo The Two Man Gentlemen Band; tough, cool new-wavish foursome Looker; and raucous yet tuneful indie-pop trio The Octagon—all affiliated with the Serious Business label, one of the most unpretentious local indies you could ever hope to find. The outfits played tight, fun, energetic sets, just as they do year-round at local clubs. In other words, the best thing about this CMJ showcase was how little it felt like one."
Thanks also to ProductShopNYC for this post and these photos:
The party continues TONIGHT at Matchless in Green Point, Brooklyn. We're teaming up with the always trustworthy music blog Earfarm to throw a bash focusing on some rock-sounds. This lineup is killing:
8:00 PM THE UNSACRED HEARTS
8:50 PM KICKSTART
9:40 PM MAN IN GRAY
10:30 PM Goes Cube
11:20 PM Hull And then there's more going on Friday and Saturday ...
-FRI 10/19/07 - KEG PARTY w/ MAN IN GRAY, LOOKER, Kinetic, Up the Empire
-SAT 10/20/07 - AFTER THE JUMP FEST benefit at the Yard with THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND playing between sets. With O'Death, White Magic, Balthrop Alabama, Old Time Relijun, more.
-SAT 10/20/07 - StereoactiveNYC / Hot Rocks CMJ party at the Delancey . MAN IN GRAY, A Place to Bury Strangers, Chop Shop, The Secret Life of Sofia, Gold Streets, Mancino, Up The Empire, El Jezel, and The Vandelles. Show specifics available on our EVENTS page.
New DraculaZombieUSA digital only single: "Right Makes Might" / "Long Shot"
The bi-coastal party-time super-partnership called DraculaZombieUSA is issuing a brand-new digital only single. It has two songs. "Right Makes Might" is dance-floor candy with a heart. "Long Shot" is classicDZUSA information overload. Two jams stuffed with sound and only available as digital downloads.
This single will be available only as a digital download. The official digital release date is November 6th 2007. Until then you'll find both these jammers floating around the internet for free of charge so scoop them up and pass them on. Artwork by Karthik Pandian
2007 Serious Business CMJ Invasion
The 2007 CMJ Music Marathon is upon us and Serious Business has several events lined up.
TUE OCT 16
CMJ Serious Business LABEL SHOWCASE @ PIANOS
BENJI COSSA, ROCKETSHIP PARK, THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND, THE UNSACRED HEARTS, LOOKER, THE OCTAGON. Also appearing, Sam Champion
WED OCT 17
SERIOUS BUSINESS / EARFARM PARTY
@ BAR MATCHLESS
Brooklyn, NY
THE UNSACRED HEARTS, KICKSTART, MAN IN GRAY with Goes Cube and Hull.
FRI OCT 19
RAGING ROCK
AND ROLL KEGGER
BROOKLYN LOFT PARTY
with kegs
319 4th Ave
corner of 3rd St
Gowanus, NY
starring...
MAN IN GRAY, LOOKER and Kinetic
Also,
SAT OCT 20 StereoactiveNYC/Hot Rocks CMJ Showcase Party
@ THE DELANCEY
with MAN IN GRAY, A Place to Bury Strangers, Mancino, The Secret Life of Sofia, Gold Streets, Up the Empire, El Jezel. GREAT SHOW!!! Whew.
LOOKER UK tour, booked to play Nov 12 on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 1 Show
With their new 7" single hot off the presses Looker is packing their bags and heading for the UK. Of particular note is the fact that they've been invited to perform on illustrious DJSteveLamacq's BBC Radio 1 program. They'll be performing some songs on the air and granting Mr. Lamacq with an interview. When? MON NOV 12. 9PM. Radio 1.
Here's the breakdown of all their upcoming shows:
---Oct 13 2007 10:00P
The Khyber
Philadelphia, PA
---Oct 16 2007 10:00P
CMJ-Serious Business Records showcase at Pianos
New York, NY
---Oct 19 2007 10:00P
CMJ Loft Party in Gowanus with Man in Gray and Kinetic
New York, NY
---Nov 6 2007 10:00P
Crown Point Festival at Abron Arts Center
New York, NY
---Nov 8 7:00PM
The Liquid Room
Edinburgh, Northeast
Opening for the UNDERTONES
---Nov 8 2007 10:00P
The Barfly
Glasgow, Scotland
---Nov 9 2007 10:00P
KU Bar
Stockton on Tees, Northeast
---Nov 10 2007 10:00P
Swn Festival
Cardiff, Wales
---Nov 12 2007 9:00P
Looker live on Radio1 with Steve Lamacq!!
London, England and South East
---Nov 13 2007 10:00P
Buffalo Bar
Cardiff, Wales
---Nov 17 2007 10:00P
The Fly
London, and South East
---Nov 18 2007 9:00P
Bloody Awful Poetry Club at Tommy Flynn's
Camden, London and South East
Also, Looker bassist AJ Lambert is celebrating the release of her new EP and short film at the Delancey in NYC on Tuesday, October 9. Also doing a set will be Looker 7"producer Erik Paparazzi. Be there.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band will enter the Serious Business studio next week to begin work on their next record. Song titles include When Your Lips Are Playing My Kazoo, Heavy Petting
the most flavorful chip in the known universe, a product that has been an indispensable accoutrement at nearly every Serious Business Higgins session. Head Hig Kevin Fish (aka KP) wrote a song in honor of these holy chips. You can hear it by heading over to his KP 
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This photo of Rocketship Park auteur Josh Kaufman was recently printed in Time Out NY for reasons having nothing to do with music. A photographer came to his place of employment, took his picture for completely non-musical reasons, and by some strange stroke of fate, it wound up in the magazine. Josh, who along with Serious Business stable mate 
