Column: In Da Club - 006, March 2004
By: Joshua K
Wilkommen again to In Da Club - rockfeedback's monthly trawl of the darkest late night beergartens to reveal the brightest new talents New York City has to offer.
This month, kiddees, we've got a good 'un. Think raunchy sex; dark glamour; soaring guitars; punk; funk; and more than a little bit of AC/DC thrown in for good measure. Sound good? Thought so.
So shield yer bleeding ears and let's get rolling. And when you recover, don't forget to send those tips our way, to Toby L (tobyl@rockfeedback.com) and Joshua K (joshuak@rockfeedback.com).
MORNINGWOOD
Named after, ahem, your day's first, just-awoken trouser-stir (cough), hard rock four-piece Morningwood are a true find: a band crazy and skilled enough to mine the musical intersection of Prince and AC/DC, as fronted by Janis Joplin.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Because, quite simply, Morningwood rock like no one else. The musical team of drummer Japa Keenon, bassist Pedro Yanowitz and guitarist Richard Lee cut their teeth in settings as diverse as Cibo Matto, Money Mark, Sean Lennon, The Wallflowers and Spacehog - and their instrumentation is as eclectic as these influences suggest, all filtered through a shared love of the funky (yet heavy).
Upfront is vocalist Chantal Claret, at twenty-two one of the most compelling frontwomen rockfeedback has seen in ages. A compact rocket hidden behind a mop of curly hair, Claret's wild-eyed gazes, lascivious gyrations and powerful belting are the glue that ties this dirty mélange together and holds audiences rapt.
Need more insight into what to expect? Well, the Morningwood sound is being shepherded in-studio by legendary producer Jack Douglas (New York Dolls/John Lennon/Cheap Trick/Aerosmith). They're currently unsigned, but trust us, not for long.
FIND OUT MORE: http://www.morningwoodrocks.com.
ROBBERS ON HIGH STREET
Meet four young New Yorkers with an Anglophilic bent, who transform a love of smart '60s-90s British pop into a rhythmic yet angular, poppy yet deliciously-downbeat blend.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Quality influences don't always beget quality new music - but they certainly help. And young Robbers Ben (guitar/keys/vox), Steve (guitar), Jeremy (bass) and Tomer (drums) sure know how to pick 'em. Think the tunesmithery of The Kinks, the drive of The Jam and the swirling verve of mid-period ('Girls & Boys'-era) Blur, but without any attempt to sound falsely 'Brit' or 'Mockney', and you get the idea.
The band themselves see their sound as 'schizophrenic dance rock with sinister melodies' and that's as good a description as any. Because, while you can recognize their influences, you can't pin Robbers on High Street down as mere copyists of any one sound. And, in this day and age of cookie-cutter music, that's a high compliment indeed.
ROHS have just released their debut 'Fine Lines' EP on New Line Records and are currently touring America in support of those other young masters of schizophrenic rock, The Sleepy Jackson. Show up early and intently (shoe)gaze.
FIND OUT MORE: http://www.robbersonhighstreet.com.
Until next month.