Tag: NYC Rock Band

Subterfuge

I’ve been working with Magnetic Island, an exprimental, indie rock band based in NYC, on the single Subterfuge.  

This past week the single premiered on Gimme Tinnitus.  You can check it out here: Subterfuge. 

Not only did I play the drums, and the steelpan on the single, I also sang!

It was so great being back in the recording studio, and playing in general.  Even though at times it was a challenge, I learned so much from the experience.  

Working with Magnetic Island was really refreshing as the sound is completely different from my band Telenovela Star. 

I think the difference is that I was more focused on percision rather than power.  Less concerned with trying to prove how fast I can play or how much agility I have, but more concerned with how to bring out the song, make it tell the story that it’s dying to say. 

Working with these guys also gave me the opportunity to break out my steelpan, which has been sitting in my closet for sometime now, and as well as to sing.  Being brought back to my first instruments, my voice and the steelpan, reminded me of why I desired to be a musician.  I was blown away.  I didn’t realize that I was capable of expressing myself through these other mediums, especially singing.  I realized that I can do more than carry a tune.  I have a voice.  I can sing. 

All in all this was an eye opening experience for me, and I’m thankful to have had the chance to work with such talented, and genuinely remarkable musicians.  They brought out a side of me that was starving to be explored.

Here are some shots of us in The Fort recording studio:

 

OBJECT

OBJECT is one of my favorite NYC indie rock bands. I first met these guys back in 2006, when my band was sharing a bill with them for a DJ Mojo show at Trash bar. I was immediately moved by the amount of power and noise that this duo dished out. It restored this belief I’ve had, if you’re creative and talented enough, anything is possible. But of course, this was before I realized that creativity and talent doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have the money to support the potential.

Since that night in July, 2006, my not so secret crush on Object has grown into a full blown obsession, so much so that both my lover and I have become familiar fixtures at an Object show. Well, not every show, but we did catch them at Crash Mansion this past Friday night. And they have excelled further, even as they played tunes from possibly their first EP.

After a listening session of Object’s latest album, Black Swan, a good friend of mine puts it well, “[Object] reminds me of a renovated, improved Soundgarden…” Honestly it took Soundgarden four players to invent and sustain such a swell of an all encompassing sound. Yeah you can argue that it’s all production, but if you’ve been to any of Object’s shows (even at the shittiesh venues in NYC), you’d become a believer, and think that there was never, ever a need for a second guitarist. If you didn’t know better, they’ll even trick you into thinking that having a bass player was unnecessary.

The immediate response is to compare them to the White Stripes. But even as a compliment, and as much as I like the White Stripes, this comparison just means you’ve been depending too much on pop culture for answers.

It’s like averaging an A grade against an A and C, making a B grade. Yes, indeed both the White Stripes and Object have a guy playing some incredible guitar, except Eric’s vocal range and control could quiet any emo boy’s crooning, and gals playing drums, but Maria’s fierce, complicated beats, can easily be one of the best, understated, drumming (male or female) out there in both the indie and mainstream scene.

Object’s music isn’t the tame lo-fi 80s carbon-copy that currently saturates the NYC scene. While most are opting for this easy way out, Object is progressively taking on what was left off from the grunge scene of the 90s.

In Black Swan, they take on these familiar comfort zones and win. They aren’t afraid of risking it. And it shows, particularly in a new song Disappear (not yet recorded, only available live). It’s clear that Object is fully aware of the trappings that comes from mastering a sound, a voice.

Check them out at their myspace page OBJECT.