tsugumi, ian, josh - old monk
photo by canna sasa
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joshua carrafa - guitar, vocals
ian burns - drums
tsugumi takashi - bass, backup vocals
website:
freeoldmonk.com
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 hi-res web |
The two founding members of Old Monk were separated by thousands of miles when they began writing their first EP. It took years of swapping answering machine recordings and exchanging lo-fi demos over the internet to complete. The successful collaboration finally convinced drummer Ian Burns to leave his native Colorado, joining guitarist Joshua Carrafa in Brooklyn. Deciding they must showcase their new music around Brooklyn and Manhattan, the two enlisted bassist Tsugumi Takashi and dubbed their project Old Monk.
Recorded in Brooklyn at Seaside Lounge, Birds of Belize is a hectic and energetic debut. Filled with frenzied yet concise rock songs built on solid pop foundations, the album skillfully strides the line between experimental psych licks and catchy pop hooks. The fuzzed out guitars and hyper-frenetic drumming showcase the band's love for progressive rock, while the melodic vocals and creative bass riffs display Old Monk's artful dedication to classic pop and garage rock. Lyrically, the album ventures through a wide array of moods from the sincere and historic, to the curiously polite, or to the utterly absurd and facetious. The band expertly blends this in with pop culture references such as playful jabs at the Williamsburg music scene, and oddball tributes to Cassius Clay, David Bowie, and Thomas Pynchon. From the opening dance-punk intro of "Sacred Birds" to the furiously head-banging closing of "Skullsplitter", Birds of Belize wastes no time in delivering pure, dynamic, and captivating rock and roll.
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artist/booking contact:
theoldmonkband@gmail.com
"the material is top notch from this indie band out of Brooklyn" - WXRT Radio
"Backed up by an urgent drum beat and an insistently catchy middle [Warm Moustache] easily fuses classic pop and garage rock and gives you just under 3 minutes of lo-fi perfection." Listen Before You Buy
"intriguing, beguiling, arresting, but overall joyous in its overt exuberance and penchant for the shiniest of guitar pop hooks" Sonic Masala
"the opening flourish [of Butter and Toast] catches your attention, but the body of the song is just a fine piece of guitar pop" - Bushwick Bk
"a scruffy, melody-crammed love-in that fondly recalls Guided by Voices and the Lemonheads" Beacon Pass
"on the harder side, but with carefully crafted, pop melodies." Best New Bands
"exceptional drumming and creative licks create this band playing out of Brooklyn" - The Daily Consciousness
"'Warm Moustache' makes me deeply happy" - Citizen Dick
"Butter and Toast" chosen as one of the top 5 mp3 downloads of 2010 - Bushwick Bk
Birds of Belize chosen as one of the best releases of 2011 - Indie Rock Cafe
Old Monk interviewed by Bushwick Bk
Old Monk interviewed by The Daily Consciousness
photo by tomonori iwata
hi-res web
photo by tomonori iwata photo by canna sasa
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