Fang Island are: Jason Bartell, Chris Georges, Nicholas Andrew Sadler, Michael Jacober, Marc St. Sauveur
“If this is the arena rock of the future, send me a ticket.” — Pitchfork
“A triumphant, heavily riffed, primarily instrumental epic, whiplashing through six minutes of smiling prog jams, and as many tempos as passages, before settling into one last minute of uplifting chants.” — Stereogum
“Life-affirming prog guitar anthems.” – Seattle Stranger
Fang Island describes its sound as “everyone high-fiving everyone.” And, the Brooklyn quintet’s anthemic and soaring songs make it quite possibly one of few bands befitting such description.
Its finger-tapping guitar lines, chanted vocals, triumphant harmonies and overall perky songs hearken to the sort of “Total Music” of the Fucking Champs, Jay Reatard, Ponytail, Kraftwerk, Marnie Stern, Thin Lizzy, et al. But, perhaps more so, its songs are like the music in your head at that moment when everything feels just right: that first kiss, that high score on the video game, buying your first small nation in cash… you know, good stuff.
Fang Island began, oddly enough, as an art school project while the band members were attending the prodigious Rhode Island School of Design (also the foundation for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savvy Fav, Six Finger Satellite and some band called the Talking Heads.) According to guitarist Jason Bartell, the goal was to “make music for people who like music.” That is, music without irony that harnesses its uplifting qualities. Just like a classic rock song or classical symphony can stir us emotionally, Fang Island exists to unlock that spirit.
Fang Island is guitarist Jason Bartell, bassist Michael Jacober, guitarist Chris Georges, guitarist Nicholas Andrew Sadler, and drummer Marc St. Sauveur. They all share collective group vocal harmonies and the occasional hand claps. While Sadler is also known for his role in the debauched rock band Daughters, it is only his fretboard skill that translates between the two groups.
Self Titled begins appropriately with the sound of erupting fireworks on “Dreams of Dreams” leading into a cascading chorus of ringing guitar notes before the group vocal harmonies chime in with the mantra, “they all are within my reach, they are free.” The second song, “Careful Crossers” launches in beneath the vocals with a chorus of gleaming guitar harmonies smeared over the marching, syncopated rhythm section. Elsewhere, tracks like “Sideswiper” hearken to the metal-laced positivity of Andrew WK. “Daisy” sounds like a unique collaboration between the Fucking Champs and Jay Reatard. Throughout the album, it’s like listening to the cool version of classic rock — the type of anthemic pop — without the cheesiness — that you wished Journey and Boston could’ve made.
Fang Island’s Self Titled album was released on February 23, 2010 on Sargent House.
Fang Island website
"Somebody started talking about Delicate Steve over the summer of 2010. The band turned up on Governor's Island supporting Yeasayer. They were from New Jersey but were living together as a band in a shambling house in the woods of Warwick, NY. There was a month-long residency at Union Pool in Brooklyn where it seemed like any Brooklyn based artist not on the road showed up. Members of Dirty Projectors, TV on the Radio, Yeasayer, Javelin, Fang Island, Hella... And strangely, a bunch of best-selling authors. Maybe more strangely, packed rooms of dancing people in a Brooklyn rock club. And record company people. Mostly not dancing. Whether Luaka Bop was dancing or not, we can not say." - Jermy Leeuwis, Editor at MusicRemedy
Delicate Steve website
"The much lauded Reptar brought the night to a close. All the hype surrounding these guys is just as big as the electro pop sound they create, and deservedly so. They really are really good. Bright, accessible and sincerely inclusive their music moved the crowd across the dance floor with imperceptible ease. But Reptar doesn’t just make you want to dance, they make you want to join the band. While the usual comparisons to Animal Collective and the Talking Heads are indeed apt what is truly amazing is that this group has just begun. If they stick together and keep at it, they have the potential to create something in the next few years that defies all comparison. Watching Reptar evolve is going to be quite a sight." - Austin Darnell
Reptar on Myspace
$12 in adv, $14 DOS, 18+
Doors @ 9 pm
Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.
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