“There are traces of ’70s studio-pop, quirky psych a la Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tin Pan Alley, new wave, folk-rock, disco, lo-fi skuzz and so much more. And although Graham’s oblique lyrics and Dylanesque delivery remain Swarming Branch’s center of gravity, the passage of years and the band’s ever-shifting personnel ensure Surreal Number is a step out into the great unknown for band and listener alike.”
— Chris DeVille, Stereogum
Swarming Branch is a band engaged in three seemingly disparate pursuits: elaborating folk music’s four-chord strum with complex extensions and substitutions, winking at the theater of glam rock from dive bar stages around the country without causing the cynics to spray beer out of their nostrils, and inviting the droning, unbridled tendencies of modal jazz to gradually displace rock and roll’s typical pentatonic shapes. You could say they aspire to become the modern Midwestern Steely Dan, even if they’ve only demonstrated a portion of the elder group’s range thus far.
On Surreal Number, Swarming Branch’s newest LP on SofaBurn Records, the group has temporarily suspended some of its formal experimentation to create a straightforward collection of ten songs. The album was conceived with the help of a Los Angeles team comprised of engineer Drew Fischer and producer Rob Barbato (Drinks, Kevin Morby, Peaking Lights, et al) and shows the Branch finding a thicker, synthesized, and more neatly arranged sound while keeping a playful yet assertive spirit that makes every song seem both unlikely and inevitable.
“Her sound is a sneering fusion of punk-rock autonomy and say-it-like-it-is country from the classic era, paired with a timeless vocal warble and tons of attitude. Honest to a fault and as foul-mouthed as a drunken sailor, she’s a nonconforming spitfire”
— Rolling Stone
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers is an old school country band with punk leanings. They are known for killer lyrics and the amazing musicianship of the Disarmers – backing up Sarah’s plaintive vocals are lead guitarist Eric Peterson (Flat Duo Jets, the dB’s, Matthew Sweet, more); country punk drummer John Howie Jr. (Two Dollar Pistols, John Howie & the Rosewood Bluff); stand up bass player Aaron Oliva (Caitlyn Cary, Nikki Lane); and incomparable pedal steel guitarist Phil Sullivan.
“A lot of great male voices have come from North Carolina including Eric Church, James Taylor, Randy Travis and Don Williams. With the release of “Tinderbox,” Aaron Burdett has proven this his name needs to added to that list.”
— Rick Amburgey, No Depression
“A reply to anyone who thinks that soul is missing from the indie-rock scene.”
— Village Voice
Daniel and Danny Chavis are natives of Raleigh/ Chapel Hill, North Carolina and East Village residents for the past 28 years. They are also co-founders of the groundbreaking band The Veldt, along with drummer Marvin Levi, who lifted their band’s name from a Ray Bradbury science fiction story. Musically reared in the church and juke-joints of their native southern state, the twins have been performing since they were children, listening to music that included gospel, Motown and Pink Floyd.
In their early days, the Chavis brothers making a name for themselves playing throughout the south at a time when fellow southerners REM and Superchunk were securing major label deals. As more black rock bands (Living Colour, 24/7 Spyz) began selling records and gigging throughout the world, The Veldt was courted by various labels, including IRS Records and Capitol.
Initially signed to Capitol Records in 1989, The Veldt embarked on a musical journey that changed their lives. Soon, they were in the studio with dream-gaze guru Robin Guthrie working on their debut Marigolds, playing American concert halls with Cocteau Twins, working with A.R. Kane, and opening for The Jesus and Mary Chain in England. The Veldt were a sensation from the start as they became a part of a movement of innovators who came of musical age at a time when rhythmic rebels were reflective, gritty and wild. Their sound inspired future generations of alternative artists, including TV On the Radio. In 1991, The Veldt were featured in multiple national magazines as “bands to watch” including Spin Magazine and this Artist Profile feature on MTV. “CCCP” from Marigolds (1992, Stardog)
They switched labels and Mercury Records released Afrodisiac in 1994. Their single Soul in a Jar was an underground hit.
As the brothers moved to expand their musical language, fusing more electronics into their soundscape, they retired the “Veldt” name and, for various reasons, began recording and touring under under the name Apollo Heights. In 1999, the Chavis brothers met bassist Hayato Nakao, who would become their permanent partner. Their music was loud, exploring color, space, sensuality and beat driven melodies with rhythmic and dynamic tension. Daniel’s falsetto vocals cast a contrast upon the wall of sound created by Danny’s heavy rock dreamscape guitar and Hayato’s pounding and licentious beats.
Although The Veldt had signed to two major labels after leaving Mercury Records in 1995, the brothers decided to remain indie and self-released their 2008 album White Music for Black People. “The major labels were always trying to get us to change our sound, our look or both,” Daniel laughs. “But, we had no interest in being the next Lenny Kravitz or Tony! Toni! Toné! Unfortunately, not everyone shared our vision. We weren’t trying to be rock stars, we just want to play our music and pay our rent.”
Apart from Robin Guthrie and A.R. Kane, who produced ‘And It’s You’ from this EP, they have collaborated with TV On The Radio, Mos Def and Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), and have shared the stage with The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & TheBunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Living Colour, TV on the Radio, and most recently with The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
In 2017, The Veldt are back with their new EP “The Shocking Fuzz of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation” which will be released on Schoolkids Records on June 2nd, 2017 worldwide! European and US Tour coming this Spring and Summer, more details to follow!
“It’s a music based very much on an otherworldly feel—a consuming feel. It’s the kind of music that makes me want to play music. Joyce and Allen have so many fresh, fun ideas jam-packed into Summering. The Bronzed Chorus are masters of their sound—as if they are in tune with one another on some telepathic level.”
— Slug Magazine
The Greensboro instro-rock act finds nontraditional ways to be catchy. Joyce’s pedal-driven guitar melodies are expressive and lyrical, with him often playing both phrases of a call-and-response. And Allen’s drumkit seems to have no boundaries, with him keeping synths and even a modified Atari 2600 within reach while he plays. Allen contributes as much as Joyce to the danceable, pop-educated instrumentalism that is The Bronzed Chorus. While it can be pretty jaw-dropping to watch his one-handed snare rolls, it’s essential to note that the eternal multi-tasker also plays rhythm, melody, and texture lines on the aging gadgets that surround him. -Corbie Hill/Independent Weekly
