COOL BAND NOW is a 4-track cassette lo-fi freak pop/rock project from Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
"the premise began a while ago when my old friend nick green and i proposed doing a series of very short, on-the-spot minisongs -- sometimes no longer than a hook or a chorus, and always recorded onto our tascam 4-tracks. within a few months, we had produced so many songs that we decided to compile a selection of them into two records: an ep, logan bean: the ep, (named after our mutual friend, who we assumed would be the only person to ever listen to it) and a full-length lp, better ingredients. better pizza. cool band now,
(...) give them a listen. they are fucked up. i think you will like them!"
(email-info by Chris Hopkins)
Q: When recorded?
A: The majority of the tracks was recorded in 2009, but some pieces are from 2008 and earlier.
Q: Who involved? Who played what?
A: Nick Green, Chris Hopkins, Ken Kouot, and Logan Bean all played guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and synth.
Q: Any more releases?
A: There are tapes and tapes of unreleased music, although here is a quick b-side called "$tarbuck$ $huffle" http://critical-hit.org/mp3/starbucks_shuffle.mp3
Q: Since when does this band/project exist (are you into music)?
A: Hm, well, nick and i had the idea of doing a "tv commercial break" band years ago, where we would just string together extremely short little miniature songs as if one were channel-surfing. eventually we both acquired 4-track cassette recorders, and started recording soon afterwards.
Q: Any previous bands worth mentioning?
A: Previously nick and i were in a melodramatic indie band called "we carry thy banner." then nick played with "birds fled from me", and i played with "you can do it, old boy". we are both in an electro group called "bro montana". occasionally we do improvised ambience as "pc load letter", and we were in a short-lived grind band called "anti-difranco". that's a lot of different band names, i know, but for whatever reason we get tired of them really quickly. that's why i like the name "cool band now", because i just don't even want to think about it any more.
Q: How'd you "label" your music?
A: Pop Rock. (??? - mike-floyd -)
Q: Influences?
A: Guided By Voices... they were the biggest inspiration on this band. listening to Bob Pollard is like sitting in on lectures with a Professor of Rock & Roll (appropriately, Bob was a school teacher for many years before GBV started rocking).
Q: Anything that you think is interesting, that you'd like to inform the blog readers about...
A: The technological singularity. if you are unfamiliar with it, google it up and get into it. i think you could say "cool band now," is heavily inspired by the theory. (the last track on 'better ingredients' is called "singularity now!"). also, our website URL http://www.critical-hit.org/coolbandnow.php
(A's by Chris)
Absolutely amazing band! I love that cheapo 4-track collage approach to making music; this is really lo-fi and it's fantastic! Here you'll find more musical ideas in 2 minutes than you'll find when listening 2 hours to your average rock radio station!
Most of the songs/fragments could be described as indie rock, and the GUIDED BY VOICES influence is clearly audible, but there are also pieces of hardcore, some samples and indescribable fragments of surrealistic absurdity and soundpainting. One time the vocals even remind me of JACK BRUCE of CREAM fame... And on 'BIBPCBN' every now and then a distorted, disoriented 'Cortez' shimmers through...
You'll also get $tarbuck$ $huffle as a bonus, and that one could best be described as hip-hop in the style of the BEASTIE BOYS! I promise, you won't be bored!
Check this band out, if you're into lo-fi experimental indie music, and you won't be disappointed! Great stuff!
Enjoy!
COOL BAND NOW - logan bean: the ep (13:32 min)
+ better ingredients, better pizza. cool band now, (27:03 min)
+ $tarbuck$ $huffle (mp3: 1:53 min)
(USA 2008/2009)
(mp3-zip, 3 tracks, 43 min, 77,9 MB)
The first album from German experimental/noise/drone band ePHEMEROL from Frankfurt a. M.
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