WEDNESDAY SEP 12, 2018
529 Presents:
529, Irrelevant Music & Speakeasy Promo Present:
Ava Luna
Fantasy Guys | Karaoke | Floral Print
Ava Luna
The roots of Brooklyn-based indie art funk septet Ava Luna began in frontman Carlos Hernandez's high-school bedroom, where he would write and record songs under the name Ava. In college he met Julian Fader and Nathan Tompkins, and the three of them changed the band name to Ava Luna, figuring "Ava" was probably already taken by a more prominent act somewhere. Hernandez spent time as an engineer and working on various small-scale noise and punk projects after college, with Ava Luna coming in and out of focus as the years went on. With 2009's 3rd Avenue Island, a homemade CD-R release, the band congealed yet again, this time featuring Hernandez on vocals with a host of various singers and a minimal musical backdrop of drums and synthesizers. The band followed in 2010 with the Services EP, featuring a different lineup and a sound that continued toward the heavy vocal harmonies of bands like Dirty Projectors with increasingly obtuse neo-soul-inspired musical backdrops. A proper debut surfaced in 2012 with the release of Ice Level. By this point the band was more or less in a stable lineup, featuring Hernandez on vocals and guitar, Fader on drums, Tompkins on synths, Ethan Bassford on bass, and a trio of female singers, Felicia Douglass, Becca Kauffman, and Anna Sian. The group toured in support of Ice Level, opening some larger shows for Twin Sister. They returned with the less chaotic follow-up Electric Balloon in 2014 and an even more traditionally structured set of art funk and R&B-infused songs with 2015's Infinite House.
The roots of Brooklyn-based indie art funk septet Ava Luna began in frontman Carlos Hernandez's high-school bedroom, where he would write and record songs under the name Ava. In college he met Julian Fader and Nathan Tompkins, and the three of them changed the band name to Ava Luna, figuring "Ava" was probably already taken by a more prominent act somewhere. Hernandez spent time as an engineer and working on various small-scale noise and punk projects after college, with Ava Luna coming in and out of focus as the years went on. With 2009's 3rd Avenue Island, a homemade CD-R release, the band congealed yet again, this time featuring Hernandez on vocals with a host of various singers and a minimal musical backdrop of drums and synthesizers. The band followed in 2010 with the Services EP, featuring a different lineup and a sound that continued toward the heavy vocal harmonies of bands like Dirty Projectors with increasingly obtuse neo-soul-inspired musical backdrops. A proper debut surfaced in 2012 with the release of Ice Level. By this point the band was more or less in a stable lineup, featuring Hernandez on vocals and guitar, Fader on drums, Tompkins on synths, Ethan Bassford on bass, and a trio of female singers, Felicia Douglass, Becca Kauffman, and Anna Sian. The group toured in support of Ice Level, opening some larger shows for Twin Sister. They returned with the less chaotic follow-up Electric Balloon in 2014 and an even more traditionally structured set of art funk and R&B-infused songs with 2015's Infinite House.
Fantasy Guys
"After listening the new Fantasy Guys album for the first time, I could only think of one thing: damn I wish I owned a pool. It’s not that I’m not content to be sitting at my desk, headphones on, sorting through my notes and thoughts about the album. It’s just that it occurs to me how this music is perfect for certain contexts. Here is a non-exhaustive list of situations for which the new record is an ideal soundtrack: floating around a pool, swinging in a hammock, driving the A1A with the windows down, smoking weed on the beach, playing Donkey Kong Country, grilling hamburgers. You get the idea. Fantasy Guys’ Inyo Galatea, Maddy Davis, and Mitchell Hardage really just want you to relax and have a good time. Following last year’s Surfin on a Wave of Juice and the follow-up instrumental EP, Dreamin’ of the Sea, On Poppy Island arrives just in time for the summer, and with it they have harnessed the power of sun and Sega. The LP is a shimmering mix of cheeky island pop, R&B-inflected loungers, and chill video game vibes. Across 13 tracks they expertly mesh keyboard beats, sunny guitars, and ethereal falsetto vocals with jazzy flute, funky bass licks, and vibraphone and synth textures. And despite that reverse engineered list of sounds, the result is greater than the sum of its parts; it’s a unique and cohesive record that is quite unlike any other music being made in Atlanta right now. To the uninitiated, it would be easy to dismiss Fantasy Guys as comedy or satire at first listen. With an album cover that looks akin to an SNES title screen, and songs with emoji-culture titles such as “Bae Caught Me Vapin’,” “420 Tho,” and “Aloha BB Girl,” you can practically see the band members winking at you as you consider whether or not to dive in. But there is an earnestness in their meticulous craft. The laid-back vibes and playful accessibility of the music somewhat mask just how precise the album is in its construction — never quite basic, but also never full-on proggy or complicated. That is a fine line to walk, and Fantasy Guys walk it deftly. On Poppy Island is bursting with sun and sand, and manages to showcase a little bit of everything. There’s an intro track. There are pun-y song titles. There are flute solos. There are upbeat songs and slow songs. There are instrumentals that sound like the beach courses in Mario Kart. But the true testament to the album’s utility and creativity is that you really want to listen to it over and over in spite of its mostly subtle cheekiness. Whereas you might hear “Jazz” by Tenacious D, laugh heartily, but never really need to hear it again, with Fantasy Guys you get music that is fun but also has a shelf life. This isn’t the Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” or Weird Al style parody, this is an honest, earnest, fun exercise in genre where the players are genuinely committed to what they’re creating, even if they can’t perform without acknowledging the weed session joke that led to the band’s creation. I asked the group where Poppy Island is and if it’s a real place. Their answer was succinct, and a perfect indicator of exactly what you’re getting into with this record. “Poppy Island is everywhere you want to be,” they tell me. “It is the sweet cosmic Pangaea of each of your happy places.”Fantasy Guys live in the sweet spot, and they want you to come chill with them. On Poppy Island is the soundtrack, and it’s on repeat. Come on in, the water’s fine." -Immersive Atlanta
"After listening the new Fantasy Guys album for the first time, I could only think of one thing: damn I wish I owned a pool. It’s not that I’m not content to be sitting at my desk, headphones on, sorting through my notes and thoughts about the album. It’s just that it occurs to me how this music is perfect for certain contexts. Here is a non-exhaustive list of situations for which the new record is an ideal soundtrack: floating around a pool, swinging in a hammock, driving the A1A with the windows down, smoking weed on the beach, playing Donkey Kong Country, grilling hamburgers. You get the idea. Fantasy Guys’ Inyo Galatea, Maddy Davis, and Mitchell Hardage really just want you to relax and have a good time. Following last year’s Surfin on a Wave of Juice and the follow-up instrumental EP, Dreamin’ of the Sea, On Poppy Island arrives just in time for the summer, and with it they have harnessed the power of sun and Sega. The LP is a shimmering mix of cheeky island pop, R&B-inflected loungers, and chill video game vibes. Across 13 tracks they expertly mesh keyboard beats, sunny guitars, and ethereal falsetto vocals with jazzy flute, funky bass licks, and vibraphone and synth textures. And despite that reverse engineered list of sounds, the result is greater than the sum of its parts; it’s a unique and cohesive record that is quite unlike any other music being made in Atlanta right now. To the uninitiated, it would be easy to dismiss Fantasy Guys as comedy or satire at first listen. With an album cover that looks akin to an SNES title screen, and songs with emoji-culture titles such as “Bae Caught Me Vapin’,” “420 Tho,” and “Aloha BB Girl,” you can practically see the band members winking at you as you consider whether or not to dive in. But there is an earnestness in their meticulous craft. The laid-back vibes and playful accessibility of the music somewhat mask just how precise the album is in its construction — never quite basic, but also never full-on proggy or complicated. That is a fine line to walk, and Fantasy Guys walk it deftly. On Poppy Island is bursting with sun and sand, and manages to showcase a little bit of everything. There’s an intro track. There are pun-y song titles. There are flute solos. There are upbeat songs and slow songs. There are instrumentals that sound like the beach courses in Mario Kart. But the true testament to the album’s utility and creativity is that you really want to listen to it over and over in spite of its mostly subtle cheekiness. Whereas you might hear “Jazz” by Tenacious D, laugh heartily, but never really need to hear it again, with Fantasy Guys you get music that is fun but also has a shelf life. This isn’t the Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” or Weird Al style parody, this is an honest, earnest, fun exercise in genre where the players are genuinely committed to what they’re creating, even if they can’t perform without acknowledging the weed session joke that led to the band’s creation. I asked the group where Poppy Island is and if it’s a real place. Their answer was succinct, and a perfect indicator of exactly what you’re getting into with this record. “Poppy Island is everywhere you want to be,” they tell me. “It is the sweet cosmic Pangaea of each of your happy places.”Fantasy Guys live in the sweet spot, and they want you to come chill with them. On Poppy Island is the soundtrack, and it’s on repeat. Come on in, the water’s fine." -Immersive Atlanta
Karaoke
her songwriting. Her longtime musical collaborator Adrian Switon (Shepherds, Del Venicci,
George Bataille Battle Cry) on drums/experimental percussion and Tymb Gratz (Mood Rings) on
guitar compose the core members of Karaoke, although various rotating musicians fill in live.
They self released their first full length LP, Blood, Piss, Religion, Pain, towards the end of 2020,
which was met with local acclaim, and Bellury conceived of and produced 5 one take music
videos to accompany the release, each video featuring only one member of the band.
and dynamic sound the group has established over the years, and marks a new phase in
experimentation with electronic drums, dissected pop structures, lyrical references to Sufjan
Stevens, King Krimson and Drake (Together Forever, Official Dating Profile), and ranges from
sparse, intimate cello and piano arrangements (Blood, Piss, Religion, Pain) to a gritty
headbanger that’s downright punk (Opposite Of Time). Karaoke has been compared to the likes
of This Mortal Coil, Talking Heads, and Kate Bush, but their sound runs the gamut of art pop,
new wave, and indie rock.
her songwriting. Her longtime musical collaborator Adrian Switon (Shepherds, Del Venicci,
George Bataille Battle Cry) on drums/experimental percussion and Tymb Gratz (Mood Rings) on
guitar compose the core members of Karaoke, although various rotating musicians fill in live.
They self released their first full length LP, Blood, Piss, Religion, Pain, towards the end of 2020,
which was met with local acclaim, and Bellury conceived of and produced 5 one take music
videos to accompany the release, each video featuring only one member of the band.
and dynamic sound the group has established over the years, and marks a new phase in
experimentation with electronic drums, dissected pop structures, lyrical references to Sufjan
Stevens, King Krimson and Drake (Together Forever, Official Dating Profile), and ranges from
sparse, intimate cello and piano arrangements (Blood, Piss, Religion, Pain) to a gritty
headbanger that’s downright punk (Opposite Of Time). Karaoke has been compared to the likes
of This Mortal Coil, Talking Heads, and Kate Bush, but their sound runs the gamut of art pop,
new wave, and indie rock.
Floral Print
After first meeting on a whim over Facebook, what started out as a chance occurrence between drummer Paul DeMerritt-Verrone and singer/guitarist Nathan Springer (Narrator) sprouted into a continually exciting and unpredictable collaboration. The pair first started practicing and performing around Atlanta, GA in late 2014, and quickly started honing their penchant for dizzying song structures and erratic rhythms grounded in pop sensibilities. Their debut EP ‘woo’, recorded with bassist George Pettis (100 Watt Horse) and producer Graham Tavel, showcased floral print’s vibrant pastiche of psych-pop, early emo, ambient, and deconstructionist rock. Following ‘woo’, the duo (rounded out by a rotating cast of bassists) embarked on numerous tours throughout the East coast and Midwest, making friends and tightening up their sonic communication skills. In summer 2016, floral print linked up again with Tavel to start recording their debut full-length, entitled ‘mirror stages’, at Broad Street Visitor’s Center in Downtown Atlanta. The tracks on ‘mirror stages’ display a marked change in tone from ‘woo’, as glimmers of noise, distorted melancholy, and manic energy imbued their sound with more nuance and stylistic aberrations. Following the recording of ‘mirror stages’, floral print rounded out its lineup with the addition of Josh, Paris, and Lily as the band charts a new course for future tours and releases."
After first meeting on a whim over Facebook, what started out as a chance occurrence between drummer Paul DeMerritt-Verrone and singer/guitarist Nathan Springer (Narrator) sprouted into a continually exciting and unpredictable collaboration. The pair first started practicing and performing around Atlanta, GA in late 2014, and quickly started honing their penchant for dizzying song structures and erratic rhythms grounded in pop sensibilities. Their debut EP ‘woo’, recorded with bassist George Pettis (100 Watt Horse) and producer Graham Tavel, showcased floral print’s vibrant pastiche of psych-pop, early emo, ambient, and deconstructionist rock. Following ‘woo’, the duo (rounded out by a rotating cast of bassists) embarked on numerous tours throughout the East coast and Midwest, making friends and tightening up their sonic communication skills. In summer 2016, floral print linked up again with Tavel to start recording their debut full-length, entitled ‘mirror stages’, at Broad Street Visitor’s Center in Downtown Atlanta. The tracks on ‘mirror stages’ display a marked change in tone from ‘woo’, as glimmers of noise, distorted melancholy, and manic energy imbued their sound with more nuance and stylistic aberrations. Following the recording of ‘mirror stages’, floral print rounded out its lineup with the addition of Josh, Paris, and Lily as the band charts a new course for future tours and releases."