Artist Information
Biography
Borne of the pulsating musical scene that is post-millennial Brooklyn, The Ne'er Do Evers have been making their chaotic punk-pop since August of 2006. With a line-up of experienced musicians playing the songs of frontman Chris Buckridge, the Ne'ers are an animated mix-tape of anger, humor and vulnerability, each emotion likely to merge into and/or trample on the others at any moment. The Ne'ers play music that is fifty percent heavy thoughts and fifty percent knee-jerk reactions with a sound best described as full-on in-your-face visceral mooning, a distillation of art, alcohol and attitude not only intoxicating but mind-numbing in a good way.
The band's name reflects Buckridge's slacker trappings: "I've always admired people who weren't ambitious," he says. "We don't think about it too much, we just play." But that's not the whole story. Buckridge has worked incredibly hard to craft the illusion of indifference: the band's EP Vessels and first full-length record Idiot Garden were recorded on a 4-track machine pre-2006, with Buckridge playing virtually all instruments on all tracks, with a sprinkling of guest musicians thrown in for color.
The Ne'er Do Evers have an eclectic mix of influences, many of them based in the do-it-yourself aesthetic exemplified by Daniel Johnston, Sebadoh, Frank Black & the Catholics, Dinosaur Jr., Paul Westerberg, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Black Flag, The Minutemen, Todd Rundgren, and They Might Be Giants, just to name the most important. As far as they're concerned, if someone else got away with it, so will they.
Before the current version of the band, the Ne'ers had an earlier life with a rotating cast modeled on Guided By Voices' rotating lineups of the late '90's. Tiring of the inconsistency, Buckridge folded the band for three years, didn't record, didn't play, but kept writing new Ne'er Do Evers songs. In August 2006 he and guitarist Mike Quoma, one of the regulars from the earlier lineup, got back together. They brought in bassist Matt Moon, a veteran of the Brooklyn scene, as well as talented drummer Jason Bemis Lawrence, the four of them gigging whenever and wherever. Jason has brought a new and exciting intensity to the group, helping push the music farther and faster in a thousand directions at once.
The Ne'er Do Evers' new release, 100% Wrong (End Up Records), is a return to a professional studio and the debut of group writing. As far as Buckridge is concerned, this is the band he always imagined the Ne'er Do Evers would be.
"Chris Buckridge is Brooklyn's best-kept musical secret. Dreamy pop, spikey rock, demented glee...he does it all--often in the same song. Some say he's Frank Black's long-lost kid brother; I say Mr. Black better watch his back." --Andrew Hultkrans, author, "Forever Changes" (33 1/3 series)
Instrumentation
Chris Buckridge-vox, guitar, songs; Jason Bemis Lawrence- drums; Matt Moon- bass, stage patter; Mike Quoma-fancified guitar, vox
Discography
Ne'er Do Evers (Make Friends Hour-2004)
Swear Jar (Chris Buckridge solo- Make Friends Hour- 2004)
Vessels (Chris Buckridge solo-Make Friends Hour-2006)
Idiot Garden (Make Friends Hour-2007)
100% Wrong (End Up Records-2008)
Video
Press
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What I've Been Listening To (12/2/07)
[+ Show ]
"Idiot Garden, by The Ne’er Do Evers, is a completely different beast. The band switch between Punk ...
Setlist
Usual set length is approx. one hour. Sets combine new and old material. As an example:
Throwaway
Hell is Other People
You'll Think of Something
Archsup Poured
Backyard
Front Row City
My Self is Benign
Thirteen
You Want My Heart
Diligent Toiler
Turn Around
No, I Don't Wanna Have a Good Time
BSS
Nape
Pedro's Bull
Half Past Six
Grey Eyliner
It seems like a lot, but the songs are short, and with patter this set should clock in just slightly over an hour. Covers have included David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," the Blow's "True Affection," and the Stooges' "TV Eye" live. Also covered: countless classic rock riffs, but those are only at practice.
