Artist Information
Biography
Formed in September 2003, The Black Spoons have been a juggernaut on the New York scene. They celebrated their one-year birthday by releasing the critically acclaimed debut album My Dear Radium and throwing the single biggest show the NYC mainstay Pianos has seen in all of 2004. Less than two months later, The Black Spoons returned to Pianos and sent shockwaves through the NYC music circuit by selling it out again.
Since then, the trio has sold out the likes of Mercury Lounge, and recently embarked on a self-organized 14-city tour (NYC to Texas and back) in support of their album. Equipped with My Dear Radium, scientists predict the group to reach critical mass at any moment.
MEMBER BIOS:
Tom Sean
Born back east in 1978, Tom Sean was doused in the silences of suburbia for nearly two decades. He has since been drawn in by the urban heat of New York, San Francisco, and Beijing, turned his music outward, and developed a faithful following in the process.
TS turned his attentions to music at the green age of fourteen, cultivating since then what has become his signature: haunting melodic lines, skeletal arrangements, a melancholic pulse, and razor sharp lyricism. The aching rhythm of his melodies invoke images of early Bowie, his chalky vocals pay homage to greats like Cat Power and Arab Strap, and his incisive libretto divulges a deep-seated love for Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Roberta Flack.
In a parallel universe, TS is dangerously close to a ph.d. in chinese history. He speaks Chinese, Japanese, French (when drunk), and English (when sober), and brings them to bear expertly on his lyricism and his sense of harmony. No kidding.
vitals
weapons of choice: guitar, vocals
height: tall enough to reach the mic
weight: n - 7lbs where n = weight at time 03.04.25
can currently be found: in greenpoint, pining for his beloved hungarian
Ruben Dario Mercado
Born on a winter day in new york sometime in the 1900s, Ruben started playing at the age of 14. Around 15, his parents would not allow a drumset in the apartment until, one day, RDM went down to 48th street, purchased a drumset and showed up at the front door with the kit in hand. They had no choice but to let him in.
After high school, RDM hauled ass out to L.A. to study music at the University of Southern California, hated it, and found his way up to San Francisco. There he studied music at the Blue Bear School of Music, as well as privately with several local musicians.
SF treated him well, but he longed for the noise and grime of NYC. So, once again, he crossed the great plains in a moving van that almost ran out of gas crossing the desert.
Back in NYC, RDM has spent his time studying at the Drummers Collective and playing with some very talented people and bands. Previous and current bands include Mercy Street, Chamberlain bleu, Omnilingus, and lodeya.
vitals
weapons of choice: drums, percussion
favorite color: azul (spanish for blue, but sounds more exotic in spanish)
tends to drink: large amounts of red wine, vodka and cognac (usually at Christmas when someone gives him them as presents - this is a blatant hint)
David Horton
Born into a land of miscellaneous suburban villainy one wintry day in 1979, David Horton entered this world afflicted with the sensible yet moderately austere disposition that leaves one with little choice other than to learn the bass guitar. In fact, DH can't even remember any of his misguided youth prior to the day he picked up a friend's bass and proposed that they start a band. They did just that, and Dave promptly demolished the bass in a Seattle-style display during their first show in a friend's basement.
After that incident, he mowed lawns until he could afford his own gnarled old Peavey T-40. What's more, even though he was too young to drive (legally), he made it a point to invade other band's rehearsals and make himself a dauntless font of low frequency ingenuity.
Ever alert, it wasn't long before Dave realized that his suburban hometown, like all such towns, had some sort of sinister quality that actually produced a fondness for above ground pools and shopping at Target. DH isn't ashamed to admit that he's afraid of stores where it's possible to buy milk and eggs, underwear, and a shotgun all while getting a roll of film developed. To make a long story short, one day he had enough, so he got on a bus, rolled into NYC, and declared himself home.
These days, DH splits his time and pursues both music and a graduate degree in forensic psychology with equal fervor. Because, hey, being a mad scientist isn't a bad gig either. However, even though he may have learned not to smash his instruments, those that share lab space with him frequently appeal to DH to turn down his music and know that most social scientists don't hide a bottle of Wild Turkey in their office.
Previous bands include Bella and Addison & Greed.
vitals
weapons of choice: the bass guitar, common sense, and failing that, fisticuffs
subsists on: roots, berries, grubs, and the odd
assortment of libations, Walker Percy novels, and healthy cynicism
Instrumentation
Tom Sean: Guitar, Vocals
Ruben Mercado: Drums
David Horton: Bass
Discography
My Dear Radium (2004)
Video
Press
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Sweet Bowie-in-space swish
"Dark local poetry-rock with some hearty guitar jangle and sweet Bowie-in-space swish"
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Vintage New York
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"Vintage New York...Think up-tempo garage rock done impeccably and mixed with some of the best 80s i...
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Undisputed greatness
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"Terrific - by turns aggressive and sweet, and above all intelligent. In these lads' near future lie...
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Your mind is powerless...
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My Dear Radium "will find it's way back into your stereo, and it will keep ending up in there until...
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Earnest geek charm
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"The Black Spoons have graced us with a debut album rich with earnest geek charm that's making me wi...
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Enchanting music
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"Fans of such eclectic artists as the fateful Jeff Buckley, folk great Leonard Cohen, or the legenda...
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I'm blown away
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"I must say I'm blown away how well-written, well-played, and well-sung this stuff is... this is rea...
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Incredibly good
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"Menacing yet sensual... This incredibly good CD explores chemistry and electricity both seen and un...
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Contemporary greats with a dirty edge
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The Black Spoons bring to mind "Pere Ubu, Spoon, and many other contemporary greats with a dirty edg...
Setlist
Average song count: 9-11
Average length: 45 minutes to one hour
Sample set list:
1. Alien Soul
2. Your Softest Leather
3. Password
4. Plans for Earth
5. Cover (Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones; Cactus by The Pixies)
6. Marie Curie
7. Chemical Sue
8. Incubator Dreams
9. Julia Heartache
10. The Pleasure of Sin without Sin
