Autumdivers

Artist Information

Biography

Underground musicians for the past 15 years, guitarist and vocalist Gregory Paul and drummer Aaron Boucher have surfaced with the help of bassist Tony Wensel to form the Autumdivers. The Rochester, NY-based trio have been a favorite on the East Coast for years, but now they’re making waves around the country, where they’ve signed a record deal with San Francisco-area label OnlineRock Records, and played tour dates from Boston to San Diego.

The band’s eponymous album was released on June 1st, 2004 to great fanfare, the follow up to their 2002 debut, Spirit and Decibels. The album showcases the evolving songwriting talent of Paul and the musical craft of the entire band. The Autumdivers’ sound has emerged over the years to deftly weave melodic threads that signal influences ranging from dream pop to dub reggae; space rock to improvised walls of sound. It’s also grown edgier and more experimental, as evidenced by a number of tracks on the new album, three of which are produced by Chris DiBeneditto.

Rockpile, Amplifier and CMJ magazines have all given the Autumdivers’ new CD glowing reviews. And, in addition to being included on CMJ’s New Music Monthly August 2004 CD compilation , the band was featured during their radio program “On the Verge” in July . The Autumdivers were invited to perform at both NEMO in Boston and CMJ’s Music Marathon in New York City last fall and will perform at the Dewey Beach Popfest in April of 2005. NBC has tapped four tracks from the Autumdivers’ latest release for use during the 2004 Olympics. The BBC’s “Animal Camera ” and MTV’s “Made” have also licensed the band’s music.

The Autumdivers’ success is largely due to the unique chemistry among band members. Paul and Boucher have been honing their musicianship together for many years, originally in the early 90’s experimental rock outfit “Stillmotion” and then in 1998 as a duo called the Gregory Paul Group. In 2001 Wensel joined the band and the group became the Autumdivers – a reference to pickpockets of 19th century New York City. A year later the band was selected to perform at the NACA South Regional Conference, an experience that ultimately led to new gigs at college campuses throughout the country. Soon, the Autumdivers’ rising popularity helped “I Still Feel ” from their latest release finish in the top 100 songs of 2004 on New York’s WBER play list.

And the band’s future is in good hands now that they’ve landed a record and management deal with OnlineRock Records, an offshoot of OnlineRock.com, which provides Web-based services to more than 20,000 bands. The Autumdivers are the first band to sign to OnlineRock Records, a label with the ability to propel their music to a vast legion of music fans throughout cyberspace.

To request a live DVD please contact steve@onlinerock.com

Instrumentation

Gregory Paul - vocals, songwriter and guitarist
Aaron Boucher - drummer and percussionist
Tony Wensel - bassist

Discography

autumdivers - self titled [ 2004]
01. intro
02. turnaround
03. amend
04. i still feel
05. place to call your own
06. disappearing act
07. walkaway
08. inasmuch
09. dopamine lost
10. get me out
11. sisyphus
12. last
13. star crossed

spirit and decibels [2002]
01. life motion picture
02. velvet divine
03. do it to myself
04. outside in
05. and begin
06. as long as you can
07. give in
08. spirit and decibels con moto
09. work in progress
10. day into night
11. dumbing down
12. ocean
13. equation
14. relative time [instrumental]

Audio

Lyrics

• I Still Feel
• Amend
• Inasmuch
• I Refuse

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• rockpile magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "autumdivers play with dichotomy the way barry bonds plays with a bat. on its eponymous sophomore re..."autumdivers play with dichotomy the way barry bonds plays with a bat. on its eponymous sophomore release, the rochester, n.y., trio balances the experimentalism of radiohead with the accessibility of u2; the vaporous beauty of jeff buckley with the concrete pop power of coldplay and the shoegazing intensity of my bloody valentine with the aggressively ambient meandering of brian eno. the beauty of autumdivers’ presentation is the band’s ability to spike its sonic profile with elements of prog rock, reggae, dream pop and a half dozen other related genres, grafting it artfully onto its own signature sound, allowing the listener to briefly acknowledge the familiar reference points before folding them into their own singular sound. autumdivers fashion a lushly dense backdrop while projecting delicate musical shadow plays on its surface, thereby making smart and infinitely enjoyable indie prog, something not heard since the genre’s ‘7os heyday. and that’s an accomplishment worth noting.., and hearing. "

• amplifier magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "rochester new york’s autumdivers play an engaging, yet familiar brand of spacey mid-tempo guitar po..."rochester new york’s autumdivers play an engaging, yet familiar brand of spacey mid-tempo guitar pop that is equal parts shoegaze and melodically-driven brit pop. this, the band’s second full-length release, is laden with dreamy guitar textures and hypnotic beats that, at times, recall the house bands that put manchester on the back in the late 8o’s/early 90’s. while many tracks like “turnaround” and “disappearing act” adopt a repetitive, melodic pattern with reverb-drenched guitar textures that evoke the early 80’s sound of the church and u2, the band is equally comfortable paying homage to contemporaries such as radiohead and coldplay on more experimental and emotive tracks like “get me out.” vocalist gregory paul’s smooth tenor blends well with the band’s languishing beats and spacey arrangements and drummer aaron boucher and bassist tony wensel provide a solid rhythmic backbone to the band’s beat-driven sound. while notable differences in sound quality and production are predominant early on in the album, the autumdivers show their musical chops in crafting a consistent album of lush, spacey pop music."

• cmj [+ Show ]
  

  "stacked with soaring vocals and ethereal shoegazey melodies, the music on autumdivers’ debut could ..."stacked with soaring vocals and ethereal shoegazey melodies, the music on autumdivers’ debut could easily trick you into assuming they’re british—but count the rochester, new york three-piece as one of a few american bands channeling the lush britpop sound well enough to fool you. what sets the band apart from their british peers is frontman gregory paul’s acoustic guitar: in his hands, it gives the broad sonic landscape of autumdivers’ music an organic warmth."

• billboard magazine
  

  "a hybrid of atmospheric ambience and powerful acoustics"

• new haven register
  

  "think galaxie 500 with more juice; think british '90s pop with a shade less shoegazing"

• the pitt news [+ Show ]
  

  "autumdivers has a distinct shoegazer feel throughout, with nuances of reggae. think coldplay with s..."autumdivers has a distinct shoegazer feel throughout, with nuances of reggae. think coldplay with some green day-style acoustics interspersed. the album is a solid accomplishment. the music is fresh, without a hint of the "woe is me" syndrome that so many bands have come down with... whether you're a teenager looking forward to college or an adult looking back on it, you're likely to enjoy the autumdivers' music because it's a reprieve from whiny prose and a push in the direction of a positive mental outlook."

• neon NYC [+ Show ]
  

  "from the ethereal opening soundscape that introduces their just released album, autumdivers add lay..."from the ethereal opening soundscape that introduces their just released album, autumdivers add layer upon layer of lush, atmospheric sounds that are brought to a climax with the 17-minute finale of “star crossed.” that self-contained, multi-faceted opus reminds one of an early pink floyd vinyl where you could just crash and groove to an entire side without interruption, or without expenditure of anything more stressful than rolling another fat one. but preceding that are such decidedly modern delights as the spatial flight of “amend,” the up-tempo, acoustic rhythms of “i still feel” and the haunting and memorable riff of “inasmuch.” that one is a highlight here and also when we saw them at a recent cbgb’s lounge show."

• freetime magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "this cd far surpasses past outings, with songs that go beyond beautiful soundscapes to become catch..."this cd far surpasses past outings, with songs that go beyond beautiful soundscapes to become catchy symphonies of melody as well. tracks like "i still feel" is especially ripe for radio with happy hooks played with energetic abandon and sung in heavenly fashion by gregory paul (often bringing to mind the luscious vocal work of the late, great jeff buckley). the autumdivers swing their sound from delicate to powerful on the turn of a dime, always with a knowing wink to the british school of rock"

• city news [+ Show ]
  

  "... over to the bug jar for the autumdivers' multi-media CD release extravaganza. the band was grea..."... over to the bug jar for the autumdivers' multi-media CD release extravaganza. the band was great and the packed room, enthusiastic. their dynamics work in an ever-building continuum of atmospheric tension and release --- they continuously draw you in, even when you feel you're as far as you can go. what a great original band"

• smother.net [+ Show ]
  

  "edgy experimental pop that will no doubt draw comparisons to radiohead’s more atmospheric moody pie..."edgy experimental pop that will no doubt draw comparisons to radiohead’s more atmospheric moody pieces emanates from the speakers setting coarse to your soul via the ear canals. But unlike radiohead, autumdivers won’t scare off the more timid music listeners with this affinity to write the perfect pop song. skirting the line between so many different influences and styles, there’s simply no way you could ever pin autumdivers down."

Setlist

Our sets consist of all original materials. With over four hours of music, each show is different. From powerful showcase sets to longer improvisational pieces, the Autumdivers leave audiences asking for more each time.

Basic Requirements

Calendar