Biography
Booking Contact:
Jason Clark
The Nola Soul Agency
512.795.9884
jason@nolasoul.com
About Rotary Downs:
An unlikely sound of noisy, fuzzy, psychedelic pop is emerging from New Orleans - and leading that charge is Rotary Downs. Their latest studio effort, Chained to the Chariot, was described by NPR as "a stunning collection of psychedelic art pop songs that plays like a brilliant mash up of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck." When one imagines music from the Crescent City, brass bands, R&B, and jazz pianists may come to mind. But Rotary Downs is challenging this comfortable construct by creating music that is simultaneously original and classically New Orleans. Chariot is a masterpiece with commentary on many different elements of life in South Louisiana and has quickly become a favorite among fans and critics.
Having just returned from their debut performance overseas at the MIDEM Music Conference, Rotary Downs is bursting out of their local scene. They were named “Best Rock Band” in the Gambit Weekly’s Big Easy Awards and #2 of the “Best Unknown Bands of 2007” by NPR. In 2008, Rotary Downs had their television debut on the Sundance Channel with a performance of “Sing Like the Sun” filmed live for an episode of “Architecture School” – a series about students building houses in New Orleans. Rotary Downs took on the 2008 festival season with gusto starting with their second consecutive year at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Beyond NOLA, the band performed at major national events in 2008 including the prestigious SXSW Music Festival in Austin (where they have been invited back for 2009), the 7th Annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee and the 18th Annual High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California. Finally, they wrapped up their festival year back in NOLA with a high-profile slot at the Voodoo Music Experience.
Rotary Downs have been one of the driving stalwarts in the under-praised genre of experimental indie-pop since 1999. Chained To The Chariot follows three previous albums: Quitters EP in 2004, Long After the Thrill in 2003, and their self-titled debut in 2001. They've emerged from Katrina fully formed with the addition of more drums, bass, keyboards and trumpet giving their fuzz-guitar and pedal-steel-driven sound an extra dose of texture. In 2008, the band added vocalist/percussionist Tiffany Lamson to the lineup as they head out on the road and into the studio for their next highly anticipated release.
The rearview mirror shows many amazing experiences for Rotary Downs over the last couple of years. Their touring ground now includes much of the US and they’ve made their mark from coast to coast. They have been a guest on public radio with in-studio performances and interviews on NPR’s Studio 360 and WNYC's Soundcheck, while the incredible track "False Protection" has been featured on All Songs Considered . In 2007, the band completed their inaugural trip to the West Coast which featured several memorable shows, including a sold out performance at the famed - and now closed - Sweetwater Saloon in Mill Valley, CA. During the excursion, Rotary Downs was filmed for a feature on CurrentTV – the Emmy award-winning network led by former US Vice President Al Gore – and can be seen in its entirety on current.com.
Rotary Downs is James Marler (lead vocal/guitar), Chris Colombo (lead guitar), Jason Rhein (bass/vocal), Zack Smith (drums), Cory Schultz (trumpet/keys/guitar), and Tiffany Lamson (voc/percussion).
"The New Orleans rock group Rotary Downs has released a stunning collection of psychedelic art-pop songs that play like brilliant mashups of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck." - #2 on the Top 10 Great Unknown Artists of 2007 list - NPR Music
"Singer James Marler sounds like he has been taking double shots of thesaurus, unraveling densely packed rhymes in his abstracted lyrics. Too lo-fi to be baroque, too catchy to be experimental, songs like "G-7 Hit!" and "A Feast in Squalor" swerve into woozy grooves but don't stay for long." – Rhapsody.com
"****" - Alternative Press
"The [JazzFest] set suggested New Orleans really ought to be paying a lot more attention to Rotary Downs." - Offbeat Magazine
"[Chained To The Chariot] is a diverse album that ricochets from roots-tinged psychedelia to edgier synth-pop to excursions along the spaceways, but with a sure hand on the wheel." - Gambit Weekly
Instrumentation
James Marler (lead voc/gtr), Chris Colombo (lead gtr), Jason Rhein (bass/voc), Zack Smith (drums), Cory Schultz (trumpet/keys/guitar), and Tiffany Lamson (voc/percussion)
Discography
Chained to the Chariot, 2006 (s/r)
- "**** 4 Stars!" Alternative Press
- CMJ Top 200
- Top 5 Adds, Top 10 in major college radio markets, XM Radio
- RollingStone.com/hennessy Top 3 Songs
Quitters EP, 2004 (s/r)
- "Vulgar Ways" on IndieFeed
Long After the Thrill, 2003 (s/r)
- CMJ Top 200
- "Bleeders" on IndieFeed
Rotary Downs, self-titled, 2001 (s/r)
Links
| http://www.rotarydowns.com |