A Fight to the Death
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A Fight to the Death

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | INDIE

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | INDIE
Band Americana Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"A Fight to the Death: AFTTD"

"I'm not sure exactly when I got turned on to A Fight To The Death, but I had got a copy of songwriter CJ Bargamian's (ex-Crybaby, ex-Myssouri) EP under the moniker of A Fight To The Death called End Of Continent Sadness some time ago. Written while he was in San Francicsco in 2006, I thought the album had a lot of potential but sounded more like a demo, and in fact, it sort of was. Many of the tracks from it show up reworked and improved on the full band incarnation of A Fight To The Death's new self-titled debut LP. AFTTD sees Bargamain's gorgeous songwriting surrounded by a very talented band that seems to compliment him perfectly and results in a tasty flavour of nu-Americana. Although, going back and listening to the stripped down versions on End Of Continent Sadness is even more enjoyable now that I know these songs so intimately." - OhmPark.com


"CD Review: A Fight to the Death"

"Afttd might be informed by old world imagery, but its sound is altogether familiar. Americana steeped in the tradition of Italian film composer Ennio Morricone, all soaked in the sorrowful romanticism of Eastern European klezmer, A Fight to the Death sounds like DeVotchKa's lead role in a Spaghetti Western (although frontman CJ Bargamian's mid-range drone is more of a stoic heartache when balanced against Nick Urata's show-stopping croon). Beneath an array of accordions, honky-tonk pianos, and Romanian rhythms, sun-stroked telecasters supply the album's cinematic ether, electing the group as the most likely candidate to have scored the notoriously soundtrack-barren No Country for Old Men.

A menacing, bagpipe-like accordion forebodes the percussive war cry of "My Name" propelling the album forward with freight-train tenacity. In a showdown tango with the inevitable, "You'd Want to Kill Me Too" delicately balances drummer Mark Carbone's agitated break-beat alongside soothing vibraphones that underscore Bargamian's melodious conflict: "You made me want to live/ but you made me want to die." Afttd's bittersweet finale, "Old Black Chains," is an Old Western piano ballad on a similar theme - a folkloric romance on a fugitive seeking emotional refuge from a woman wailing for her demon-lover. "I won't be here when you cry for me because I've learned to ignore you," Bargamian insists reluctantly.

A sepia-toned album of stark confrontations, Afttd sees itself through to its own bittersweet conclusions, and despite the band's Atlanta home-base, A Fight to the Death's cosmopolitan sound should guarantee it enough ammunition to nourish its internationally-sized ambitions."
- Flagpople, Athens GA


"Gesture of a Gentleman - CD Review"

When a band describes its sound as "Avant Western Americana Gypsy music," educated music listeners may find themselves filled with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. After all, not every group can cite eclectic influences ranging from Calexico, Devotchka, and Elliott Smith to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Buena Vista Social Club's Ibrahim Ferrer and Ennio Morricone. But, at the same time, I'm not sure I'd love the musical fusion resulting from those disparate acts jamming together.

Thankfully, A Fight to the Death is nothing if not tasteful in their blending of diverse styles to create a well-woven tapestry that includes the aforementioned genres as well as elements of Latin music, jazz, surf-rock, and more. The combination probably shouldn't work, and yet it does, creating a uniquely rich sound that seems at once classic, modern, and utterly timeless.

The album opens with "Grant Park," a rollicking paean to the historic neighborhood that combines a walking bassline, atmospheric organs, syncopated drums, honky-tonk piano, and a strummed ukulele backing CJ Bargamian's smooth vocals. "Mothers & Fathers" is an excellent tango that showcases the band's mastery of dynamics, starting off slow and sultry before building to a dazzling crescendo, and "Echoes" proves they know how to wrap their more esoteric inclinations inside an accessible jazz groove (with some killer vocal harmonies thrown in for good measure). From the funky-as-hell rhythm of "Fortune" and the eastern European drinking song vibe of "Glass" to the cinematic waltz of "Those Old Movie Days" and the high lonesome western balladry of the epic closer "Ten Degrees," every song here offers its own distinctive pleasures.

A Fight to the Death may be an Atlanta-based act, but Gesture of a Gentleman proves they're ready for the world.

-BRET LOVE - Georgia Music Magazine


Discography

Gesture of a Gentleman, LP, 2010
AFTTD, LP 2008
End of Continent Sadness, EP, 2007

Photos

Bio

Instead of the usual boring band bio, here is a series of random facts about AFTTD:

1. We rehearse in a big metal barn. Seriously.
2. Whenever we record part of a rehearsal, the video camera always ends up being pointed at Daniel. As a result, we have dozens of low-budget music videos for our songs, all starring only Daniel and occasionally George’s back.
3. Last year, Mark flipped over his bike’s handlebars and broke his clavicle and a rib.
4. We wear shirts and ties on stage because A) we’re gentlemen; B) classy attire does not go out of style; and C) ZZTop tells the truth: ladies go crazy for a sharp-dressed man.
5. At a recent show, our opening act was a panel discussion and Q&A session regarding organic farming.
6. We just released our second record in May 2010, and we're already thinking about the next one.
7. Our hometown of Atlanta is currently making us very proud musically - go team.
8. Nathan doesn’t believe in vegetables - not even pickles. Don’t ever tell him that french fries come from potatoes (shhhh…).
9. George knows more than you do about axe handles.
10. CJ thinks that two of the worst things in the world are pleated pants and ironic trucker hats.