ANCIENT HISTORY
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
These local musos serve up some fine fuzzed-out, lo-fi DIY pop with a little warped Americana thrown in the mix – think Modest Mouse teaming up with Califone in someone’s basement in … 1994. To their credit the band’s sound cannot be pinned down. They trade in hazy psychedelia on some tracks, add some R&B punch an another and then plop down some good old-timey slide guitars. Most important, the band isn’t afraid to give us hooks. Keep an eye out for these guys. - Sound Fix Records
As a new, temporary resident of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I was eager to explore the apparently thriving local music community. My first port of call was Sound Fix, an airy and compact record shop set amongst the hub of hipster activity in Bedford Avenue. They have a great choice of bands from the area, labelled accordingly with fluorescent ‘local band!’ stickers.
I decided to pick the cover which appealed most to me. This method has proved winning in the past, discovering what are now some of my favourite bands. Whoever said not to judge a book by its cover, was wrong. The 'In Tall Cotton' artwork, by My Sister In 1994 is invitingly homemade, a mixture of ticker-tape text, pretty forest images and coffee stains. Not knowing anything about My Sister In 1994, I was pleased to discover their classically composed collection of placid folk numbers, with a contemporary Northwest twist which has trickled down to Brooklyn.
After an initial listen, title track 'Late Afternoon On Town Lake' and 'So Glad To Meet You', are the most distinguished. 'Late Afternoon On Town Lake' has a country twang in its plodding and catchy tune. The similarities to Modest Mouse are hard to ignore. There is a stormy and echoing mood to 'So Glad To Meet You', a sweet and harmonious love song. 'Oh Sweet Lightrail Nightcap' experiments with a reggae, rock-steady beat which eventually becomes quite annoying. "Let the party die" is repeated so many times it becomes like an unscratchable itch. It is however, the only lowlight of the album. Another breathtaking song is 'The Dogs Yelling From Miles Away'. The Parisian sounds of this number make it a soundtrack for bittersweet contemplation.
My Sister In 1994 are a perfect entrée into an unexplored music scene. Their sound mirrors some of the more well-known bands which have emerged from the US already this year, such as Fleet Foxes. My Sister In 1994 have not only been on my stereo for days, soundtracking my first week in Williamsburg, but have got me hoping that the rest of the local music sounds as good as this. - www.thisisfakediy.com
Discography
-MY SISTER IN 1994
Vasquez- LP (2007)
In Tall Cotton- LP (2008)
Monitor- LP (2009)
-ANCIENT HISTORY
Tracks- LP (2011)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Donald Ducote has been traveling around the country writing songs, self-releasing records for the past 8 years. Listen to the tunes and let the music speak for itself. His first project, My Sister In 1994, was embraced by college radio and local venues throughout the greater southwest and california. When the project finally arrived in NYC in 2007 it was accepted and acclimated into the budding community of Bushwick, Brooklyn.
After releasing his third record Ducote was contacted by Siluh Records of Europe. They flew to NYC to sign the band and release both the first MS94 and the third MS94 record. The contract was never signed and Polydor Records soon contacted Ducote about licensing 4 songs off of his first record, released in Phoenix, Arizona in 2007.
MS94 had played a number of shows in the Lower East Side during CMJ 2009 and one fan, Emma Gillespie, bought all three CDs before she returned to Scotland. In the following year Emma would go on to win Must Be The Music, a nationally-televised talent-show program in the UK. She had 2 singles in the Top 10 Billboard Charts and she signed to Universal/Polydor soon after. She is currently recording her 2nd album and four of Ducote's songs are competing for spots on the record. When it came time to write original songs she hand-picked Ducote to work with. He was flown to London for three weeks in February of 2011 and spent most of the time collaborating with Emma and her current rhythm section, the bassist and drummer from Pete Dougherty's Babyshambles project.
Upon returning to the US at the end of February, Ducote got comfortable and set about completing what was shaping up to be his strongest, truest record to date with his producer Jim Smith (who also produced the final MS94 record). 'TRACKS' as it is titled, is a conglomeration of all of Ducote's key influences without having them altered by the influences of his bandmates. He and Smith laid down strict rules for the recording process (no drum sticks, no drum sets, no proper studios, analog tape). Ducote grew up on turn-of-the-century indie rock, (Elliott Smith, Pinback, Belle & Sebastian etc.) and he had yet to capture a record that reflected the same level of fragility and beauty as the records of his inspirations. He wanted to create something delicate and warm; something that you listen to in the dead of the night; something with mood and sadness, hope and mystery. Ducote spent two very turbulent years crafting this record and with this transformation it seemed only right to employ a new title for the project as a whole. He eventually settled on 'Ancient History'.
His backing band for the record is/was Austin Lemieux on lead guitar, Paul Johnson on bass, and Xopher Mitchell on piano. Ducote performed the percussion himself. As the record slowly finalizes the band is gearing up and playing rooftops around Bushwick as they learn and familiarize themselves with this fresh approach to shoegaze indie rock. They plan to play out extensively in the coming year.
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