Bandees
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Bandees

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"Sonic Kitchen Reviews"

WOW! Retro rock 'n roll done properly.
CDBaby Reviewer: Tony Evans (London. England)
This is a fantastic album. Smart punchy tracks & melodies with great lyrics that don't leave your head. Believe me you won't want them to! I'm English & the Beatles got me into music, in my humble opinion John Lennon (RIP) would be proud of these guys. BUY IT!

FIVE STARS PLUS!
CDBaby Reviewer: Victor Wainwright
The cleverness of The Bandees' lyrical content is immediately evident by looking at the song titles on their newest disc, Sonic Kitchen. "Loopy Jane, Hi Laissez-vous Voler Babe', Saint Joan, and Monkey Boy," are but a small taste of the group's flare. The Bandees appeal is obvious, from their Beatle-esque pipes (especially evident in the disc-opening "Loopy Jane") to their melodic craftsmanship and songwriting. The highlight comes from a slower, emotion-laden cut called "Love Will Save Day." This song of personal pain and hope is a beautiful, multilayered number that stays with you long after the album is over. Musically, the band has never sounded more exciting, confidently stepping forward to embrace a massive, moving sound that makes simplicity seem sublime. - CDBaby


"Sonic Kitchen"

Bandees “Sonic Kitchen”
Beatle-maniacs can take a magical mystery tour through Beatle allusions in "Music Box," a song on the new CD by the Bandees. Even the song's soundscape is all Sgt. Peppery and fey like the Fab Four. And listeners will find a reference to another cool band -- one not as Zeus-like as the Liverpool lads, of course, but one that's nifty at sculpting hip sounds. "Happy tones, cool sounds when the Bandees fly around," sings chief Bandee Stephen Dees. "Sugar pop nonstop, let's rock till we drop." If the self-reference sounds a bit cheeky, consider that the Bandees, an area rock band, also slyly name-check other local music artists. And so "Music Box" is seen in its true light: an ode to the joy of making music.

Credit songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dees, who has worked with Todd Rungren, with writing the perfect review of "Sonic Kitchen," the sixth Bandees album. Yep, this confection is delicious "sugar pop nonstop."
"Loopy Jane," "She Blows" and "Saint Joan," three songs about eccentric babes, will quell the appetite of folks who miss Badfinger and Matthew Sweet. "Monkey Boy" outguns the Strokes by deploying Steve Vai-worthy guitar blasts from Dees and guest T.J. Evans. Crunchy-sweet guitars and Dees' all-American Bowie voice are key ingredients, but the band's secret weapon is singer-multi-instrumentalist Patricia Dees (Stephen's wife). Her flute brings a Beatle-esque, mourning dove melancholy to the lost-love ballad "Claudia." And her oboe haunts her lead vocals on the chick-flick emo of "Hold My Breath." "We all dig our music box," the Bandees sing on "Music Box." Pop-rock fans will, too. **** EXCELLENT

"Sonic Kitchen" is available at Atlantic Sounds in Daytona Beach, Steve's Downtown Music in DeLand, cdbaby.com, bandees.com and myspace.com/bandees.

Daytona Beach News Journal [RICK de YAMPERT, Entertainment Writer]
- Daytona Beach News Journal


"Bandees look back and ahead"

Bandees, "Neverland" SLD Music **** [excellent]

The Bandees upped their periscope for their new CD and took a long look backward. And what did they see, this Edgewater-based pop-rock duo composed of husband-and-wife multi-instrumentalists Stephen and Patricia Ann Dees?

They saw an eclectic, clever, semi-arty body of pop-rock stretching all the way back to the dawn of MTV, where Stephen and his band Novo Combo landed with a Top-5 video for their song "Animation Generation."

The Bandees then trained their periscope on the future. The result is "Neverland," a combo of new songs and old, some revamped and some not. The Bandees are not claiming this is a greatest-hits retrospective, but "Neverland" feels that way because the 16-track CD contains so many cool mondo-rock songs -- from Devo-like new wave to delicate, exquisitely crafted ballads that seem like a Rossetti Pre-Raphaelite painting cast in sound.

"Neverland" finds Stephen and Patricia Ann going back two decades for a remake of "Up Periscope," that 1982 hit he penned with Novo Combo. The duo make the song both familiar and fresh thanks to vaguely new wave-ish guitars, an insistent cello riff and a melodic hook far more contagious than any of today's boy-pop stuff.

That song and others -- "Psycho Boy," the flute-accented "Nobody Likes Me" -- point up an important rock music history lesson, so listen up boys and girls: There is a type of guitar rock that's post-classic, pre-grunge and pre-"nu-metal," and that's every bit as at-home in the new millennium as the Limp Creed System of a Down Bizkit folks. And the Bandees are masters at such pop-rock.

"Are you mad or just insane?" Patricia Ann coos over slinky guitars on "Psycho Boy," "You possess a major damaged brain. You might think that you're a spy. Geek boy, you're not FBI."

Elsewhere, the Bandees go the full new-wave, pogo-pop route with "Pretty, Pretty Dr. Smith," detour for some Beatles 'n' Badfinger-style piano rock on "You Are My Baby," and deftly crossbreed Tom Petty and rockabilly on "Kids Go Out and Play."

There's more: lots of gorgeous, exquisite ballads fueled by Patricia Ann's flute, oboe or penny whistle, and guest musician David Turner's cello -- ballads that meander from the delicate, baroque "Lily of the Lake" to the Celtic-flavored title track.

"Neverland's" many textures aren't as scattershot as they may seem. Rather, the Bandees are chameleon-like in the manner of David Bowie -- artfully so, and confidently so. It's time for the Bandees periscope to come up. - RICK de YAMPERT [Daytona Beach News Journal, Entertainment Editor]


"Bandees "Three" and "Saffron" review"

By Melanie Campbell

From now on, all Bandees cds should have advisory stickers slapped on them: “Warning: Mad Pop Genius At Work, Listen At Your Own Risk”. The key word here is “mad”. Not “mad” as in “angry”, “mad” as in “scientist”. Stephen Dees could be the Dr. Frankenstein of pop music, managing to create the most monstrously delicious slabs of music out of a myriad of influences that could have resulted in so many sonic train-wrecks if lesser talent had been in charge. In fact, Dees and his wife Patricia have become so adept at building pure power pop for the new millenium, they created not one but two new cds for your listening pleasure. Three picks up where 1998’s They Fly Around left off, serving up the Bandees own special brand of modern rock, while Saffron is a bit mellower, almost folksy at times. This should dispel any notion whatsoever that the band has nothing to say, because they’ve got plenty.

On Three, the Bandees have built their storytelling madness and mayhem around some nifty original alt.rock riffs. Does the notion of mixing the best of the Beatles and Bowie, a dash of X, Elvis Costello, and the Violent Femmes and a drop or two of chick-rock cool (think Blondie or the Ronettes), with a good-sized chunk of that whole late-twentieth-century-psychedelic-jangly-pop-guitar thing whet your appetite yet? How about just enough tongue-in-cheek snark to make sure you understand all that talk about stuff like boners isn’t to be taken too seriously, even if it sounds like it might be a very serious thing indeed? The best part of “Three” is the way the toe-tapping-happy melodies and harmonies wrap themselves around such non-pop-like topics as stalkers (“Psycho Boy”), dysfunctional families (“It’s Not Working”), and the fad-of-the-moment mentality of modern American society (“Month Of The Flavor”). Conversely, on Saffron, the mood is more romantic and acoustically driven. Here, Patricia Dees handles a lot of the vocal work, sounding alternately sweet (“My Only Man”), and very soulful (“Sad Room”, this releases’ standout track). The flute, sax, and oboe embellishments help convey this cds sweeter themes, perfectly woven into tales of being happily in love or finding one’s inner peace. And both Dees are accomplished multi-instrumentalists, which makes Saffron an especially enjoyable listen.

It takes a lot of know-how and a little bit of magic to serve up a couple of dishes this tasty this early on in a career. Three and Saffron find the Bandees continuing to live up to the challenge of making their music an accessible and fun alternative to today’s rap/metal monsters of rock. - Backstage Pass Magazine


""Big Day" Review"

"With an eclectic pop-rock sound, the Bandees’ BIG DAY continues in the spirit of their 1998 CD entitled, They Fly Around. This new record, like its predecessor, sports Stephen Dees’ Bowie-esque vocals with Patricia Ann’s outstanding harmonies. She also contributes such diverse instruments as flute, oboe, harmonica and saxophone. From pensive and poignant ("Breaking the Surface," "Serious"), to festive ("Big Day"), to ska-tinged ("Slow fade"), to Americana ("Talk About It"), this CD morphs all styles into one collective sound the Bandees are known for. Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 - Connections Magazine


""Big Day" Review 2"

A colorful palette of styles blending harmoniously together to produce a CD masterpiece. This music rocks the soul. The Bandees "BIG DAY" could be a hit for the millennium, hell, it would have been a hit in any of the last three decades. - Trackspotting


""They Fly Around" Review"

Y’know, there are some people in the world who simply reek of ideas, Stephen Dees is one of those names on the fringe of pop music culture. He’s a better than good musician, which shows itself well on the debut release from Bandees, his new outfit. The band has achieved what many Consider impossible--a dozen perfect pop slices, all with a unique sound and identity that fit neatly together into a very cohesive package. No mean feat! Dees’ most obvious strong point is as a great songwriter. The influences are pretty classic; you’ll hear hints of everything from The Beatles to Elvis Costello in the songwriting. Nothing wrong with that. The album’s second strength is the sheer talent of the musicians involved. All the players are very, very good, including vocals that really stand out from the crowd. However, the glue that binds all this talent together is the creative cleverness displayed throughout. Production and engineering are both superb. In short, They Fly Around is nothing short of a true pop masterwork! It shouldn’t take more than the most basic break to push these people into the spotlight they richly deserve. **** (4 out of 4) - JAM Magazine


""They Fly Around" Review2"

They Fly Around, offers the listener a great peek into the music and lyrics of one of Florida’s great bands. With a little more exposure for this band, they are destined to be famous. They Fly Around, is well worth getting. - the fritz, the new college music magazine


""Neverland" Review"

It’s too bad more people don’t check out local bands. They’re missing out on some really good music. One such example is the Bandees’ Neverland. The duo of Stephen and Patricia Dees have put out some top-notch professional records in the past and this one is no exception. With a jangly pop sound reminiscent in part of the Beatles and Spiders from Mars-era Bowie, the songs are well-crafted, recorded and mixed. Neverland is another first-rate effort, but we expected nothing less. - Connections Magazine


"Pop Psychedelic Tour de Force"

"I’m not gonna mince words. This album is simply a pop, psychedelic, garage tour de force. From the erotic kitchen drama playing out in “Loopy Jane” to the Cheap Trickish, Bowie-esque charm of “She Blows” to the “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” sound of “Claudia”, the Dees have stepped up their usually intense game by cooking up a buffet of Beatlesque, Brian Wilson inspired ditties that rock, roll and flat out leave you with a sugar high. Add to that recipe inspired drumming by Alberto Cruz and several renowned area axe-slingers, and you’ve got a full kitchen. Stephen has worked with some of the best songwriters in the business throughout his career. A listen to “Saint Joan” and “Monkey Boy” is evidence of all the magic that’s rubbed off on him. Lush harmonies, fluid bass lines and subtle guitar licks abound, this collection even comes with a children’s choir section on “Love Will Save the Day” courtesy of Volusia Pines Elementary 4th Grade Class. It’s the grooviest, trippiest, hippiest, damn best CD ever released by a Central Florida duo… ever. Stick that on your stove and cook it. [Anthony Sica, Music Entertainment Magazine]

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Sonic Kitchen CD Review
By Tucker Doran
08/16/2007

Finding a band these days that doesn’t sound like every other band that you hear on the radio is very refreshing. The Bandees will satisfy the need for new sounds. If you are realizing more and more modern musicians losing creativity, don’t despair. With their new release, “Sonic Kitchen”, the Bandees are serving up a dose of originality. “Sonic Kitchen” is the Bandees sixth album and features songs like “Loopy Jane”, “Down” and “Where you are”. Great artists like The Beatles, David Bowie and Beck come to mind when listening to this beautifully written and melodic album. The songs are catchy and smart and leave you with a smile. The band features singer/songwriters, multi-instrumentalists Stephen and Patricia Ann Dees and drummer/percussionist Alberto Cruz. The Bandees have received awards such as “Best Writing Team”, “Best Vocal Group”, and “Best Duo” from Songwriters Showcase of America.
- Entertainment Mage/Backstage Pass


Discography

“They Fly Around”, Bandees – SLD Music
“BIG DAY”, Bandees – SLD Music
“three”, Bandees – SLD Music
“Saffron”, Bandees – SLD Music
“Neverland”, Bandees – SLD Music
“Sonic Kitchen”, Bandees – SLD Music

Compilation CD’s
NO COVER Magazine Groupies Suck Vol #11
Trackspotting Vol. 1
Trackspotting Vol. 3
Trackspotting Vol. 4
Trackspotting Vol. 5
Trackspotting 2000
SSA Compilation Vol. 3 – Shine

Photos

Bio

The Bandees; featuring vocalists, multi-instrumentalists, Stephen and Patricia Ann Dees; are a duo that displays both versatility and virtuosity with a wide-ranging yet distinctive sound. With the amazing Alberto Cruz on drums; this Indie, Power-Pop, Alt. Rock band manage to create the most monstrously delicious slabs of music out of a myriad of influences.

Bandees founder, Stephen Dees has toured/recorded with many diverse acts, including Todd Rundgren, Hall & Oates, Tony Carey, Victor Wainwright, Noble “Thin Man” Watts and Novo Combo, co-founded by Dees and Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. Novo Combo released two critically acclaimed Polygram Albums, the self titled "Novo Combo" and "Animation Generation", featuring the Dees penned hits, Up Periscope [Billboard Top rock tracks], Animation Generation [Top 5 MTV video] and City Bound (E-Train) [Billboard Top rock tracks] a song co-written with acclaimed tunesmith Desmond Child.

In 1998, Stephen decided it was time to start the band he’d always dreamed of; with the ability to play any style of music and make it their own.
Patricia Ann Dees’ classical background and beautiful voice; made her the ideal partner to realize this goal. On vocals, flute, oboe, saxophone, harmonica, bass and keyboard; Stephen refers to Patricia as the “Brian Jones” of the group, with the ability to pick up just about any instrument to add that special touch.
With Stephen’s charismatic vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion and seemingly endless prolific song writing ability; the twosome have been the core and creative force behind the Bandees 5 CD’s.
Alberto Cruz, a dynamically creative drummer; joins the Bandees as a collaborating member for their 6th release, “Sonic Kitchen”. Alberto has toured and recorded extensively in America, the Caribbean and South America, with artists including Flock of Seagulls, Alejandro Delafuenta, Meritaje and Water.

With the Bandees latest CD “Sonic Kitchen” they continue to serve up their own unique brand of tasty sonic treats. Bon Appetit’…

RADIO AIRPLAY:
KALX 90.7 FM Berkley CA 510.642.KALX
KAXE 91.7 - Grand Rapids, MN 215.327.2716
WUSB 90.7 - Long Island, NY 631.632.6901
WFIT 89.5 - Melbourne, FL 321.674.8950
WUIC - Chicago, IL 312.413.2191
WMTS 88.3 - Murfreesboro, TN 615.898.5051
WWSP Stevens Point, WI 715.346.2696
KRVS Lafayette, LA 337.482.5787
WSND 88.9 - Notre Dame, IN 574.631.7342
WMFO 91.5 - Medford, MA 617.627.3800
WEFT 90.1 - Champaign, IL 217.359.9338
WFCF 88.5 - St Augustine, FL 904.819.6449
WMUH 91.7- Allentown PA. 484.664.3456
XM Kids Radio- Request "Zachary" via email: xmkids@xmradio.com or call 1.866.328.2345
KOOP 91.7 Austin TX 512.472.5667 Toll free 888.917.5667
WPRK 91.5 Winter Park FL 407.646.2915
WRFS 102.1 Savannah GA ’Britpoptarts’ Show 912.525.5671
WMHC 91.5 South Hadley MA 413.538.2044
KEOL 91.7 La Grande OR 541.962.3333
WORT 89.9 Madison WI Toll free 886.899.9678
WIUP 90.1 Indiana PA 724.357.9487
WDYN Rochester NY 800.816.4262
WRUW 91.1 FM Cleveland OHIO 216.368.2208
WBRS 100.1 FM Waltham MA 781.736.5277
WERG 90.5 Erie PA 814.459.WERG
WUSR 99.5 FM Scranton PA 570.941.WUSR
KKUP 91.5 FM Cupertino CA 408.260.2999 831.255.2999
WMBR 88.1 FM Cambridge, MA 617.253.8810
RADIO FREE PHOENIX freedom@radiofreephoenix.com
KCR COLLEGE RADIO San Diego CA 619.594.6982
KMUD Redway CA 707.923.3911 or 800.568.3723
WRBB 104.9 FM Boston MA 617.373.2658
KCTY Long Beach CA KCTY.ORG
WBLZ BlazeRadio.org Univ. of AL Birmingham 205.975.WBLZ
WEBR Alan Habers Pure Pop, Fairfax VA. 703.560.TALK