black bird white sky

It opens with 'Little Kiss,' before heading into the romantic flow of 'Sleepless,' to my mind one of the best tracks on this album. Then comes the gentle guitar rap intro of 'Lay You Down,' which once sped up is yet another wonderfully vibrant tune to behold.

Knowing that Black Bird White Sky was actually recorded on an MBox with software at Ronnie’s private home studio (and later at Nic’s studio), the eclectic results are a beautiful collection of new songs to encourage the general public to once again believe in the singer/songwriter of today.

The trippy 'M.I.A.' is next, with the heavier 'Before Sunrise' backing it. Obviously one to showcase the entire band - Shingelo, Tommy Binasco (guitar, backing vox), Luke Wagman (maschine, sampling, beats), Jenna Perry (synth, backing vox) and Matt Belardinelli on drums - it's not my favorite on the album. Indeed, it seems when Shingelo takes a harder approach to his music the songs seem to lose some mellow, humble grounding to them. Indeed, this musically emotional world of his is shown to immense depth with the sorrowful 'I Saw Your Soul,' a track that breaks the album apart.

The melodic 'Remember The Time' is followed by the excellent 'Dreamer,' a song that combines driving dance beats and soaring vocal melodies with catchy synth hooks and guitar riffs. The album is then brought to a close (too early for my liking) with the generic 'As We Danced,' but then the tenderly haunting lyrics of 'Bright Star.'

- Anne Carlini

It opens with 'Little Kiss,' before heading into the romantic flow of 'Sleepless,' to my mind one of the best tracks on this album. Then comes the gentle guitar rap intro of 'Lay You Down,' which once sped up is yet another wonderfully vibrant tune to behold.

Knowing that Black Bird White Sky was actually recorded on an MBox with software at Ronnie’s private home studio (and later at Nic’s studio), the eclectic results are a beautiful collection of new songs to encourage the general public to once again believe in the singer/songwriter of today.

The trippy 'M.I.A.' is next, with the heavier 'Before Sunrise' backing it. Obviously one to showcase the entire band - Shingelo, Tommy Binasco (guitar, backing vox), Luke Wagman (maschine, sampling, beats), Jenna Perry (synth, backing vox) and Matt Belardinelli on drums - it's not my favorite on the album. Indeed, it seems when Shingelo takes a harder approach to his music the songs seem to lose some mellow, humble grounding to them. Indeed, this musically emotional world of his is shown to immense depth with the sorrowful 'I Saw Your Soul,' a track that breaks the album apart.

The melodic 'Remember The Time' is followed by the excellent 'Dreamer,' a song that combines driving dance beats and soaring vocal melodies with catchy synth hooks and guitar riffs. The album is then brought to a close (too early for my liking) with the generic 'As We Danced,' but then the tenderly haunting lyrics of 'Bright Star.'

- Anne Carlini

Based from inside the landscape of Brooklyn, New York, the band of Black Bird White Sky exists. Looking after things on vocals, guitar and drums is Ronnie Shingelo, while Luke Wagman takes care of the beats & samples and Jenna Perry is on synths & backing vocals. Amid a healthy and vibrant 10-track LP that engages across a straightforward luminosity of alternative illumination, a 4-track remix EP from Black Bird White Sky traverses through a glowing dainty wisp – raising melodic strength and constant strings.

For those hanging around the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on 1 August 2012, a special acoustic performance featuring two of the members of Black Bird White Sky will commence. Show starts at 8pm.

“Black Bird White Sky” LP by Black Bird White Sky is out now on iTunes.
“Black Bird White Sky (The Remixes) EP” is released on 31 July 2012.

- Aerial Noise

Based from inside the landscape of Brooklyn, New York, the band of Black Bird White Sky exists. Looking after things on vocals, guitar and drums is Ronnie Shingelo, while Luke Wagman takes care of the beats & samples and Jenna Perry is on synths & backing vocals. Amid a healthy and vibrant 10-track LP that engages across a straightforward luminosity of alternative illumination, a 4-track remix EP from Black Bird White Sky traverses through a glowing dainty wisp – raising melodic strength and constant strings.

For those hanging around the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on 1 August 2012, a special acoustic performance featuring two of the members of Black Bird White Sky will commence. Show starts at 8pm.

“Black Bird White Sky” LP by Black Bird White Sky is out now on iTunes.
“Black Bird White Sky (The Remixes) EP” is released on 31 July 2012.

- Aerial Noise

Check this out fans, you’ll love this live version of Emergency!!!
- BalconyTV Brooklyn

Check this out fans, you’ll love this live version of Emergency!!!
- BalconyTV Brooklyn

Black Bird White Sky are a US rock band with a strong dance influence – electro/rock they’d call it. They have an EP of remixes out; think Jesus Jones with the darker bits of Depeche Mode. Free download.

Before Sunrise opens the Remixes EP with electro trance chords, rock dynamics and heart-on-the-sleeve vocals. Lay You Down is much more dance-influenced with an electro approach. I Saw Your Soul is a comparative slowie, with the feel, especially from the vocals, of a Muse epic. Emergency is the free download. It’s the most indie dance of the four, with some choppy guitar, dramatic vocals delivered with a flourish and a radio-friendly attitude.

- Acid Ted

Black Bird White Sky are a US rock band with a strong dance influence – electro/rock they’d call it. They have an EP of remixes out; think Jesus Jones with the darker bits of Depeche Mode. Free download.

Before Sunrise opens the Remixes EP with electro trance chords, rock dynamics and heart-on-the-sleeve vocals. Lay You Down is much more dance-influenced with an electro approach. I Saw Your Soul is a comparative slowie, with the feel, especially from the vocals, of a Muse epic. Emergency is the free download. It’s the most indie dance of the four, with some choppy guitar, dramatic vocals delivered with a flourish and a radio-friendly attitude.

- Acid Ted

full album review song by song. - Exclusive Magazine (Anne Carlini)

See link below - Steppin Out Magazine

Posted on April 5, 2012

Today, we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Ronnie Shingelo, frontman and creator of Black Bird White Sky.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
We are a five-piece electro-rock band that combines driving dance beats and soaring melodies with catchy synth hooks and guitar riffs. Kind of like Radiohead meets The Cure with a bit of Phoenix thrown in.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
So many, but if I had to name a few: Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Blonde Redhead, Jimmy Gnecco, Jeff Buckley, Bjork, Sade, Sam Cooke, and Fredric Chopin.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
KISS, Alive!, and yes it was a cassette. In fact I still have it! What an exciting moment that was, thank you for reminding me! I walked with my friend through the woods on one Saturday afternoon to the next town over where I found a really cool boutique record store. I'll never forget that day!

You've described your music as emotional. Are the subject matters of your songs written from personal experiences?
Yes, all of them are written from personal experiences, but I sometimes twisted them or created a story that was parallel to the actual experience I was referencing in order to make them more general. That way perhaps more people could identify with the songs based on their own experiences with lust, infatuation, struggle with addiction, pain of loss, excitement and infiniteness of love.

What is it about electro-rock that helps convey emotion?
It's that combination of the pure acoustic elements, like voice, acoustic guitar or piano layered with driving, rave-y synthetic beats and sound textures. Like the juxtaposition of a dark driving synth bass line with a beautiful haunting melody soaring over the top of it.

You do a lot of shows in NY, but do you have any plans for a larger tour coming up?
We are working on putting a tour together and hope to spread out beyond NYC by this fall. In the meantime, we are working towards getting onto festival bills and doing the Northeast circuit and eventually the whole East coast.

Would you rather have huge dance hits or huge "listen to after a break up" hits?
Great question, there is a fine distinction… I'd have to say that I am a hopeless romantic and I'd rather listen to "after a break up" hits. I think that stems from the type of person I generally am. I have always loved the darker, more passionate emotional music. Music that either made me feel when I was numb or music that made me forget my pain when I was struggling. I hope that when people discover Black Bird White Sky, they are able to get something deeperout of it. That definitely includes a romantic evening with a lover! That's why I chose the image of a black bird on a white sky, a tiny beautiful thing flying through a big white infinite space of possibility. - Culture Brats

Posted April 23, 2012

With brooding lyrics and a sound reminiscent of Muse and Keane, Brooklyn indie outfit Black Bird White Sky's debut album is just as at home being blasted on the dance floor as it is in an angsty teen’s bedroom.

The band is led by singer/songwriter Ronnie Shingelo whose songwriting draws from his own wounded psyche: “I’m a deeply emotional person, and I write from the gut. I’m hoping these songs will resonate with other people who have felt the same way I did at some point in their lives - and maybe even make them dance a little.”

Which is exactly what he accomplishes with tracks like “Lay You Down” and “Sleepless,” both dealing with the desperation and longing love can bring, but set to uptempo beats and driving synths.

While songs like “Bright Star” channel Radiohead, nearly every track is infused with catchy dance beats, like the record's opener “Little Kiss,” an anthem to poisonous relationships or “Before Sunrise,” a lively rumination on addiction.

Producer Nic Hard, along with co-producer Jonathan Goldstein, were brought on board to create a completely unique sound for Black Bird White Sky’s debut. This collaboration led to a fusion of techno, dance, and even hard rock, with a blistering guitar solo contribution from 80s hard rocker Joel Hoekstra.

Their willingness to embrace sounds can be heard on “Remember the Time,” where static and synths are employed to create a moody atmosphere, which is perfect for a song that reminisces on a relationship’s happier days. Nic Hard’s approach allows Shingelo to try different avenues for his music: “…it inspired me to rewrite some of the lyrics and change the mode to minor for a few of the songs.”

At times moody and ethereal, other times alive and rock rootsy, Black Bird White Sky has set a very ambitious goal of bringing their audiences a sound all their own. Their debut album is available on iTunes and Amazon, and if you’re in the New York area, you can catch them live.

(For more information go to www.blackbirdwhitesky.com.) - RiffRaf Music Blog

Posted April 23, 2012

With brooding lyrics and a sound reminiscent of Muse and Keane, Brooklyn indie outfit Black Bird White Sky's debut album is just as at home being blasted on the dance floor as it is in an angsty teen’s bedroom.

The band is led by singer/songwriter Ronnie Shingelo whose songwriting draws from his own wounded psyche: “I’m a deeply emotional person, and I write from the gut. I’m hoping these songs will resonate with other people who have felt the same way I did at some point in their lives - and maybe even make them dance a little.”

Which is exactly what he accomplishes with tracks like “Lay You Down” and “Sleepless,” both dealing with the desperation and longing love can bring, but set to uptempo beats and driving synths.

While songs like “Bright Star” channel Radiohead, nearly every track is infused with catchy dance beats, like the record's opener “Little Kiss,” an anthem to poisonous relationships or “Before Sunrise,” a lively rumination on addiction.

Producer Nic Hard, along with co-producer Jonathan Goldstein, were brought on board to create a completely unique sound for Black Bird White Sky’s debut. This collaboration led to a fusion of techno, dance, and even hard rock, with a blistering guitar solo contribution from 80s hard rocker Joel Hoekstra.

Their willingness to embrace sounds can be heard on “Remember the Time,” where static and synths are employed to create a moody atmosphere, which is perfect for a song that reminisces on a relationship’s happier days. Nic Hard’s approach allows Shingelo to try different avenues for his music: “…it inspired me to rewrite some of the lyrics and change the mode to minor for a few of the songs.”

At times moody and ethereal, other times alive and rock rootsy, Black Bird White Sky has set a very ambitious goal of bringing their audiences a sound all their own. Their debut album is available on iTunes and Amazon, and if you’re in the New York area, you can catch them live.

(For more information go to www.blackbirdwhitesky.com.) - RiffRaf Music Blog

Posted March 20, 2012 | by Admin

Electro-rock quintet, Black Bird White Sky (BBWS), combines driving dance beats and soaring vocal melodies with catchy synth hooks and guitar riffs. Their debut self-titled album – set to release on independent label Evenfall Records in June 2012 – consists of 10 original songs written, sung, and co-produced by band creator Ronnie Shingelo from Palisades Park, NJ.

Former frontman for popular Brooklyn rock bands SkinGod and Silvercord (who opened for Bruce Springsteen at Giants Stadium), Ronnie formed BBWS with 4 friends and fellow musicians that he met through the New York City indie music scene over the past decade. After bringing BBWS together in early 2011, Ronnie teamed up with producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Aberdeen City, Church, The Ropes, and The Kin) and co-producer/engineer Jonathan Goldstein. What resulted was a collection of 10 songs that centered on romance, lust, obsession, the whimsical and the forbidden. While the song themes delve into heavy subjects, such as drug addiction, fear of loss, and unrelenting guilt, the soaring melodies and bouncy tempos keep the album’s vibe from slipping into tragedy and darkness.

www.blackbirdwhitesky.com - Skope Magazine

Posted March 20, 2012 | by Admin

Electro-rock quintet, Black Bird White Sky (BBWS), combines driving dance beats and soaring vocal melodies with catchy synth hooks and guitar riffs. Their debut self-titled album – set to release on independent label Evenfall Records in June 2012 – consists of 10 original songs written, sung, and co-produced by band creator Ronnie Shingelo from Palisades Park, NJ.

Former frontman for popular Brooklyn rock bands SkinGod and Silvercord (who opened for Bruce Springsteen at Giants Stadium), Ronnie formed BBWS with 4 friends and fellow musicians that he met through the New York City indie music scene over the past decade. After bringing BBWS together in early 2011, Ronnie teamed up with producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Aberdeen City, Church, The Ropes, and The Kin) and co-producer/engineer Jonathan Goldstein. What resulted was a collection of 10 songs that centered on romance, lust, obsession, the whimsical and the forbidden. While the song themes delve into heavy subjects, such as drug addiction, fear of loss, and unrelenting guilt, the soaring melodies and bouncy tempos keep the album’s vibe from slipping into tragedy and darkness.

www.blackbirdwhitesky.com - Skope Magazine

Black Bird White Sky may have found an electro/indie hit with this song that almost forces you to sing along. Think Ghostland Observatory meets Phoenix. - Coyote Music Reviews

Black Bird White Sky may have found an electro/indie hit with this song that almost forces you to sing along. Think Ghostland Observatory meets Phoenix. - Coyote Music Reviews

Posted by Richie Frieman on March 26, 2012

PEV stays in NYC with our latest feature – the latest (and perhaps greatest) project of former SkinGod and Silvercord frontman Ronnie Shingelo, a 5-piece collective called Black Bird White Sky. The band (consisting of Shingelo, Tommy Binasco, Luke Wagman, Jenna Shingelo and Matt Belardinelli) has extensive experience and history on the New York-New Jersey scene, but BBWS has been making an impressive impact as of late, especially considering the group just came together last year.

The specifically Brooklyn-based Black Bird White Sky is invoking a dance beats that move more than the body; melodies both deep and passionate – a stage show that’s going to involve every one of your five senses. Their debut record, a self-titled release expands on the character of this band, and Ronnie describes it best: “Our sound is very emotional and dark but also very whimsical and free… our soaring vocal melodies and catchy synth beats will stick with you so much that you’ll find yourself humming them on the way home after the show.” Get into the new record, catch a show in the New York area and keep an eye out for their new video for the tune “Sleepless”. For now, there’s much more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Black Bird White Sky

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others in your genre?

Our sound is very emotional and dark but also very whimsical and free. We’ve been told what makes us stand out is our soaring vocal melodies and catchy synth beats that stick with you so much that you find yourself humming them on the way home after the show.

PEV: Hailing from New York and New Jersey what kind of music where the members of the band into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?

Tommy (guitarist) and Matt (drummer) were into bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Grunge. Jenna (synth) loved Joy Division, Bowie, anything Glam really. Luke (samples/Maschine) loved hip hop, dance-y stuff, and I loved Joy Division, The Cure, techno/rave, Radiohead, Portishead, NIN, classic rock, Chopin, Beethoven, Motown, Michael Jackson… Really different across the board. My first concert was a KISS concert at Madison Square Garden. Need I say anymore?

PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene in your hometown, when you first started out as a band? What was your first show like together as a band?

Wow, it was, and still is in some ways, tough to break into the NYC/NJ scene. There is soooo much going on here all the time. We used to play little indie shows at parties at my friends houses in NJ, you know, getting the older brother to buy us booze, then we slowly moved into the club scene in NYC. My first band was a duo, Silvercord. I played piano and sang, and there was a guitarist. It was like The Cure meets Portishead, kind of. My first real show was at Kenny’s Castaways on Bleecker Street in Manhattan.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Black Bird White Sky show?

Intense, emotional, sexual, dance-y, dark, lose-yourself-in-the-sound, close-your-eyes-and-feel-it kind of thing!

PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage?

A slow, long kiss from a girl I was into. That feeling you get in your stomach when it’s on… It’s the same kind of feeling when you get up there. You go for it, try to connect with people on a deeper level.

PEV: What do you think of mainstream music today – as in what’s being played on the radio?

Radio? What’s that? No seriously, I think there are a few gems in mainstream like Bruno Mars and Adele, and Skrillex…he’s a real innovator. Reshaping mainstream music and what is “acceptable”. His form is stretched, and he pushes away from that standard pop song structure, which I think is awesome and really refreshing.

PEV: What was the underlying inspiration for your music? Where do get your best ideas for songs?

Love really, romantic experiences, tragedy, loss, beauty, nature. Other than that, poems, any romantic poet like Keats, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Rilke. Movies, drama. Underworld. I can watch the love scenes in that over and over! It comes from some “other place” really. When I’m able to get out of my own way, make myself available for the inspiration to come through and receive the gift, then I know I’m on to something cool.

PEV: Thinking back to when you first started out do you ever look back at your career and think about your earlier days and how you’ve arrived where you are today?

Yeah, definitely. I started out playing drums, then piano, then singing came in big time, and guitar after that. I dreamed of singing with a great band that was super tight and made music they all loved. Now that dream is coming true. Along the way, there were doubts, mostly because of things outside my control, the biz, the outside world etc, but all in all I have always held ont - Penseyeview

Posted by Richie Frieman on March 26, 2012

PEV stays in NYC with our latest feature – the latest (and perhaps greatest) project of former SkinGod and Silvercord frontman Ronnie Shingelo, a 5-piece collective called Black Bird White Sky. The band (consisting of Shingelo, Tommy Binasco, Luke Wagman, Jenna Shingelo and Matt Belardinelli) has extensive experience and history on the New York-New Jersey scene, but BBWS has been making an impressive impact as of late, especially considering the group just came together last year.

The specifically Brooklyn-based Black Bird White Sky is invoking a dance beats that move more than the body; melodies both deep and passionate – a stage show that’s going to involve every one of your five senses. Their debut record, a self-titled release expands on the character of this band, and Ronnie describes it best: “Our sound is very emotional and dark but also very whimsical and free… our soaring vocal melodies and catchy synth beats will stick with you so much that you’ll find yourself humming them on the way home after the show.” Get into the new record, catch a show in the New York area and keep an eye out for their new video for the tune “Sleepless”. For now, there’s much more to get into, so keep reading for all the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: Black Bird White Sky

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out over the others in your genre?

Our sound is very emotional and dark but also very whimsical and free. We’ve been told what makes us stand out is our soaring vocal melodies and catchy synth beats that stick with you so much that you find yourself humming them on the way home after the show.

PEV: Hailing from New York and New Jersey what kind of music where the members of the band into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?

Tommy (guitarist) and Matt (drummer) were into bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Grunge. Jenna (synth) loved Joy Division, Bowie, anything Glam really. Luke (samples/Maschine) loved hip hop, dance-y stuff, and I loved Joy Division, The Cure, techno/rave, Radiohead, Portishead, NIN, classic rock, Chopin, Beethoven, Motown, Michael Jackson… Really different across the board. My first concert was a KISS concert at Madison Square Garden. Need I say anymore?

PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene in your hometown, when you first started out as a band? What was your first show like together as a band?

Wow, it was, and still is in some ways, tough to break into the NYC/NJ scene. There is soooo much going on here all the time. We used to play little indie shows at parties at my friends houses in NJ, you know, getting the older brother to buy us booze, then we slowly moved into the club scene in NYC. My first band was a duo, Silvercord. I played piano and sang, and there was a guitarist. It was like The Cure meets Portishead, kind of. My first real show was at Kenny’s Castaways on Bleecker Street in Manhattan.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Black Bird White Sky show?

Intense, emotional, sexual, dance-y, dark, lose-yourself-in-the-sound, close-your-eyes-and-feel-it kind of thing!

PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage?

A slow, long kiss from a girl I was into. That feeling you get in your stomach when it’s on… It’s the same kind of feeling when you get up there. You go for it, try to connect with people on a deeper level.

PEV: What do you think of mainstream music today – as in what’s being played on the radio?

Radio? What’s that? No seriously, I think there are a few gems in mainstream like Bruno Mars and Adele, and Skrillex…he’s a real innovator. Reshaping mainstream music and what is “acceptable”. His form is stretched, and he pushes away from that standard pop song structure, which I think is awesome and really refreshing.

PEV: What was the underlying inspiration for your music? Where do get your best ideas for songs?

Love really, romantic experiences, tragedy, loss, beauty, nature. Other than that, poems, any romantic poet like Keats, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Rilke. Movies, drama. Underworld. I can watch the love scenes in that over and over! It comes from some “other place” really. When I’m able to get out of my own way, make myself available for the inspiration to come through and receive the gift, then I know I’m on to something cool.

PEV: Thinking back to when you first started out do you ever look back at your career and think about your earlier days and how you’ve arrived where you are today?

Yeah, definitely. I started out playing drums, then piano, then singing came in big time, and guitar after that. I dreamed of singing with a great band that was super tight and made music they all loved. Now that dream is coming true. Along the way, there were doubts, mostly because of things outside my control, the biz, the outside world etc, but all in all I have always held ont - Penseyeview

Feature by Brooklyn Mike on Feb. 28, 2012

Formed in 2011 in Brooklyn, Ronnie Shingelo, singer and creator of Black Bird White Sky teamed up with producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Aberdeen City, Church, The Ropes) and co-producer/engineer Jonathan Goldstein. Recorded on an MBox with software at Ronnie’s private home studio and later at Nic’s studio, they worked with what they had, and what results is a beautiful collection of new songs loaded with catchy hooks and in your face lyrics that stick with you long after you hear them.

Black Bird White Sky has two upcoming shows in Brooklyn in March:

March 10th, 8pm at Bar Matchless in Greenpoint
557 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222

March 22nd, 8pm at Grand Victory
245 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

- Brooklyn Rocks

Feature by Brooklyn Mike on Feb. 28, 2012

Formed in 2011 in Brooklyn, Ronnie Shingelo, singer and creator of Black Bird White Sky teamed up with producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Aberdeen City, Church, The Ropes) and co-producer/engineer Jonathan Goldstein. Recorded on an MBox with software at Ronnie’s private home studio and later at Nic’s studio, they worked with what they had, and what results is a beautiful collection of new songs loaded with catchy hooks and in your face lyrics that stick with you long after you hear them.

Black Bird White Sky has two upcoming shows in Brooklyn in March:

March 10th, 8pm at Bar Matchless in Greenpoint
557 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222

March 22nd, 8pm at Grand Victory
245 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

- Brooklyn Rocks