Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"I also caught Extra Blue Kind who were awesome. They had a way new sound and the show they put on was breathtaking. I swear I got goose bumps watching them play." - Loretta A. Stradley
"Although the old EBK was a good EBK, the new material showcases a group of guys that have got the quick burning material out of their system and are ready to utilize their patience and abilities to write great records, not just songs."
Danica Johnson
NUVO Newsweekly
January 26, 2005 - NUVO Newsweekly
"One of the classiest and most accomplished local bands...Their songs are as well-written as anything you'll hear on "indie" radio."
Steve Hammer
NUVO Newsweekly
January 19, 2005 - NUVO Newsweekly
(September/October 2005)
by Tom Semioli
Lo-fi, sinewy, and stripped to the bone, Midwestern indie outfit Extra Blue Kind emerge as cerebral, hungry and melodically mesmerizing on their debut long-player. The band pumps out a witty four-to-the-bar rocker "Make Yourself Useless", a furiously funky diatribe "You Came Crashing", gloom and doom art pop, "Art Of The Disconnect", distraught disco "Our Only Appeal", and neo-psychedelic garage folk "Sugar". Singer P. David Handy's even tempered vocal phrasing tethers his mates' yen for experimentation with a healthy dose of Velvet Underground/Cure detachment. "Yoko Nono" makes and offer even Mrs. Lennon can't refuse. Smart pop for modern lovers. - Amplifier Magazine Issue #50
August 2005
by Ryan May
A tidal wave size triumph has ensued for Extra Blue Kind as they release their latest mark on the music community. With hints of rock, pop, dance and alternative, “The Tide and the Undertow” has blended them all together in an overwhelming success of music, lyrics and production. Led by front man Hazel, the 13 song album is nothing short of perfection from the Indiana based quartet. With well over half the album radio ready, EBK has shown that there’s more than just a mist of musical talent here, there's a wave, and they’re riding it in style! - IndyMusicScene.com
“A perfect union of energy and melody, Extra Blue Kind ranks among the state's hottest unsigned acts.” - David Lindquist
“Extra Blue Kind has, over the last year, proven themselves to be one of the most promising groups in the local music scene. Stockpiling as much critical acclaim as a band can in our little pond, EBK has crossed the coveted barrier of the airwaves by having a couple of their singles spun on WRZX and WZPL. It’s a deserved commendation for this substantially radio-friendly group. David Handy, Randee Eimer, Squirt and David Barajas provide a provocative energy on stage with an onslaught of hooks, melodies and guitars.”
- Danica Johnson
“The opening band, Extra Blue Kind, started the night off with a tight and energetic set...this band could headline next time it plays here.”
from
Creed, Pyrotechnics Keep Roberts Crowd Rocking
- Jeffrey Walker
Discography
The Tide and the Undertow (Opulent Records) (2005)
The Pill Bug Stories EP (2004)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Call it the curse of the uncategorizable. Or call it indie pop-rock genius.
Indianapolis’ Extra Blue Kind aren’t going to make it easy for you. They’re not going to fit neatly into that little niche genre, thereby facilitating ready categorization. The vocabulary of words you’ll need to describe their sound is going to be fresh, varied, thoughtful.
Or hell, you can just forget about trying to explain the music and just enjoy it.
Explains singer-songwriter-frontman P. David Hazel, “I always tell people that I have no idea how to write an Extra Blue Kind song, and I have no idea how to describe it to people, either. Extra Blue Kind has always been kind of eclectic. It’s like a mixtape of stuff.” For proof of this, you need look no further than EBK’s sparkling debut release, The Tide and the Undertow (Opulent Records).
To help meld together their eclectic elements, EBK enlisted the help of their musical hero, Vess Ruhtenburg (Zero Boys, United States 3), on Tide. What resulted is a brilliant debut from start to finish, shimmering with EBK’s crisp, upbeat arrangements, Ruhtenburg’s stylized approach to recording, and their shared musical philosophy.
Hazel’s voice, first and foremost, is flexible and dreamy, rich and beseeching. The backing vocals and harmonies are beautiful, high notes mixing perfectly with Hazel’s wide range. And the songs are well crafted, the power-pop–leaning guitars pointed and neat, smooth and straightforward; the drums and bass adding just the right undercurrent of groove and desire.
Though Hazel’s the creative vision behind EBK, the other members play above-the-title roles in the songwriting process. “Sometimes one of us will bring a song and everyone will contribute,” Hazel says. “Sometimes we’ll get a case of beer and write an album’s worth of songs in one night.” Behind Hazel (vocals, guitar), then, you’ve got Randee Eimer (drums, programming), Trevor Walthen (guitar, vocals) and Jeremy Blount (ex–Isle of View; bass, vocals). Live, the four read each other so well, crashing out the melodic tunes with such a singular mind, you’d never guess they hadn’t been together for years. But such is Hazel’s leadership, his creative vision.
May 2006 found the band in New York City, recording with Junior Sanchez and Ray Martin (Gorillaz, Bloc Party, Madonna) and showcasing for labels large and small. Through the summer months, then, the band members are back to doing what they do best: logging the miles on the rental van and playing their hearts out, night after night.
Fresh and invigorating, ear-pleasing and challenging, yet comfortable, like that best friend you never knew you had—that’s Extra Blue Kind for you.
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