Eyes to Space
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Eyes to Space

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The best kept secret in music

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"Performermag.com EP Review"

EP Review
Performermag.com
By Meghan McNeer
Eyes to Space’s self-titled EP attempts to send listeners into orbit with its galactic sound that seems to be as popular a sound as the new psychedelic trend or bread and butter, for that matter. What ends up happening on this album is there are lots of space age sounds and spatial lyrics, but all hidden under a “this is a jam band” feel.
On “Roadkill,” the main chorus goes “Sparky the electric dog/ Nobody can stop him now/ Cars and trucks can’t run him down,” with vocals that sound eerily like those of Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Refreshingly, Eyes to Space occasionally adds bassist/oboist Wendy Spitzer’s vocals to the mix, which have a distinct and unique quality. All of Eyes to Space’s lyrics have a certain playfulness to them, whether it be in the form of a random space reference or something miscellaneous, such as in the case of “In Unfamiliar Territory.” In this song, Eyes to Space ‘s lead-off track, vocalist Jay Cartwright compares himself to Chicken Little as he exclaims: “The sky is falling/ does anybody care/Chicken Little but big are my plans.”
The four songs on this EP are layered with sounds and various textures. There are the norms: drums, guitar and bass. But then there’s also Cartwright’s homemade keytar, an oboe sometimes and a sprinkling of synth sounds on other occasions. All of these elements are laid down to create a tight, speedy sound that would make for a perfect soundtrack to an intergalactic battle, perhaps on Galaga.
On the final song, “Dear Sir,” Dylan Thurston sings “Cause there’s nothing in this world I cant do.” Perhaps Eyes to Space’s prime objective is to take their sound to space as a test of their talent. However, playing that keytar without gravity would certainly present its own challenges.
- Performermag.com / Meghan McNeer


"Eyes to Space Selected Press"

Eyes to Space Selected Press

(Below is a sample of Eyes to Space's press. For full reviews, please visit www.eyestospace.com)

“The four-track introduction to these geeky torch bearers make pop and science collide with pleasing results. In the spirit of Devo, Trans Am and They Might Be Giants, Eyes To Space take the stage like a scientist takes the laboratory. This EP is relevant and strong- an interstellar polka hatched out of the love of fiction and fantasy.” ~Enigma (Chattanooga, TN)

“Occupying a space somewhere between geek and prog rock, Eyes to Space's nearly obsessively quirky music is richly gilded and yet somehow straightforward…The rich, eclectic song structures invite repeated listens, but never overwhelm the simple imperative--an infectious tune…overall this is a refreshing, intriguing album made by excellent musicians.” ~The Independent Weekly (Chapel Hill, NC)

“…an interesting combination of jangle pop and math rock, with a side of hard rocking guitar… Eyes to Space as a band are recommended and worth looking for in the future.” ~EvilSponge.org

“The combination of video game melodies with punk rock drumming and guitar riffs, not to mention the wailing key-tar, makes Eyes to Space an always surprising listen. With all the comparisons to other bands, it would be easy to write Eyes to Space off as simply a knockoff band attempting to rehash musical styles from 20 years ago. But with synthetic bass lines, a semi-rotating lead vocal spot, screeching guitar riffs and songs about futuristic robot love, the band really carves its own musical niche.” ~The Wilmington Star-News, Currents (Wilmington, NC)

“In the proud tradition of Devo and Man... or Astro-man? comes Chapel Hill’s Eyes to Space, a synth-pop foursome pumping out tech sounds for the geeks of the future. With swirling video-game beats, sweet female vocals and good strippeddown drum and guitar work, the sound is led by the Frankensteinian “keytar,” a cobbled mess of keyboards and distortion. The invented instrument is an obligatory piece of any good robo-pop outfit, proving that the instruments of today just won’t satisfy a band with eyes on the horizon.”
~Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

“In their hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina…they have been blowing audiences away with their wholly original brand of Nintendo nerd rock since 2001. Eyes to Space’s self-titled debut EP clocks in at a super-quick 13 minutes, and features four forward thinking tunes awash in custom-made retro technology (see Jay Cartwright’s “Keytar”) spritzed with the occasional accordion or oboe solo. Cartwright’s and bassist Wendy Spitzer’s vocals are a sweet, simple counterpoint to the infectiously upbeat and complex compositions that would make both Super Mario and Devo equally proud.” ~Chattanooga Pulse (Chattanooga, TN)

“The four songs on this EP are layered with sounds and various textures. There are the norms: drums, guitar and bass. But then there’s also Cartwright’s homemade keytar, an oboe sometimes and a sprinkling of synth sounds on other occasions. All of these elements are laid down to create a tight, speedy sound that would make for a perfect soundtrack to an intergalactic battle, perhaps on Galaga.” ~Performermag.com

“[Eyes to Space] provide their own edge with dark lyrics of death and destruction set to music that is jumpy, frenzied and fun. Each song careens from one vibe to another, dark and gloomy one moment, then blithely poppy, and you can still hop around to it the entire time. What’s particularly impressive is that this band keeps the sound tight.” ~Indie-music.com

“Obviously, these guys know how to play, and the listening public should always applaud true musicianship…If you’re in the mood for something that stands apart from the crowd, come experience a band who manages to space itself from normal, everyday music that insistently floods our earthly senses.”
~Encore (Wilmington, NC)

"If you want something that's fun but not sloppy, clever but not pretentious, you might want to turn your eyes to Eyes to Space."
~ Delusions of Adequacy


- various press places


"The Independent Weekly EP Review"

"Eyes To Space EP"
Eyes To Space
(self-released)

B Y C H R I S P A R K E R

Occupying a space somewhere between geek and prog rock, Eyes to Space's nearly obsessively quirky music is richly gilded and yet somehow straightforward. This may be counter-intuitive because while devoted to bouncy riffs, the band's arrangements have more turns than a NASCAR race. It's that these musical digressions usually aren't discursive, but rather form a kind of quilt that envelops the songs. As such they feel like complexly textured and linked treats like shards of peanut brittle. Within the patterns exists an earnest playfulness, such as the calliope keyboard riff that runs like a string through "Roadkill." The rich, eclectic song structures invite repeated listens, but never overwhelm the simple imperative--an infectious tune. Some of the prog rock elements (which alternate throughout with surprisingly chunky spates of guitar) are a bit too over the top, but overall this is a refreshing, intriguing album made by excellent musicians. - The Independent Weekly (Chapel Hill, NC)


"EP Recording Process Review"

…Of course, not everyone can run their own studio. But that's certainly the idea. Eyes to Space recorded two albums worth of material without being entirely satisfied, before laying down the money to do it right--themselves.
"We weren't happy with the first recording because the quality wasn't too great. We weren't very experienced and made a lot of beginner mistakes," says key-tarist Jay Cartwright. (He plays a converted keyboard/guitar mimicking the accordion he grew up playing.)
Though they had nothing but nice things to say about working with Jerry Kee at Duck Kee studios, Cartwright felt the sound still failed to adequately represent the band.
"When you're on a budget and you're being charged, you can't experiment as much and get that perfect keyboard sound or guitar tone," he says. "So I just decided we should give the home recording another shot. I did a lot of reading and research and worked with some engineers to learn to do it right."
Producer Mark Williams (who has worked on several SCOTS albums) offered Cartwright the opportunity to help out, providing him an invaluable apprenticeship.
"It was going to involve a lot of different recording situations--horn players, backup singers, a full drum set, everything. And they didn't have a budget for an engineer but Mark said it'd be OK if I helped out," he says. "I spent seven 10- to 12-hour days working with him learning mic placement, watching his procedure and how he treated recording different instruments."
He also met a different, younger Mark Williams, who was recording his old-school chum Nathan Asher and his band The Infantry. Cartwright was pulled in to play some organ.
"Mark said he was trying to unload his old Pro Tools rig. A light bulb went off because our guitar player already got a G4 in exchange for some media work that he'd done," he says. "We realized this isn't going to take too much money, and we can make this happen. So I did research about what year to buy and how to get the most bang for my buck."
It's been a year since he converted the house he shares with bassist/girlfriend Wendy Spitzer, but then as Cartwright says, "We describe ourselves as a band of nerds, and that's what the process was--me sitting in the house tapping at a keyboard for a year while others were hanging out."
The new self-titled album is available directly from the band, though Cartwright is looking to land a deal for their next album. Most of the band is classically trained, from Spitzer, who's trained in the oboe, to classically trained guitarist Andy Spain and percussion performance major Dylan Thurston, but that doesn't prevent them from rocking out.
"Beyond just trying to play as a tight band, we're really just trying to make music that's fun. We don't want to play music where we're showing off our chops. We're still interested in writing and performing catchy songs and putting on a show an audience can dance to. If the audience listens closely maybe they'll hear more of the work we've put into it and the sophistication, but that isn't something we push up front," he says.
Eyes to Space play with Daniel (Go Machine) Hart's new group, The Physics of Meaning, on May 4 at Temple Ball/De La Luz.
- The Independent Weekly (Chapel Hill, NC)


"Fakejazz.com EP Review"


Hello. This is the keytar of 2005 trying to rekindle a long-lost relationship with you. I know it's been a while since we last spoke. Sure, I was an ass and never called you back after those sweat-soaked nights fifteen-plus years ago. By no means does it indicate that I don't still care about you. Most of my kind suffered horrible fates at the vicious hands of time. Despite this fact, I wanted you to know that I am still thriving personally. Okay, so I'm a little bit of a hybird. Homemade and hand-built. I've been hanging out in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, quite a bit with a band called Eyes to Space. Do not be afraid - it's good stuff.



You know love songs about the Future. No, not the days and weeks ahead, but the capital "F" sort of Future where life has advanced well beyond anything currently known. Well, given that sort of love is present in us all, how could you not be smitten with songs about robot dogs, space-age conveniences and other mysteries of the unknown? As you listen to the songs from Eyes to Space's self-titled EP, two sounds will repeatedly jump out at you - some serious guitar riffing from Andy Spain and all sorts of what can simply be described as space sounds. As for the space sounds, they are courtesy of Jay Cartwright's mastery of the keytar. The best example of all of the parts coming together is from the disc's opener, "In An Unfamiliar Land." Featuring spastic guitar work, a super-steady backbeat from Wendy Spitzer and Dylan Thurston, and Cartwright's vocals mixed with some of his work on the keys, the entire track is a wonderfully tasty pop treat emblazoned with a love of the Future. The remaining three tracks on the EP expand on this theme (some even with oboe!) successfully.



If I've left you intrigued, check out the EP. Man... or Astro-Man? had a lot of the same robotic geekiness that Eyes to Space happily embraces, but they didn't use a keytar. They claimed they loved the future, but this absence has to leave you wondering. You know you've missed the keytar.

- FakeJazz.com


"Nerd rockers Eyes to Space kick it with key-tar"

The Wilmington Star-News, Currents (Wilmington, NC)

Nerd rockers Eyes to Space kick it with key-tar

By Kenneth Price

Star-News Correspondent



When I first listened to the self-titled EP from Chapel Hill band Eyes to Space, who play the 42nd Street Tavern on Saturday, it reminded me of a cross between the first tape I bought in fifth grade (They Might Be Giants’ Flood) and the first music video I remember catching a glimpse of on MTV (Devo’s Whip It.) The combination of video game melodies with punk rock drumming and guitar riffs, not to mention the wailing key-tar, makes Eyes to Space an always surprising listen. With all the comparisons to other bands, it would be easy to write Eyes to Space off as simply a knockoff band attempting to rehash musical styles from 20 years ago. But with synthetic bass lines, a semi-rotating lead vocal spot, screeching guitar riffs and songs about futuristic robot love, the band really carves its own musical niche.



“Our frontman, Jay Cartwright, is our main singer and main songwriter and he plays a homemade keytar, which is basically a guitar-shaped keyboard,” said Eyes to Space vocalist and bass player Wendy Spitzer from Chapel Hill. “He couldn’t find one that he liked so he constructed his own and it allows for a lot of movement and wacky sounds.” Rounding out the Eyes to Space lineup is Dylan Thurston (drums, vocals) and the headband-savvy Andy Spain (guitar.)



The band’s EP comes out Sept. 15 on Solarium Records, but you can grab a copy of the quirky four-song EP at Saturday’s show. Details: 10 p.m. Saturday with Thunderlip, S.A.V.A.S. and Birds of Avalon, 42nd Street Tavern, 1415 42nd St. $5. 799-6465
- Currents (Wilmington Star-News, Wilmington, NC)


"Nerd core darlings Eyes To Space launch their new EP in September"

Nerd core darlings Eyes To Space launch their new EP in September. The four-track introduction to these geeky torch bearers make pop and science collide with pleasing results. Album production is bright and electric. Plenty of gained out windy guitar licks tossed with keytar and pocket drumming. Vocals come off monotone in the beginning, but lead singer Jay Cartwright finds his tone in the perplexed characters he portrays. Mundane suits thrown into intergalactic travel and mystery. The treat to the album is Wendy Spitzer’s synthesized vocals on ‘Destructive Behavior’. Sweet and light but not void of the underlying paranoia that wraps the album. Chapel Hill might not be the surface of Mars but it might as well be when Eyes To Space become widely established. In the spirit of Devo, Trans Am and They Might Be Giants, Eyes To Space take the stage like a scientist takes the laboratory. This EP is relevant and strong- an interstellar polka hatched out of the love of fiction and fantasy. - Enigma


"Evilsponge.org EP Review"

North Carolina based band Eyes to Space are an interesting act. I saw them once a good long time ago, and at that time, I thought they were an interesting combination of jangle pop and math rock, with a side of hard rocking guitar. And their first self-titled four song EP seems to confirm this impression.



The EP starts with In An Unfamiliar Land. Beginning with burbling, happy, semi-electronic sound, it then moves into an off kilter melody which holds up to the press sheet comparison to Man or Astroman. In the background, and during the interlude, guitarist Andy Spain adds semi-complicated, overdriven guitar riffs that recalls early Van Halen. It's a good little song, which is enhanced by the slightly spacey, chanted singing style of keyboardist Jay Cartwright.



Afterwards, the band moves on to Roadkill, which was one of my favorite songs from that long ago live set. This one too begins with guitar/keyboard interplay interplay that goes back to a New Wave 80s style. In this one, Cartwright's vocals aren't nearly as prominent and are actually lost under the waves of keyboards. Stylistically, this song brings to mind the late lamented Atlanta band The Plastic Plan (albeit with vocals). More particularly, the song seems fast and driven, although each note and sequence seems to be carefully chosen. It is like Eyes to Space are methodically rushing towards a conclusion, which comes over the course of a building keyboard line.



Destructive Behavior is the third song, which, like the others, features a prominent keyboard line. Surprisingly, the vocalist is not Cartwright, but instead bassist Wendy Spitzer, who sings in a wavery and light style. As if to not overwhelming her, the guitar is very subdued throughout her singing. About halfway through the song, the vocals switch back to Cartwright and the guitar comes back to prominence. Then, after another instrumental break, Spitzer sings again, and the music becomes lighter. Underneath all of this, drummer Dylan Thurston propels things along with a snare-heavy drumming style. Destructive Behavior is, at least in this version, easily the catchiest and most poppy song on the EP. Although it sounds a bit different than the first two songs, it's very strong and gives a good impression of the somewhat eclectic sounds of Eyes to Space.



The EP ends with Dear Sir, a song which begins with tinkling piano played by a very good keyboardist. Then the guitars come in, and someone begins to sing. Although the vocalist is male, I don't think it's Cartwright, as the timbre of this voice is different. Instead, this person reminds me vaguely of a lower-pitched version of Matt Lisle from The Fairburn Royals, or perhaps that lead singer of SNMNMN. Either way, especially if you listen to the lyrics, Dear Sir feels a bit more like They Might Be Giants than Man or Astroman, and that's not a bad thing by any means.



And then, after roughly 13 minutes of total music, it's all over. For a more or less self-produced recording, this EP is quite good. The way the band plays with the relative volume of the different instruments over the course of the songs suggests that they have a good ear for how their music should be presented. It also suggests that this band is a full blown collaborative effort, as each person comes to prominence at least once over the course of the EP. Still, any way you look at it, Eyes to Space as a band are recommended and worth looking for in the future.



- Evilsponge.org


"Chattanooga Pulse EP Review"

Chattanooga Pulse (Chattanooga, TN)

Review by Bill Colrus

Rating: 4 out of 5

You won’t find Eyes to Space on MTV or VH-1, nor are they going to be tearing up the airwaves of your favorite radio station any time soon. But you can find them on the Web (www.EyesTo Space.com) or in their hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they have been blowing audiences away with their wholly original brand of Nintendo nerd rock since 2001.

Eyes to Space’s self-titled debut EP clocks in at a super-quick 13 minutes, and features four forward thinking tunes awash in custom-made retro technology (see Jay Cartwright’s “Keytar”) spritzed with the occasional accordion or oboe solo. Cartwright’s and bassist Wendy Spitzer’s vocals are a sweet, simple counterpoint to the infectiously upbeat and complex compositions that would make both Super Mario and Devo equally proud. Seriously, though, kids: Four songs simply aren’t enough.
- Chattanooga Pulse


"Get Out (live show preview)"


Eyes to Space
Local 506
Apparent hosts to surprisingly complementary interests in '80s arena rock, DEVO and Stereolab, Chapel Hill's delightfully goofy Eyes to Space crafts a good-times shtick with White Snake guitars, wry wise cracks and video-game melodies from an accordion, a synth bass and Jay Cartwright's sexy-like-we-nerds-do keytar. New-wavers Gerty and no-wave razors Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan open the bill, yet another Local 506 noteworthy, no-cover Free For All. Free/10 p.m. --GC - The Independent Weekly (Chapel Hill)


Discography

The Elephant Experiment (full-length self-released album, 2002)
4-Sight (EP, self-released, 2003)
New Frontiers: A Compilation of Up-and-Coming Chapel Hill Bands (song on full-length compilation, Bu Hanan Records, 2004)
EP (self-titled, Solarium Records, Sept. 2005)
From the Bureau of Robotic Affairs (Solarium Records, to be released March 27, 2007)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Eyes to Space plays dance music for the robot intelligentsia! Tone-bending blasts from frontman Jay Cartwright’s homemade keytar punctuate complex, hook-laden songs that anachronistically sample from different genres, including nerd-pop, new wave, prog rock and '70s educational filmstrip music. Songs about science and humanity, the dread and hope for apocalypse: these are thematically bleak tunes presented with relentless glee. Influences include by Devo, They Might be Giants, Trans Am, Blondie, Talking Heads and Iron Maiden.

Since forming in February 2002, they've earned a growing fanbase with their kinetic live show -- playing in their native Chapel Hill, up and down the east coast, in the Midwest and a few dates in Wendy's homeland of Canada. They self-recorded and self-released their first album The Elephant Experiment in January 2003, which was followed up by a four-song EP entitled 4-Sight, released in August 2003 and recorded by Jerry Kee of Duck Kee Studios. Another EP was released in 2005, and a second full-length album will be released in early 2007.

Eyes to Space was recently nominated for Best Rock Band, part of the Independent Weekly's annual Indy music awards - a high honor, as the Independent is the alternative weekly that covers the vibrant Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh, NC music scenes. Eyes to Space was also a spotlighted sonicbids artist in January 2006, and was selected to perform at the Music Law Conference in Gainesville, Florida, in February 2006. The band was also the winner of the first Battle of the Bands in Wilkesboro, North Carolina (Oct. 2004) and won again in 2006 as Best Instrumentalists. They've played in such venues as the Cat's Cradle (Chapel Hill, NC), the Knitting Factory (NYC) and the Earl (Atlanta, GA), and have shared the bill with acts as disparate as Captured! By Robots, Matt Pond PA, IQU, Mary Prankster, the Rosebuds, Get Him Eat Him and Neil Hamburger, among many, many others.

To book Eyes to Space for your next robot sock hop, please email eyestospace@yahoo.com.