Fire Flies
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Fire Flies

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"Lighting Up The Dark"

Sunday, August 26th 2007, 4:00 AM

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Fire Flies

Fire Flies
Eldar

Eldar

Lighting up the dark

Dan Romer, 24, knows what's good about moving back into the basement of his parents' home in Brooklyn after several years away at college: "I just woke up," Romer says at about 1 p.m. He's standing in his backyard amid beer bottles from a week ago, lighting a cigarette. Though he does his own laundry, "I can still sneak upstairs and steal food," he says.

The musician says he loves the vibe of Brooklyn right now. "To the left of my house is a deejay, and to the right is a drummer," says Romer, whose new CD, "Two New Sciences!" is just out. It's inspired by some of his musical touchstones, like David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" and the Who's "Tommy."

His band, Fire Flies, is in the midst of performing in the city. The band, including Wil Farr on guitars, has been building a fan base by playing anywhere and everywhere in New York. It's something Romer's been working toward all his life. At 16, he was signed by Sony, and did a demo for them. That same year he won a Scholastic songwriting competition named after John Lennon.

Now he's playing in the town where he can bump into one of his influences. "I saw David Byrne riding on his bike one time, and one of my friends screamed out, 'David! David!' and he pulled over," says Romer. "Everyone else said something cool and I just said, '...You're my idol.' He didn't know what to say. I think I made him nervous."

(Sept. 7 and 14, Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery, at Spring St.; 212-982-0740).

- NY Daily News


"Fire Flies, Crash Mansion"

Fire Flies, Crash Mansion, 10pm, $TBA

Kooky, dancey local alt-rock combo Fire Flies managed to triumph in the
worldwide battle of the bands known as Emergenza. It may not sound
like a big deal, but take it from us, that competition was
interminable, son! - Time Out NY Sept 6-12


"Dan Romer on You Tube"

youtube.com/watch?v=r81ozO_olS0&search=dan%20romer - You Tube


"Review by Tom Staudter"

The Gazette
On The Beat
Fire Flies: Let All the Children Boogie
by Thomas Staudter
Amid the tens of thousands of rock bands launched across the U.S. in the last five years, Fire Flies stands as good a chance to distinguish themselves as any other outfit. The groups members hail from Brooklyn, Albany, the Philadelphia suburbs, and Stormville, New York respectively, but all met while studying at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College; drummer (and newest member) Seth Faulk is now in his senior year, Farr and Romer are finishing master's degrees and bassist Matt Krahula makes a living in the real world as a music teacher and waiter.??Intense academic training in music composition and performance is hardly a pre-requisite for getting choice gigs or possibly landing a label deal, but it doesnt hurt. Although stories abound of bands with scant musical training (yet usually fitting into a certain image) getting pushed up the ladder, there does exist in the industry a predilection toward professionalism in terms of abilities. The language of music isn't aquired through happenstance, and it never surprises me to find that a musical artist or act with chops thicker than a Morton's steak have the educational grounding that lets them "converse" with other pros. That and a zeal for woodshedding often make the difference between success as something earned versus something manufactured, the latter of which can dissapear on the whim of producers and label execs.??All of which explains why, I think, Fire Flies sounds so good. Their mastery of the pop-rock idomhas come from whithin, bolstered by passion and desire, sure, along with a deep understanding of how music "works."??To honor their past exploits, though, Fire Flies called their first album Baobabs in the Basement, recording its ten cuts in 2002 before finally releasing the set on their own Asteroid B-612 Records last year. It's an infectious work in the vein of classic FM pop-rock, with Romer's expressive vocals urgently leading carefully thought out arrangements where acoustic and electric guitars rip at eachother, odd instrumental flourishes seep into the mix and deft backing vocals come out of nowhere. The best cuts on the ["Baobabs..." album:] opener "More Than This," mini-opera "Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods," radio-friendly "Dreams Love Faces," "The Takeoff" (a brilliant paean to space travel, natch) and the elegiac closer "Note on the Kitchen Table" show a band with tremendous promise and an abundance of personality at its core. And if their originality is derived somewhat from glam rock and the Nirvana-led alternative music of the early 1990s, who's to quibble with antecedents as such???With a new CD called Two New Sciences! being readied for release (it's an EP actually, featuring a handful of new songs, including "Call Me Your Darkness," which is presently downloadable on MySpace), Fire Flies is looking toward a busy summer. Keyboardist Andrew Futral has departed [to persue a career with his own group The Age of Rockets], so the big challenge will be keeping things together while waiting for a big break. In the meantime, Romer continues to pen new tunes, His latest, he said, "Rapid Eye Radar," is about a blind girl who is given new sight after a spaceship crashes near the [parking lot she's standing] in. The crux of the songs lyrics, he said, "is to focus on your dreams and everything will seem so real."

- The Gazette


"Crash Mansion review 6.07"

Saturday, June 16, 2007
Live Review-FireFlies at Crash Mansion
Salvatore Bono (www.salvatorebono.blogspot.com)

"On a sweaty Friday night in New York City, hundreds of hipsters crammed into the Bowery residency known as the Crash Mansion not just to take advantage of the open bar, but to celebrate the sophomore release of the greatest band you never heard--Purchase, NY's FireFlies. Just before 11pm, the crowd began chanting and stomping the ground to the syllables that break down the bands name, as the band emerged from stage left and took their places, the DI machine next to drummer Seth Faulk began playing programmed beats and singer/guitarist Dan Romer opened his mouth and before he could get a note out, the crowd erupted as if someone just lit a stuffed cannon. Opening with "Mechanical Love," the lead single from their new album Two New Sciences!, FireFlies created a dance party reminiscent of another Bowery location during Punks Prime. These four gentlemen were unstoppable and so was the audience, only fueling and reloading that cannon before each song. As they stormed through tracks off the new record, the band invited close friends and fellow musicians up on stage to sing in a Polyphonic Spree influenced choir, only enhancing the sound and energy even more. As the band were joined by close friends singing back-up, the crowd jumping around, and proud parents of the band members looking on...not to mention actress Liv Tyler (who was their to support her husband, Former SpaceHog front man Royston Langdon's new band Arckid), singer Dan Romer was almost reduced to tears as he was full of emotion singing the breakdown to "The Receiver." The Fireflies have a lot to be proud of, the release of Two New Sciences!, is a record five years in the making and now its just their career that is in the making, they could single handidly be the greatest band your NEVER herd. My suggestion is check them out and buy the new album, its brilliant. For more on Fireflies, head on over to their Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/firefliesmusic and go see them!!!"

- Salvatore Bono blog


"Review by Dana Nachbar"

Fire Flies?The Hip Sound of the Up and Coming?by Dana B. Nachbar??Dan, Wil, Seth, Matt, and Andrew are the guys that make up the group known as Fire Flies, a local band that is making a splash on the arts scene in Westchester with a concert March 11th at 8 pm at the Westchester Arts Council's Arts Exchange. Don't miss their two hour show in this unique venue, featuring songs never before performed.??The five met and formed their groove-sparked pop band in the music department at Purchase College. They recorded their first album, entitled Baobabs in the Basement in their dorm room. Fire Flies produces a modern sound with an upbeat tempo that, along with their shining sense of humor and energy, puts anyone listening in a groovy mood. Influenced by artists like The Flaming Lips and David Bowie, the group describes itself as a blend of the two with a hint of hip-hop added to the mix. Come hear the vibe as Fire Flies welcomes you to their "neck of the woods." - Westchester paper


"Queen Jane review John and Peter's"

Fire Flies at John & Peter's in New Hope, Pennsylvania...
Queen Jane - "Pimpin' The Lads and Their Fab' Sounds"
"Okay, ever since I've become a dedicated old-lady-ragamuffin Street Fiddler/Beggar, my time for serious Musical Recording Listening has diminished some. ??But last Saturday night I opened a show at a local Music Dungeon Club--there had been an illness in one of the bands scheduled, so I was invited to sub for them, a last-minute emergency. I opened for 2 young bands and both were wonderful and so they are my 'what are you listening to'. You can listen to them too, since both offer samples via MySpace websites. ??First up was Less Pain Forever. Originally from Phoenix, they have recently relocated to this area. Just 2 guys but what a wall of good noise! ??The drummer is the keyboardist is a singer is the drummer etc. He has a synth mounted atop his kick drum and plays keyboard AND drums AND sings all at once. Amazing. And totally solid. ?http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=8367846 ?The guitarist is a vocalist is the bassist is the guitarist etc. He uses a foot-pedal which generates octave-lower tones so the bass zone is covered. On top he's a killer texture-minded gittar-slinger. So tho a duet, their sound is whompass 4-piece rock and roll and their songs are smart, funny, groovy and NEW NOW POP. I am their #1 fan. Me and few hundred other people there on saturday. ??Did I mention they both dress all in white, looking like they should be driving ice cream trucks in Perfect Suburbo Neighborhood? They do. Except before the show, when they wear blue overalls and pulled-down caps, looking like appliance salesmen from Sears, in their alter-ego outfits as 'The Roadies.' ??They done impressed the audience and then some. Guys from Ween were there; also an Ex-Buzzcock. Everybody was hollering "Pip Pip" and "By Jove, good show laddies!" ??Methinks that Less Pain Forever may go far. Pray for 'em, chillen! And dance to 'em when they come to yer local Civic Culture-Event Concretorium Arena or Punk Rock Dungeon Nightclub. ??Topping the bill was a combo I first heard last month. The nuevo pride of Brooklyn NY, Fire Flies. They too are Pop Rethunk, while using classic instrumentation--plus a Mac running synth parts that truly take their sound to a new nebula. ??Sharp-looking kids, the guitarist is a spacious and clever string walker. He looks eerily like the very-young Dennis Hopper. The bass boy is solid, reminds me of young Johnny Lennon. The drummer is the demon beat-wiz voodoo child of Charles Mingus. Seth got The One and then some. ??Fronting the group is Dan, a young slovak russky shaman rabbi alien popster who has a rep around NY recording studios as a savvy accordion wiz, but in Fire Flies he plays an acoustic-electric guitar and sings his word-rivers of Future Here All Over Every Universe So Quit All The Games, Oh Overlord Types. He is nuts in the only possible way to be and still create with clear eyes & mind. Dan's poetics keep hitting yer head with dreams of steppes and long times gone, long times coming, rolling all around in tattery slivers as rest of the combo harmonizes like choirboys of digital dew. ??This band is touring and gigging relentlessly. As well they should. ??I secretly & privately nicknamed Fire Flies 'The Russian Beatles' even tho they are USA kids. All kindsa weird modal eastern-world with Napoleon Stranded in Deep Winter 'Oh Gdansk Me' Arcangel Ice vibes. You'll see and hear when you go to their site...I got their CD, it's a killer recording, Fire Flies are the real thang: ??http://www.myspace.com/firefliesmusic ??I wuz inspired by these kids, both bands. They're all 21 or 16 years old or something, virgins of the ooze, looking forward with all eyes wide open, reinventing the eternal carnivalia of boom boom sound. I hope one or both bands adopt me as their Constant Folk Rock Grandma Opening Act when they play 'round here. They'll RULE after my same-old boring folk twanging and meanwhile I can get to see them often and fer free. Check 'em out!?____________
- unknown


"Albany mention"

Fire Flies??New York quartet Fire Flies (formerly The Baobabs) roll into Albany this evening for a set of crafty, polished pop. The band's debut disc, Baobabs in the Basement, has all the righ telements for crossover success, in that it sounds like 10 different bands at once. Chalk that up to the quartet's mix of acoustic instrumentation, synthesizers, and sequenced beats. Sounds a little like Built to Spill with a nasty ProTools addiction; or, perhaps, The Bogmen. Whatever the result, singer-songwriter Dan Romer conveys a tremendous charisma; he is, reportedly, a terrific performer. Plus, Fire Flies bassist Matt Krahula hails from right here in Albany, so this is your chance to say hello to a local boy done good. (Or, reasonably well.)

- Albany local paper


"Shunning The Bright Lights"

www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/21Rrockers.html?_r=1&ex=1193716800&en=2cbde792bc609346&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin - New York Times


Discography

LP relseased June 2007 "Two New Sciences"
LP released June 2005 "Baobabs In The Basement"

Photos

Bio

Winners of this year's National and International Emergenza Festival, Fire Flies, the indie techno-pop band met and formed at Purchase in their freshmen year, performing before classmates in the student center and traveling into Manhattan to try their luck in clubs they weren’t yet old enough to frequent. Jettisoned out of their college confinements they entered a rock n roll stratosphere fueled by tight and explosive musicianship and compelling songs of love, death, dreams and desperation.

During their sophomore and junior years (and while still underage), FIRE FLIES managed to develop an enthusiastic following becoming regular performers at such premier Manhattan venues as Pianos, Knitting Factory and Crash Mansion among others.

They have just released their second CD "Two New Sciences" on their own Asteroid B-612 Records label. Produced by the band in their studio and mixed by Brian Reeves.

Consisting of a solid and complex rhythm section, masterful guitars and alien technology keyboards, “Two New Sciences,” features poetic lyrics accentuated by hook-driven melodies. Fueled by proficient musicians, beautiful arrangements and great songs, the first line “I don’t understand you, but I try,” defines the sentiment that illustrates the songwriters note to self. Bright beats juxtaposed with anxious lyrics make up 12 songs spanning an overall theme of uncertainty, love, frustration, despair and the never-ending parties that feed them.

In July 2007, Fire Flies won the Emergenza Final and are being flown to Germany in mid-August to play at the Taubertal Open Air Festival in front of 35,000 people.

Now fully established on the NYC music scene FIRE FLIES have spent this past year developing relationships with cities up and down the east coast. With just over 2000 copies sold of their independently released disc, and "Two New Sciences" easily surpasing that, FIRE FLIES have over 72,000 hits on myspace and continue to mount CD sales at shows and on CD Baby.

Fire Flies are singer-songwriter Dan Romer (Bklyn NY) lead vocals, guitar; Wil Farr (Phila PA) lead guitar, bkgd vocas ; Matt Krahula (Albany NY) bass, bkgd vocals; Seth Matthew Faulk (Stormville NY) drums, bkgd vocals.