Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
I say Higgins, you say "rules"...Higgins, RULES...Higgins, RULES! Shit yeah man. I had never heard anything about this band before last night (truth be told, I sometimes try and keep it that way so that my first experience with a band is a rather pure one) but from the moment they jumped into their set I was thinking Beatles, Beatles, Beatles. That's not to say I didn't hear other influences in their songs, it just means that I found myself loving how much Higgins obviously loves the Beatles. I tend to go through phases where I'm all of a sudden listening to the Beatles again for the first time in years and I'm in the midst of one now, so last night was a perfect time for me to see a band like Higgins. Don't go away thinking their sound is old news, this is a band that needs to be heard by more people. They've got a great balance within the band, great balance from rocking songs to more quiet ones, and a great drummer who seemed more Keith Moon than Ringo. Very glad I stayed for their whole set. - http://earfarm.blogspot.com/
Dreamy without being too melancholic, Higgins offer up a retro look at slightly trippy sounding ditties with a song like "Difference" that slides along without any huge hiccups. Somewhat Beatles-que, the duo of Kevin Fish and Brian Kantor weave pretty but distant harmonies in the background. Later on they one-up themselves with "Drop Off" that conjures up images of George Harrison. "Come Again" is driven by a crunchy guitar and an arrangement Matthew Sweet would be proud of. The biggest drawback is how it abruptly ends just 70 seconds into it, a riff meriting two and half or three minutes at the least. What is obvious though is how they have an ear for a hook judging by the gloriously ballsy "Come" that sounds like the Black Crowes doing Ed Sullivan. How well they do it without becoming a parody is another asset on the lengthy, Floydian, summer lullaby "Bees". Only on the languid "Town 2 Town" does Higgins seem to hit a retro-sounding rut before the coda revs things up again. Fans of Canadian Joel Plaskett would see Higgins as his American cousin. - Pop Matters
The Long Island-New Jersey duo Higgins released its new disc, "Dear Higgins," on Maggadee Records this week. With shades of The Kinks and The Beatles, the album is buzzy, fuzzy and dreamy - the first song actually fades in. In other words, it's pretty great. Find the band at www.myspace.com/higgins. - Newsday NY
Higgins are made up of two old friends from Long Island, guitarist Kevin Fish and drummer Brian Kantor, who recorded this disc at the apartment in Weehawken, NJ. They seem most interested in exploring the meditative, trippy side of some of their heroes from the past, most often recalling Big Star, late-period Beatles, and on faster tracks like “Come” and “Show”, The Kinks. The Fab Four comparisons are especially fitting in the way the sighing, swooning, multi-layered harmony and backing vocals accentuate nearly every song. And like Ringo Starr, Kantor’s solid and charismatic drumming provides the perfect accompaniment for Fish’s ringing, circular guitar patterns to wrap around. To top it off, the home recording gives this delightful, dreamy LP a nicely coarse-edged, off-the-cuff feel. Bravo lads! (info@maggadee.com) - Big Takeover
Some albums work toward the type of overachieving status to which the Deli only aspired in high school - they are so original and different that could create a genre just by themselves. "Abbey Road" by the Beatles is definitely one of them. This debut CD by Higgins belongs to the "Abbey Road" genre - and that's a compliment by the way.
BUY IT NOW, MAN!
- The Deli
Sometimes what you don't know really can't hurt you. In the case of Higgins, what you might not know is that the "band" is just two guys from Weehawken, New Jersey. Not knowing this would lead you to believe that this is at least a four-piece band kicking out some awesome retro rock and roll. So, how could that hurt you? With some old school jammin' breakdowns a la Nancy Wilson in the seventies (don't even pretend you don't like Heart,) these two guys have successfully revived '70s psych rock. Excellent production on songs like "Shut It" and "Difference" create an authentic retro sound worthy of any teenager's garage-band efforts circa 1979... (and) if they stick to their form, Higgins could be in for a bright future … or past … however you may look at it. - Baltimore Metromix
Discography
"Dear Higgins" - Maggadee
All tracks available on multiple web sites including iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, higginsdearhiggins.com etc
Photos
Bio
Meet Kevin and Brian, or as they like to call themselves, Higgins. Theyve
been playing music most of their lives and theyre ready to share it with the
world. In the pre-Higgins days of old (the late nineties), Brian and Kevin
both lived in Long Island, New York. Brian played drums for a group called
Zygomatic, and Kevin was handling the guitar for The Delicious Trees. He
handled it so well that Brian couldnt help but notice. Kevin had also seen
Brian play, and although they hadnt formally met, a mutual respect was
born. In 1999, Brian left Long Island, New York for Weehawken, New
Jersey, while Kevin stayed on the Island. In Jersey, Brian met E.J. Russo,
a chef who also happened to be a bass player. The two started to play
together and decided to start a band. E.J. and Brian also had a mutual
friend on Long Island who had previously tried to recruit Brian for his band,
Jaha. This friend kept telling E.J. about one of the guitarists from Jaha,
named Kevin. When Brian realized that Kevin was the same Kevin from the
Delicious Trees, he headed out to the island to see the Trees, and made a
connection with Kevin. Early on, Brian and Kevin realized that they shared
a number of musical influences, including (but not limited to) Yes, The
Beatles, Frank Zappa, Kevin Ayers, and T-Rex. Once the roster was set,
Higgins began recording material for their self produced album entitled
With Love, Higgins. During that time the band started playing a number of
shows in the tri-state area. In early 2001, E.J. left the band and moved to
the Florida Keys to pursue a career as a chef. Brian and Kevin were at a
crossroads. Ultimately, the two of them decided to start recording a new
batch of songs in their Weehawken apartment. Kevin engineered and
produced their songs in bursts over the next year.
With Dear Higgins complete, Brian and Kevin contemplated presenting
the songs in a live setting. After experimenting, they saw the possibility
of performing as a duo without losing the unique touches they had
worked on in their home studio. The response to live Higgins was very
positive, created a local buzz, and attracted the attention of Bill Dolan,
who soon signed them to Maggadee Records. Dear Higgins, all of which
was recorded in Higgins living room, kitchen, bathroom & bedroom, is
the culmination of six years of outstanding writing, playing and recording.
All you have to do is listen.
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