High Fascination

One of the true prerequisites for the creation of good music is talent, and Andrew Weiss is simply oozing with it. A multi-instrumentalist with now three solo albums under his belt, Weiss is the modern equivalent of a one-man band; he excels at playing percussion, guitar, bass, and keyboards. And, if that is not sufficient, he also provides competent vocals (both lead and background) and lyrics. Weiss is a band in a box. Open him up and you get A Time and Place, his new 9-track album.

High Fascination, Weiss’ sobriquet, was founded as a solo-recording project in 2009. Weiss, a local New York product, has released three albums since 2011. Perhaps my favorite part of the new album is Weiss’ perspicacious ear – a quality developed through listening and practicing. The premier tracks on the album are like a ripe apple: crisp melodies when you sink your teeth into the music and juicy innards when you delve into its intricacies. Also prevalent in each song is the key to the success of every young artist: a penchant for plucking influences from favorite artists and adding similar styles into the pieces. Let’s delve into the album.

“Shadow of a Ghost,” the first track on the album, begins with the pairing of a constant key riff and slowed guitar chord progression. The verse takes on a keen BritPop feel, and, of course, Britpop was inspired by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks. It is not a surprise that the Beatles and Oasis are two bands that Weiss cites as influences. The song sends me back to the late 90s when BritPop reigned supreme. This piece, though, does take on other infectious elements. There is a bluesy undertone behind the BritPop exterior – reminiscent of Beatles-like exploration. Progressive elements like those that appear at the end of the song add a post-Britpop facet - calling out to bands like Snow Patrol and Elbow. The song is a tight, well-developed piece with several catchy components that help add to its efficacy.

“Caught in the Act of Daydreaming” begins with an early OneRepublic-like keys riff that falls into percussion. The Beatles-like harmony is excellent – almost feeling like a psychedelic pop song from the late 60s. The song also plays with a bluesy component that lifts it away from traditional pop.

In September 2012, Weiss teamed up with Dan Hemerlein (bass), Noah Rauchwerk (drums, backing vocals, ukelele), and Jonathan Russell (keyboards) in NYC to form a full band. The band is currently playing venues all around the New York City area. - The Music Court Blog

By Elise Renard (Music Industry), Published January 18, 2014

Frontman Andrew Weiss of High Fascination, an alternative rock band reigning from NYU, spoke with interviewer Elise Renard on the band’s music-making methodology, and how they overcome the geographical obstacles of their being a band that met in college. With a new album out as of June 2013, A Time and Place, and upcoming releases throughout 2014, be sure to check out their SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Q: So the first 3 albums are your solo work essentially, right? What sparked the switch from being a “multi-instrumentalist” to having a full-fledged band with Dan, Noah, and Jonathan?

- Basically what happened was when I first started recording songs, I thought of them as only demos. I figured at some point in the future I’d find a band and re-do everything with them. That was the main goal. But I never ended up finding a band, and instead I ended up doing the first album by myself, playing all the instruments and singing all the vocal parts. Then for the second and third albums, I went into the recording process with the same mindset, but still was unable to find a band and did the parts myself again. Not many people in my town liked the same music as me, or even played instruments. I didn’t find people who were on the same page musically until I got to NYU and started college. Although it was only me playing on those albums, I still wanted to release it under “High Fascination” because I wanted people who didn’t know me to think that an actual band was playing on the albums.

Q: What roles do each of you play in the band (i.e. who plays what)?

- Dan plays bass, and he was the first person I met at NYU. We got together almost immediately to jam and run through some songs, and he added a whole new dimension to the music. He is an amazing bass player, and his style is perfect for the songs that I write. Noah plays drums, sings backing vocals, and even plays 8 string ukelele. I met him through a mutual friend, and when we first played together, his style of drumming appealed to me instantly. He also has a really great high harmony voice, so it’s been awesome playing with him. Jonathan plays keyboards, and I knew him just from seeing him around campus. When we were looking for someone I instantly thought of him. What he played for my songs was exactly what needed to be played. He really added the missing ingredient.

Q: What artists inspire your work?

- We’re inspired by all kinds of music. I’m a huge Beatles fan. They definitely have the biggest influence on my songwriting, but I’m really into bands like the Beach Boys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Oasis as well. Noah is into folk and Americana music, like the Avett Brothers and Bright Eyes, which is really cool. Dan is into bands like The Killers, The Who, and I actually just played him some of Jake Bugg’s music a little while back, so he’s been digging that lately. Jonathan is into alternative bands, like Arcade Fire and Fun. All of those influences really create the sound we make as a band. The way we play is affected by the music we listen to, with our own spin put on it, of course.

Q: Your latest album, “A Time and Place,” was released June 2013. Any new stuff in the works?

- We actually have a lot of new stuff in the works. This is going to be the first time I’m announcing this, but from February until April, we’re going to release something new every month. The first release is a new album called How Do You Do? coming out in February on iTunes, Spotify, etc. The album was recorded with me playing all the instruments and singing all the parts again because it was recorded last summer, and during that time the members of the band all lived in different parts of the country. Now that everyone in the band is located on the East Coast, we’re able to work together. The second release is an EP, and it’s going to have everyone in the band playing on it. It’s been really great working on it so far, and we’re really looking forward to getting those songs out there. The third release is a single that was actually written by the first guitar player that was in the band and myself. We started recording it in Spring of 2013, but we’re finally finishing that up, so it will be great to have that out there as well.

Q: Any upcoming shows for the new year in NYC? How about elsewhere?

- Yes, we have some pending shows in NYC for the new year. Right now we’re just waiting to confirm the dates. In addition to some NYC shows, we’re also performing at a car show in Pennsylvania over President’s Day weekend. They’re expecting a huge crowd, and we’re performing 5 sets throughout the weekend. We’re really looking forward to that! - Greenline Records Blog