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Mollycoddle
Beautiful Californian Failure
by Corin Ashley
Here's a gorgeous little pop collection from bedroom Brian Wilson, Eric Scmider. With a hint of Michael Penn and many Beatlely bits, Beautiful Californian Failure ruminates on varying shades of melancholia and moments of sunshine pop bliss. Opening track "Love Is" could scarcely be a more perfect with it's McCartney- ish melody and tinkling acoustic arpeggios. The album closes with a wonderful take on Sam Cooke's "I'll Come Running Back To You" (always a brave move to cover Sam Cooke, but he pulls it off) and between those two tracks lie a batch of absolute keepers. Fans of Jon Brion, Neil Finn and Squeeze would do well to check out Mollycoddle. (www.mollycoddle.org) - The Big Takeover #56
Tonight it's all about the cause;raising money for the Nature Conservatory. Lucky for them they booked one of the best bands in Boston to help out our friends the trees.
Mollycoddle hits the stage and I am instantly drawn in. Eric Schmider, the singer, simply has one of the best voices on the local scene. He's a pretty great guitarist, too. Still, I can't help notice how much he resembles Elvis Costello. Lucky for him and the band, Mollycoddle have the talent to make me forget about physical comparisons and realize that this band has a sound all it's own. The lead guitarist provides plenty of color with his unique slide guitar stylings. His sound fits in there somewhere between roots music and U2. When he occasionally drops the slide, he completely rocks out. The audience responds. By the end of the set, the crowd has stopped checking out the fine collection of art for sale and is focusing on the band. Even the attractive girl dressed in pink in the back of the room seems to be getting less attention, a true judge of talent for any band. - The Noise
HEARTBREAK HOTEL
You'll find this hard to believe, but Go! has had our heart broken on more than one occasion. We won't dare mention the raven-haired, dapper gent whose response to our confession of undying love was a curt, "You're such a . . . good person," followed by a dry peck on the forehead. "You're too, too kind," we groused under our Ernest & Julio Gallo-laden breath. We just wish we could write stunning pop songs about such moments, as Eric Schmider (above) so eloquently does with his Boston-based band Mollycoddle. We're told Schmider christened his band with such a name after the demise of a long-term relationship. This man was hurting, for heaven's sake. Somehow his sadness didn't translate to the band's latest album, "Beautiful Californian Failure," a gorgeous mix of acoustic, sunny pop melodies and Schmider's talent for a clever lyric. - Boston Globe - Nov 20
Vocals have always been a high priority for me; the fact is that a lot of local bands have lead singers that would make Bob Dylan cringe. This is not the case on Mollycoddle's fantastic new release. Talented, smart, and atmospheric are words that come to mind in describing Eric Schmider and company's first full-length entitled, Beautiful Californian Failure.
Mollycoddle makes it cool to know how to play your instrument again. This was the rage in the '70s, but quickly went out when bands like Yes, ELP, and the rest of the prog rockers required a Berklee degree to simply listen. Mollycoddle recalls the days of Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, T-Rex and, may I dare say, The Beatles. This is true in the sense that the selections motivate me into imagining songs that the Fab Four may have written had they stayed together.
Another aspect I love about this record is the instrumental variety. Trumpet, saxaphone, clarinet, cello, and vibes all make appearances. What's more, the guest crew can really play! Lyrically, the themes range from love had, love lost, love sucks and everything in between, including masturbation.
My only critique is the inclusion of the cover of T-Rex's "Cosmic Dancer." It's a good song and Russell Chudnofsky plays a solo that would make Marc Bolan jealous. However, the performance here offers little difference from the Electric Warrior original. With a wealth of great original titles ranging from the danceable "Maintain the Tension" the introspective "Love Is" and the jazz loungy "Physics," "Cosmic Dancer" may have ended upon on the cutting board had Beautiful Californian Failure been a T-Rex record. - The Noise - Mike Diplomat
#45 Jan/Feb 2005
John Baccigaluppi
"[Beautiful Californian Failure]...a 13-song disc of very well produced ambitious pop that Eric sang, wrote and co-produced. All the tunes here are very well written and recorded and somehow remind me of the quieter moments from the Beatles' White Album. The basic drum, guitar, bass, vocal format is nicely augmented by judicious overdubs of real strings, vibes, woodwinds, brass and assorted keyboards... - Tape Op Magazine
Mollycoddle
by Mary Rudy
Want some good ole rockin’ music? Well then Mollycoddle will do it for you. The musicianship is superbly outstanding, and they give the kind of music that this world needs.
Do you like the sound of British rock? Then this is the CD for you. With Eric Schmider's vocals are strong and clear. It's the kind of voice that you can listen to for hours. Every song on this CD is superb, each one deserves mention, but I couldn't choose my favorite. I will leave that up to you!
Now lets get to the rest of this amazing rock group, and they are: Jefferson Davis (Amelia White) on drums.....Russell Chudnofsky (Confidence Men, Amelia White, and Skypaint) on lead guitar.....Joe Klompus (Amelia White, Jack Drag) on bass. Additional musicians are Kris Delmhorst, Richard Gates (Paula Cole, The Story), and Nolan McKelvey (The Benders). All these musicians are definitely the cream of the crop when it comes to musicianship and talent. Muzik Reviewz has not had the privilege of catching Mollycoddle’s live performance but the energy and sounds coming from this CD will blow you away. So now you have a bunch of musicians that totally groove together, and you got to admit that this group knows what it takes to get to the top and they are not stopping until they get what they want....................and I for one will be there waiting and watching when they do. They have what it takes in every aspect of the music business to rock this world.
BOTTOM LINE: High Caliber of Talent…..Outstanding musicianship…..Vocals to capture your heart and soul……Messages in each song that can be identified by someone - somewhere at anytime….Make sure to visit Mollycoddle Website at: http://www.mollycoddle.org , make the best purchase this year, purchase the ‘Beautiful Californian Failure’ CD. - www.muzikreviewz.com
Discography
EPs:
Skinny Tee ep
Production/Writing
Miss Folk America
J. Has Two Mommies
Singles:
Mollycoddle - www.mollycoddle.org
All Men
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Eric Schmider and his new band, Mollycoddle, explore the relationship between passion and nurture in their first release, “Beautiful Californian Failure” (Fall 2004). The disk is as much a series of moments as it is a collection of songs, each one reflecting the intimacies, the promises, and the traumas that have afflicted lovers since love began.
Arriving in Boston in 1993 from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Eric fell into the local folk scene where he soon joined creative forces with singer/songwriter, and musical comedy mastermind Faith Soloway. In the years that followed, Eric acted as musical director, guitarist and co-producer for Soloway’s successful series of “Schlock Operas,” including the hits “Jesus Has Two Mommies” and “Miss Folk America,” both of which played to sellout crowds at Boston’s legendary Somerville Theater. At the same time Eric fronted Skinny Tee, a super-pop harmony-driven band that was quickly creating a buzz around Boston when a tragic accident brought the band – as well as a chapter in Eric’s life – to an abrupt end. As with all endings, the accident created a new beginning, laying as it did the emotional groundwork for the evolution of Mollycoddle.
It was October 1998 when Eric was in a motorcycle accident. He was careening through the White Mountains in New Hampshire to taste the last bit of Fall when he swerved to avoid an out of control movie van. The van’s driver was distracted by a beautiful hiker who had been at the roadside. She helped Eric through a slow year of recovery, and with some settlement money, they moved to Spain to continue recovering and to nurture the the bits that needed time to grow.
Eric returned to Boston in 2001 with the remains of the the accident money intent on making a record about the interplay between care and love. He recorded with Dave Locke at Squid Hell Studios. Eric and Dave approached each song individually instead of aiming to produce a “type” of record. The result is “Beautiful Californian Failure,” music with lyrics as honest as the sun, and a melodic sound similar to T Rex, George Harrison, and Flaming Lips. Some tunes roll like a Motown groove, while others drive like California pop. Melody is the fabric of Mollycoddle’s music, and this is what makes it different from the beat-box rhythms driving music today.
In addition to Eric on guitar and vocals, Mollycoddle is Jefferson Davis (Amelia White) on drums, Russell Chudnofsky (Confidence Men, Amelia White, and Skypaint) on lead guitar, and Joe Klompus (Amelia White, Jack Drag) on bass. Among the many musicians who appear on the record are Kris Delmhorst, Richard Gates (Paula Cole, The Story), and Nolan McKelvey (The Benders). Mollycoddle performs as a band with complete orchestration or in quieter combinations.
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