NEW DIPLOMAT

I’m a sucker for music videos that tell stories, which is exactly what San Francisco band New Diplomat has done in the video for their track, “Stay Up.” Starring San Francisco Ballet’s principal dancer, Dores Andre, the black and white video relays a pivotal day in the ballerina’s life as she prepares to audition for an annual ballet performance. - SF WEEKLY

Three piece indie electronic rock outfit New Diplomat have announced the imminent release of a brand new, six-song EP entitled Replaced, which will be out this Friday, 8/19.

The six-song EP was produced by uber-producer Jeff Saltzman, who is best known for his work with The Killers, Fischerspooner, Blondie and more. NEW DIPLOMAT’s individual musical influences, (The Killers, Muse, New Order, The Strokes) each lend a bit of unique flavor to the trio’s sound. NEW DIPLOMAT is: guitarist Paolo Von Giordano, vocalist/bassis Horacio O’Brien-Ferres and drummer/percussionist/synth player Jacob Hartog. - Soundfiction

Four of the five members of New Diplomat are from Europe or South America: Paolo Von Giordano (Italy), Jef Pauly (Belgium), Horacio O'Brien-Ferres (Uruguay), Giovanni Gotti (Argentina) and Nathan Cenzer (Davis). It's like announcing competitors at the Olympics.

They came to San Francisco for various reasons, but they were all fans of the city's music scene.

O'Brien-Ferres says the band came together through chance meetings and quickly started practicing as an act. They formed in September 2010, and their first EP, "Buy Yourself Some Freedom," was released a year later.

Their music is an infectious celebration of indie rock and electronic music.

Lineup: Horacio O'Brien-Ferres, vocals; Nathan Cenzer, bass; Jef Pauly, drums; Paolo Von Giordano, lead guitar, backing vocals; Giovanni Gotti, synthesizers, programmer.

What is the main theme of your music?
We are a song-driven band. Every song has a different mood or theme, which liberates us from styles within our genre. It's more exciting to write that way. ... You will probably find in our songs a general sense of alienation, of questioning the usual relationship-gone-bad-or-good theme, and also hope.

How does living in the Bay Area affect your music?
It's a very special part of the United States. If it weren't for this place, this band wouldn't even exist in thoughts. We are a bunch of transplants from remote places in the world (except for Nate, who was born in Davis) that found each other because we chose this town for what it represents as far as freedom and culture in general. On a more immediate impact, living here enabled us to see a lot of great bands of all kinds of styles that constantly inspire us.

What's the most important aspect to putting on a live show?
We want to connect with people and vice versa. We want people to have a great time but also want them to go home and think, "Damn, those guys really give it all they got every time."

How did you come up with your band name and what does it mean to you?
We wanted to come up with something that would represent how diverse and innovative our formation was, so after brainstorming for literally months, we decided to name it New Diplomat.

Was there a band name or two that you almost went with before deciding on New Diplomat?
We asked a friend who works in one of the very best ad agencies. Some of the creative guys, after hearing about our international background, mentioned the word "ambassador." The reference was actually about a book that tells the story of a group of Americans in Europe, so the guy thought about reversing it, to match our story. But Ambassadors or New Ambassadors was taken, so we moved to New Diplomat.

Check it out: www.facebook.com/newdiplomat.

Next gig: 8:30 p.m. Saturday. With the Hundred Days, Kill Moi, Ownership. $13. Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. (415) 255-0333. www.slimspresents.com.

To be featured in Bay Area Bandwidth, you must have a confirmed gig coming up and a recording that readers can buy, download or listen to via a Web link. Then e-mail us at bandwidth@sfchronicle.com with: band or artist name, gig info, website and/or Myspace link, a one-paragraph bio that includes your lineup, city location, description of your sound and a link to your two best songs. Do not e-mail music files or other attachments.

- Tony DuShane E-mail: bandwidth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tonydushane



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/music/bandwidth/article/New-Diplomat-5-band-members-from-5-countries-3755389.php#ixzz2883rJ500 - San Francisco Chronicle

"Up next was the multi-cultural New Diplomat. Despite forming in SF, the backgrounds of the bandmates span the globe from Belgium to Argentina. Similarly, New Diplomat’s sound also spans across the sonic spectrum. The band dove into heavy, hard-rock riffs only to switch up the next track with a tremolo synthesizer at the forefront, to then wind down with softer, keyboard melodies layered with some punk and funk thrown in. Add in a crowd-pleasing tribute to the late MCA with a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” and just try to find a genre that clearly describes the group’s sound.
After opening with the abrasive lines of “Self Spoken,” New Diplomat broke into a series of new tracks that ranged from bursts of rumbling guitars to more experimental effects where synth and guitar fused into one formidable wave of sound, similar to Muse songs like “Map of the Problematique.” The vocals of singer Horacio O’Brien-Ferres carried throughout the Rickshaw Stop as he went from soft melodies to ferocious screams, as the band played to a backdrop of custom animations stitched together with scenes ranging from sultry models to war battles." - The Daily Californian (University of Berkeley Newspaper)

Video Interview with Bay Area band New Diplomat. - chasingstarz.com

With only a year under their belt San Francisco’s New Diplomat have caused quite a stir with their electrifying musical blend of multiple influences. On a fast pace rise since the release of their debut EP Buy Yourself Some Freedom, New Diplomat have enjoyed sold out shows, festival appearances such as Noise Pop 2012, SXSW 2012 and BFD 2012. It’s with pleasure to introduce our Music Artist of the Week…New Diplomat!

Joey: How did you guys get together to form New Diplomat. I love the fact that there’s such a diverse culture and background in the group.

New Diplomat: When we started the band we didn’t have an ultra specific idea of the sound we wanted to go for. We all brought our different musical backgrounds to the table, did our thing and New Diplomat is a direct consequence of that. I don’t think we could have a better drummer, singer and so on. We were fans of each other and wanted to be in the same band. The fact that we are from all over the planet…that was pure coincidence, but it does make a good story, I guess.. haha

Joey: You debut EP “Buy Yourself Some Freedom” is a hit…love it! Who does the song writing and what was the inspiration behind the songs?

ND: First of all, thank you! There are all kinds of ways for us to write songs, often someone comes up with a initial idea and then we go from there, but no matter what, the songs are always developed by the whole band. When it comes to the lyrics, our songs don’t lie, they are the direct channel between the world out there and who we really are. So we tune in and express ourselves as honestly as possible through them.

Joey: What I enjoy about you music is how upbeat it is and at times it’s a sad story your telling. What three words best describe your music?

ND: Impulsive (also due to the rather large amount of explosive temper in the band…hahaha), melodic , energetic.

Joey: Congratulations are in order, as you have been selected to play at Live 105 BFD 2012. How does it feel to be part of a such a great event and what can fans expect from your show?

ND: We are indeed very happy to be part of this year’s Live 105 BFD and very honored to play with so many great bands. What Live 105 is doing for local music is pretty remarkable and we are extremely thankful for their support. We’re not exactly sure yet whether there is gonna be crazy pyrotechnics, live snakes or anything of that effect, but one thing we know for sure is that everyone can expect us to play this show like we mean it..like we always do!

Joey: What else is on the agenda for 2012?

ND: As far as the rest of 2012 we are definitely booking a lot of shows outside the Bay Area. LA and Southern California will see a lot of New Diplomat in the coming months.. we’re also talking to different management agencies and things like that. Of course there is also the upcoming release of our new single, that we just recorded with famed producer Dan The Automator (Gorillaz, Kasabian, Dj Shadows) . And we are also shooting the video for the song as we speak with our good friend and video wizard Elliott Morin.

Joey: What two bands would be on your dream tour?

ND: The Clash, The Stone Roses (..in their heydays!)

Joey: Fellas thanks again for your time. I’m really excited to catch you at BFD. Any final words or shout outs?

ND: We see a lot of bands nowadays jumping on the current trend wagon, and we’d say “Just do your thing, get good at what you do, no matter what makes you tick! ( as we are humbly trying to do).” Alright, see y’all at BFD! - Joeyvoodoo.com/about/

NEW DIPLOMAT ‘BUY YOURSELF SOME FREEDOM’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)

Out of San Francisco, California we welcome the band NEW DIPLOMAT. Their debut EP-CD ‘Buy yourself some freedom’ offers 6 quality songs that are mostly uptempo Melodic Poprock/New Wave orientated, not very far removed from what a lot of UK bands have been doing the past few years. It sounds a bit like a guitar orientated version of WHITE LIES (circa their debut). Although NEW DIPLOMAT is an independent band, they sound as if they are signed to some major label and their album has a real high quality vibe written all over the place. Fans of typical British catchy New Wave ish Powerpoprock will absolutely love this American band and any of the 6 included tracks will be appreciated by fans of acts like THE VACCINES, WHITE LIES, FRANZ FERDINAND… Check them out at: www.newdiplomat.net

(Points: 8.3 out of 10) - Strutter'Zine (NL)

The “Buy Yourself Some Freedom” Release Party is set for Sunday, September 25th at Vessel nightclub, located at 85 Campton Place one-half block from Union Square. The doors open at 8:30, and the performance starts sharply at 9:30 pm. Admission is $10, and bundles that include admission and the CD are available for $15. Traditionally a San Francisco electronic music venue, this event is Vessel’s first time hosting a live music launch. - SF Gate (SF Chronicle)

Aaron Axelsen, Music Director for Live 105, the Bay Area Alternative Rock Station (a CBS Network Station) got a hold of our first EP at the end of last year.
He tweeted about the release being one of the best release of the year and has been playing us on his Soundcheck show every week without interruption for the past 6 months.

We subsequently have been listed as one of the top 20 Bay Area bands of 2011 by Live 105 - We were the only band in the top 10 to be an unsigned band. - Live 105

Most of the time, it is difficult to truly understand a band on a small, six song EP, but New Diplomat are breaking stereotypes while showcasing wonderful diversity and a strong, unique sound on their new EP, Replaced. The groovy, smooth sounds on Replaced make these six songs very easy to listen to, but without blending into one another or sounding boring by any means. Opening track, “End Of An Era,” for instance, kicks things off with a very upbeat, retro feeling. Vocally, “End Of An Era” is absolutely stunning, and with a strong drum beat, echoey guitar and heavy bass, the song kicks things off perfectly before leading into the very different sounding, “Stay Up.”

The best part? These diverse songs flow easily into one another. While “Stay Up” is significantly more synth-heavy than the opening track, the falsetto vocals create a seamless connection. “Stay Up” doesn’t necessarily hit quite as hard as “End Of An Era,” but where it lacks in deep drums and heavy bass, it makes up for in miles with catchy synth and an incredible vocal performance from Horacio O'Brien-Ferres. - The Prelude

San Francisco-based indie rockers New Diplomat released a new EP, Replaced, their first new release since reuniting in March 2015 after a year-long hiatus.

This EP marks a great return for New Diplomat, and it seems that the band will continue to move up quickly in the alternative rock scene as they work on a full-length release. - WHITE NOISE