Pretty Please
Miami, Florida, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Juan Oña's been a friend to the South Florida music scene since his tenure as drummer with the Brand. While back then I felt like I had every right to brand them (no pun intended) as eternal tinkerers, I'm happy to report that the same level of "never-ending-story" continues with his new outfit, Pretty Please.
Is it a bad thing? I certainly think not. I'm glad he's back behind the skins, screaming and aided by Didi Aragon on vocals and guitars, Bavie Grafals on vocals, violin and percussion and Ana Farina MacKliff on bass and vocals.
The mix is punkish and New Wave in makeup with plenty of synths and fringe noises grounding them in the pop arena of bands like That Dog, the Breeders, and X. An upcoming full-length is on the way and for that I am happy. Maybe this time around I will not put any labels on them and so far it doesn't seem like I will have to because their camp has been productive.
Old Brand collaborator Bianca Pupo had a hand in this recording and she may or may not be one of the aforementioned ladies with questionable names (or is she?!). There's good pop here, regardless of identity, there's plenty of effects to make it playfully quirky and with a slew of upcoming live gigs, you'd be right to check them out.
MP3: Pretty Please - "Leftovers for the Dogs"
Tags:
Juan Ona, Pretty Please, The Brand
By: Abel Folgar
- Miami New Times
After a little delay Pretty Please finally showed up and a manic set up quickly followed. Their gear was already onstage, so I’m assuming they were there earlier, set up and took off (?). Whatever the case, the night was finally started. Pretty Please sounded good right off the bat. The 4 piece band has an eclectic set up that somehow works. Three fun looking females, all dolled up in classic Bowie make up and tight bright outfits handle vocal duties while simultaneously playing bass, guitars, violin, keyboard and basically everything under the sun while their only male member sits back and enjoys the view from behind his drumset (sounds like a sweet gig huh? Just sitting and watching 3 ladies rock out in front of you all the time, I gotta look into that). They ran through some originals (I really liked Leftovers for Dogs) and did a good job on their two Bowie covers (Queen Bitch, Starman). Reminded me of Dig Me Out-era Sleater-Kinney with a dash of Breeders thrown in for good measure. Their vocals seemed to be a bit loud at times, but I’m not sure if they soundchecked. Other than that and being a tad late, I thought they were tight…like their outfits (sorry, couldn’t resist that lame cheeseball line).
- Antisteez.com
Discography
Pretty Please LP
1. Leftovers for the Dogs
2. L.O.V.E.
3. Sugarcane
4. Summer
5. F is for Failed!
6. Zombies
7. Air Castles
8. X.X.X.
9. Twins
10. Nymphet
11. Pistols & Revolvers
© 2010 Pretty Please
Photos
Bio
Pretty Please Biography
Pretty Please is an estrogen charged, maniacally expressive, Art-Rock quintet based out of Miami, FL. Their debut, self-titled LP “Pretty Please” is a collection of songs that each can fall under different genres including rock and roll, pop, dance, geek, electro, dark synth, and klezmer. With 10 ears, the band has a variety of influences from The Breeders, Pixies, Metric, Tom Waits, Johnny,& The Beatles.
“… Yeah it’s okay to be fun and appear to be “cutesy”, but the art is in being able to do that with one hand and mesmerizing the audience with the other hand, the one that holds true song crafting skill. Local pop rockers Pretty Please understand this concept and they are not playing the part of the ditzy assistants…they’re the David Blaines up in this bitch.”
-Omar Lopez, Antisteez.com
Pretty Please is going to Austin, TX for SXSW this March. They are on a “short-list” of bands still being considered for some SXSW sponsored events. Pretty Please will not wait for answer and will certainly not accept a “no.” Armed with a generator, a customized van, their gear, and a projector, Pretty Please is ready to take their energetic show with complimenting video art to the streets of Austin. A few stops along the way include Orlando, Gainesville, Atlanta, Athens, Birmingham, New Orleans, and of course Austin.
Pretty Please is a result of an incestuous encounter of a few local music veterans. Founding members Pupo and Oña had previously played together in The Brand. The Brand had received Miami & Broward New Times “Best Of” in “rock” and “pop” between 2004-06, a title that Pretty Please would like to reclaim in 2011. The Brand had accomplished many milestones, all of which will serve as boot camp for starting a revolution with Pretty Please. After playing out all over Miami’s most prestigious art scenes and opening for bands like The Vivian Girls and The Carnivores, Pretty Please is certainly off to a great start.
Since forming in 2007, Pretty Please has been crafting their music, finding their voice, polishing their live show, and editing and creating their own video art. Now armed with a new-ish van (20K miles), their LP, and arsenal of merch and promos, and the kind of performance that can leave you stunned, they are ready to put all their efforts into touring for as long as it takes to come under the radar. All the while, they’ll be secretly crafting their sophomore release. Expect the stones they cast at this years SXSW to initiate the ripples that will carry them into next year’s tsunami.
Links
