Santa

"I finally managed to see local Champaign act Santa perform on Monday night at The Canopy Club in Urbana, IL, and there happened to be a few other acts on the bill, all worth mentioning. Sadly none of my pictures from that night would turn out, so you get to deal with some great stock photography.
The headliner performance for the evening - and the reason for my attendance - was Santa. I wrote a little bit about these guys a few days back in anticipation of the show, as I’ve been listening to them for quite awhile but had yet to see them. The band finally took the stage around midnight, as the crowd filled in the entire front room at Canopy. The set consisted mostly of tracks off of their Santa EP, as well as a new track and (to my absolute delight) a blazing rendition of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House” that would have caused David Byrne to shed a tear. If anything, I preferred it to Phish’s cover of the tune, and that’s saying a lot. Back to the set, however, I seem to recall some extensive jamming on top of the songs’ studio compositions and much more layered vocals in person. “Is What Sweet You So” is quickly becoming a personal favorite of mine, as is the more bouncy “Language Hearts,” which reminds me of Bob Dylan for whatever reason. Anyways, great job by the band of packing the Canopy, not an easy feat, and for coming to the table with a great performance. Anyone who gets an opportunity to see these guys, don’t hesitate, you’ll enjoy it. Here’s the two tunes I mentioned previously from the group’s EP."

-Kane Jamison, Burningoak.com - BurningOak.Com

Santa's psychedelic pop-rock ballads enchanted ears last year, clinching the 2007 Local Music Award for Best New Artist...for the band's original and widely adored sound.
- The Daily Illini

...a tighter display of rock music that is akin to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam and Coldplay. - SmilePolitely.Com

...“Santa show tonight!” But these shows weren’t just agenda fillers, they were the kind of shows that really made your night. - He Said he Said (Blog)

The second EP from Champaign, Ill.’s Santa solidifies and tweaks the band’s brand of infectious, psychedelic indie-pop. Throughout the six songs, Santa shows a distinctive sound while allowing room to experiment with song structure and textures.

Tracks that first come off as relatively straight pop curve down some unexpected, dynamic detours—an instrumental breakdown or two here (a cascading fuzz bass and synthesizer riff in “The Crumble”), a slight genre shift there (a Mediterranean midsection in “Hashish”). The album drifts effortlessly from sounding like recent Wilco (“Nightsong”) to tossing in a few guitar turns reminiscent of Johnny Greenwood (“Over” and “Gasolines”). This is melody-driven music packed with catchy, harmony-filled choruses. After just one listen, don’t be surprised if some of those choruses pop up and get stuck in your head (in the best way possible).
- Express Milwaukee

…the dudes in Santa succeed, where so many other like-minded bands have failed, by actually finding a compelling melody…My Bones is thrillingly pleasant; without any real peaks or valleys, the record rolls on in its singularly mellow way, accumulating meaning and weight the farther it goes. I highly recommend that you find a copy of My Bones and spend some serious time with it.

Full Review: http://strongwordsinc.com/2008/03/27/music-review-santa-my-bones/ - StrongWordsINC.com

...Santa came together in a steady stream of literary indie rock and catchy pop punctuated by lyrics that are at once endearing and memorable.

Full Story: http://www.beepcentral.com/story.aspx?story=24085 - Beep Magazine

[My Bones] is a lovely little affair full of laid-back summer jams that evoke reminiscences of late afternoons on the beach and the long light of summertime… The recordings are tight and polished ... and the whole thing is a decidedly professional outing for a band still a bit wet behind the ears.

-Derek Davies, goodweatherforairstrikes.com - goodweatherforairstrikes.com

"Since I saw Santa at the beginning of the year, it has been a pleasure watching them develop into one of the best and most popular live acts in the area. We are thrilled to have Santa on the Green St. Records Compilation this year. I can't wait to see where this band is going and I hope to be around when they get there."

-Brad Miller
Vice President of GSR - Green Street Records

"Never before have I seen an artist not only play decent songs from the get go - but also work tirelessly to promote themselves to a wide demographic. And you know what? It's working."

-Seth Fein
Nicodemus Agency
nicodemusagency.com - Nicodemus Agency