The Strines

"Another band whose sound harkens to the days of new wave, yet manages to sound funky fresh is the Strines. Shades of Blondie, Pat Benatar, Letters to Cleo pound out of my speakers. Singer Georgia Haege has a crystal clear set of pipes, and her tone is ideally suited to the music. On "I'll Keep Waiting," for example, a mid-paced ballad, her voice shines through the layering of guitars and yet there is still a hint of emotional reserve, some restraint, as opposed to screaming or shouting. And while a reggae-influenced number like "Flying Free" may cause a comparison to No Doubt, Haege's voice again is clearer than Gwen Stefani's nasal tendencies, and the music is much fuller as well. Part of that is due to some excellent guitar work from Eric Kaye and Adrian Barrios. Distortion or effects are minimal, adding to the clarity of the mix. Similarly, the tightness of bassist Erika Szanto and drummer Chris McBurney make for an extremely snug groove. The song "Barbie Fell" is so catchy it sounds like it could be the theme song of a popular teen show. I wouldn't be surprised to see this band getting big in a hurry. A refreshing release." -Bill Ribas - NYRock.com

The Strines
Five local girls'n'boys with pasts in Australia/Philippines/karaoke/theater play nifty, pouty new wave hard-pop with a summery glam/Go Gos/John Cougar/No Doubt/ska undercurrent plus a Mott the Hoople cover. With Loveless, Pela, and the Swedes. -Chuck Eddy - Village Voice

Earlier this year, I visited Mercury Lounge to see if vital garage rock throwbacks the Romantics and Chesterfield Kings still proved worthy. But before these two veteran outfits took hold, a charming little known combo covering Mott The Hoople's glam-rock anthem "All the Young Dudes" as a closer caught my attention. Like a fresh breath mint, New York City's finest hook-filled pop-oriented quintent, The Strines, awoke my sense with sweet succulence and cool zest, delivering spry merriment lifted from the magnanimous, if unabashedly derivative, dog-ger-el (www.thestrines.com). Lead vocalist Georgia Haege's soaring mezzo-soprano hit animated heights slick leather-clad rocker Pat Benatar previously unveiled, spreading insouciant harmony atop succinct melodies and ceaseless crashing crescendos. Capriciously upbeat, the ebulliently tuneful "Barbie Fell" copped John Cougar's familiar "I Need a Lover" riff, frazzling the chord structure with wiry electronic sonics. Fuzz-toned punk-droned "Liar" and reggae-fried horn-drenched tango "Alien" provide spectral contrast. Reminiscent of early '90s new wave girl groups The Waitresses and The Flirts, or a less eccentric Lene Lovich, the playful "Better Off Alone" truly seduces with its sugary teen-spirited camp. - Aquarian

Opening on what could be the next thing in Sunday morning US teen drama-themes with its racy, sassy guitars and punked-up pace, The Strines' intro track 'Beard' isn't exactly subtle or tactful. But colourful, catchy and pure candy-pop it is, and so you can't really say fairer than that. There is an emphatic nod in the direction of No Doubt with some Stefani-fuelled feminine vocals, while those trademark head-cocking and cheeky melodies just keep on coming. 'I Want Something Else' is sadly a bit more of the same on the tone side of things, but the lyrics about superficiality in a world of youth fashion and rampant consumerism are dry, witty and quite enchanting. "I don't want to be a double D/A size three/Fucking Barbie" is sung with such a curious mix of vitriol and sweetness that it can't go unnoticed. Yup indeed, there exists a depth and yearning to our tuneful heroine. 'Let it Flow' sees the band ease back a gear, throw off their rock sneakers for a few moments and really get back to their pop roots. The beats are clean and honest, the acoustic guitars hop and slide on squeaky-clean production, and the voice comes on like a fresh-faced Avril Lavigne with a dash of pomp and sentiment. So far so good then.
There seems to be a bit of a Barbie theme going on here. 'Barbie Fell' rocks on a slow bass and tasty minimal guitar hooks, whipping up a humiliating fantasy for our familiar sexist plastic icon. (Feminism for teenagers, anyone?) And then there's the uplifting sugar-coated funk exotica of 'Alien', all drenched in string chops and brassy horn lead. Ok, so it may be sidling a little too close to the aforementioned ska-rock-turned-electro-pop quartet (that's No Doubt again, by the way) but it proves that The Strines are capable of more than just churning out a stream of identical punk-pop/Blink 182-isms. Thank god.
Bowie's 'All the Young Dudes' is a beautiful, rocking cover that would make the thin white duke himself proud. And a pretty fine ending to a fun and listenable album it is too. Big, girly mainstream success beckons for this bunch. Standout Tracks: 'Let it Flow', 'All the Young Dudes' - Amy McGill - stateofemergency.net

Eddytor's Dozen
by Chuck Eddy
November 24 - 30, 2004

Some definitions may be in order: "Hard rock" below can mean anything from "in the tradition of 1985 Hüsker Dü" (Leatherface) to "in the tradition of 1989 Faster Pussycat" (Valerian) to "in the tradition of 1985 Hüsker Dü crossed with 1989 Faster Pussycat" (Wildhearts) to "sort of like if Courtney Love joined Vixen and they covered Romeo Void's most famous song so you could finally make out the words, which turn out to be really good" (Slunt) to "funky French Quebecois R.E.O. Speedwagon fans covering the Sonics" (Navajo Code Talkers). "Pop-rock" below ranges from "early Go-Gos crossed with early Divinyls" (Charms) to, um, "late Go-Gos crossed with late Divinyls" (Strines). And "powerpop" signifies "the most consistently energetic and least self-defeatingly mush-mouthed album in recent memory to contain a version of the Beach Boys' 'Heroes and Villains.' " Sorry, I couldn't resist.

AROMA
Olfato Femenino
(Fonovisa Mexican cumbia-pop album)

JORGE BEN JOR
Reactivus Amor Est
(Turbo Philosophorum)
(Universal Music Latino funk-samba album)

THE CHARMS
So Pretty
(Primary Voltage pop-rock EP)

LEATHERFACE
Dog Disco
(BYO hard rock album)

NAVAJO CODE TALKERS
Heavy Dirty Sounds
(Boogie Van import hard rock album)

PUCHO & HIS LATIN SOUL BROTHERS
The Hideout
(Milestone Latin jazzsoul boogaloo album)

THE RUBINOOS
Crimes Against Music
(Zip powerpop album)

SLUNT
Slunt
(Repossession hard rock EP)

THE STRINES
Dog-ger-el
(I.N.S. pop-rock album)
thestrines.com

TRICK DADDY
Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets

VALERIAN
Intimations of Sorrow
(City Canyons hard rock album)

THE WILDHEARTS
Riff After Riff
(Gearhead hard rock album) - Village Voice

At long last, a rock band with authentic attitude and the requisite sense of humor to keep things interesting. This New York-based quintet is self-assured and damned near capable of anything.

The 12 cuts on dog-ger-el run the gamut from psychedelia to glam rock, from new wave to reggae-ska, from technopop to power pop. Like this year's runaway hit act, Scissor Sisters, The Strines expertly craft new songs that sound like vintage radio hits. Kudos to guitarist Eric Kaye and bassist Erika Szanto who penned most of these cuts. Lead Georgia Haege from Australia has an unforgettable set of pipes, especially on the wiseass rant "Beard" and the hard-luck romancer "I'll Keep Waiting." How cool are Haege and The Strines? They've got the gumption to change key lyrics in David Bowie's '70s classic, "All the Young Dudes" (T. Rex is replaced here by PMS), and suggest innovation, not heresy. The energy coming off this studio CD suggests that after one live show, The Strines will be your favorite band. - Jay Blotcher - Chronogram

The Strines
dog-ger-el
I.N.S. Records

The Strines are quite possibly the best unsigned band in the country.  Their music has been featured on CBS’ Joan of Arcadia ("Beard" and "I Want Something Else").  If you don’t know their sound yet you will soon.  Their self-produced release dog-ger-el, evokes an early new wave sound while remaining relevant and up-to-date.  Guitarist/producer Eric Kaye and bassist Erika Szanto co-wrote the most memorable tunes. Lead singer Georgia Haege’s amazing voice is unforgettable.  If you can, see them live; they’ll become your favorite band. You can order the CD online at www.thestrines.com, CD Baby or iTunes .   -  Mike Perciaccante
- GC Magazine

The Strines speak the right power-pop-punk language

BY GREGG MILIOTE

Anytime a band can make the forgettable Olivia Newton John hit, "Hopelessly Devoted," sound cool, you know you're onto something.

"We just punked it up and added some speed," is how The Strines lead singer, Georgia Haege explained it.

This New York City power pop/new wave-fusion quintet's arrival at Area Venue Sat., July 30, will offer a rare chance to catch a band destined for big things. With feisty and seductive lead vocals from the Sydney-born Haege, and a full guitar and bass punch by Eric Kaye and Erika Szanto, it's no wonder why so many industry insiders have taken notice. The band is rounded out by second guitarist Adrian Barrios and drummer Ryan Marsh.

Two years into their development as a unit, The Strines have already released a stellar first album, "Doggerel," ripe with sassy, well-written lyrics overlaying a thunderous upbeat sound. The folks at CBS's "Joan of Arcadia" and Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" have already taken a

shine to Szanto and Haege's campy, teen candy-pop lyrics by featuring tracks from the album.

For the band's creative triumvirate, hearing their songs on TV (and collecting the royalties) is "great fun."

"We're not afraid of the mainstream at all," Kaye said. "We're in it for world domination."

While global domination may be a stretch, Kaye's gumption is apparent throughout in "Doggerel." In fact, The Strines gutsiness is never more evident than on the album's final track, a fabulous cover of David Bowie's classic, "All the Young Dudes." While other bands could have committed heresy by changing some of Ziggy Starlight's lyrics, The Strines pull it off.

"We just did it in our style," Szanto, the band-labeled "hot rock chick," explained. "It's now kind of girl-specific."

Covers, however, are not the norm for the fiercely individual Strines. From the fickle and upbeat "Barbie Fell" to the distorted punk dronings of "Liar," The Strines consistently craft together fresh tunes that hearken back to vintage radio classics by bands like No Doubt, Letters to Cleo and even the Go Gos.

While a new album set to be released next spring is in the works, The Strines are wrapping up a five-month tour that took them from Toronto to Delaware, something Haege said has been a welcome respite from her regular nanny job.

"Having a great album means I can actually have something to be so proud of, but playing live is so great, and different every time," Szanto said. "I love to see people walk away after our shows, and have that face like they're blown away.

"People in Newport should expect to see us drinking with them before the show, and then playing some great, tight, rockin' music."

As Kaye puts it, The Area's audience should be prepared to suffer from "spontaneous dancing."

The Strines will headline a night that includes the pseudo-Riot Grrrll sounds of North Carolina's, Pink Slip.


- Newport Mercury