The Argyle Effect

The Argyle Effect takes the past and makes it new, but not just any past: the romantic, dream-like past. Not of textbook pages, but of the imagination, the past that culture has created through music and movies and media. The band takes the mangling and false interpretations of historical eras such as the Old West and the Great Depression and rejoices in their romanticism, while inserting poignant human emotion, poetry, and political commentary, to show that while the circumstances and clothing and slang may have changed, no one has learned a thing. Human nature is the same vile beast, and until we wise up, those mistakes will continue indefinitely. The Argyle Effect tries to convey that delightful message under the guise of catchy melodies in 4 minute rock’n’roll songs.

The Argyle Effect began in the winter of 2007 when Patrick Gaughan, Gary Ferrar, and Kelvin Moon Loh lived together in a converted project apartment building in Harlem (Patrick and Gary were college friends, Gary and Kelvin were high school friends), each gaining slow momentum in their prospective fields: fiction writing, magic, and musical theatre. The three then joined forces, combining their varied tastes and specialties into one artistic animal, a story-song pop group they called The Argyle Effect, playing open mics and small gigs at low profile NYC venues. The performances were showy and eclectic, often including magic tricks and other performance gimmicks. In 2008, the band relocated across the East River to Brooklyn, recruited Zach Arlan to play drums, and recorded their self-titled EP, released in May 2008. A Northeast summer tour followed, and the band continued to play semi-regular gigs around New York into 2009, but no one seemed on the same page. Patrick attended the Fabrica artist residency program in Europe, Kelvin took a role in an Equity production of Miss Saigon in Utah, and Gary left the group permanently to pursue magic and directing.

Spring 2009 brought on the second generation of The Argyle Effect. Patrick further honed the group’s sound, finding inspiration in tales of brawling speakeasies, hazy riverbanks, and fiery dancefloors. Kelvin met Tim McKiernan, an actor/drummer and hard rock enthusiast originally from Alaska, in January 2009 while working on a theatre piece in Brooklyn, and he took over on drums. Mutual friends introduced Patrick to Ryan Spitz, a consummate musician and jam band veteran who used to play in a group with Chris Thompson of Vampire Weekend, and Ryan joined up on bass. Since then the group has gained fans and momentum, touring extensively in Summer 2009, and is scheduled to record a new EP this October, to be released before the end of the year.