Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"At its highest level, rock and roll has a visceral energy matched by intellectual prowess. This is rock as art and not just fun...Hard-rocking it has less in common with today's indie bands than it does with groups like Husker Du and the Ass Ponys. Which means it's a band that seems unconcerned with trying to fit into a certain niche and focuses instead on creating a riveting, propulsive and ever-changing sound." - Washington Post
"These guys (and girl) fucking rock! Request 'Heavy Metal' --- it'll knock your socks off." - Village Voice
"The band also indulges its more chaotic urges on a few fractured fragments of noisy experimentation and eccentric instrumentals, brain-curdling spurts of impulsive meandering that might not be much taken alone, but here only add to the album's delightfully demented variability. The Beatings make tousled Art Post-Punk that, while bristling with esoteric melody, would send most "Pop Punk" fans home to cry beneath their Simple Plan posters." - Cinncinnati City Beat
"You can call it 'postpunk', you can call it 'aggro, indie rock', hell, call it whatever you want. Just make sure the word 'great' is in there." - Punk Planet
"It's not a backhanded compliment to call the Beatings a pure punk throwback. If there's nothing on HOTHG that constitutes a great leap forward for a band that's already proven its revivalist hardcore chops, it's still a pretty good record. Less weird than its predecessors (in particular. 2003's flawless HPMA), Holding finds the Boston quartet chugging through a generous hour of melodic, hook-driven power punk. Only a smattering of brief instrumentals hint at the Beatings' jokey side, but their noisy egghead leanings are on full, glorious display throughout, especially when bassist Erin Dalbec sings lead on the swagger-heavy Scorched Earth Policy and towering Pennsyltuckey (the album's standout track)." - Magnet Magazine
Discography
2001 - 6 Hz CD EP
2002 - Italiano CD LP
2003 - The Heart, the Product, the Machine and the Asshole CD EP
2005 - If Not Now, Then When? CD EP
2006 - Holding on to Hand Grenades CD LP
-- Holding on to Hand Grenades has been in the rotation at KEXP.org and so far has peaked at #9 on their charts. Tracks featured: "Feel Good Ending" "Burn Down the Jungle" "A Reponsible Person"
---The Beatings are currently in rotation at SOMA FM and are the subject of an artist profile.
---Tracks are available for streaming at midriffrecords.com
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Beatings create intelligent, guitar-driven art-rock, hailing back to the early 80s heyday of college music.
The Beatings have forged an idiosyncratic path through independent rock. DIY since their formation in Boston in 1999, they have thus far booked four national tours and released seven recordings through their imprint, Midriff Records. Neither punk nor alternative, The Beatings melancholic lyrics, scream-sung counterpoint harmonies and hair-raising guitar leads often earn them comparisons to Hüsker Dü, Mission of Burma and the Pixies.
In the summer of 2004, The Beatings recorded Holding on to Hand Grenades with renown indie-rock producer Paul Q. Kolderie. This was their first attempt at working with a producer, and the results were stunning: an incredibly detailed, lush and full sound that brought out the chaotic nuances of The Beatings noise-drenched performances.
In February 2006, The Beatings toured the U.S. for four weeks, traveling coast to coast to support their new LP. During that time Holding on to Hand Grenades charted in the top ten at colleges across the U.S. The band performed live on KEXP Seattle, was the subject of a profile on SOMA FM and are currently planning another tour for Fall 2006.
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