The Moviegoers

The Moviegoers is made up of Richard Hunter-Rivera (vocals, guitar), Jessica Monday (vocals, keyboards), Jordan Heimer (bass, vocals) and Carlos Robles (drums). They draw their influences from the land of San Diego, where they were formed. Their sound is also reminiscent of 90s indie rock. The track Avalanche is off their debut 7? called Big High School. The track is a more down tempo song that mixes the 90s rock sound with some neo-experimental shoegaze elements. - Ride the Tempo

Download The Moviegoers – Avalanche mp3

Understated and coolly elegant indie-pop. - Mad Mackerel

I wrote about the Moviegoers last EP “Or The Gun” last summer and I was a really big fan of it, and since then they have dropped a new EP titled ‘Be A Man’ (see above) and have also come out with this brand new track “Show Me The Way”. They continue to show a mastery of the indie-pop sound and are able to put all the pieces together in a melodious package with the best of them. The new song “Show Me The Way” is a lo-fi-ish slow acoustic methodical burner that has some cool spacy-ness almost to it, and is a bit of a departure from their more pop-leaning prior material. But that being said the prior pop-leanings were also extremely well done, so I am including a song from the ‘Be A Man’ EP as well for your listening pleasure. - DBF Music

Brought to us by Mangoose records, the Big High School/Avalance EP is a wonderful introduction to this San Diego based band. With hints of the Decemberists and Silversun Pickups, this two track EP starts hard and finishes soft. - DINGUS

Take some New Yorkers, move them to North Park and you get introspective pop delivered with casual elegance. (myspace.com/moviegoers)

-NINA GARIN

NINA GARIN
San Diego Union-Tribune

(excerpt from article, published 11/05/09)

- San Diego Union-Tribune

Distant-sounding lofi pop from The Moviegoers, a south CA hailing trio who call their own tunes ‘snowgaze’. The band released their Big High School / Avalanche 7” earlier this year. The release is limited to 500 but there are still some available over here. Though i’m sure a bigger release is in the works for later this year. - AWD Castles

Starting from a point where we’ve been before. Taken further, we go to the moment where we first were. Bringing back those impulsive thoughts to break this feeling, we find that those thoughts, at the time, were completely unimportant. Fast-forward and learn that they’ve shaped this entire relationship. Going through it all, we find certain details we’ve noticed but never took the time to figure out why they’ve been noticed. Uncovering it all, but more importantly, uncovering the exact moment where we fell. It’s a bit strange but that’s where we went from there. Almost trying to salvage that feeling was kind of pointless and trying to move on only ends up taking a wrong turn, so we’ve bottled it up through other mediums and we’re giving it out so you can understand and we don’t have to. - AWD Castles

Avalanche Video - No Modest Bear

If you're a fan of cinematic, escalating pop that's loaded with male-female vocal harmonies then I think we just found the band for you (and me). San Diego's The Moviegoers have a two-song seven-inch single available at their Bandcamp page. Sample the majestic "Avalanche" below. - Surfing on Steam

The Moviegoers “Big High School” BW “Avalanche” 7”

Got this in the mail the other day and I must say it was a pretty good listen. The cover art was super cool and the songs actually delivered as well. The two cuts on this record are lush and atmospheric indie pop played to perfection. The textured guitars and breathy vocals somehow remind me of those great early Rain Parade records back in the day. “Big High School” is the hit on this single! It’s Nice to see a few good things coming out of San Diego these days. If they take their time and really focus they could put out an lp that would knock people on their ass…..well the ones that would actually get it anyway. (Mangoose records) www.myspace.com/themoviegoers - Buddyhead

The sound on the Moviegoers single is a little bit like the photo on the sleeve. It's staged, it's nodding to commercial photography, pin up mags, but there's something off, the car isn't perfectly clean, her expression is trying-to-please a little too hard, and the background is too 'suburban street'...another words, it's real.
There's more than a hint of nostalgia for the '90s here, Sarah records, Slumberland, that jangle indie guitar shoegaze.
The A-Side, Big High School has dual guy/girl vocals....it's a little twee maybe, if that even can still make sense anymore. Earnestly fuzzy, complete with a keyboard melody that seals the deal, couldn't be more perfect and when the MBV guitar swirls in and they lyrically recall, what else? High School. I'm completely sold. I couldn't be more of a sucker for high school nostalgia when you're getting to know a small circle of friends actually making real decisions about your life and fucking up big time. Everything is earthshattering. I played Copper Blue at full volume in the attic when that jerk started dating my best friend...see?
That's what this is doing.
The superfuzz guitar sound is perfect...and it's way too brief. But they want to play with that quiet breakdown section, the melody jangle and then blow it all out again.
Musically it's all about a nostalgic era, deceptively upbeat with an air of depression and then the lyrics reminisce. It's a perfect combination.
"Riding shotgun in cars"....It's almost a duet, an older-now ex-couple, home for the holidays. The saddest indie pop situation. Remember the 405 single from DCFC? Well, it's not going to make you almost sick with regret...you can still half dance to it.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical of The B-Side, 'Avalanche'. Were they going in a too self referential direction? Too many pop culture mentions? But it's just a little Leonard Cohen for a moment, but they pull you back in when it all goes massive shoegaze again. It's that slow plodding swirl that sets up a real downer. Did I say this was twee? What the fuck?
They ooze that kind of nostalgia, I don't know if it's the angelic backup vocals from Jessica, or if anything so clean sounding just makes me think fondly of the early days of Alternative music?
To top it off, it's another dysfunctional relationship, a sad story that takes place in Brooklyn (?!) and it sounds like some sort of drunken one night stand between two people already in a relationship with each other.

Neither of these tracks protagonists end up happy, and that's the stuff of driving around all night feeling sorry for yourself.

In the best randomly made by a friend who's a girl mix tape way.
What does that even mean?
I have to get back to my adult life.

But first, get this from Mangoose Records.
Articulately clever lyrics on the reverse side of the sleeve, and a handmade download postcard inside.

- 7 i n c h e s - Jason Dean

This is a local show well worth checking out on a Saturday night in San Diego, CA. The Tin Can is always a good time, and if it isn't, well, you've got a Trannie Bar just down the block. Who doesn't love a good trannie bar?

I have heard the Moviegoers 7"- it's def. well within the spectrum of the popular indie sound that I know local music scene fans like. It seems to me that this is a band that is worth the attention from those who like mellow indie- and there are ALOT of people who like mellow indie.

The Moviegoers should be getting more gigs in town- anyone who puts out that handsome a 7" is obviously a group of professionals who won't stink up the joint.

Tin Can Alehouse is always a solid bet on a Saturday night in San Diego. Check out this show, have a brewski, scope out some trannies. It's fun...for kids. - SHOW ME YOUR HITS

In the 1960s the average band enjoyed fame for a couple of months, if that, before people’s attention shifted to the next rising (and soon to be falling) stars. Being a one-hit wonder wasn’t a failure, it was the norm, and accomplishments by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks were rendered all the more impressive by the fact that any kind of longevity was exceptional, and enjoyed by only a small percentage of groups.

Not much has changed since then: nowadays most bands—particularly in the realm of indie rock—still amount to little more than passing fads, soaking up their proverbial fifteen minutes of fame before succumbing to irrelevance. But one thing that has been accelerated by the internet is that entire genres seem to rise and fall in the space of a few months, leaving up-and-coming groups scrambling to tap into the next sound du jour and ride the Wavves waves of recognition before they fizzle out.

Then there are bands who are content to just create great music. Unfazed by meaningless trends, they place emphasis on great songwriting, captivating melodies, and a distinctive but inviting sound. They may not get drooled over by Pitchfork (and if they do, it’s only so long until P4K’s drool runs dry and the inevitable backlash begins), but they do create a body of work that speaks for itself, and will outlast the one-MP3 wonders that permeate the blogosphere. San Diego’s The Moviegoers are one of those bands, and though they may not auto-tune their vocals or mangle their guitars with lo-fi crunch, they do create moving and memorable songs accented by rich harmonies and understated confidence. And that never goes out of style.

The group has graciously compiled a list of their influences for our latest installment of Poetic Memory, and was also kind enough to give us an exclusive peek at their newly recorded song, “Show Me The Way”, which you can download here. If you like what you hear, their excellent Be A Man EP is still available for free download. You can see them at the Casbah on November 9th, where they’ll be celebrating the third anniversary of San Diego: Dialed In with Lights On and Swim Party. You can also download the newest installment of their Mangoose Mix Tape compilation series for free at the Mangoose Records website.

Full post here:

http://www.owlandbear.com/2009/10/16/poetic-memory-the-moviegoers-list/#more-13141 - owlandbear.com

PLAN A: The Moviegoers, Roosevelt, Arms Entwined @ The Casbah–A gem of a band that grew on me after I initially heard them during the onslaught of CityBeat’s Local Music Issue, The Moviegoers are poppy indie-rock that combines the best Pixies licks (”Color School”) and Low harmonies (”Avalanche”). And I’d love to just lay around all day on a Sunday, making out with someone while listening to “Living Inside.” Roosevelt and Arms Entwined are both a little too earnest for my taste, but I’m glad to see Moviegoers landing headlining gigs.

-Last Blog on Earth, San Diego City Beat

http://lastblogonearth.com/2009/06/24/san-diego-shows-wednesday-june-23/
- Seth Combs

When a band can manage to combine the melodies of The Beach Boys, the guitar-noise of mid 90s grunge, and the vocals of Echo And The Bunnymen in one 3:26 song, and make it work seemlessly, chances are that when you get to 3:27 you’re just gonna hit repeat.

That’s how The Moviegoers roll on the A-side song for their upcoming 7? single. The A-Side is “Big High School”, the aforementioned Beach Boys/Grunge/Bunnymen-like song, the B-side being “Avalanche”, more downbeat and sparse, the words reverberate as the guitar and drums get progressively darker. The guys behind the moviegoers are Jordan, Richard, Carlos, & Jessica, four peeps from San Diego, California whose music could easily co-exist in genres such as Indie, Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop and even Shoegaze.

They’ve got three songs on their MySpace page, two of which they’ve kindly allowed me to put below, so give their MySpace a visit and listen to their third song “Show Me The Way”, give ‘em a listen down there and pre-order their 7? from Mangoose Records, set to ship in mid-August. - ListenBeforeYouBuy

I watched all of The Moviegoers set. I've been a huge fan of their EP for a few months now and was happy to see the positive response from people I talked to about the band and their first San Diego show. Since everyone was asking if they're local or not, I'll clarify and say they all met in college on the east coast and used to play parties and whatnot but were mostly a studio project. After everyone graduated, they moved around and all ended up on the west coast. You can read the full story on their MySpace page. they played around and decided to record songs. Most of the band is now San Diego based, except for the bassist, Jordan, who lives in LA. I thought they really impressed, especially for their first show here, and hope they plant their roots here for good because they definitely have something to contribute to the local music scene. (By the way, they're playing NXNP on Saturday with a showcase at The Whistle Stop)

-Rosey Bystrack

Link:http://www.sddialedin.com/2008/08/overdue-recap-fm-949-local-showcase.html
- San Diego Dialed In

Local band, The Moviegoers will once again return to The Casbah with its indie rock and pop-infused sound.

Adding both a feminine and masculine touch, lo-fi elements and a creative flair makes The Moviegoers a definite set to watch. The Daily Aztec recently approached band members Richard Hunter-Rivera, Jordan Heimer, Jessica Monday and Carlos Robles to discuss its influences, direction and its love for the San Diego music scene.

Be sure to catch its live show for a mere $5 next Wednesday as fellow locals Roosevelt and The Paddle Boat open the show.

Daily Aztec: How did The Moviegoers begin?

Richard Hunter-Rivera: Jordan, Jessica, and I started writing and recording music together our senior year of college in New York City. I was a music major, Jess an art major, Jordan a creative writing major. We put out a record called "The Code is Obvious" but didn't really gig at all. After graduating we moved around a bit, first to the South, then to Southern California. We met Carlos out here, restarted our band, recorded an EP and started working on new material and playing shows.

DA: Has San Diego influenced your sound or direction of the band?

RH: San Diego's healthy local music scene has definitely helped us develop our live act. There are a lot of great venues, and as a result we've been playing out more than before. You get a better feel for what works and what doesn't when trying material in front of live audiences. It's one thing to write cool songs and put them on a record ... something very different to play those songs live. You have to engage your audience a lot more. Other than that, no I'm not sure San Diego has really influenced our core sound. Although people outside San Diego hear a lot of grimy/seedy/noisy/"lo-fi" music coming out of here, the scene is actually pretty diverse ... punk, indie, folk, americana, reggae, some hip-hop although not enough hip-hop probably. And we've always enjoyed lo-fi/distortion, it's nothing new. We've always loved My Bloody Valentine, Sebadoh, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, and Bob Dylan's "The Basement Tapes" ...

DA: How else has the direction of your band changed over time?

Jordan Heimer: I think the direction of our band has clearly changed in one obvious way and that's the progression from a Pro Tools band to a live band. Our songs have become tighter and we are more aware of momentum and "moments"-thing that you can clearly understand when you're playing a song as a band (especially in front of a crowd), but that can sometimes get lost when you're creating music in a very cerebral way ...

RH: The songwriting continues to improve, and as result we've stopped being so ambitious with our arrangements. Before, when we were a bedroom-studio project, it was always "what else can we add on top?" and now we find ourselves doing more with less because we can't have 64 instruments playing at the same time. To me, it's a lot more fun.

DA: How did you get the name of the band?

RH: We spent a couple weeks thinking about names, sifting through some pretty terrible ones. Then one evening it just popped into my head. Of course, there is a book by Walker Percy called "The Moviegoer," which I read a few years ago, so that's probably why it jumped out at me.

DA: Favorite San Diego venue to play in? Why?

Carlos Robles: The Whistle Stop ¬¬– Intimate setting. Close to home. Good beer selection and smoking area.

RH: Bar Pink – We live in North Park, so it's nice to play within stumbling distance.

JH: The Casbah – Because it's an institution, and 100 percent San Diego.

DA: Favorite local band?

RH: Tough to name one. Calico Horse, Swim Party, Writer.

Jessica Monday: I'm pretty open. If you're not a bunch of assholes I'll probably like you.
DA: Anyone you'd like to collaborate with?

RH: We are part of an artistic collective called The Mangoose Society, (check out www.mangooserecords.com for more info), that since 2000 has recorded over a dozen records. We are cultivating Mangoose into a sort of Elephant 6 thing, where a bunch of like-minded but diverse musicians come together to create a large body of work. So I want to keep collaborating with current Mangoose artists, but at the same time find new musicians interested in joining the Mangoose world.

DA: Most underrated spot in San Diego?

JM: The outdoor soccer courts on El Cajon Boulevard near the water tower. It's a lot of fun to watch games there.

CR: My room.

DA: Best part of the San Diego music scene?

RH: There's lots to love. Local media like CityBeat, FM 94.9, KCR College Radio, papers such as yours ... they do so much in support of the scene. It's nice to have those avenues. Many smaller cities don't have the kind of institutional support we have here. At the same time the scene is small enough that you don't get as lost in the glut like you might in L.A. or Brooklyn (N.Y.). There is some great music coming out of San Diego right now, and it's not hard to fin - The Daily Aztec

Originally dubbed "The Mangoose Society," the art and music collective that originated in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Mexico City (simultaneously) when a group of young musicians and writers began collaborating and trading home recordings, essays and short stories, has started a new San Diego-based label, Mangoose Records. Founded on purely independent principles, Mangoose exists to "facilitate and organize a symbiotic relationship with all the artists on its roster" according to the label's website, which features over 150 mp3s from its artists, available for free download and discovery by adventurous web surfers. Of these artists are San Diego's The Moviegoers, and their six-song EP Or the Gun marks Mangoose's inaugural release.

Label founder/Moviegoers member Richard Hunter-Rivera told Performer, "The label sort of came up as an idea about eight months ago. I realized that if you want people to hear your music, you need to be active, you need to promote it and put it out there."

In addition to The Moviegoers, Mangoose is home to singer/songwriters Raul Picaporte of Montreal and Jay Brockman of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as The Jinich Brothers out of the D.C. area. While Hunter-Rivera says that he would love to expand the Mangoose roster, he stresses the symbiotic relationship of the artists on it. Thus a requirement for new signees is to help promote the other artists on the label. "We're always open to meeting new people and networking, though," Hunter-Rivera told Performer. "If we like what we hear, we will definitely invite people to be involved or ask them if we can be involved in what they're doing."

Mangoose also aims to help support and cultivate the local community at large, with Hunter-Rivera offering a live footage service to local bands. Next on the docket, Mangoose plans to properly re-release some of its artists' previous albums, then start working on releasing new material.

www.mangooserecords.com - West Coast Performer

Be a Man EP - Just on the verge of being “extraspecialgood,” this quartet plays a brand of indie rock that comes across like a more pop-friendly Pavement or sugary Sebadoh. With male/female harmonies, I swear I even heard some Low in “Avalanche.” Looking forward to the full-length.

-Seth Combs, San Diego CityBeat - San Diego CityBeat

Inventions like the iPod and Pandora can reduce music to a blurry background din, yet no matter how jaded we become, certain songs can still pierce the fog.

“Avalanche,” by San Diego’s The Moviegoers, is one of those songs. From its moving spoken-word verse, to its soaring chorus — which features lush harmonies by band members Richard Hunter-Rivera and Jessica Monday — the track is a stirring triumph, and one of the best songs to come out of San Diego in recent years.

“Avalanche” was originally featured on the band’s out-of-print Be A Man EP, but it’s been re-recorded for inclusion on the their new 7-inch, which will be released on August 12th. And as good as “Avalanche” is, it’s only the record’s B-side; imagine how great the A-side, “Big High School,” must be.

The 7-inch was recorded by local knob twister-extraordinaire Keith Milgaten, of Jamuel Saxon/Black Mamba/The Vision of a Dying World fame. Mangoose, the label partially run by Hunter-Rivera, will release the record. The band will celebrate the fruits of their labor with a release party on September 4th at the Tin Can Ale House, but if you can’t wait until then to hear the songs, don’t despair: we generous folks at Owl and Bear are giving away a free copy. - Owlandbear.com