Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Next The Positions, a five-piece from DC that is a fusion of the remaining members of Charming and Barcelona and sounds like a bolder, brassier version of the twee-pop Scottish band Camera Obscura: not as clean and polished, but definitely more energetic...The Positions begin to swing like a very groovy gate. - Flagpole Magazine
Opening was a local band, the Positions, whose music could hardly have better complemented that of the visiting groups. The quintet, which featured a female singer and a trombonist, played loungey pop-rock whose tempos were just a little brisker than the melodies seemed to require. This twist on the genre, though modest, was surprisingly satisfying. - Washington Post
Also on the bill are the Positions, local popsters led by the dual vocals of Nicole Stoops and Ivan Ramiscal. Ramiscal started the band in 2002 after his previous band, Barcelona, broke up. "I was looking to move away from the synth-pop electro-dance sound that Barcelona had to a poppier rock sound," he said.
The Positions are about to finish a full-length album, working with Archie Moore (Velocity Girl) at Rockville's Omega Studio, and there is talk of releasing it through an indie label out of Atlanta later this year. They will also be hitting the Black Cat this summer and will perform at the Athens Pop Fest in August.
- Washington Post Express
Especially after seeing a surprisingly fantastic local band - The Positions!!! They were actually happy and seemed to be enjoying each other's company and - hey! - the fact that they're in a band together! They created a really great vibe and Nicole Stoops's voice was perfect for the classic pop sound provided by the rest of the cast. The addition of Chris Guryan's trombone topped it all off nicely. - Asymptomy
The Positions are really great and gave the night a kind of cool 60s-ish sock-hop feel. I couldn't stop my toes from tapping, and any band with a trombone usually has my vote. The lead vocalist, Nicole Stoops, has a wonderful voice, not wispy and ethereal, but stronger like an American Delgados. The band members looked like they were having fun, kidding with each other on stage, and it showed in their strong performance. - Float Not Swim
Lookout for 2005 - The Positions - Possible winners of the 2005 "Nerdiest Band in DC" award, I find their sound refreshing and enjoyable and hope they can play some decent shows in 2005. - Here's A Hint on the DC Music Scene
Discography
"It's OK It's Alright", online comp.
"I Need You", Teenbeat 20th Anniversary Sampler
"Every Conversation", upcoming June Brides tribute
"Bliss!" upcoming Full length LP
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Story of The Positions begins and continues in and around Washington, DC. After the demise of the much-loved Barcelona in early 2002, keyboardist Ivan Ramiscal was looking for a change of musical scenery from synth pop to a more energetic guitar-centered sound. With the opportunity to put together a band to play after the debut of his animated film Space Love, Ivan rounded up some musician friends—Armin Pruessner on guitar, Bob Alcorn on bass and Reid Dossinger on drums—and debuted The Positions in July.
The Positions played one more show in August before a few months of inactivity saw Armin putting his time into playing with Sprites and Bob spending more time with his family. But Ivan saw a rebirth of The Positions with the same energetic rock but with a bigger pop sound. With Reid still behind the drums, Ivan invited Chris Guryan and his trombone in and convinced Tad Howard to add his melodic touch on bass. A party led to a chance conversation with Nicole Stoops, who was singing with the NYC-based Charming, but was looking for a band in DC and shared Ivan's vision enough to join the band. The songs took on new life with Chris’s trombone and Nicole’s vocals and the sound was getting clearer. The newer, bigger, poppier version of The Positions played their first show at the Galaxy Hut with Ballentine on January 19th, 2003.
Later that month, the Positions began recording with Archie Moore (of Velocity Girl, Heartworms, and the Saturday People) at Omega Studios in Maryland. Not only did they end up with some great recordings that were blessed with Archie's production genius, but they also picked up Ken Hammann, originally brought in to play trumpet in the studio, but whose contributions became such an integral part of the sound that he became a full-time member. Armin came back in to take over bass duties in 2004.
The Positions played and recorded throughout 2004. The debut album, Bliss!, was finished late that year and will be released in the US in summer, 2005.
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