The Village Green
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The Village Green

| INDIE

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"Kool Kat Music"

WOW! What a debut! The darn shame about it is that it's only a 6-tracker! We're so jived about this that we're going to give it the ol' track-by-track (well sorta)breakdown! "Let It Go" and "The Way I Want To Be", the first two tracks are top-notch, Chains-like garage rock gems - all trashy guitars and simple chord structures with snotty vocals! On the remaining four Beatle-ish tracks - "Get Up, Get Out, Get High", "Under The Covers", "C'mon!" and "Plastic
Women" - the band sound like the separated-at-birth twin of the fabulous Redwalls! Lots and lots of guitars and spot on harmonies dominate this one! We want more please! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY GREAT!!!!!!!!! - Kool Kat Music


"The Portland Mecury"

They Are the Village Green
Pop Pirates Set Sail

Like a lighter that sparks and sparks but never quite catches fire, J. Nicholas Allard has long been a source of frustration to those waiting for him to realize the fits of promise that he has shown throughout the many incarnations of the Village Green. Whether picking an ill-fated fight with a crowd of drunks heckling his friends' band or smashing an irreplaceable '72 Telecaster onstage at a sparsely attended sushi restaurant, there has always been a quixotic charm to the singer's adventures that, though doing wonders for his reputation as a loose cannon, prevented his music from outshining his antics—until now.

Now Allard and the Village Green are poised to compete in one of the few genres in which Portland often fails to field a credible contender—radio rock. With a rasp that adds a hint of teen spirit to Liam Gallagher's familiar snarl (and songs that are as free and easy with copyright laws as Noel's), Allard's sound can simultaneously command the begrudging respect of snarky music journalists and, more importantly, the vast majority of this genre's devotees—who rightly don't prioritize experimental zeal above a solid backbeat and a catchy, well-harmonized chorus. The '90s proved that bands such as Nirvana, Oasis, and Blur could achieve radio success without compromising their sound, and the fact that the Village Green sound at times like all three of these bands doesn't hurt their chances either.

The seven songs on their eponymous debut EP (on Hidden Peak), never stray too far from the familiar trappings of the British Invasion and its descendents. "Under the Covers" is as fine a pop romp as anything on Supergrass' debut, while the beautiful guitar flourishes on album standout, "Get Up, Get Out, Get High," bring to mind George Harrison's weeping Gretsch. Only the aptly titled "Plastic Woman," which detours into John Lennon's gritty Plastic Ono Band territory, offers a glimpse of a darker, more difficult side to the band. But with all Allard's been through, it's understandable that he doesn't want to dwell too long on his troubled past—after all, he may finally have a bright future.
- Kip Berman


"The Stranger"

From Portland to Britpop
The Village Green's Cross-Continental Rock

The Village Green must have been surgeons in their past lives. This up-and-coming foursome extract the best sonic bits from loads of English groups (plus a few American ones), without suffering the injury of sounding like affected poseurs. Think prime Britpop minus the strident nationalism, the Kinks without the episodes of musical hall goofiness. That is the sound of the Portland quartet's eponymous, debut EP.

The six-song disc kicks off with "Let It Go," a succinct mix of distorted guitars and crashing symbols, with the swaggering, unaccented vocals of front man J. Nicholas Allard smack-dab in the center of the mix. It's a little bit Stones, a little bit Stooges, and catchy as hell. This is an anthem in search of a youth movement.

The mid-tempo "Get Up, Get Out, Get High," with its juxtaposition of acoustic and electric guitars, and dreamy sing-along melody, shows a band from rainy climes banishing the dark clouds without resorting to obvious major-chord cheerleading of full-on, "sunny" power pop. "Under the Covers" trots along at a jaunty pace that recalls "Coffee and TV" by Blur, a comparison that is not lost on the group.

"We see eye-to-eye on the obvious stuff: the Beatles, the Kinks, Blur, and Supergrass," says Allard. But there are discrepancies, too. "My influences tend to be bands that write singles," he adds. The Village Green are off to a modest start, but as torchbearers for the Fab Four's high standards go, they make Oasis sound like a casino-bound oldies act. - Kurt B. Reighley


"The Portland Mecury"


It takes a whole lotta self-confidence to name your band The Village Green, since The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society is one of the best rock albums ever. So it's quite a remarkable achievement that these local popsters are good enough not to look ridiculous by their chosen moniker. Their stoner charm ("Get Up, Get Out, Get High") and exuberant embrace of British Invasion pop melodies bring to mind early Supergrass laced with more than a hint of Liam Gallagher's "fawk you" snarl. Listening to the band's recent recordings, it's clear their confident posture is more than just smoke and mirrors. Though, that's not to say that there isn't any smoke… - Kip Berman


Discography

* Live on KEXP (EP - spinART) on 10/31/06
* Feeling The Fall (LP - spinART) on 8/29/06
* When The Creepers Creep In (EP - spinART) on 7/12/06
* The Village Green (EP - Hidden Peak) Released on 11/01/05

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Bio

How can you deny a band whose music, according to one journalist (Kurt B. Reighley from Seattle’s The Stranger), “spark(s) a smoldering desire to fire up the hookah and make sweet, sweet love on some velvet throw pillows.”?

Welcome to the world of Portland‘s The Village Green. In the few short years that the band has been in existence, they’ve kicked up frenzy. Named after The Kinks’ classic The Village Green Preservation Society, this rock outfit, duly inspired by the aforementioned, but then perhaps every other groovy thing to have come out of Great Britain between ’66 and ’73, has tuned out and tuned, er… turned off and… oh, bloody hell, turned on most of their Pacific Northwest with stellar shows, packed to gills, tons of good press saying much of what we’re trying saying here (but, better) and some fabulous radio play. What more do you need?

The centerpiece of all this hubbub is a fellow named J. Nicholas Allard, a man who knows that if you’re going to kick off your name with an initial, you’d better be as good at your job as C. Everett Koop or G. Gordon Liddy, et al. Mr. Allard does not disappoint. His job, as well as the mandate of his cohorts, is to rock. And, God knows, The Village Green’s much-loved, self-titled, self-released EP (2005) proved it all night, having showcased 6 tracks of diverse rock rave ups, sufficiently running the gamut of Brit-tinged guitar oeuvre. In fact, local recreation go-to Willamette Week, put it this way: “This town’s got bands playing in multiple dimensions, but it doesn’t really have this: music that just gets us going. How we could have gone this long without that swagger and aural sneer is a mystery.”

Well, Portland- and the rest of the world while we’re at it, wait no more…

Because, on August 29, The Village Green shall brandish their debut full length to be released on respected and longstanding (when others fell) indie outpost spinART Records. It shall be called Feeling The Fall. The long player self produced and recorded by band member Jeremy Sherrer at Spooky Electric Studio (his basement), features 11 shiny new rockers giving us the good stuff without the benefit of pouts, haircuts or stupid shoes. Along with Allard, drummer Jeremy Sherrer, Dave Depper on bass and Nathan Junior on guitar and Wurlitzer piano, make their rock without a pretentious bone in their collective body of work (Depper and Junior have, sadly, left the band… amicably, post-recording). Again, the vibe, evident in tunes like “Life On The Run” display a unique sophistication in songwriting and performance, harnessing sincerity, but not without attitude and the rare gift of nodding to, without ripping off. Check out “Chomping At The Bit” as proof in the pudding, or listen to “Wrap Your Love Around Me” and you’ll be hooked.

WWW.THEVILLAGEGREENMUSIC.COM

Publicity:
Lindsey Stranahan at spinART Records
(718) 852-3294 or lindsey@spinartrecords.com

Management:
Grady Chapman at Fuzed Music
(206) 352-6892 or gchapman@fuzedmusic.com