Too Hip For The Room
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Too Hip For The Room

Bellmore, New York, United States

Bellmore, New York, United States
Band Alternative Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Too Hip For a Major Label?"

by Frank Doris

What a blast! The songs are delivered in a kind of modern-folk style (forgive me for these kinds of broad-brush analogies, but they do help to get a handle on things). THFTR has a wry streak about them, evidenced in many of the lyrics.

The sound quality is an excellent example of the fact that you no longer need a professional recording studio to make a great recording. In fact, this CD is in many ways far more realistic-sounding than a professional pop production. Instruments and vocals have an uncanny sense of realism about them, because they are recorded “straight up,” with no compression, EQ, Aphex Aural Exciter, BBE, Orban or Lexicon-type “enhancements” and all the other outboard studio gear pro studios and producers use to give records that radio-friendly studio “sheen” and “punch”—while destroying realism by killing dynamics and giving the overall recorded sound an artificial, hyped-up quality.

Ironic—most home studios don’t have the kind of processors the big bucks studios have—so they can’t use them—so their productions have a more “direct-to-tape” quality about them—so they ultimately sound more “real,” with a more accurate tonal balance and a far greater sense of clarity, immediacy, openness and presence. Although you’ll hear some vocal and instrumental overload distortion on a few songs, such is the case on this THFTR disc—really, the overall vocal and instrumental clarity far exceeds most anything else I’ve heard lately.

The kicker is an outrageous medley of BOC’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper/Burnin’ for You featuring none other than Buck Dharma himself on vocals! Performed as a medium-tempo shuffle (think “Fever” or “Stray Cat Strut”) with acoustic guitar, percussion, acoustic-electric bass and gorgeous harmony vocals, the track is a real hoot, and the sonics are fabulous.

- Fi Magazine


"Some short quotes from some famous people"

Tom Paxton, in a personal letter to the band: "Thanks for keeping the torch lit! Take no prisoners!"

An e-mail from Roger McGuinn: "Congratulations on your song beating mine for number one folk-rock song on MP3.com, it's a great tune, and you guys deserve it"


Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult, in an e-mail: "These are the best covers of our songs. Most people have way too much respect for us. Too Hip For The Room has tickled the cosmic funnybone."


Broadway Blotto of Blotto: "Simply, Pure genius."


Ben Stein, on a message board, about THFTR's song about him: "I love 'I Wanna be Ben Stein.' It's funny, smart, has a catchy tune, and captures well what it's like to be me. We play it every day on the set (of Win Ben Stein's Money) and everyone thinks of it as background music to our home on the set."

Eric Bloom, Blue Oyster Cult: "I received a tape a while back of THFTR and thought they were so good I passed the tape to other band members, which started a friendly relationship between the bands. We were glad to add a few cameos to THFTR’s projects."


Bob Buchmann, Program Director of Q104.3 FM in New York, during a meeting: "Some great stuff going on there..."


Ted Nugent, on the air during the Radio Chick Show on WNEW-FM in New York, after listening to a Too Hip For the Room song: "Cool sound, who are these guys?"

Leslie Gold, The Radio Chick, on-air at WNEW-FM: "We love these guys! They've given us some great stuff for our show, and they're cool guys as well!"

Rory Rosegarten, Executive Producer of Everybody Loves Raymond: "Great songs, Great fun!" - Various e-mails, letters, publications


Discography

What Am I Doing On the Moon?
Three Brothers
Hey Wait - I Know This! (a collection of covers)
Radio play:
Don't Fear the Reaper
Cyclops
Doesn't Matter Anymore
Over-Reacting (the Keanu Reeves Song)
Give it Away

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

One's a folk musician.
One's a progressive rocker.
One's an 80's post-punk-pop guy.
Together they play a combination of originals and covers (that sound like originals after they get through with 'em) with a unique sound combining acoustic guitar with hand-played digital percussion.

The result is music that makes you laugh, makes you cry, and even makes you think. Too Hip For The Room will sing stories about Keanu Reeves, Paul McCartney, Pilgrims, Pokemon, monkeys, and high school history teachers...
Their songs have been praised by folk legends Tom Paxton and Oscar Brand, as well as members of Queen and Blue Oyster Cult. Ben Stein loves them. Members of Blue Oyster Cult appear on their CDs (including a bluesy acoustic remake of "Don't Fear the Reaper," on which they are joined by original BOC member Buck Dharma on vocals). Roger McGuinn of The Byrds congratulated them for beating him to number on on the worldwide folk charts on MP3.com.
Too Hip For the Room made the Top 5 several times on the CMJ list on prestigious WUSB-FM (Stonybrook University) in New York, one of the largest stations on Long Island (They placed between Tori Amos and Black 47).
Their musical influences run the gamut from Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Phil Ochs to Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Jethro Tull.
Technically proficient on their instruments, Too Hip For The Room still places the song first, and has achieved radio play and local fame (or perhaps notoriety) with thoughtful lyrics wrapped in oddly catchy music.

Audiences at their live shows always leave a Too Hip For The Room smiling, having heard new songs that they enjoyed, and old songs like they have never heard them before (a slow blues version of U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" as rockabilly, a heavy rock "Afternoon Delight" and the most unusual version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away" are fan favorites.

Their latest CD of original songs, "Three Brothers" bears a familiar black and white rectangle on the cover. But on closer inspection, it will be noticed that this particular box reads "MENTAL ADVISORY - Thought-provoking lyrics." With titles like "Dancing on Water (Juggling Monkeys)," "Mental Dysentery," and "Quirks," they're not kidding, either. After all, they truly are (in their own words) "so in, they're coming out the other end."

Band Members