Toys And Tiny Instruments

If there's any day to see a band in which a kazoo plays a central role amidst a clamoring shakedown of melodica, ukulele, xylophone and general jingle jangle, it's two days before Christmas. What's especially nice about The Toys & Tiny Instruments, though, is that their frontman sings the line, "I drank about a half of cup of bourbon this morning from a dancing Disney princess tea set." Merry Christmas, New York. - The L Magazine

It would be easy to classify Toys and Tiny Instruments as a novelty act if their songs weren’t so damn good. The band’s gear is all those toy instruments that were in our toy boxes when we were toddlers. I guess it sounds like you’d expect, only about 10 times better. They released their EP on Friday night at Bruar Falls. I have to admit that I wonder if the toys have enough of a range of sounds to extend their newness further than an EP, but only for a second or two. I’m having too much fun to worry about that right now. - infinityyeah.com

Toys and Tiny Instru ments, a sham bling good time rock band from Brooklyn, NY, are exactly as they sound. They play their sets with toys and tiny instruments. There is a whole mess of them – like six or eight humans are onstage when the Toys play – but they pull it off since their instru­ments are so tiny. No, I’m kidding. That’s not why they pull it off. They actu ally fucking rock, and their songs are stylish pop gems that speak for themselves.

The MP3 I have posted is a total pop gem called “Lottery Ticket,” off their 2010 self-titled EP (which you should get your mitts on immediately). From the begin ning, the song is almost unbearably gleeful, and although that’s gen er ally not my bag (being pretty goth), I can’t stop lis­tening to it. Colin Summers sings, joined by Karen Adelman on the chorus, which is really the wacky epi center of the song. To me, the chorus invokes the kind of psychotic optimism that comes with getting drunk in the hours before noon: the entire day is ahead of you and you (and your BFF Jim Beam) are gonna! Take! It! On! Then after that, my favorite thing ever hap pens: a musical break with a shouty singalong. Yeah, you can tell they’re toys, and yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous, but the integrity of the song’s composition gives it enough grown-upness for max imum lis ten ability. I actually think it’s a bit surreal, like Svankmajer’s Alice, but without all the dead ani mals. These are real musicians. They’re just acting real weird.


Visit the Toys & Tiny Instru ments MySpace (and also that of My Friend Other, the band con­sisting of two core Toys Colin Sum mers and Alec Betterley, around whose songs the project takes place). And if you’re in NYC, they’re playing on January 8th at noted Bushwick venue Goodbye Blue Monday. Oh, yeah, and you should probably either trade money for it or just try to sweet-talk some of the members into giving you the five-song EP because it’s really really good.
- girlpants.org

And finally I'd like to highlight a pretty cool show at Bruar Falls on Friday (10/15). Headlining are Toys & Tiny Instruments who don't need a lot of explanation. You see their name, and you know what they do. But they're much better than you might expect. They played Bruar Falls back in the Spring and while the night started with some eye-rolling -- oh boy what is this novelty thing about to happen? -- everyone there ended up kinda being wowed. They may buy their gear at Toys R' Us but that doesn't mean they don't write awesome songs, and that they can't play their instruments well. I liked them so much I had them play my lunchtime series at the Seaport over the summer and they were great there too. Friday is the first show they've played since then and it's a release party for their debut EP. - brooklynvegan.com

Some bands are self-explanatory, i.e., the name says it all. And here’s a great example: The Toys and Tiny Instruments band, which plays toys and tiny instruments.

Using toy pianos, maracas, bells, whistles, tin pans, kazoos and who knows what else, the band plays mostly original tunes written by Colin Summers and Alec Betterley, supported by an enthusiastic bunch of vocal stylists and percussionists.
Listen live at Noon ET on June 28 and enjoy that Willie and the Poor Boys meets Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band meets the Country Bear Jamboree sound. And git your feet a tappin’.
- www.eastvillageradio.com

6/26 - Toys & Tiny Instruments Band/Umbrella Men/Gaucho @ Pete's Candy Store

Three super impressive shows by lesser-known bands, all boasting creative songsmithing and lots of instrumental skills.

The Toys and Tiny Instruments Band, whose name pretty much tells their musical mission, had a preposterously full sound considering the size of their instruments and didn't stop moving once during their set despite having to squish seven people onto a miniscule stage. When the mics all cut out about halfway into their first song, they played the rest of the track just fine while at the same time fixing the issue, proving that they really could fill the room with just their kazoos, melodicas, triangles, and similar toys (plus two awesome lead vocalists). Their original songs are poignant, honest and adorable, but their cover of "Come On Eileen" to finish up pretty much stole the show.


Read more: show recap: northside festival part three http://www.baeblemusic.com/musicblog/7-6-2010/show-recap:-northside-festival-part-three#ixzz10Hvgm44B
Live Music, Right Now - baeblemusic.com

Yep, it's an empirical fact... tiny = cute, so that's why I was so excited by all the adorable tiny-ness that was going on at Bruar Falls last night.
Yes, last night I discovered a new cute band. They are called My Friend Other and The Toys and Tiny Instruments and this is what they look like (super cute, duh):


My friend Andrew ended up setting up a show at Bruar last minute by tossing together a group of bands that he really didn't know too well that were mostly friends of friends. Admittedly, I went into the night with a pretty skeptical mindset, and that's what made the Toys And Tiny Instruments the most delightful surprise of 2k10 thus far.
This seven member behemoth takes a while to set up. They only have one little amp, everything else is mic'd... and they only play (you guessed it) tiny toys and instruments. There are ukuleles, there are maracas, there are kazoos, there is a tiny little piano thing, there are tambourines, there is a toy accordion.
Based on the setup, this band could have gone either way, but as soon as they started playing my pants were thoroughly charmed off.

They are insanely charismatic. They are actually really talented at playing their tiny instruments. Their songs are incredibly well written. What could have been a dinky concept band ended up being one of the most engaging things I have seen ever. The show had lackluster energy before they played, but by the time they finished with rousing cover of "Take On Me", every single person in the bar was loosing their shit. - popjew.blogspot.com

Some bands don't need a lot of explanation. Toys and Tiny Instruments Band just that kind of group. You see their name, and you know what they do. Except just how good they are. These merrymakers played Bruar Falls a while back and while the night started with some eye-rolling -- oh boy what is this novelty thing about to happen? -- everyone there ended up kinda being wowed. They may buy their gear at Toys R' Us but that doesn't mean they don't write awesome songs, and that they can't play their instruments well. Check out their MySpace page which now has some real recordings that will be featured on an upcoming EP.
When I partnered with the Seaport and Fulton Stall Markets to do this Lunchtime series, I wanted to book bands I thought would make people stop and say "hey what is this?" and then say "whoa this is great" TATIB were one of the first groups I thought of. They're playing the final week of the series this Wednesday (June 30) at 1PM, preceded by some DJing from yours truly. Colin Summers, head toymaker, kindly answered some food-related questions which are below.

You're playing opposite the Fulton Stall Markets. What's your favorite vegetable?

Avocado. It's so delicious. Wait . . . is that a fruit?

What's your least favorite and why?

Avocado. It's not even a vegetable! I just looked it up. It needs to stop pretending and come clean.

Does the tiny theme carry over into your eating habits? Is it just sliders and hors d'oeuvres for you?

Yes. Every day all seven members of the Toys And Tiny Instruments wake up in the studio apartment that we share and make a breakfast feast that consists of clementine oranges, string cheese singles and M&M minis. Not only does this fit with our theme but it is all that we can afford.

Has food ever influenced your songwriting?

The purchasing of food has! We have a song called Supermarket Rage. That was written after working in a grocery store for about a year. Working in a grocery store sucks as you get all the crazies. They are often in a rage.

Any good food-related band anecdotes?

Does alcohol count as food? If so we've got a ton. If not we, we may have one involving having snack time and nap time on a Megabus to Rensselaer.
What is your favorite cheap eats place in NYC? Where do you eat at most often?

Hmm . . .the cheapest, which happens to be where I eat most often, is my apartment. Maybe this is a better question for one of the members of the band that goes to resturants.

Who is the most finicky eater in the band? Who is the best cook?

Alessandro has been known to cook a mean rice. Karen cooks desserts. Duffy doesn't like most food.

What is your food secret shame?

I love Jamaican Beef Patties. I just ate one actually. I will buy one from anywhere. Alec is a vegetarian so he doesn't eat those, but he does have a soft spot for McDonald's Mcflurries. I'm not sure if he's ashamed about that, but I am at least.

Do you have a go-to hangover food?

We only consume tiny beverages so hangovers are prevented.

What food would you imagine your music being paired with?

Tiny 25 cent bodega ice cream sandwiches. - soundbites.typepad.com