Emergency Music

"Best Band in Boston, 2005"
-Improper Bostonian
"Best Local Rock/Pop Band of the Year, 2005"
-Boston Music Award Nominee
"Best Local Album of the Year, 2005"
-Boston Music Award Nominee
"a Boston band worthy of national attention..."
-Filter Magazine Online
"...a marvelous pop band that specializes in high craftsmanship over mere showboating...highly accomplished and...deserving of wider exposure..."
-The Noise
"hand claps and singalong choruses bounce along in proper Fab Four fashion, but there’s a palpable darkness infecting the otherwise perky guitar pop..."
-The Boston Herald
"nothing short of excellence..."
-Boston’s Weekly Dig
"emergency music’s harmony driven pop sound is a unique blend of 60’s meets 80’s meets the future..."
-SXSW.com
"emergency music is the single best unknown band in the world. emergency music is the number 1 ’who is this?’ band..."
-supercult.com
"makes me think of Nick Lowe and Stiff Records circa 1979...has raucous vocals in the vein of Elvis Costello and a chorus that will stick in your head for days..."
-lunakafe.com
It was late summer in the year 2001 and with no wars to wage, John Beck was beginning to find life in the Army dreary. His head full of Pet Sounds, he became bored with late-night reconnaisance missions and marching single file. His true calling in life, he decided, was in music and so set off to form a band. The first recruit was found in the mess hall, elbows deep in collard greens. Private First Class Ryan Arnett had had his fill of the kitchen and promptly tossed his apron to the head chef, two fingers in the air.
Five months later, Beck and Ryan found themselves A.W.O.L., haunting the leather districts of Madrid and playing in bistros for the sons and daughters of American businessmen. I was one of these sons, lone heir to a tobacco magnate’s fortune. Deeply moved by their set of Dave Clark Five-inspired pop songs, I began to think of ways to insinuate myself into their little group. When I approached them and offered my services, they suspected me an M.P. hot on their trail and were naturally suspicious of my intent. But with the lure of free cigarettes procured from the family enterprise, they quickly relented. My shortcomings in both math and diplomacy ruled me out as manager, so I assumed the role of singer.
For awhile, we held steadfast to the notion that our lack of rhythm defined our sound, but the empty dancefloors suggested otherwise. "Perhaps we buy a drum machine," Ryan suggested, ever the technocrat. But as luck would have it, a flesh-and-blood drummer was soon found in a noisy neighbor living above our flat. Michael Graney, an Irish expatriat, was endlessly dropping heavy things, moving furniture, or walking the length of the aprtment with loud, determined steps. But he did all of this with such gusto, such rhythmic purpose, it was wondred what he might do behind a drumkit. He was invited down for sandwiches and practice and after a few scant weeks, we named ourselves Emergency Music and had a bonafide catalogue under our belts.
Suitcases and aspirations in hand, we left the comfort of the Spanish ghettos for the shores of America, planning our infiltration of the New World that would take us from east coast to west.
This infiltration continues and we remain content peddling our pop wares for whatever town will have us, one step ahead of the Army all the while.
Jesse Duquette Oct. ’03
EM
check out a 60 second EMERGENCY MUSIC video clip by Jim Gilbert here .
BUY Emergency Music’s debut release "Kiss the Culprit" here .
Emergency Music live on the Fox 25 Morning Nws show: