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dream bitches

Who's the guy?

About Me

photo credit: Lippe
Dream Bitches'
Coke-and-Spiriters
Out now on Recommended If You Like Records!
http://www.riylrecords.com

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New reviews!:
"Local band the Dream Bitches celebrates the release of its second album, Coke and Spiriters, a nicely ramshackle rock album with a cuddly sensibility reminiscent of K Records acts from the ’90s (with a very NYC sort of self-referentialism)."
-Time Out NY, 5/13/08
"This ten song album is all about that indie rock glory, jangly guitars and harmony vocals that remind me of the best of The Breeders and Bratmobile as they sing songs about vacations, silent days, cars... On the surface, their songs might seem like an endless collection of quirky pop references but take in the whole picture and one will find a lot of well written songs. They can be puzzle-like and unfold to reveal its truths, and perhaps that's what they're doing, hoping for fans to unravel the puzzle in order to reach the song's final destination and dwell in the glory of the epiphany."
-The Run-Off Groove, 5/21/08
"Dream Bitches exist somewhere in between folk music, punk, and playground rhymes. The obvious focal point of the band is the lead-singing-pair Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk. This duo's ability to harmonize effortlessly and then move to the same melody sets this band apart from the thousands of other garage-inspired pop-punk bands. Beyond their skill, the lyrics are decently clever and catchy. In focusing on the two singers, it easy to forget that they would be left behind if it wasn't for the rest of the band, who are very serviceable at playing pop hooks that move forward at a decent pace. The end result is a very catchy garage pop (or "indie pop" if you are so inclined to use that label) album."
-WLURradio.blogspot.com, 5/5/08
"Dream Bitches is a chick band that makes rocking good music. They have the raw, gritty, deskilled feel of garage rock, but paired with sweet female vocals for a little sugar with their spice. On their second album, they use pop sensibilities with rough garage and throw in some violins -- very nice. There are also a few acoustic tracks, which really help the listener focus on the amazing lyrical skills these ladies possess. This is a nice, versatile album that has a strong direction backed by true talent."
-Jessica Kizer, Kalamazoo Gazette, 5/7/08
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Bio:
Coke-and-Spiriters, the second album from New York’s Dream Bitches, is a combustive culmination of the band’s first five years making music together. Packed with snarling pop anthems and hyper-literate acoustic ballads, this concise collection captures the Bitches at their most vibrant and volatile.
Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk, friends and collaborators since their tween years, began the group as a duo in 2003, each fresh out of art school. By the time their first album, Sanfransisters, was released by Olive Juice Music in early 2005, Yoko and Ann had recruited a backing band that would become an integral part of their sound and style. A playful folk-pop affair, Sanfransisters boasted jangly guitars, catchy choruses, and wry lyrics in the wordy tradition of antifolkies Kimya Dawson (K) and Jeffrey Lewis (Rough Trade).
Dream Bitches' sophomore release finds the now five-piece band sporting songs with bigger hooks and biting, schizophrenic subject matter. Where Sanfransisters celebrated friendship, the relationships chronicled on Coke-and-Spiriters are beyond dysfunctional; lyricist Kikuchi's narrators come out swinging on songs like "Bad Luck Bill" and "Maniacal Mechanic," and even sweet couplets like "You're as perfect as I want it / You're as pretty as they come" are spat out like death threats.
Despite the misanthropic lyrics, the music is far from introverted. Dream Bitches' sound has expanded tremendously since their last record—it's bigger, brighter, and bolder than before, a kind of brainy power pop that evokes forebears like the Breeders and contemporaries like Tegan & Sara. Kikuchi and Zakaluk's vocal melodies stagger and intertwine, and their intricate harmonies make every chorus soar.
Coke-and-Spiriters was recorded by Mark Ospovat at Emandee Studios (CocoRosie, Wooden Wand) in Brooklyn, NY, and produced and mixed by Casey Holford (Cheese on Bread, Daouets). It will be released by Recommended If You Like Records on May 20th, 2008, after which the band will play select dates throughout the United States.
Produced by Casey Holford .
Mastered by Alex Abrash .
Photography by Leonard Greco .
Drawings by Nicole Thompson MacNeill .
Buy our debut cd, Sanfransisters (2005),
over at OLIVE JUICE MUSIC!
Also available at Sound Fix Records , 110 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.
Now available:
Yoko Kikuchi / Casey Holford split EP (This Song/That Song)!!!
Get your copy at Recommended If You Like Records .
Also available at Sound Fix Records , 110 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.
capones collage
THE "FULL BAND":
Yoko Kikuchi ( myspace page ) - guitars and vocals
Ann Zakaluk ( myspace page ) - vocals and tambourine
Casey Holford ( myspace page ) - noise guitar
Julie DeLano (of The Leader ) - bass
Tina Harris - drums
cakeshop montage

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 8/11/2004
Band Website: dreambitches.org
Band Members: Yoko Kikuchi (vocals, guitars)
Ann Zakaluk (vocals, tambourine)
Casey Holford (guitars)
Julie DeLano (bass)
Tina Harris (drums)
Influences: Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses, Courtney Love, Sleater-Kinney, The Geraldine Fibbers, The Muffs, Juliana Hatfield, Imperial Teen, the Deal sisters, and our friends.
Sounds Like: "The rapid-fire vocals are sweet and funny. If the Dream Bitches are angry, they save it for later. Everything here is delivered with a smile. How angry can you be while singing about shopping at the 99-cent store? In a decade where Nickelback and other yawn-inducing noise polluters clog the radio with angsty nonsense, this is a giant blast of fresh air." -J. Wallace, Indie-Music.com

"At once cutesy and clever, girly and rebellious, the Dream Bitches excel at crafting songs that are almost as oxymoronic as their name. The songs on Sanfransisters are bubbly and familiar-sounding, but underneath the melodic, dreamy exterior you’ll find lyrics that are caustically biting and as bitchy as the band’s moniker would have you believe... Sung fiercely, with standard riot grrl attitude, yet the fact that the ladies deliver them over jangly acoustic chords rather than aggressive electric riffs sets the Dream Bitches apart from their girly punk counterparts." -Jessica Gentile, Splendidezine.com

"[Dream Bitches are] relentless.. The words are fast and smart. The harmonies are ancient. You will wonder where you heard the melodies before (you haven’t). You wax nostalgically about an age of riot grrrl pop anthems that never really existed, and your idealization of the early 90s assumes flesh in Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk." -Dan Fishback, performance artist

"With subject matter ranging from long distance love to Halloween costumes, the songs on Sanfransisters are touching, clever and likely to induce bedroom dancing... a perfect punk rock campfire singalong." -Andrea Benvenuto, girlpunk.net

"Dream Bitches captures the true spirit of straight ahead rock and roll: raucous, kick-out-the-jams catalyst without being dumb. The lyrics are as well thought out as they are catchy. I highly recommend Sanfransisters." -Frank Mazzetti, Stuyvesant High School english teacher
Record Label: http://www.riylrecords.com
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

summertime for dream bitches

Dear friends!Summer is, historically, the best season for song-writing. This summer seems like it will be a momentous one, with the end of the Lach anti-hoot quickly approaching (coincidentally markin...
Posted by dream bitches on Fri, 30 May 2008 09:08:00 PST

tour update & fun in somerville tonight!

two shows into our new england tour we are having quite a little bit of fun. two nights ago we arrived in cape cod in the rain and played to a room of enthusiastic and amazing people, fueled by free d...
Posted by dream bitches on Tue, 20 May 2008 06:49:00 PST

LOVE YOUR GUTS TOUR 2008! and NYC show this sat!

Dear beloved friends and friends' friends:Dream Bitches, our project five years in the making, are pleased to announce their very first TOUR, in support of their very 2nd RECORD, hereby-knownst as COK...
Posted by dream bitches on Thu, 15 May 2008 05:10:00 PST

i didn't want to dance with you

I found this on some guy's blog:"Back at Cakeshop, I stumbled upon Dream Bitches, a band fronted by an adorable redhead in a floral dress and an Asian girl wearing a cardboard dinosaur on her head, sh...
Posted by dream bitches on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 09:24:00 PST