courtesy of Damien aka Mr. Belliveau
The Realistics' TINY AVALANCHES
Add to My Profile | More VideosMy son and I jamming to middle man... Enjoy :)Middle Man
Add to My Profile | More VideosLost video recovered. It was recorded off a tv so it's a little grimmy... BuNz:)The Realistics (Waiting There)
Add to My Profile | More VideosNew songs will be posted soon.
The Realistics sadly split at the close of 2003 after a headlining gig at NY’s Irving Plaza at the height of their popularity. A full length album entitled “Poison & Sympathy†was slated for release in 2004 but was canned due to the band’s premature demise. A source was gracious enough to pass on some of the sessions after stumbling on this page. We were told that there are at least three albums worth of unreleased material that will hopefully one day surface. Maybe we can petition them to get it on their website?
I’ll put some kind of biography up when I have time but for now here are some press clips & quotes I found. There are a ton more on the band’s official website.
The Realistics - Go Ahead EP
It's bursting with vibrant color, dizzy with energy and animation, blurred, intense, kaleidoscopic, hot pink. And that's just the album cover. NY's The Realistics bury the listener under an avalanche of rock musicality - merry-go-round organ and Jerry Lee Lewis pounding piano, a rhythm section combining power and precision, a surprisingly tuneful and showy (and even occasionally baroque) vocal style, and songs that echo the clever melodicism and formidable compositional structure of Graham Parker and his pub-rock peers. Their impossibly energetic live show has taken the group across the country - even to Asia, where they made musical history by becoming one of the first rock bands to penetrate China - and the project has become site for industry attention and rampant speculation. My great fear for the Realistics is that a top-gun producer, retained by a major label, will attempt to strip some of the flash and hyperactive musicianship away and add a B-DARG in an effort to make their sound conform more strictly to current hit radio convention. But on Go Ahead, the band is still calling their own shots. Unsurprisingly, guided by their own rock school proclivities and mildly experimental sensibilities, they choose to confidently journey into some unfashionably virtuosic territory. The rhythm guitar here is almost nonexistent - "Angie", one of the best cuts here, omits it entirely, filling the midrange instead with creamy organ, hyperactive top-end bass playing, and a theatrical vocal performance that suggests Spiraling's Tom Bristin at his most self assured. "Why Didn't You Stay" showcases bassist Mike Dos Santo's wildly elastic sensibility, springing like a randy kangaroo from note to note, sliding and growling, dancing through riffs that feel constructed according to non-Euclidian geometry. In a hail of cymbals and tom-toms, "Go Ahead" marries Will Schalda's Spencer Davis organ to Dave Patrikio's swaggering beat. The musical fireworks come courtesy of the instrumentalists' undeniable skill, but they are easily accessible to the listener because the rhythm guitar is never allowed to muddy up the track. No band in New York would be poorer-served by the B-DARG than the Realistics, and before they hit the big time and are forced to make the amendments to their sound that all radio rockers are forced by convention to make, it's important to get it on the record that the group clearly recognizes this, and if left to follow their own instincts, they'd surely keep gravitating toward arrangements that are intricate, harmonically sophisticated, and theatrical.
The Tris Mccall Report / Jersey Beat
With one Cuban heel digging into the dirt of the Lower East Side's mid - '70's boho/art/pop scene and the other stomping to the pulse of the Big Apple's exciting current vibe, This brand of edgy - yet - catchy, familiar - yet - fresh punk 'n' roll easily corrals rock fans who are sick of both emo's whiny groveling clichés and are looking for something with charisma and style. The Realistics' tunes are considerably memorable. The band's specialty is riffy, Casio-driven, rave-up garage/pop --- descended from the Mumps/Fast/Blondie school of New Wave. The group additionally invokes a wealth of other period masters, from American power - poppers such as the Nerves and the Cars to U.K. kingpins Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. The vocals are desperately jittery pills 'n' beer come-ons; the guitar and keyboards mesh rambunctiously and with a clipped efficiency; and the rhythm section has such a handle on the backbeat imperative, you'd swear it was a barrelful of Ringos and Pauls.
Magnet
Take a Beatles-esque approach to vocal harmony, and some guitar riffs that piss on everything the Stones have done recently. Mix it with some great analog synth sounds (that most bands these days aren’t smart enough to utilize), and you have the Realistics. They manage to recall everything from T. Rex to Elvis Costello’s pop-craft, but steer clear of mimicry. In short, they rock, and any other critic that compares them to the Jam should really get off his/her ass and buy some other records for a change. The good news is that they’ve been here in NYC all along. Where have you been?
New York Press
Something that The Realistics have and that so many of their NY counterparts completely miss is a good thorough understanding of American R&B music. They articulate it all over their new self-titled EP, be it through the kinetic interplay of their thunderous rhythm section or in the pulsating sexuality of compositions like "Angie" and "Its Alright, Its OK." This band always aims to move your ass. And like most great white-guy R&B interpreters throughout history (see Who, Stones, Attractions), the Realistics are smart enough to fuck it up with full-of-cum fuzzboxes, apeshit drum fills, and purely delicious choruses.
For all the chitlin grease they’re trying to conjure in their rhythmic approach, they’ve got England on the mind when it comes to crafting melody. Two-minute pop goobers like "Tiny Avalanches" and "Why Didn’t You Stay" are so god-damned irresistible that you’ll crave ‘em when you’re pumping gas or fixing your breakfast.
And don’t think just because I use a word like "pop" that it necessarily means polite. This record’s got lyrics about barely legal bathroom blow-jobs and transvestite flashers. It’s got a production aesthetic so live sounding that even the keyboards are loud and grimy. So, buy this record and Get Happy!
Long Island Music Scene
There’s so much sheer energy on stage at a Realistics’ show it’s almost fucking cheerful.
Fader
By Mining less-common influences such as the Police & early XTC, The Realistics avoid the punk/pop doldrums with angular guitars, slick start/stop arrangements and cunnin melodies.
Guitar Player
The Realistics are power pop personified, nearly a generation removed from their hallowed forebears.
New Haven Advocate
There’s enough of the edgy guitar work to fuzz your brain and keep your rock ‘n’ roll heart beating fast.
Real Detroit
Down to the essentials. Melody and mayhem.
Highbias
They fell about on stage whilst playing razor sharp. Behind delicious organ and guitar lead there was amazing full-on drumming, and a bass player whose hand always found the fret despite crazy leaping about. The guitarist re-tuned his guitar in a half second gap in the song after he broke a string. The guys do amazing 3-part harmonies and soulful falsettos. Will all the bands who aren't quite sure listen and learn : this is what a band should be like! Very refreshing.
Artrocker
Energetic free-for-alls that leave sweat dripping from the ceiling and fans tending to their bruises.
San Francisco Examiner
With the bouncy keys of an organ and the fuzzed out chords of guitars The Realistics are a bunch of kids from NYC creating sweaty pop rock gems. The catchiness of these songs drip with a sexual energy guaranteed to recharge anyone’s dancing libido. The pimp swagger of singer Dennis, aka Kid Fantastic, demands your attention as he screams, yelps, and serenades you. The raw energy of his supporting cast provides the bitch slap of sound right across your face.
With their mini album, ’Go Ahead’ EP, The Realistics give you seven greasy tales put to a pop beat, keeping the emotion and rawness of their live show in intact with every note. Songs like ’Stranded in Stereo’ and ’Why Didn’t You Stay’ will have you picturing bodies jumping and speakers ready to fall over as each guitar chord is hammered out. Before this EP’s over you may just need a glass of water to cool off.
It's the kind of music you'd pop in when you're getting ready from a night on the town or if you just need a rock n roll recharge. So if they wanna know where the party’s at the ’Go Ahead EP' is the place, just make sure they get on the guest list.
Drowned in Sound
The Exuberance of teens and the song smithery of veterans.
Fast, three minute ditties with tongue in cheek and brass in the pocket.
If you can't make up your mind whether you want new wave or the truth, you may want to test the combo platter served up by these sardonic Stratmongers. They're a little bit smirky (think early Costello), a little bit arty (a smattering of Wire riffs), and self-aware enough to've concocted last year's best-titled disc.
The band laced their set with tire-screeching song endings and falsetto harmonies worthy of a rock musical.
Village Voice
The Bouncy rhythms and sugar sweet New Wave melodicism recalls a less cynical but similarly passionate Elvis Costello & the Attractions and that’s not easy to pull off.
UCLA Daily
They sold out four nights in China. The world's most populated country can't be wrong.
San Francisco guardian
Some discs just keep returning to the stereo. New York City quartet The Realistics' debut is one of those. The Realistics (who've been Big Apple underdogs for over three years) offer a retro trip to a sonic past, pounding out real songs with a tempting affection for late-Seventies Brit-rock (once called English new wave), as well as nods to an older UK generation. The title is revealing. The thirteen cuts are mostly about split-ups and recriminations, and after a few relationship meltdowns, a fantasy or dream can be more comfortable than a heartache's reality. Thankfully, all the drama is surrounded by massive riffs, guitar and synth hooks that won't be denied, and high energy packed with enthusiasm, soul and seasoned with just the right amount of grit. While some groups wallow in self irony, this foursome goes back to the sources they adore. The reggae-esque "Starvation Days" is like The Faint covering a lost Police piece; "Apartment Two" (about urban alienation, naturally) chugs along madly with crunchy guitars, like the Posies on speed. But the best tracks are "Four Letter Word For" and "Prettiest Idiot", which distil The Jam's punk-soul into Americanized maximum R&B; and the paean to young lust, "Turning Around", which re-writes Chuck Berry's "Sweet Sixteen" as something Elvis Costello might have produced for This Year's Model. Why is Real People Are Overrated so damn catchy? It's like the flu in reverse, you want more, not less. Basically, it's a forty five minute tour to a different decade, but it's a fun vacation away from real life, so enjoy it. New York readers who haven't checked out The Realistics should; word of mouth says they're even better on stage than on record.
Skyscraper
Their sound has been described as punkwave pop, 70’s boho-art-pop, new wave, sexy and soulful punk rock,
It’s Random
The Realistics have an ebullient stage energy that will floor you and then set your feet on fire.
Philadelphia City Paper
The kind of sexy rock causing you to think twice.
Rock Pile
Anglophile new wave rock on the rebound, complete with vocal harmonies and analog oscillator swoops.
New York Times
Amped-up Brit flavored NYC rock with Blurry smarts & Supergrassy sass.
CMJ
The Realistics play wholehearted rock that winks and beckons with bright melodies and vibrant layers of gritty synth and mighty guitar. They've got a rhythm section that are impossible to shake and lyrics that plant themselves firmly in your memory. Between the brilliant falsetto and potent growl of singer Dennis, the songs manage to inspire sing-alongs and mad dancing. It's a clever trick and not easily pulled off with weary rock fans.
ASCAP Playback Magazine
Full out trashy-poppy stompers.
Smash
You can actually hear a band find a sound that doesn't owe anything to any particular decade;
INK 19
The Realistics took a full head of New York City club steam and hit Loho Studio to squeeze out this righteously defiant debut full-length...These New York City-based power poppers do spin new musical hypotheticals with every listen.
Aquarian
The band sounds uncluttered, it's arrangements not straying too far from convention or tradition like "Look Sharp" era Joe Jackson or XTC. Very danceable.....real, real fun.
City
Man, I love cocaine and having lots of dirty, promiscuous sex! Yeah! Rock! The Realistics are my soundtrack."
"It’s music about drugs and sex and robots and clones and doom and relationships falling apart."
Fakejazz
I can begin my review of The Realistics, a seven-song EP by The Realistics, in one of two ways. If I choose the first, I can tell you where The Realistics are from: New York. I can list some of the musicians with whom they’ve toured: The Clash, Blondie, The Strokes, The Mooney Suzuki, Phantom Planet. I can bring up some of the comparisons that have been made: The Jam, Elvis Costello. I can let you know some of the genres into which they might fit: new wave, retro, punk, garage. And there you have it. The Realistics are a New York new wave, retro punk, garage rock quartet who evoke The Jam and Elvis Costello and have shared the stage with The Clash and The Mooney Suzuki.
But that’s a bit boring, isn’t it? So, instead, I’ll go with the second option. I’m simply going to tell you that since I got The Realistics, I’ve listened to it countless times. I’ve urged friends, coworkers and near-strangers to check out the band. I’ve been singing along to The Realistics in the car, at home and at work. When I listen to the CD, I don’t think of another band from another decade. I think of The Realistics – Dennis (vocals, guitar), Will (keyboards), Mike (bass) and Dave (drums) – and I smile and turn up the volume. The Realistics say that they want to distance themselves from a city and genre by creating their own sound, and I think they’ve done a fine job.
While all seven songs on The Realistics are equally strong and enjoyable, Dennis’ vocals are best on “Angie†and “Tiny Avalanches.†A falsetto hasn’t sounded this good in a long time. I dare you not to sing along in your own high register when you listen to “Stranded in Stereo.†The voice is pleasant, even pretty, and it sounds even-tempered and in control. There isn’t much screaming, but there’s plenty of the aforementioned falsetto. “Film Star,†the last track, breaks away from the rest in that it's more wistful and melancholy. Every one of the songs on the EP could be a single, catchy enough to be on the radio and interesting enough to hold its own against whatever else is on the playlist.
With just seven songs in under twenty minutes, The Realistics leaves me wanting more; sorry that the band was just in town and probably won’t be around again for some time; and angry at my local radio stations because they aren’t playing any of the songs. Those bastards.
Kludge Magazine
What we've been looking for
One word: success, amazing, and so much fun (ok so that's more than one word)... is what The Realistics' show at the bowery was on friday night. Live, the four new yorkers exude confidence and an energy level that reminds you why you're a rock fan in the first place. The Realistics have been one of my favorite nyc bands ever since day one of hearing their very first release, so there was no need to convert me on friday night, but i was very excited to hear a bunch of new songs and see what direction the band is taking. And believe me, the new material is just as great and exciting. Every song is ultra catchy and very much highlights the tight rhythm section and the always amazing vocals. From the Spoon-ish Middle Man (very nicely sung by keyboardist Will) to the very short but very intense Episode, you can cleary hear the growth in their songwriting and musicianship. Based on the audience reaction, it seems that one of the new favorite songs is the beautifully acoustic-driven What we've been looking for. Speaking of the crowd, it was really great to see the fantastic reception to the new and old(er) tunes... i mean, really it's hard not to love such a passionate and born-to-rock band like The Realistics.
Melody Nelson.com
If there had been any doubts as to the power and majesty of The Realistics, they were answered and rebutted and then some this past Friday in a performance that cements the notion that they are the most underappreciated, underexposed, and most spotlight deserving band in NYC today.
The Realistics remain by and large under the radar of people who by all rights ought to be worshipping the ground that D.Real floats over. While bands have been signing on both the left and right banks of the East River, The Realistics have remained untapped - and are probably - as evidenced by the near 700 kids in attendance at the Bowery - the biggest loss the record so-called industry is presently suffering.
The boys conjure up a timeless image of a band that would be just as at home at Max's Kansas City and Andy Warhol's Factory as they would in CBGB's or Piano's.
Jenyk.com
