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ACTION PAINTERS SPIN.COM BAND OF THE DAY!!!
For such a short record (clocking in at under thirty minutes), Chubby Dancer displays a pleasingly shocking bit of range. Action Painters do twinkly heartache with the best of them ("Cold Dead Cornerâ€), and their up-tempo numbers (“Never Say I'm Sorry") are convincingly jagged. It's when they let the excitement of being young and romantic and stupid make them dizzy, though, that they excel. Album opener "Absolutely Clear" can't decide whether it wants to be classic rawk or post-punk, so Haslow lets his voice tremble and shake and splits the difference, landing somewhere frenetic and epic and sweet. It all sounds sort of tossed off, as if the band doesn't care, but buried beneath the artsy fury lies AM radio gold. Think the Replacements if they had given a damn more often. --Spin.com
“This catchy, upbeat quintet out of Brooklyn, NY, takes what sounds like traditional power pop--huge hooks, pegged twinned guitar lines, catchy choruses--and rubs off the typical overproduced sheen and cosmetic prettiness via its own take on soul grittiness. What's left, as evident on its Chubby Dancer EP, is a ramshackle, dance-friendly indie rock that is refreshingly not readymade for One Tree Hill soundtrack fodder and boasts a focal-point frontman in guitarist/vocalist Tom Haslow, whose voice betrays a jaded lyricism that nicely compliments the Action Painters' imperfect songs about imperfect people.†--Baltimore City Paper
“Just when you thought that the days of great, smart-aleck power pop were long gone, the Action Painters have breathed new life into our old and missed friend. This is indie college slacker rock at its finest. Rock on!†--MashMusic
“Like a ragged Salvation Army version of Cheap Trick, these pop-rockers have created melodic anthems for the rest of us. Unlike similar minded indie-pop-rock acts out there, these guys manage to be both soulful and exciting at the same time.†--Fordham University’s “The Paperâ€
AP has also been featured artist in The Village Voice, 5acts.com, The Aquarian, FatAmpMusic.com, FiddleWhileYouBurn.com, Baltimore City Paper, East Village Radio, and more...
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------------------A fiercely unique young band that breaks down the pieces of New York
Rock and resurrects them as a new, dangerous creature, Action Painters
slay dragons with their soaring melodies, slinky grooves, and
undeniable soul. They are from New York City.
In early 2006, Tom Haslow (guitar/vox) left NYC synth-pop darlings
Unisex Salon to start Action Painters. After finding Amit Wehle
(drums) and Allison Zatarain (keys) in the Casual Encounters section
of Craigslist (wait, you play guitar too?), they began rehearsing in a
frigid Brooklyn basement before moving to the Chelsea gallery district
of Manhattan. Later, Joe Hankin (guitar) and Nic Daughtry (bass)
joined, each adding incredible musical bravado to the proceedings.
Over countless subterranean nights, they forged a sound that's part
Live-at-Leeds mod swagger and part T-heads new wave shimmy, shaken and
stirred with a bit of Memphis soul by way of Manchester.
The result: blistering, irresistible pop tunes carried by Haslow's
confident, full, Verlainian tenor. Skin-tight musicianship, cheeky
lyrics, and deadly hooks. It's indie pop with a heart of gold and the
eye of a tiger.
In their first year, the AP brought the fury to NYC hotspots such as
Mercury Lounge, Pianos, and Tiswas 2.0 at Annex, as well as Universities
and towns throughout the Northeast. They were selected for the 2006
CMJ Music Festival after playing only three shows on the merit of
their memorable tunes, explosive live show, and the fellatio skills of
their drummer.
In the fall of 2006, the AP began work on their sprawling, 7-song
debut, Chubby Dancer, with indie producer Ron A. Shaffer (Ambulance
Ltd., Tricky). Slated for release in Spring 2007, the record is a
sparkling document of the first year of the group's young life. It
showcases the band's gift for melody on songs like Sooner or Later and
Cold Dead Corner, and its groove-punk soul on the addictive Absolutely
Clear and the fiery, shout-along anthem Chasing Pixies. The album
reflects the tough and the tender, the agony and ecstasy, the sounds
and substance of life in New York City. It will be available on
iTunes, Amazon, at shows, and at your mom's house.XO
AP
