The Larch was formed in 1997 by UK/US dual national Ian Roure with two friends from the 90’s NYC alternative music scene - all had played together in a previous band. Taking their cue from some of the more rocking elements of the UK Britpop movement – particularly Ash and Blur – they set about creating their own version of melodic guitar pop; drawing on Roure’s UK roots and adding in a New York influence while paying close attention to "lo-fi" bands like GBV and Pavement.
In 1998, Larch (as the band was known originally - no "the") was signed to an indie label called Flamingo thanks to an introduction from Paula Carino (then of stellar indie power pop band, Regular Einstein.) Stewart Mason, who owned the label, suggested they change the name to "THE Larch" (since at the time the trend was towards bands without the "the" prefix – think Blur, Oasis, Ash.) Stewart has since stated that that the resulting 7" vinyl single (Free Kick b/w Anvil Chorus and Crashing Main Street) was "the best single I ever put out" and that "the sardonic "Free Kick" sounds like Nick Hornby's football memoir Fever Pitch set to an old Dentists single."
Liza Garelik, from fellow Brooklyn based band, Liza & the WonderWheels, joined up in 2001 to provide some high end to the boy's sonic spectrum with her excellent harmony vocal and later on added her keyboard playing to the band. The current line up consists of erstwhile London busker, Ian Roure, Liza Garelik (see also http://lizasongs.com ), drummer and occasional additional accompanist to Bob Weir's Ratdog, Tom Pope and producer, engineer and musician extraordinaire, Ross Bonadonna on bass.
The Larch’s new album Gravity Rocks is a collection of songs whose themes run from genetic engineering ("Return of the Chimera") to the unexpected consequences of cell phone hands-free devices (Cell Phone or Schizo) - with stops on Martian colonization, evolution and interstellar travel. Musically they find themselves moving away from their former Britpop and punk influenced rock towards a more textured sound, which reflects their interest in psychedelia - while retaining their former energy and wit.
Although "Psych-pop" fits to a large degree, the Larch tend to fall between the cracks category-wise. They’ve been described as:
"Psychedelic pop for now people"
-Village Voice
"Fiery British pub-punk-rock with a sense of humor and
spectacularly good lead guitar."
- Alan Young's TRIFECTAgram
And it's said:
"The Larch live in the world of clever and witty song-writing...
... the phrase twisting stays securely on the side of intelligence..."
-Splendid eZine
"...these wild song birds make a mean track....Ian Roure plays a masterful guitar..."
- Loud and Found.com
Click HERE to check out yer Larch CDs!
