Great Big Pile of Leaves with Mansions & Caravela
Jan 30, 2012
downstairs
Doors @ 7 PM
$10/$12
A GREAT BIG PILE OF LEAVES
Brooklyn, NY-based trio, A Great Big Pile of Leaves got their start in 2007 when guitarist/singer Peter Weiland and drummer Tyler Soucy took time from their prior projects to start writing material of their own. The first six songs came together as the self-released EP The Fiery Works, which the duo put out as a free download on their Web site. As word spread online, the band’s fanbase grew along with Weiland and Soucy’s excitement to get back to recording.
Continuing with the formula of self-producing, The Fiery Works II followed shortly afterward and was also released as a free download. Within the next year, the digital releases were downloaded over 12,000 times and the group prepared for a live setting with the addition of Tucker Yaro on bass. After playing several shows and writing a batch of new songs over the next few months, the newfound trio prepared themselves to record a full-length record Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?
With each member also taking on engineering, production, mixing and mastering duties, the record became a full collaboration of each member’s respective influences and knowledge. “We don’t like to set up any boundaries when writing; we don’t consciously come into it with any walls up” says Soucy. “The three of us have a rather eclectic background of musical influences and we like to explore that and have a good time. The only thing we knew coming into this record, is that we were in control and that we wanted to make the best record we could; something we would enjoy from beginning to end with no sense of filler.”
Following the release of Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex? earlier this summer, the group have seen a rapidly growing fan base as well as praise on infuential sites such as absolutepunk.net where the record was reviewed with a 93% approval rating. The rest of the year will see a vinyl release of the album for hardcore fans as well as a large-scale fall tour that will showcase everything that this band has worked so hard for. “The positive reactions to our music have been pretty overwhelming so far, especially in a day and age when the Internet seems to be filled with a lot of negativity on message boards,” explains Soucy, “we haven’t really gotten much of that yet.”
A Great Big Pile of Leaves will be hitting the road this Fall on their first national tour with Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything,and Saves the Day. “This fall tour is exactly what our band needed to be doing and at the perfect time so we’re extremely grateful for the opportunity that we have,” Soucy continues when asked about those large-scale shows. “I spent most of high school listening to these three bands, so it’s going to be pretty surreal to walk off stage every night and watch the rest of the line-up,” he adds, “it’s going to be a great time.”
-- last.fm
MANSIONS
Louisville, Kentucky native Christopher Browder may look unassuming enough, but he’s a man who’s both prone to embracing what’s in front of him and running with it, and an artist who’s not afraid to look over his shoulder for inspiration.
His heartfelt second album, Dig Up The Dead, released under the moniker Mansions, was released April 5 through Burning House Records/King Bones Recordings.
Recorded in the various houses and apartments Browder found himself in, all across the Southeast, over a six-month period, this deeply personal album acts as a candid and compelling look into one man’s psyche, in the midst of change and nostalgia. And while previous touring-mates joined him on some tracks, Browder completed the lion’s share of recording alone. It’s an impressive follow-up to March 2009’s critically acclaimed New Best Friends (Doghouse Records) and last spring’s well-received B-sides compilation.
Mansions live shows are as unique and all-inclusive as Browder’s music - playing, as he does, with a touring band made up of a variety of both friends and strangers; a collaborative endeavor he’s previously showed off while on tour with the likes of Get Up Kids and David Bazan.
-- last.fm
CARAVELA
Caravela is a rock band currently residing in Armonk, NY. The band started as a way for Frank Graniero (vocals, guitar) and brother Stephen Graniero (drums) to continue writing music together after the split of their older projects and both playing in other bands (Moving Mountains, City of Molotov). Producer Josh Kirby (bass) moved in with Frank and Steve and started recording their upcoming release (Belvedere) over the span of a summer. The band is currently in the process of writing their first full length.
-- last.fm
