How did we get started? (according to Brett)


Ignore the folk-lore, it isn’t true. The Frontier Brothers started much like any other band. Marshall and I were high school classmates and mutual music nerds trapped in Fort Worth, Texas. I was riding high on a reputation made in middle school talent shows, where I played my “original compositions,” an unholy combination of improvisational jazz and soothing Jim Brickman-esque piano pop. Marshall was the brooding guitar virtuoso sitting by his locker, wooing the girls.

Anyway, we didn’t play together until our junior year. We found ourselves stranded and miserable at ISAS, a fine-arts festival for arty preps. Someone (was it me?) had the bright idea that we collaborate for the talent show “coffee house.” In the span of an hour we composed “The Robot Song” and a lovely cover of Meatloafs “Bat out of hell (I would do anything for love).”

Surprisingly, the talent show performance was a mind-blowing success. Marshall signed the only breast of his entire career (as of yet!). We were a hit. Everyone was asking about our “band.” Well, I don’t know why but we landed on “The Frontier Brothers” for a band name. It’s not such a bad name, right? And I think it was fate. I’m about to tell you why.

The summer after we graduated, Marshall and I decided to get serious about the band. We wanted a drummer. We postered the town, High Fidelity style. The day before our scheduled audition with drummer Ned, a 35 year old father of 2, Marshall’s brother came home from college. He told us he wanted to play drums. Well, why the heck not? He wasn’t much of a drummer but he had killer musical instinct and we didn’t want any Neds in the band anyway. And so, two years after we formed “The Frontier Brothers,” Marshall’s real-life brother joined the The Frontier Brothers. Fate, right?

Fast forward three years. Our little hobby band has grown and matured into our lifelong passion and pursuit. We moved to Austin. We found Matt, our amazing bassist. And really, we’re doing pretty damn good! We’ve gone on quite a few national tours, rocking the big cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philly, Houston and the small towns: Victoria, TX, Winston-Salem, NC, Southbend, IN. We walked Bourbon street wrapped in shiny spandex for the sake of self-promotion. We parked our RV & Trailer in downtown New York (against all odds). We were featured in Spin Magazine. SPIN MAGAZINE! I still can’t believe it.



-Brett

BLACK TAXI is one of NYC's most prominent live acts, smashing an anything-goes punk ethos together with pop sensibilities, unparalleled energy, and brilliant songwriting. The result is a raucous stage show, heavy on harmonies, spitfire guitar licks, body paint, and all manner of instrumentation. Their style has been described varyingly as "grit-pop" or "dance punk", and though their songs hint at the Talking Heads, Cake, and Daft Punk, they are driven by something entirely new and infectious. BLACK TAXI songs can be heard on radio stations from Maine to California, accompany hit TV shows, provide the soundtrack for film, and hit the airwaves on commercial airlines. Their most recent music video "Shoeshine" has found a success of it's own as an Official Nominee for the Webby Awards.

Quiet Company, led by Taylor Glen Muse, is one man's vision brought to life with a little help from his friends. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Taylor Muse already has years of experience under his young belt, having fronted and played in many bands, including an early version of Eisley. After the break-up of his last band, The Connotations, Taylor hoped to complete an album of collected contributions from his extensive cast of musician friends. Instead, he played nearly everything himself, and ended up with a very personal and visionary endeavor entitled "Shine Honesty." By the end of it all, you may be uncomfortably aware of exactly who he loves, who he hates, and how he feels about them all.

After the release of their critically acclaimed first record, "Shine Honesty," Austin's Quiet Company took to the road for over 200 shows all across the U.S. The video for "Fashionabel," by Emmy nominated director Cameron McCasland, won several film festival awards and was added to rotation by MTV.CA. During that time songwriter Taylor Muse began recording demos that would later become "Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon."

Soon after the tour the band sought and achieved release from their agreement with Northern Records and began making plans to release their new record by themselves. Now, almost three years in the making, the proudly present to you, "Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon". Lyrically, the record promises songs that will make you fall in love with life and then just as quickly challenge everything you know about it. With 15 songs equaling an hour of music, Quiet Company tells tales of love, death, and frustration with the world we're forced to live in. Though always uplifting, the songs range form the raucously energetic to the beautifully intimate and never go without melodies that are immediately haunting and infectious.

New York four-piece Deadbeat Darling is spending time on both sides of the pond.  After selling out some of NYC's most prestigious venues over the course of the last 3 years, the band was signed by UK label Spearhavoc Records in March 2011, and promptly whisked away from Brooklyn to record in Wales with Grammy award winning producer Ken Nelson.  The album, titled "THE ANGEL'S SHARE", was released in April 2012. With a bit of downtown swagger and post-indie charm, their sound weaves together New York City rock and roll with hints of surf and dub . A native of either extreme, their lifestyle toggles between Brooklyn dive bars and the mise en scene of the West Side's fashion district; their live show is a sweaty barrage of soulful energy and mischievous sway...  

Wild Adriatic is a four piece band comprised of some of the Upstate New York area's finest talent. A rock band with definitive pop and soul leanings, the four members have been gigging together in various bands since their early teens. With their combined experience touring and recording throughout the world for 10+ years each, the group has made quite a name for themselves throughout the East Coast and beyond. What was once a folky acoustic solo project has turned into a full fledged, impressively tight force to be reckoned with. Now, with a new record ["The Lion" EP] about to be officially released, the band stands poised to refocus their attentions on touring and promoting throughout the United States and beyond.

Like kids rummaging the finest musical dumpster, Black Wing Halo (formerly decibel.) has mended parts and motors, soldered and stitched, to curate a new musical monster. Based on acoustic roots and rhythms, but driving with a distorted punk force, Black Wing Halo leaves no compact bin unturned. In fact, everything is recycled.

Ever-expanding with a love and admiration for noise, soundscapes and distorted vocals, Black Wing Halo is their own favorite radio station. It started by adding pedals to an acoustic guitar, and even more to a microphone, which became two microphones, displaying different voices to represent different ideas. Then they added bass. To expand from their acoustic roots, they started playing electric instruments, which led way to a distorted blend of rowdy punk, crunchy electronic, old school laden hip hop, Tom Waitsian carnival, wrapped in a little verse/chorus/verse pop.

Black Wing Halo continues to spread to the masses as well, having played SXSW, NXNE, and CMJ, as well as selling out boat cruises, and rocking Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

As of now, Black Wing Halo is putting the finishing touches on their first album with producer Jason Rubal (The Cure, NIN, Dresden Dolls, Killswitch Engage) and can’t wait to put it out there for all to enjoy.

True to their aural objective, this album will be unlike anything you have heard before.