The Bowery Presents

The Mercury Lounge upcoming shows

Elizabeth & The Catapult
10:30

Jeff Taylor
9:30
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
8:30
Lay Low
7:30

Venue:
The Mercury Lounge
Date:
Thu 3/26
Notes:
21+
Doors: 7:30 PM / Show: 12:00 PM
$10
Tickets
Elizabeth & The Catapult
official website
myspace
The title of Elizabeth and the Catapult's Verve Forecast debut album Taller Children reflects the unique blend of pop playfulness and grown-up introspection that defines Ziman's distinctive songwriting. Such memorable originals as "Rainiest Day of Summer," "Apathy," "The Hang Up" and "Hit the Wall" embody a vibrant mix of open-hearted wonder, whimsical humor and forthright emotional insight, merging classic pop melodicism with an array of acoustic textures, jazz twists and orchestral flourishes.

The quality of the songs—including a memorable reading of the Leonard Cohen classic "Everybody Knows" —is matched by intimate, effortlessly soulful performances by the Brooklyn trio, which also includes guitarist Pete Lalish and drummer Danny Molad.

Although the bulk of Taller Children was recorded with producer Mike Mogis (noted for his work with the likes of Bright Eyes, M. Ward and Rilo Kiley), several of the album's performances were drawn from the homespun demos that the band recorded in drummer Molad's home studio. The resulting album strikes a vital balance between lush sophistication (with such elements as Ziman's elegant string arrangements) and spare, unadorned simplicity.

The qualities that make Taller Children such a refreshing surprise have already made Elizabeth and the Catapult a beloved favorite on New York's downtown club scene, where the threesome's winsome tunes and energetic, surprise-filled live shows have won them a large and devoted local fan base.

Elizabeth's warmly personal songs reflect the diverse influences of her lifelong pursuit of music. She grew up in New York's Greenwich Village, just down the street from the Cafe Wha? and the Fat Black Pussycat, where her future heroes Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell got their start.
Jeff Taylor
official website
myspace
To call Jeff Taylor quirky may be The Understatement Of The Year. The 6’5” sinewy-strong entertainer is a handsome devil known for his Gumby-like flexibility on stage and unorthodox

time signatures, beat boxes, and esoteric lyrics. While performing, Jeff’s freakish mannerisms and piercing stare often make him appear like a man possessed.

If forced to draw comparisons, we could say Jeff is a more eccentric Beck meets early Radiohead. Disturbingly entertaining and engaging, Mr. Taylor’s energy is electric. He is backed by an all-star cast of band mates: Percussionist Mark Guiliana (Avi Shai Cohen), Neal Persianni on bass (Semi Precious Weapons) and multi-instrumentalist Rob Hecht (fiddle, baritone sax,harmonies). The band provides the perfect soundscape for Mr. Taylor’s unfettered, nerd-ballistic live performances. This is, after all the

kid who was caught bird whistling (just one of his signature oddities) during a feist soundcheck at town hall and was later

invited on stage by the band to accompany them for a song. Taylor has also guested during performances with Matisyahu and Michelle Ndegeocello.

Look out for his debut release on Rockwood Music Hall Records in 2009.
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
official website
myspace
Ezra Furman & the Harpoons were formed in 2006 because of songs. Ezra had written songs that were urgent, desperate, pretty, and explosive, and these songs had to be heard. From personal musical sketches to glorious, rollicking pop songs, Ezra Furman & the Harpoons work tirelessly toward capturing the beauty, despair and headlong wildness of life, that too-often overlooked magic and poetry that makes us human. Since their stage debut at Tufts University in February 2006, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons have played in rock clubs in a babillion different cities and are now thoroughly homeless in Boston, bursting into the local scene with gusto and charm. In June 2006, they self-released their first album, "Beat Beat Beat", which was recorded in a series of college dorm rooms at Tufts and engineered by Jahn Sood and Dave Kant from Outtake Records. The original version of "Beat Beat Beat" is available on the black, magenta and beige markets.

Since then, the Harpoons signed to Minty Fresh Records, the eminent Chicago indie label, and headed straight to the studio. In January 2007, the Harpoons laid down the tracks for their national debut, with producer Brian Deck (Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse, Josh Ritter). The resultant album, "Banging Down the Doors," is available now in stores, online and at live shows. This momentum and general madness promises great things to come for the band in the next year. It will most likely be government-mandated listening for all legal adults within the decade. The follow-up was recently completed and it is so good, so insanely grrratifying and inspiring a record, that you will find that you will seek it out involuntarily as soon as it is available in September or whenever.

The Harpoons are a wild bunch. So wild and free you forgot to laugh. Bassist Job Mukkada is a singer-songwriter in his own right, but staunchly avoids the limelight because of his citrus allergy. When not drumming for the Harpoons, drummer Adam Abrutyn manufactures and sells fast-acting valor syrup which is typically drizzled over the temples and groin area. He also enjoys watching pancake wars from aboard his hydraulic space-mobile.
Lay Low
official website
myspace
Iceland's bluesiest chanteuse Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir - a.k.a. Lay Low - is ready with a new album. After seeting worlds ablaze and topping the Icelandic charts with her 2006 debut 'Please Don't Hate Me', the unassuming starlet is back with a new record that continues her forays into traditional blues and country sounds. Recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London with producer Liam Watson (White Stripes & Pete Molinari), the new record is titled 'Farewell Good Night's Sleep', and features musicians such as Carwyn Ellis, Ed Turner, Rupert Brown, Matt Radford, Jason Wilson and BJ Cole.
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