The Bowery Presents

The Mercury Lounge upcoming shows

Late Show

Robbers On High Street
10:30
Hymns
9:30

Venue:
The Mercury Lounge
Date:
Wed 7/21
Notes:
21+
Doors: 9:30 PM / Show: 9:30 PM
$10
Tickets
Hymns
official website
myspace
HYMNS bucked tradition on 'Appaloosa,' trading in the isolated flatlands of Texas where they recorded their first two albums for the urban bustle of Los Angeles. Surrounding themselves with a host of friends including Grammy-nominated fiddler Tracy Bonham, Ned Brower and Taylor Locke of Rooney, and acclaimed producer Dan Horne, the band managed to turn out a six-track EP that stands as their most diverse and adventurous work to date. 'Appaloosa' keeps one foot planted firmly in HYMNS' southern roots and another square in the heart of the thriving Brooklyn indie scene they now call home.

From the very first, HYMNS have always embraced musical contradictions like these. Guitarist Jason Roberts and singer/songwriter Brian Harding met growing up in southern North Carolina, cementing their friendship as teenagers over a shared love for the Americana roots of The Band and the distinctly not-southern rock of Nirvana. The two parted ways after college when Roberts joined Ben Kweller's touring band and Harding relocated to New York City, but it was only a matter of time before the undeniable musical chemistry that the two shared brought them back together.

"Brian and I are complete opposites," explains Roberts, "but we understand each other better than anyone. I think I'm the only person who can really tell what he's looking for in a song, so we learned to rely on each other's strengths."

The duo reunited in Brooklyn in 2005, fleshing out their sound with a drummer and bass player before traveling to rural Texas to record their debut album, 'Brother/Sister,' for Blackland Records. An exhilarating blend of country twang and indie drive, 'Brother/Sister' was a critical hit drawing comparisons to Tom Petty and Gram Parsons. HYMNS suddenly found themselves touring nationally with The Lemonheads, Ben Kweller, and Canadian star Sam Roberts, while back home in New York they began sharing bills with artists like Beck, Hot Hot Heat, and The Redwalls.

Expanding on their rootsy sensibilities by adding horns, banjo, and pump organ to the mix, HYMNS followed up 'Brother/Sister' with 2008's ‘Travel in Herds’ and a series of stellar performances at SXSW. “If Pavement and Neil Young took a road trip to Burritoville” raved SPIN magazine, which named the band an "Artist to Watch.". Similar accolades rained down from The New Yorker, The Village Voice, Daytrotter, WNYC's Soundcheck, and MTV's John Norris, who praised the band's "tight, effortless chemistry onstage." They hit the road for U.S. tours again in 2008-9, pairing up at various points with Locksley, Daniel Johnston, Butch Walker and many more. Most recently Hymns were noted by Paste as the ‘Best of What’s Next’ in February 2010.

The release of 'Appaloosa' marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for HYMNS and finds them once more on the road, touring with newest member Joey McClellan on bass.
Robbers on High Street
official website
myspace
Robbers on High Street began performing publicly during the summer of 2002, but the band's roots stretch back much farther. Ben Trokan and Steve "Sparky" Mercado have been friends since their preteen years growing up in the upstate New York town of Poughkeepsie. Morgan King, who plays bass and brass, joined the band in 2005. The current line-up is filled out by David Sherman and Mikey Post on keys and drums, respectively. Tree City, the band's first full-length album, was released in 2004. They toured for most of 2004 and 2005. Grand Animals is the band's second full length album, released on July 24, 2007. For this album the band connected with Italian film composer Daniele Luppi, known mostly for his string and orchestra work with Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) and pop artists like John Legend. The band recorded in New York and mixed with Jeff Peters (Beach Boys) in Los Angeles. The new collaboration brought out the band's clear obsession with 1960s and 1970s AM radio, and allowed them to explore broader sonic landscapes.
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