The Shondes

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The Shondes are an indie punk band from New York City.

Contents

[edit] History

The Shondes formed in 2006 after violinist Elijah Oberman and bassist Louisa Rachel Solomon's former band broke up. They recruited guitarist Ian Brannigan, a friend they had met while the three attended The New School in Greenwich Village as undergraduates, and drummer Temim Fruchter whom the three had met while protesting the Republican National Convention in 2004.

Two demo EPs were distributed on national tours in summer 2006 and spring 2007.

The Shondes self-released their debut LP The Red Sea on January 8, 2008. It was recorded at Studio G in Brooklyn and produced by Tony Maimone of Pere Ubu. [1] The album features guest appearances by Brian Dewan on keyboards[2] and was met with positive reviews. [3]

The Red Sea features the song “I Watched the Temple Fall”, one of the first songs the band wrote together, which arose from conversations about the meaning of the Jewish holiday Tisha B’Av.[4] The three members of the band who are Jewish work with the New York City activist group Jews Against the Occupation,[5] an organization "advocating peace through justice for Palestine and Israel." [6]

Heeb Magazine said that The Shondes' mix of confrontational political punk and Jewish music created "a powerful new sound" and included Fruchter as one of "the Heeb 100" in 2007, [7] while the magazine's blog asserted that in the contemporary Jewish music scene "it is quite possible that the The Shondes are making the only music that truly matters" and called The Red Sea "the most anticipated Jewish record of the year." [8] Almost since its inception,[9] the band has stirred controversy for the members' outspoken queerness and radical politics, particularly those centered around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[10]

[edit] Critical response

Complex song structures intertwined with direct, inquisitive lyrics...It's haunting and it's eerie, yet it's rousing. The Shondes are a twisted carnival film noir come true. -CMJ

"The Red Sea," is a visceral work...their moody songs are redolent of a time in the early '80s when punk fractured into something more tuneful and complex...a political band whose music is as strong as its message is a rare treat. -The Chicago Tribune

Riot grrrl radicalism wed to classically structured songs, distortion pedals, clashing vocals, and powerful lyrics. -The Village Voice

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Rhodes, Elizabeth. http://www.newyorkpress.com/21/2/music/music.cfm "No Shame" New York Press 7 January 2008
  2. ^ The Shondes. The Red Sea, 2008. Liner notes
  3. ^ Kiser, Matt. http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=53547330 Review: The Red Sea CMJ
  4. ^ Rhodes, Elizabeth. http://www.newyorkpress.com/21/2/music/music.cfm "No Shame" New York Press 7 January 2008
  5. ^ Giovagnoli, Gavin Paul. www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2008/01/080114_the_shondes/index.html Artist of the Day: The Shondes
  6. ^ http://www.jatonyc.org/ "Our Mission" Jews Against the Occupation NYC
  7. ^ http://www.heeb100.com/p_temim_fruchter.html Heeb 100
  8. ^ http://www.heebmagazine.com/blog/view/479 Heeb HQ.
  9. ^ Torreri, Marisa. http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0624,torrieri,73489,22.html "Shame on You" The Village Voice June 9, 2006
  10. ^ http://www.newyorkpress.com/21/2/music/music.cfm">"No Shame" New York PressJanuary 7, 2008

[edit] External links