“If all that idle indie chatter about great music being out there and people needing
to hear it is true, then you need to hear this sh*t.” – Anthem magazine
“Over in New York, there’s quite a buzz surrounding funk-soul-rock fusionists
Roughstars. A series of electrifying live gigs have earned them a reputation as one
of the most exciting acts on the circuit.” – International DJ magazine
“Bullet Brown is like a new Electro Seal vibe." – Afrobots
What does a Brooklyn-based band know about surviving in the woods?
Absolutely nothing, but in some ways, everything; hence the title for the
Roughstars sophomore set. "We’re really well adapted to our environment,
New York City, and this is our little survival kit,” says producer Lars. "The title
comes from an honest acknowledgment of our situa
tion and how we create
music to those conditions. A cultural commentary, which comes from living
and being involved within the New York experience,” says Bullet Brown.
Lars and Bullet Brown grew up in New York City during the mid-1980, when Hip-
Hop, new wave and R & B started to break onto the top 40 charts. All these
sounds gave birth to the alternative music scene. "If you were in New York
during that time no one listened to the same music exclusively! We were all
influenced by everything around us!" says Bullet Brown. And everything means
Bad Brains, Run DMC, The Clash, Prince, to ladies rocking Vanity 6 exotic
fashion and 80's NYC club culture.
Meeting over a decade ago through their friend Thomas Bullock's
(Rub'n'Tug, A.R.E Weapons) "White Telephone" parties at NYC hotspot 205
Chrystie, Lars and Bullet Brown found a shared understanding of music and
became fast friends. A couple of years later, after meeting up with Vito –
vocalist, writer, and part-time co-conspirator – the three friends started going
to the studio together and Roughstars were born. "We are a New York band
that is actually made up of New Yorkers," states Lars. "We are not mimicking a
certain style or trying to sound like a combination of a couple of bands. We
are trying to take our influences and make something of our own. “And what
Roughstars have made is their own style- Bump Rock – a fusion of R&B,
Hardcore, and dusted Disco.”We challenge all artists that are producing a
combination of styles and approaches to join Roughstars under the Bump
Rock banner," declares Lars and Bullet Brown.
Lars, (Manhattan-born, Yonkers raised, Brooklyn residing) guitarist and
producer, cut his teeth with New York Hardcore bands such as Side By Side,
Judge, and Alone In A Crowd. By day he is in law school and runs the band’s
label, Home Style Cooking. Brooklyn-Born Bullet Brown is the crew's fashionisto,
lead singer and lyricist. When he's not singing or acting, he owns a
Manhattan boutique Apartment 141 and is a designer of a women's clothing
line called 3Free. Both of them grew up listening to New York radio and their
parents' record collection. In the case of Lars, it was Black Sabbath, Marvin
Gaye and WLIR; for Bullet, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and Frankie
Crocker.
The 2004 self-titled debut album was strictly a computer affair; while the new
album has elements of both programming and live instrumentation. The
video of the first album's single, "Letter In Blue", was composed of thousands
of separate digital photographs, presented one after another in
chronological sequence. This giant digital (and low-budget) flipbook of a day
in the life of Roughstars aired on the MTV Networks and won an award for
editing.
How To Survive in the Woods displays the full range of the Roughstars. The
opening track "Five Fifth Addiction" is the Bump Rock theme song; "New
Ending" is a haunting power ballad; "NYC Deglam," according to DJ
Magazine "is a rip-snorting party-down old-skool disco bump drowning in
oceans of fuzzed-up synth and shouty post-punk nastiness." The album's final
track, the-rally-around-the-freak-flag, quasi-instrumental workout "Passerby,"
recalls Outkast's "SpottieOttieDopaliscious." Old school lensman/
videographer, David Perez Shadi (NERD "Everybody Nose," House of Pain
"Jump Around") directed the "Girlfriend" video.
So what should one expect from the Roughstars and Bump Rock in 2008?
"High energy live shows, hard beats & fine tailoring!" confesses Lars. "People
singing our hooks, especially the ladies. And me rocking my Bump Rock
style… Damaged elegance!" says Bullet Brown.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL....
READ MORE
