Mercury Lounge

showview

Fri 3/28

$10

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=2758483
http://www.theheadset.com/thsframeset.htm
After a year of writing and performing solo in New York City, Jordan Blaugrund needed a band. The time had come to hear the songs the way they sounded in his head, but he needed help. His first call was to his older brother Michael, an accomplished drummer in Boston who was itching for an excuse to move to NYC. Michael tracked down Brett Sherman (bass) and Eliot Wadsworth (guitar), former bandmates who shared the brothers' taste for The Police, David Bowie, and U2. Before long, the boys had settled into a rehearsal studio on 8th Ave and The Head Set was born. With hooky, high-energy songs and a dynamic live show to match, The Head Set quickly earned a reputation as a band to watch.

http://www.myspace.com/thegreyraceband
Jon says of his collaboration with bassist Jeff Hill and drummer Ethan Eubanks, the pair he credits with designing The Grey Raceâ€™s sonic architecture: â€œWeâ€™ve got this sweet-and-sour thing going on. My stuff is pretty dark and moody, but Ethan and Jeffâ€™s production brought a completely new dimension to it.â€ An unsettling lyric like Remember to turn the blade full circle, for instance, now swirls pleasantly atop an intoxicating waltz in â€œStraight For the Middle.â€ With Ethan and Jeffâ€™s discovery of Jonâ€™s treasure trove of songs, a lightning bolt struck the songwriterâ€™s creative norm. â€œWe loved Jonâ€™s voice and envisioned this whole sound around him,â€ Ethan says. â€œWe wanted to see what that voice could do if you put it right up front and arranged all the other musical elements strictly to complement it.â€ That entailed letting Jonâ€™s acoustic playing take the lead and not relying on electric guitar to carry the songs. Confides Jon, who taught himself to play bar chords with a distortion pedal via Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Sepultura, â€œI have to admit that at first the production freaked me out. It wasnâ€™t heavy. It was a brand new sound for me. But Ethan and Jeffâ€™s instincts were right on, and now I canâ€™t imagine these songs any other way.â€

http://www.myspace.com/honorbyaugust
http://www.honorbyaugust.com
Led by 23-year-old Michael Pearsall, Honor By August has already shared an arena stage with Bon Jovi and had its music broadcast to millions of television viewers. Honor By August is a modern, melodic rock band focused on personal, powerful songs and dynamic live performances. Award-winning songwriting, a distinct voice and strong musicianship are a few reasons why HBA is a world-class band in the making.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=2207974
"The Picture's tales of the modern world are backed by epic soundscapes and dramatic highs and lows wrapped tightly with indie ethos. Songs with the urgency of a NYC cab driver elevate the Picture's perfect-pop decadence above its contemporaries, with a complementary Britpop facade blaze that's sometimes doused with William Reid's dirty bottle of whisky." - The Pill

The Picture formed in New York City in the spring of 2004 shortly after singer/writer Robert Abel met guitarist Chris Buckle from Liverpool, England. They were soon joined by drummer Jared Vergilis, bass player Jake Siegler and keyboard player Justin Repasky. The band has recorded with two-time Grammy nominated producer Carmen Rizzo (Grant Lee Phillips, Alanis Morissette, Paul Oakenfold, Billy Corgan, etc.) and top engineer Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Johnny Cash, Mars Volta, etc.). The band's debut album, CONNECT, is available at www.thepictureonline.com and at shows.