excuses for skipping

Excuses for Skipping (Holly Park Music)
“When it gets too much, sometimes I think too much, but you told me to think about that later,” Linda Moody sings on “Kirrie,” the first track on Excuses for Skipping‘s five-song demo. It sounds like she‘s followed that advice around for a while—you can feel the magnetic pull in a long-gone relationship that‘s still dragging the singer off-center years down the line. A haunted-sounding guitar trails along behind her vocals, and its moody romanticism makes me think of Versus circa Stars Are Insane as well as the light-and-dark harmonies of the Butchies.
Many tracks suggest nights spent binging on old high school diaries, offering consolation for the shy, nostalgic, heartachy set.

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- SF Bay Guardian

YES! Some rock!! Big shouts to Julie for tipping us off to San Francisco’s EXCUSES FOR SKIPPING, a band we quickly were smitten with and had to track down their new music. Las Vegas Weekly nailed it by saying, “Imagine if Kevin Shields had produced The Go-Go’s and you’ve got some idea where this Bay Area-based, all-female quartet is coming from. Lush, shoegazey backdrops envelop bubblegum-pop hooks on enjoyable (if slightly ephemeral) tunes.” I love the driving sound of this act, reminiscent of another Bay Area group, ERASE ERRATA that I once loved dearly. We need to see this live and I think they just moved to the top of the list for an upcoming Rumble SF. - Futuresounds.com

“EFS is the type of band that not only pleases the youthful masses of San Francisco on a regular basis, but also inspires and breeds creativity among their peers; a rue group of renaissance musicians...” Brian Ball, Music Editor - Brian Ball

video interview at BYOQ festival March 4th, 2010

The SF Music Wrap crew catches up wiht 80's influenced band Excuses For Skipping - www.vidsf.com by Ben youngerman

Excuses For Skipping play a brand of pop rock that brings me right back to the 90�s. It�s High School again: sitting in cars with nowhere to go is a major pastime, and we�re all convinced that the music blasting from the stereo will make our awkward teenage angst go away. (It usually did, at least while we were in the car.)

If it was still the 90�s then �Gravity,� the first track on Excuses For Skipping�s 2007 album Out of Work Early, would have inevitably ended up on the mixed tape we would surreptitiously slip into the locker of that new girl we�re crushing on. After hearing the song�s lush guitar riffs and sweet, shoegazey vocals, how could she help but to return our crush? Our crush on ESF, that is.

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—I was more than surprised and definitely thrilled when they took the stage and delivered song after song of catchy, melodic, spacey-yet-spikey pop music. And I say "pop" in the best sense of the word—the kind of music that has you humming the chorus in your head for days but still manages to rise above formula and familiarity often associated with pop music these days. They'd fit perfectly on a label like 4AD alongside acts such as Lush, the Cocteau Twins or even the more sparse and experimental Throwing Muses, and recall criminally underrated 90s-era bands like New York's Ruby Falls or Portland's The Spinanes.

- The Deli Magazine

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It’s a shoegazing sort of indie rock that rings through Café du Nord on May 6th in beautiful San Francisco. It’s all working together, cold soft fog outside, hearty reverb soaked guitars fast approaching feedback before shying away and complimented by consistent strong grooves and vocals that keep all of us on our toes. It’s a fitting scene with Excuses for Skipping providing the musical support; sometimes energetic nearly shouting, bouncy choruses and then ultra far-away, starry eyed musical departures.
The music of Excuses for Skipping is rich with two-part vocal harmonies, clever rhythmic drum and bass development, and moody guitar dueling that make for some very full sounding earnest indie rock songs. The live show brings all of that to life in a very special way and I would be hard pressed to guess that this band plays for people unaffected by their well put together songs. Café du Nord is no exception on this night as the songs drag the audience well into contemplative distraction then into foot stomping, arm waving, crowd pleasers rivaling even the best indie rockers.
Their set began with “Ghost Plane” equipped with about a minute of drum and bass drowning in ambient guitar work, then a nice thick beat complimented by some louder, slightly cleaned up guitar stuff, but the song never lost the mood settled on by the feedback in the intro. Not a lot of movement yet, it’s coming. The next tracks “MJ” and “Missing Stars” both inspire not only lively players on stage, but a lot of crowd movement as well and any skepticism that may have existed is quickly hushed. “2 Sides of the Fall” takes a more straight-forward approach to indie rock showing off some killer vocal harmonies and even some handclaps (crowd participation encouraged).
Their last song “Tonic for Hysteria” shows off a different side of the band vocally, some pantomimed stage moves, and what looked to be bike frame auxiliary percussion! It’s a great testament to their creativity as a band and as performers and it’s a great way to end a diverse and wildly compelling set. While you might not be able to predict what’s coming next from an “Excuses for Skipping” live set, you’re safe in assuming that it will be awesome.
“EFS is the type of band that not only pleases the youthful masses of San Francisco on a regular basis, but also inspires and breeds creativity among their peers; a true group of renaissance musicians …” –Brian Ball, Music Editor
Watch HD Video of the Entire Set HERE
Download the Entire Set for FREE as MP3 (128), MP3 (320) or FLAC
More about Excuses For Skipping:
Excuses for Skipping are a San Francisco indie rock quartet whose 2007 debut Out of Work Early has earned them a bevy of strong reviews for its mix of spacey experimental elements and thick soaring melodies. The album showcases a strong control of both dynamics and layering, as the band can use powerful stacked vocal harmonies and guitars just as well as it can deconstruct those textures into compelling moody pieces. Their catchy, dense rock is both familiar and unplaceable and comes from a willingness to experiment with styles drawn from their diverse musical backgrounds, and frequently inspired by their other artistic interests.
While the band arises out of something of a songwriting experiment for guitarists Tammy and Linda, the addition of bassist Wendy and drummer Ezekiel have added a dancier feel now reflected in the band’s frequent and well-received live shows at local clubs, house parties, and street festivals. After finishing up a Southwest tour with local favorites, Jeepster--that culminated in a blistering performance at SXSW’s Gay bi Gay Gay festival--they are now back in the studio recording their second album, due for release in 2010. Las Vegas Weekly says: Imagine if Kevin Shields had produced The Go-Go’s and you’ve got some idea where this Bay Area-based, all-female quartet is coming from. Lush, shoegazey backdrops envelop bubblegum-pop hooks on enjoyable (if slightly ephemeral) tunes.
ExcusesForSkipping.com - www.womensradio.com

The first time I heard the driving kickdrum beats and soaring opening guitar riffs of "Gravity", I was instantly hooked. Actually, make that simultaneously punched in the gut and kicked in the ass. With varied influences such as The Cure, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen, the four San Francisco-based gals of Excuses For Skipping rock with a fresh, raw energy missing from many of today's all-female bands. And the vocal melodies and harmonies... Oh, the loveliness... Look for their new album, Out of Work Early, to hit the world soon in 2007.
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San Francisco's Excuses for Skipping are stealing hearts all over the bay area. We love these ladies and know you will, too. All three songs from their woefully brief demo are now airing on Radio Stars 1, 2, Pop and Mellow hours on Church of Girl Radio.
- Church Of Girl Radio

San Francisco, California, band Excuses for Skipping has come along with music cozy enough to trigger memories of lost loves, late-night road trips, and forgotten Sundays. It's the perfect dream pop for your crush's mix tape.
- C|NET Download.com

Cascading off the stage, flowing freely into the darkness occupied by the crowd on the lower level of Café du Nord on this particular Tuesday evening shines a star much brighter than even light itself… This star is comprised of four extremely talented and complex points of light, and by daytime assumes the Earthly roles of band membersTammy, Linda, Wendy and Allison.

Excuses For Skipping is the moniker that this energy undertakes, as it ascends up the staircase and out the front door onto the rolling hills of San Francisco, going even further, out and beyond the city, into the atmosphere and beyond the sheer ether of time and space itself!!

visit: http://www.womensradio.com/content/templates/?a=2724&z=8 - Womens Radio Brian Ball