Music
Press
As written by Rick Koster arts & music writter for The New London Day:
"Yes the Lo-Fi Radiostars hail from New London-but don't feel bad if, when you hear them you assume they've spent years as the house band at some great club in Austin or Memphis or Detroit"
"Assimilating the finest elements of classic rock and soul from Booker T and Free to Tiny Town and Steve Burton, the Lo-Fi Radiostars are perfectly comfortable focusing on the sort music whose glory days were perhaps decades past."
"Seeing them or hearing them will make you wish more bands thought this way" - The New London Day
by Brian LeRue
"The music's clearly-recorded, capturing the swagger and soul of a tight bar band. With bluesy vocals, blustery guitar solos, songs that don't overstay their welcome and choruses that feel both climactic and familiar, this is immediately accessible stuff."
"done with much more professionalism and mindfulness of songcraft than the norm. This is the kind of band that must please a late-night bar crowd and it's more soulful than a lot of the similar but comparatively bloodless throwback-rock on commercial radio these days." - The New Haven Advocate
The Lo-Fi Radio Stars' name is somewhat of a misnomer. When I think low fidelity and the faux genre lo-fi that grew in its wake, I think of classic American underground acts like the hiss-heavy early Guided By Voices and Sebadoh records.
What you can expect from the Radio Stars, who play the Oasis Friday night, is a brand of rock and roll that has all but disappeared from New London's music scene, which is to say a band that draws on obvious classic rock influences. LFRS delivers fluid, competent dual guitar work by Eric and John Fries, bolstered by the steady rhythm section of Josh Candler and Bobby Crash. Jed Johnson will also join the band on keys.
The band describes itself as blues, rock and big beat, stylistic choices evident on songs like "Road Sorrow," a tune that most likely would have been an AM radio hit (not lo-fi by any means) 30 years ago.
New London's most famous geek, Matt Gouette, opens the show.
- M. Matthew Clark - New London Day
Discography
Lo-Fi Radiostars released their debut album in the summer of 2008, recorded at The Power Station New England, Sonalysts.
The album has been well received by fans, critics & radio stations in the northeast. Recently they were featured on 96.9 WEHM's "The Local"
Photos
Bio
The Lo-Fi RadioStars are an American rock and roll band featuring a big sound made possible only with driving, dual guitars, a real Hammond B-3 organ, and a heavy dose of low-end. If the eclectic rockers sound (and look) like a throw back to the best of the 1970’s, it’s because, well… they are. “Seeing them or hearing their self-titled debut album will make you wish more bands thought the same way,” Rick Koster, Rock Critic, New London Day, 9/4/2008.
Currently, the Lo-Fi RadioStars are touring in support of their independently released, self-titled, debut album that’s been described as “a brand of rock and roll that has all but disappeared…” M. Matthew Clark, New London Day, 8/23/07. The band’s live shows deftly combine the album’s four-minute, radio friendly, rock tunes with extended improvisational jams ensuring fans get their money’s worth. The debut album has garnered regional airplay and the band’s current single, “Road Sorrow,” has been praised as “a tune that most likely would have been an AM radio hit 30 years ago,” New London Day, 8/23/07.
Front Man John Fries (vocals, guitar) penned much of the band’s debut release while traveling internationally on a six-month, multi-continental journey. The effects of such prolonged separation from family, friends, and country were profound personally, and unmistakable musically. His lyrics on the band’s debut album are drenched in emotion, creating a poignant, yet powerful effect when delivered above the band’s rootsy rock sound. Raw & distorted, yet sweetly musical, tones emanate from Fries’ guitar, and often when it seems the music has no room left to build, an even higher crescendo is reached during his searing guitar leads.
Founding member Bobby Crash (drums), a veteran on the rock scene, is best known for his work with local heroes the Royale Brothers. Some drummers thrive on staying out of the way while playing a backing role in the band. Not Crash. A true character in every sense of the word, Crash’s presence is dwarfed only by his huge drumming. Both figuratively, and literally, as the 28” bass drum used on the band’s album propels the recording’s thunderous grooves.
Eric Fries (guitar) brings a bit of balance to the band both in his approach to guitar playing and in his personality, both uniquely different from sibling John. Brotherly differences have led fellow band mates and those close to the group to affectionately label the younger brother the “anti-Fries.” As the band’s youngest member, his laid back, funky playing rounds out the band’s sound and persona.
Precision-guided bass lines solidify the band’s low end courtesy of Josh Candler (bass). The scientific nature of his playing and demeanor come as no surprise as he is an organic chemist by day. The multi-talented bassist concocts driving bass lines that meld the requisite rhythm qualities of rock bass playing with sweet, melodic overtones.
Jed Johnson’s (keyboards) jazz-funk inspired contributions to the band’s sound are not easily categorized. Alternating between syncopated, pulsating chord-work and swirling psychadelia courtesy of his real Hammond B-3 organ (circa 1969), Johnson expertly plugs the gaps in the music while making his presence heard in distinctive fashion.
Lo-Fi’s independently released, seven-track album made a splash on New London’s WCNI and garnered them the accolade of “Featured Local Artist” on New York’s 96.9 and 92.9 WEHM, a rare accomplishment for an out-of-state band. The band has been touring the northeast in support of the release and recently performed at Harper’s Ferry (Boston, MA), headlined SailFest 2008’s Custom House Pier Stage (New London, CT), and has upcoming shows at Toad’s Place (New Haven’s, CT) and Sullivan Hall (New York, NY).
Contact info:
lofiradiostars@gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/lofiradiostars
http://sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=139807
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