Sexy Neighbors

There's a good roundup of local bands at Public Assembly tonight, with Sexy Neighbors, Gross Relations, Lost Boy and Crinkles. - Brooklynvegan

"Sexy Neighbors are one of those bands most people I know would probably consider an "acquired taste," but I'd totally geek out over at a gig—a guitar player who prefers trebly, clean channels and often veers off into his own herky-jerky rhythmed world; what might be a Farfisa organ layered over quirky, arty punk, and a singer who sounds like he's trying to find some sorta sweet spot between Gordon Gano and Chris D. The ten songs here often teeter dangerously on the brink of going on a bit longer than they should, but their sound leaves plenty of room for experimentation and growth." –Jimmy Alvarado, Razorcake - Razorcake

This slice of slurry, punky hoopla feels distinctly lo-fi and louche, but also barbarian, bohemian and bloody brilliant – and all that despite, sadly, not being a Fleetwood Mac cover. It’s also got a firmly foot-stomping bassline and the sort of messy, murmury vocals that positively demand drunken singing along." - Some Of It Was True!

If my last post was more than you could handle please don’t read further, you may be paralyzed by the number of events worth your time in the coming days…

Tonight whip up your best potluck offering (I like to make pies but casseroles are traditional) and head to Canoe Studios for the Slideluck Potshow- a potluck dinner where your dish is your ticket to a slideshow of original work by artists including (on this occasion) Christoph Niemann, Brian Ulrich, Claudio Papapietro and Edith Maybin. This is the 13th such event, which the New York Times has described as “own little niche in the art world, glazed with a hipster sheen.”

Tomorrow night catch Sexy Neighbors at Lit Lounge where their hot Afrobeat will be raising the roof.

On Sunday their are two great BBQs to add to this weekend’s menu. DJ Fucci will be spinning at Outpost’s Garden Party; there will be yummy food including do-it-yourself s’mores!

GBH’s version of the classic BBQ includes free corn on the cob and will be taking place rain or shine on the rooftop of Highbar! - The Big Red Apple

It's hard to ignore three loft-dwellers from Brooklyn who title their songs after Fleetwood Mac singles and have a lead singer who sounds like a (mostly unintelligible) Gordon Gano while dressing like a member of Team Zissou. So, despite our best efforts, Sexy Neighbors have not escaped our attentions. There's a bristling fervor to their distorted drone-angst meant for headbobbing in the exact abandoned warehouse in which you'll find yourself tonight. Fate, meet circumstance—now drink Pabst out of a mini cooler.
Sat., April 3, 8 p.m., 2010 - Village Voice

If you want to find out more about Sexy Neighbors, don't just type "Sexy Neighbors" into Google... at work. That's a whole different beast. That being said, Sexy Neighbors the Brooklyn band is worth learning more about.

And I'll be honest; I don't know much about these guys at all. But I do know that they remind me a lot of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, especially the vocals yelps and the bluesy stop-start punk rhythms. I guess Richard Hell didn't really rock the organ though. Hey, nobody's perfect.

And, you know, if a band sounds similar to Richard Hell and the Voidoids, well, that's definitely better than sounding like Stephen Bishop, right? (Oh, c'mon. You know Stephen Bishop! The Light Station KING of the '80s! You know, "Tootsie" theme song guy? "The Money Pit" theme song guy? "On and On" guy? Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think Stephen Bishop did kind of rule. Nevermind.)

But back on track, I wish I could tell you more sexy stats about Sexy Neighbors. But I just can't. Please PLEASE don't ask me to try! I can only tell you to check them out. Because I checked them out. And I liked them. Hey, I've always been a yelp guy, what can I say?

If you don't want to file Sexy Neighbors under Hell, file them under math-rock. Maybe. Actually, scratch that. Don't file them at all, just listen to them or see them play. Filing is so NOT punk rock. Collating, on the other hand, collating is a different story. - Oh My Rockness

I saw Sexy Neighbors play live at The Charleston, NY, last Monday.
Below are three songs from their album ‘Dream Out’, which is currently growing on me…

Check them out! - Pietmondriaan

We are at a quaint Chinese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown and I am nibbling on my General Tso’s chicken, it’s a bit too salty so I wash it down with my obligatory Diet Coke. I’m sitting across the table from Felix, lead singer and guitar player of Sexy Neighbors, the sensational new band on the come-up in Brooklyn.

He is wearing a hunter green Holiday sweater with white reindeer on them, ripped jeans and boots, how appropriately Brooklynite of him I thought to myself. Andy, the painfully aloof and ever-intriguing bassist sits next to him, fidgeting the way he does. I grab some more Lo Mein and coyly mention their upcoming gig at Lit Lounge (Saturday, Feb. 6th at 8:00pm) and both begin to grin from ear-to-ear.

Sexy Neighbors, the brainchild of Felix, got its name while he was rocking out to some house music with authentic Gospel lyrics (it was blaring from a church in Bed Stuy located just one block from his place), and the name just came to him with the assistance of some gnarly ‘party favors’.

Akin to the sounds of Lake Trout of Baltimore and the Pixies with break-beats, Sexy Neighbors also has a truly unique sound, different than your standard electronic-influenced rock music, check out their MySpace, http://www.myspace.com/sxynyhbrs, and experience it for yourself. My favorite tunes are The Chain and Silent Not Silent.

I’ve been trying to convince them to permanently change the lyrics of Mandy to my namesake Candy, a song that was born while Felix was experimenting with house-style melodies on his guitar, pre-band and back in Buffalo. It maybe too late to get the switch for their upcoming album for King’s Highway Records, but fingers-crossed they grant my wish live this Saturday.

Read on for my exclusive interview with this indie/hipster/electronic/dance/rock band.

Where do you draw your inspiration from, music-wise and lyrics-wise?

That’s a tough question since there are so many sources. A lot of the musical intention comes from dance music, especially house. It’s sort of the idea that the music should be felt above all else. There’s a band called STS9 who play drum & bass and electro using live instruments, I sort of think of us as similar to them except playing rock music. The band Architecture In Helsinki was also real influential for me, they are so great at stripping down songs to the bare elements. The B-52s…there are so many inspirations. 60's garage is also a big foundation for us…that pure energy that carried through through the punk movement, that idea of intensity mattering more than precise technique. And of course everyone brings their own inspirations to the band.

I know that you guys have a album coming up, could you tell me a little about the process of making an album?

It’s fun but also very demanding, especially when the money is coming right out of your pocket. We had a limited budget so we did the whole thing in 4 days except for a few overdubs. It’s exhausting and cathartic at the same time. Everyone put their heart into the music, and when you’re doing that all day it takes a lot. But it’s great to finally see the realization of these songs on a recording since some of them are 2 years old. Everyone really played great. Margie only joined the band full time in September and she really stepped it up and learned the songs. She has some cool solos on the album as well.

If you guys could jam with one other band or musician out there, who would it be?

One person I would love to jam with is Richard Devine, who’s this amazing electronic musician from Atlanta. He’s really sort of a genius of sample creation/manipulation. I think more people should collaborate creatively within the music world.

What are some of the craziest things that have happened at one of your shows?

Well, we actually haven’t had that many shows since the current lineup came together only recently, but we had a show at Don Pedro’s in Williamsburg that was pretty wild. There was an couple who were heckling us, and one woman yelling at the drummer. I thought they were encouraging us, but Nima didn’t see it that way.

What’s one thing about Sexy Neighbors that you can only find out here?

We have a band mascot….his name is “Artbarg Yugenol”. That’s all I’m gonna say right now.

What do you guys view as musical success?

I can’t speak for the other guys, but for me, musical success is touring and getting our music out there. No matter how big we get, I just want to pay great music and have people feeling it at show. That’s success to me!

What gets you amped to perform? How do you prepare to rock?

We don’t necessarily have any pre-show rituals…we just try to stay cool and focus on the music. Maybe we’ll eventually develop them. Any ideas? For me personally listening to the music I love gets me pumped. Sonic Youth or the Stooges are good preshow choices.

What’s your dream venue to put on a show?

There are so many venues I’d love to play at, especially in NYC. On - This Is Candy Washington