The Bowery Presents

Music Hall of Williamsburg upcoming shows

Apes and Androids
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Apes & Androids' Jacobs and Tobias met as third graders in New Jersey and started writing music in their pre-teens. "After high school, we went to different colleges so we had a long distance band relationship. We'd work in our dorm rooms, then get together during breaks and build songs together," says Jacobs.The band's live performances are becoming as well-known as the songs themselves, with cheerleaders, giant silver skulls, face paint and even a Korean drum circle all making appearances for a unique live experience.The band's musical division between the past and future dates back to elementary school. "I remember when I met David, he was listening to Digital Underground, stuff with a lot of samples," says Jacobs, who was already deep into Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana.
--Rolling Stone.com
The Phenomenal Handclap Band
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The Phenomenal Handclap Band is a tight-knit aggregation of musicians and artists from Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. At the center of it is Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand who, after years of searching and contemplation, through live performance and the manipulation of recorded music, have finally succeeded in assembling the personification of their holy vision: a musical juggernaut comprised of Daniel, Sean, and their supremely talented friends Patrick Wood, Luke O'Malley, Laura Marin, Bing Ji Ling, Pier Pappalardo and Joan Tick.

The collective started when Collás and Marquand, two New York underground club DJs, became restless with the concept of playing other people's music. Both had also been involved in the thriving nightlife scene, and had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of esoteric music ranging from Brazilian soul to vintage psych-rock, so becoming producers seemed to be the next logical step.

After working with a wide range of artists, from veteran soul acts to up-and-coming rock n' rollers, the duo set their sights on The Phenomenal Handclap Band, a collective comprised of various luminaries of the indie rock and underground soul scenes. The resulting self-titled debut (which boasts guest appearances by Aurelio Valle, Carol C, Jaleel Bunton, Bart Davenport, Jon Spencer, and Lady Tigra) is the harmonious culmination of numerous diverse musical backgrounds, as well as a testament to Collás’ and Marquand’s singular musical vision. They have crafted a sound that is equal parts anthemic, dancefloor-oriented and orchestral, borrowing elements from progressive rock, disco, electro, and psychedelia.

Live, The Phenomenal Handclap Band is distilled to an eight-member powerhouse, an eye-popping spectacle that overwhelms the senses. It pulses with a savage rhythm section that provides the ultimate foil for cascading guitars and electrified washes of organ and synthesizers. Their delirious sermonizing whips crowds into a charismatic frenzy. Needless to say, their live shows are more akin to a spiritual church revival than an actual rock show.
Bonnie Baxter
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