"If you never quite accepted Oasis, this is your band."
-- Indie-Music.com
Right! What's all this then?
It's the new Larch album - Gravity Rocks!!
Gravity Rocks vital information:
Gravity Rocks
Return of the Chimera
Accidental Planet
Extreme Ape
Cell Phone or Schizo
That’s Where You’re Wrong, Carruthers
In the Sphere of the Prime Mover
Copernican Principle
Red Planet Express
Radio Free Alpha Centauri*
Recorded at Wombat Recording Brooklyn
www.wombatrecording.com
Producer: Ian Roure
Engineer: Ross Bonadonna,
Mixed by Ian & Ross
Some guitar on track #1 and track #10 recorded by Paul Gill at Smirk, Brooklyn
All songs arranged by The Larch
*Matt Barton contributed to the arrangement on track 10.
Projected impact date:
MAY 8, 2008 7:00 PM EDT
Cosmologically speaking, You need it.
And Now...
The Groop:
L to R
Ian Roure: Guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, Evil Mastermind.
Liza Garelik: Chanteuse, Keyboards, Wonder Wheelie.
Ross Bonadonna: Bass, Sax Maniac, Studio Sensei
Tom Pope : Drums, Covert Funkster.
Larchdate - September 1997: The Solar System is rocked by the thermonuclear implosion of Clockwork Robin (no doubt you'll remember where you were at the time). Dazed & confused (fortunately, not a major change of affairs for these guys), Ian, Brendan & Pete stumbled from the smoldering wreckage, desperately in search of a stiff drink & a new outlet for their musical madness.
The answer was obvious. The Larch was born.
Their sense of humor still intact, a sketch by these guys inspired the name.
Now many years on, three albums, one single, many EP's later*, the madness Larches on, with the arrivals of bass sensei Ross Bonadonna, beautiful yet lethal vocalist Liza Garelik, the newest agents of the Larch World Domination Project™.
We join The Larch Inside Story™, already in progress...
Our Fearless Leader...
Finding himself jobless and bandless in the late 80’s, Ian, formerly residing near Southampton England, brought himself and his music across the Pond to Brooklyn and has never lacked a band since.
After stints in various, mostly experimental, bands centered around the lower east side of Manhattan, he formed The Larch in 1997.
Larch (as the band was known originally) was signed to an indie label called Flamingo thanks to an introduction from Paula Carino (then of power-pop band, Regular Einstein.) Stewart Mason, who owned the label, suggested they change the name to “THE Larch” (since at the time the trend was towards bands without the “the” prefix – think Blur, Oasis, Ash) the thinking being that it would help the band stand out from the crowd. Stewart has since stated that that the resulting 7” vinyl single (Free Kick b/w Anvil Chorus and Crashing Main Street) was “the best single I ever put out“ and that “the sardonic "Free Kick" sounds like Nick Hornby's football memoir Fever Pitch set to an old Dentists single.”
As fate would have it, the label folded before any effective promotion and distribution was put in motion. Ian has continued to release The Larch’s records by himself with help from his band-mates and graphics pro Greg Fields. (hey! that's me! - webguy)
Ian likes good songwriting: favorite styles include codified, abstract wonders a la Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices) and story songs such as those by Chris Difford (Squeeze.) Musically, he has an eclectic approach: combining melodic and production elements of 60’s psychedelia with the energy of 70’s punk and old-school new wave (adding an occasional dash of glam and prog along the way.) The goal is to create a progressive and exciting new flavor of power pop with knock out, smart songs.
Other likes include cats, well written sci-fi and real ale (when I can get it.)
Bay Ridge Roller...
Liza Garelik,
Keyboards, harmony vocals
Liza has been singing with The Larch since 2001, and playing keys in the band since 2003, appearing on four Larch records and performing all over NYC with the band in venues such as Don Hills and Arlene's Grocery. She also writes, plays guitar and performs her original rock music with her band Liza & the WonderWheels which benefits from Ian's stellar guitar playing, Andy Mattina's melodic bass riffs and Joe Filosa's propulsive groovy drumming. 2006 saw the release of Liza's second record MEET THE ANIMAL.
Amazing Rhythm Ace...
Tom Pope
Drums
Tom, originally from Berkeley, California, has been living in Brooklyn for the past several years , having joined The Larch in late 2004. He also occasionally joins Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) and his band Ratdog on stage at venues such as the Beacon Theatre, New York City.
The Ninja Larch...
Ross Bonadonna
Bass, sax, production.
After a long history behind the scenes of the Larch Conspiracy™ as our longtime producer, Ross finally stepped in as an bassist this past spring. Long a prominent figure in the Brooklyn music scene, Ross owns & operates Wombat Recording Co., where the band has been recording since the beginning. Ross has played with far too many bands to mention here, as well as his own outfit, Wombat Music Workshop and also a one-time duo act with Ian, The Virgin Dog.
Contact The Larch here!
