“A post-apocalyptic mash-up of meticulous orchestration,
electronic manipulation and eccentric experimentation” – 944 Magazine
“Gypsy punk rife with keys and rasping vocals” - Paste
Magazine
“If you like your music to grin at you with a wide-eyed
look of barely contained insanity, then The Burning Of Rome was custom-built
for you” – KPBS
Blending gypsy punk, dance, and rock into mind-bending stew,
San Diego based ensemble The Burning of Rome have released
theirdebut LP With Us, today via Surfdog Records (Brian
Setzer, Glen Campbell, Dave Stewart.) The LP was recorded in LA at EastWest
studios and was produced by lead singer Adam Traub and Tom Biller, mixed by
Dave Darling (Tom Waits, Jack Johnson, Brian Setzer) with additional remixes by
Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers, Sublime, U2, Meat Puppets, Pepper).
A track called “Norman Bates” is now available as a free
download and stream on RcrdLbl.com. To download visit:http://rcrdlbl.com/2012/09/18/download_the_burning_of_rome_norman_bates.
The Burning of Rome recently wrapped production on a music
video for the track, which will be premiering shortly.
To celebrate the release of the LP, the band will be
performing at LA’s Origami Vinyl tonight and will play a show at the Viper Room
on Thursday September 20.
With influences ranging from Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle), Danny
Elfman (Oingo Boingo), Pink Floyd, and Phil Spector, the San Diego based
ensemble defies all genres which may be one reason why the band was recently
voted “Best Alternative Act” at the 2012 San Diego Music Awards.
The Burning of Rome began as a creative outlet
for mastermind and front man, Traub. The small studio project
quickly outgrew the four-track tape recorder on which it was born and Traub
began collaborating with local musicians who were eager to help bring his
vision to life. After several rotating members, The Burning of
Rome has settled in its current and longest-running inception of the
band: Traub (keyboards/lead vocals), Joe Aguilar (guitar / vocals), Aimee
Jacobs (glockenspiel / synthesizer / vocals), and Lee Williams (drums /
percussion). Together they’ve unleashed Traub’s creation upon the world.
Each song, though disguised alarmingly well by infectious hooks and
provocative allusions to historical references, elicits intensely moving
accounts of Traub’s interpretation of the human experience.
“ “As a songwriter music is a therapeutic way
for me to cope with the world around me. Ever since I was a child I felt
like an alien visiting Earth and had (and still have) difficulty understanding
what makes people normal. I opted to rebel against the norm through
music; it was the only thing that made sense to me,“ explains Traub. “The
ultimate goal of The Burning of Rome is to reach as many
people as possible with our sound and offer musical asylum to those needing
it. Bands used to carry the banner for their followers in a way that
seems fleeting. There aren’t any Joe Strummers of this generation acting
as a voice for those that can’t be heard. I want The Burning of
Rome to carry a banner for its followers and give them refuge from
monotony. I want to rally the masses and call out the corrupt. I
want a revolution to spark from this band.”
The band’s live show successfully personifies a brazen style
of rock that fuses the brashness of punk with the captivating drama of a
theatrical production, exemplified by the bold, beautiful insanity of front man
Traub stomping carelessly on a crooked timeline somewhere between David Bowie
and GG Allin. Each live show is its own rock opera: the band
dresses in costumes (everything from hazmat suits to burkas), dances among the
audience, and even adds the occasional pig head on a stake just to keep things
even more interesting. Traub commands the attention of the audience
over the megaphone: a gothic beat poet who weaves seamlessly among the eerie
keyboards and irresistible melody of the band. It is a profoundly
entertaining experience that leaves each onlooker with an intensely personal
interpretation of the music.
Whether The Burning of Rome leaves you
mesmerized, bloodied, confused, ecstatic, or bewildered, or whether you can’t
figure out if you were at a punk show, dance party, or performance art piece,
one thing is certain: you won’t be able to get the songs out of your head.
THE BURNING OF ROME is:
Adam Traub: Vocals, Keyboards
Joe Aguilar: Guitar, Vocals
Aimee Jacobs: Keyboards, Vocals
Lee Williams: Drums
Upcoming shows:
9/18 Origami Vinyl, Los Angeles, CA (in-store appearance for
album release) http://origamiorigami.com
9/20 Viper Room, Los Angeles, CA (album release party!) http://viperroom.com
With Us Track Listing:
- Ballad
Of An Onion Sprout
- Little
Piranhas
- Cowboys
& Cut Cigars (Butthole Surfers Mix)
- Norman
Bates (Butthole Surfers Mix)
- Wake
Up Edamame
- Island
- Why
Can't I Stop Killing My Friends?
- Audrey
II
- Opus
For Sleepwalking
- The
Universe Is Made of Nonsense
- Untitled
- Ballad Of An Onion Sprout (Butthole Surfers Mix)
Cover art:
Some random facts about The Burning of Rome:
Music creator Adam Traub grew up in San Diego, CA and at age
15 he was already playing guitar in the punk band Nobody’s Hero,
signed to Arista Records.
It all came to a halt when he was diagnosed with a rare
muscular disorder in both legs. He was thrown into a world of
medical chaos, 7 surgeries and 6 titanium bolts later, Traub was faced with a
long grueling recovery. During that time he would play an old upright
piano and would hobble over to figure out Beatles songs. Beatles
eventually turned to Chopin. Chopin eventually turned into Thelonious
Monk. And Thelonious eventually turned into The Burning of Rome.
The Burning of Rome follows no suit or trend. They
attempt to do the opposite, challenging conventionalism. Prepare for
something manic and theatrical when you see them live.
The band has been lucky enough to open for acts they admire
such as The Black Keys, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Devo, MGMT,
Skrillex, Suicidal Tendencies and Jimmy Eat World.
Check out the Burning of Rome’s “Ballad of an Onion
Sprout,” music video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pEz6GziaBU
No comments:
Post a Comment