{"id":7524,"date":"2014-08-06T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/home\/?p=7524"},"modified":"2014-08-12T10:27:24","modified_gmt":"2014-08-12T14:27:24","slug":"stargroves-nick-d-and-the-believers-release-catchy-refreshing-pop-singles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/stargroves-nick-d-and-the-believers-release-catchy-refreshing-pop-singles\/","title":{"rendered":"Stargroves, Nick D\u2019 and the Believers Release Catchy, Refreshing Pop Singles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWestfjords” by Stargroves feat. Abigail Breslin<\/h3>\n

\"stargroves2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Following in the banjo-playing trend, \u201cWestfjords\u201d \u2014 the catchy new single from New York indie pop band Stargroves \u2014 proves why it is an ever-popular and growing trend; uniquely blending folk, pop, electronic, and fantasy elements, charmingly fun is the only way to describe this new single. A dreamy though slightly melancholic track about a troll family trying to escape their dreary lives, \u201cWestfjords\u201d is refreshing, silly and wholly likable. Haunting vocals from the lead singer Teddy and the featured Abigail Breslin (of Little Miss Sunshine) only serve to add to that fantastic, ethereal beauty. A quick favorite in my heart, this is an easy win for fans of Mumford and Sons, Imogen Heap, and Sigur Ros. You can listen to their dreamy new single here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Looking to capture the inspiration behind and the future plans of this refreshing, new band, I interviewed lead singer Teddy Watson. In his responses below, you will see firsthand the heartfelt, contemplative essence behind Stargroves\u2019 wistful music.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0What is the inspiration behind your song \u201cWestfjords?\u201d
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0The Westfjords are a somewhat remote, sparsely populated yet beautiful region of Iceland. Inspiration for the song came loosely from popular folk myths of trolls which populate the area. It\u2019s a tongue-in-cheek story.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0When you were creating this song, what were you looking to create- what kind of feeling or sound? Did it start like how we hear it today, or has it evolved?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Like most of the songs on our first record, I wrote Westfjords during a three-month stay in Reykjav\u00edk. At first, it was just vocals and guitar, and a lot of the post-production you hear in the final track was done in collaboration with Jeremy Sklarsky and Enrico de Trizio. Really, everyone in the band played a part in how the final product came out.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0How did the opportunity to collaborate with Abigail Breslin arise and what was it like working together?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0I met Abigail through a vocal coach we have in common. We began collaborating almost immediately, and I played banjo and harmonica on a few of her projects. When I returned from Iceland, I asked her if she\u2019d be up for singing on a few songs. I wrote the parts specifically for her unique voice and it turned out really well.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0How did Stargroves come together?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Gradually. It definitely didn\u2019t happen over night. In the beginning we weren\u2019t even called Stargroves, we were just trying to get a set together long enough to play some shows. We\u2019ve gone through many different lineups, but I can honestly say right now we\u2019re the best we\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0How did you come up with your band name?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Stargroves is the name of an estate in England where a few well known classic rock bands had recorded. A childhood friend of mine had a house named after the one in England, and I always loved the name.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Who and what has influenced you?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Musically, I could go on for a while but the big one is Stars. I\u2019ve been listening to them non-stop since 9th grade and they\u2019ve definitely left they\u2019re mark on Stargroves. Non-musically, I would say Reykjav\u00edk made a big impact on our first record.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Had music always been the plan?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Music was always something I did a lot. When I was a young teenager my dad would drive me to open mics in DC every night so I could perform new songs in front of an audience. It\u2019s definitely been with me my whole life.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Have you seen your musical direction changing?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. Our new songs are different, but in an exciting way, we think.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0If you were to describe Stargroves in a simple word choice, what would you say?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Compositional melody-centric indie-pop<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you and your bandmates share or have other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Music is the main thing. I\u2019m also attending NYU part-time studying computer science. And Charlie is super into taxidermy.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s your favorite memory of your musical journey so far?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Driving to out of town shows is always fun. I remember we had a show at a festival in Albany, and we hit some really bad traffic. We weren\u2019t sure we\u2019d make it but we got there a few minutes before our set time, and it turned out to be one of our best shows yet.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0What are your hopes for Stargroves in the near future?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0We just recently released our debut album actually. We also love playing live, and we\u2019d love to start touring on a larger scale.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you have any upcoming shows that we can look forward to?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes! We\u2019re playing at TT the Bear’s in Cambridge on August 7. We\u2019re scheduling new shows all the time and you can find our schedule on www.stargroves.com<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you have any additional thoughts you would like to add?
\nTW:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re super proud of this record and we hope you enjoy it! Also, we\u2019re easy to reach on facebook and twitter so drop us a line!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nick D\u2019 and the Believers’\u00a0\u201cBang Bang\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"NickD\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Delivering a single with immediate appeal, Nick D\u2019 and the Believers have crafted a soft yet uptempo, electronic-synth track that combines the grittiness of rock with the catchiness of pop. All about the excitement of when you first enter into a relationship, and the unfortunate difficulties that follow, its fun and cathartic content make this a definite summer hit. After listening to such a catchy song, it was honestly quite difficult to resist listening to the rest of their album, especially just to hear more of that sweet, sweet combination of synth and rock. Nick D\u2019 and The Believers will appeal to fans of Starfucker, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys and more. You can listen to their single \u201cBang, Bang\u201d here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Interested to learn more about the inspiration behind their song, the band\u2019s style and name, and what we can look forward to next, I was fortunate enough to get an interview with the lead singer Nick D\u2019Andrea. With a flair for humor that leaves no doubt of what makes their songs unquestionably fun, I certainly enjoyed my interview with Nick and look forward to hearing more from them in the future. Our interview can be found below.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> What is the inspiration behind your song \u201cBang Bang?\u201d
\nND:<\/strong> It comes from the feeling of invincibility you can sometimes get at the start of a great relationship. And then the complications that ensue thereafter.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> When you were creating this song, what were you looking to create- what kind of feeling or sound?
\nND:<\/strong> We definitely wanted to inspire dancing, and group sing alongs, and possibly a feeling similar to the one you get when you hop in the car at the start of a road trip (assuming you enjoy road trips). We wanted to get a warm feeling from it when we crank it up in our not-tricked-out maroon Mercury Sable.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bDid it start like how we hear it today, or has it evolved?
\nND:<\/strong> It has evolved quite a bit since it\u2019s inception. The idea was a guitar riff and chords that little resembled the final synth and melody of the song. The chord structure is all that remains from the original idea. But we generally pursue song ideas until they give us the feeling that we want.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> How did you guys come together?
\nND:<\/strong> Nick decided to pursue the dream after a heart to heart with his uncle during a Dr. Dog concert. At the time, he was music-director of an after school program, and he called Joseph the day after the concert to ask if he wanted to create a band. Once they started the band, Nick dropped out of night school where he was going to become a teacher to pursue music. Kerry was roommates with Nick\u2019s sister, and the band began to practice in their garage. During their first practice, Kerry heard the music coming from the garage and came to check out what was happening. He decided to sit in and jam. After the first practice, Kerry never left the band. We all quickly became close friends and collaborators.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bHow did you come up with your band name?
\nND:<\/strong> When Nick booked the first show, the promoter asked the band name. He replied \u201cUmmm Nick D?\u201d \u200b \u200bThe promoter said, \u201cAnd?\u201d Thinking he needed more of a name with it, Nick responded \u201cAnd the Believers.\u201d The name stuck.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bWho and what has influenced you?
\nND:<\/strong> The John Lennon Method: write a chorus, then make it the verse and write a better chorus. The band Kiss might be an kind of influence, mostly because we mutually dislike Gene Simmons, but we love pyrotechnics. Some of our harmonies are almost doo-woppy or reminiscent of early Beatles and Kerry brings a little surf spy sensibility to his playing. We\u2019re don\u2019t sound like any of those genres, but incorporating those elements into our music gives us a little bit of a unique take on synth rock.<\/p>\n

In the 50s and 60s most bands were covering old tin pan alley songs and showtunes, but doing it with a drumset and electric guitars. It was the very beginning of those instruments and people were still figuring out what was possible. There was a kind of rawness to those first Beatles and Stones records. They just had cheap guitars and an amp with no gain stage, so they had to get really creative. There were no tape delay, verb, flange pedals or digital effects. Everything was simple and raw. That\u2019s how we work too. Kerry doesn\u2019t have any pedals, Joseph plays with a stripped three piece kit and Nick only has an octave and a half of keys to work with. Those limitations force us to be creative, force us to focus on good songwriting and energy filled performance. That\u2019s almost a punk mentality, even though punk isn\u2019t a major influence otherwise. Lou Reed used to say a good song could have two, maybe three chords. Anything beyond that was jazz. We\u2019ve definitely taken that to heart and written some two chord songs. And it\u2019s harder to write a catchy, interesting tune that goes on for four minutes with only two chords. It means the melody and lyrics have to be spot on. That\u2019s been the ethos we\u2019ve been writing and performing with.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bHad music always been the plan?
\nND:<\/strong> Music is definitely not a solid A plan. It\u2019s kind of a D plan that you don\u2019t tell your parents about. Mom, are you reading this?<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bHave you seen your musical direction changing?
\nND:<\/strong> It\u2019s slowly evolving, but we\u2019ve already cast a wide net with the types of genres we\u2019re melding.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> If you were to describe Nick D\u2019 and the Believers in a simple word choice, what would you say?
\nND:<\/strong> Indie pop bacon rock.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bDo you and your bandmates share or have other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?
\nND:<\/strong> Nick reads a lot, Joseph does woodworking from time to time, this leaves Kerry to cook dinner and tend to the kids. We also golf whenever possible, seriously.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> What\u2019s your favorite memory of your musical journey so far?
\nND:<\/strong> We love playing live, and we have quite a few great memories of shows where we feel like we\u2019re on a journey with the audience.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bWhat are your hopes for Nick D\u2019 and the Believers in the near future?
\nND:<\/strong> We want to keep having great moments live, and make more music videos because they\u2019re a blast to make. We also want to hop back in the studio and write some new tunes; can\u2019t wait for that!<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bGO:<\/strong> Do you have any upcoming shows that we can look forward to?
\nND:<\/strong> Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA 8\/9 is going to be a blast. Our EP release show in Columbus 8\/23 is shaping up with an awesome lineup too.<\/p>\n

GO:<\/strong> \u200b\u200bDo you have any additional thoughts you would like to add?
\nND:<\/strong> We plead the fifth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Katie Lebert currently works as an Associate Editor for the Gadfly, feeling all too mature with herself now that she has the chance to dress up on a daily basis. Going into her fourth and final year at the University of Virginia as an Anthropology major, Katie hopes to work for a non-profit organization and continue writing after she graduates. In her spare time, Katie voraciously reads the books she finds at her local Goodwill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following in the banjo-playing trend, \u201cWestfjords\u201d \u2014 the catchy new single from New York indie pop band Stargroves \u2014 proves why it is an ever-popular and growing trend; uniquely blending folk, pop, electronic, and fantasy elements, charmingly fun is the only way to describe this new single.<\/p>\n

READ MORE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":7629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,213,217,220],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7524"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7643,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524\/revisions\/7643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}