B O B P A R I N S. C O M

+ FORWARD AND BACKWARD

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:44:46 -0500

Bonne Anée and thanks to all of you who came to see Vetiver in Europe with l’excellent Fruit Bats this winter (pictures here). We’ll be back on the road in January and February playing 20 or so shows with Avi Buffalo in the northeast, and the Clientele in the south. Look for your city on the calendar, and come see us!

Meanwhile, at Bob Parins world headquarters, the new Bob Parins solo record “Lucky Little Guy” is in the can and will be available this spring. The kissing Rocks has been re-printed and is available again from CD Baby or, as always on iTunes. Cheers, and happy 2010!

+ SUFJAN STEVENS SINGS PARINS/MULDAUR COMPOSITION

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:47:43 -0500

Listen for Sufjan Stevens and Clare Muldaur singing Parins/ Muldaur composition Nothing/Nowhere in french film “Jusqu’a Toi”

http://www.jusquatoi.fr/

+ WESTERN WEEKEND WORLD

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:46:30 -0400

Vetiver made a quick escape to the sunny shores of California for a few shows this past weekend. Otto, Dan, Sarah, and I experienced a measure of shock coming from New York's 45 degree drizzle when we found ourselves in Los Angeles and, Before we knew it, were loaded into Bruno (Andy's Van) and cruising down a palm-lined highway, windows down enjoying a perfect 75 degree breeze and listening to Gene Clark's Roadmaster album. Now we're talkin'!

We played that night at a church in Santa Monica called "The Sanctuary".

Heading north, we entertained ourselves with a travel game that Dan and Sarah learned from Richard Swift. "Yellow Car" kept us busy as Bruno sped up highway 101. Our destination in the Santa Cruz mountains, a place called Brookdale Lodge. A beautiful hotel that, legend has it, is haunted. Sporting a mood not dissimilar to the hotel in The Shining, the Brookdale lodge has some unique features that made it extra special for us. Namely, there is a real river that flows through the dining area, an Aquarium where people swim, and Sarah, the ghost of a young girl who drown at the lodge years ago and has been seen and felt many times since then. On that particular night the Hell's Angels were in attendance hosting their annual Halloween party. The fun went into the wee hours of the morning and was still vibrating through our veins when we woke up at 9 the next morning to drive to SF and prepare for the Treasure Island Music Festival.

Treasure Island was a blur of fun and music. Wandering around, I caught pieces of Grizzly Bear, the Flaming Lips, Sleepy Sun, Beirut, Yo La Tengo, the Decemberists, and the Walkmen.

+ VETIVER

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 15:48:43 -0400

I’ll be playing Bass Guitar with Vetiver for a few tours this fall. Check them out here: http://www.vetiverse.com/

+ AMANDA PALMER OASIS VIDEO

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:54:05 -0500

My friend and sometimes musical collaborator Mark McAdam invited me to take part in this video shoot for an Amanda Palmer video. It was directed by Michael Pope. The track was Produced by Ben Folds and mixed by Michael Brauer with his assistant, my friend, Will Hensley up at quad studio in the same room where much of The Kissing Rocks was tracked. Small world!

Here’s the Video: http://pitchfork.tv/videos/amanda-palmer-oasis

+ MORE PRESS FROM CYPRUS

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:55:17 -0500

I dug out some more of the media coverage of my gigs in Nicosia and around Cyprus including DOGSTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL from 2007 supporting The Kissing Rocks.

+ WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE KISSING ROCKS

Sun, 18 May 2008 20:33:21 -0400

These are some of my favorite quotes about THE KISSING ROCKS Scroll down for more articles and reviews or click HERE to write your own review on ITUNES.     "THE KISSING ROCKS does indeed rock and still is catchy as hell...it's bright, well crafted, and great sounding... if you are looking for catchy, Beatles inspired rock, then Bob Parins is your man."   - DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

"Parins sounds like a lost collaboration between the harmonies of Brian Wilson and the melodies of Paul McCartney, circa 1965-1967."  
- NPR.ORG

"At least half of this disc ranks among the best of the year... It's an eclectic blend indeed of songs and sounds... Through it all, Parins consistently brings two things: immaculate craftsmanship and a sense of humor."   - 30MUSIC.COM

"He's no shrinking violet. ...It's an amazing batch of sounds"   - VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE

"The Kissing Rocks sounds like Ted Leo, Of Montreal, and P:ano having one heck of a house party. And seriously, who wouldn't want to be at that party?"
- SOULSHINE.CA

"This album shines in three-dimensions, six ways to Sunday and beyond. I mean it when I say I am thrilled about finding your music. You are a class act!"
ALAN HABER, PURE POP RADIO

"One of the most disparate collections I've ever heard... The Whole album is a must-listen."
DOVER POST

"Refreshing newness with a faint Beatlesque vibe. Something special."
ADD REVIEWS

"This is a record unafraid to pay homage to what it loves most and it does so with such gusto that its almost impossible to ignore."
- FIRSTCOASTNEWS.COM

"Who could deny how witty and catchy this indie-rock group is?"
SMOTHER.NET

"You can dance to it, take a road trip with it, put it on as background music or just hit play. I recommend doing all four."
INDOFUNK.COM

"...The strongest melodies, harmonies and arrangements that you're going to hear in pop music these days."
LUTHER HERMANSON, 30 MUSIC

+ FIRST TRACK OF NEW ALBUM COMPLETED

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Engineer Jason Finkel Took the reins and mixed my recording of a new song called The Real Me. Jason is a great engineer/ producer and a close friend of mine. We Co-Produced my previous Record, THE KISSING ROCKS. Jason also mixed most of the tracks.

I wanted Jason to mix this track and booked a day at PYRAMID RECORDING STUDIO in Manhattan where Jason likes to work. He spent one very very long day on it. I came in to the studio two thirds of the way through the process to provide a fresh ear and, perhaps more importantly, a protein shake, some almonds, a bag of dried bananas, and some yerba maté (which I ended up drinking).

You can hear the mix at his WEBSITE and compare the difference between what I gave him and the finished product. (you’ll find links to both on the the little blog Jason keeps on his home page). I’m not officially giving links to tracks before the record is finished, but I figure if you’ve read all this you deserve a reward.

+ REVIEW FROM DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

"THE KISSING ROCKS does indeed rock and still is catchy as hell...it's bright, well crafted, and great sounding... if you are looking for catchy, Beatles inspired rock, then Bob Parins is your man."   

BOB PARINS AND TRUE LOVE ALWAYS
THE KISSING ROCKS
Self-Released

Normally, I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. You know, that sweet super-catchy pop rock. But due to the demise of my marriage my heart is darker and I'm no longer a pushover for someone whose harmonies resemble McCartney's or Wilson's. Bob Parins, along with his backing band True Love Always, have crafted a sort of celebration of sunny hooks throughout their album Kissing the Rocks. But, does his pop mastery, and meaty guitar work, brighten my heart? That is the ultimate question.

A grand piano interlude introduces "Mr. Face" and then the twinkling piano enters like a lullaby. Then it builds up and falls into the sweet little pop ditty that it is. Incredibly catchy, complete with "bah bah bah baaaah" backing vocals, the song is a good thermometer of the rest of the album. A T. Rex groove intros "I'm Dancing", which is a nonsensical song with lyrical content summed up in the title. Still, for being a little ditty, it is filled out well with a spiky guitar and a roaming bassline. "OOOOOOO la la la" greets us in "Polly", which is not the Nirvana tune, but a slow paced, falsetto song about a parakeet. Still tuneful and full of great sounds, but not much else. "This Might Be the Coffee Talking" is an acoustic song and features a mouth harp. Hilarious, yes, but it still is an effective song with cynical lyrical imagery. "This might be the coffee talking/but I'd say everything can be alright" seems a fine sentiment for this dark tale.

"The Kissing Rocks" does indeed rock and still is catchy as hell. Bob fills out his voice with a little grit that hasn't been heard before and the band rocks out. There really isn't anything cute about this track. "Spave Explores the Gian Microchip" is a noisy instrumental and up next we get a whistle - another near instrumental - in "How?". It's followed closely by the third track in this mini opera, "Like This" - another instrumental which stems from the other two, but is slightly more strong. "I'll Be There" picks up the pace again with Bob wailing his head off, a driving piano, and the band packing in a nice little punch with the addition of a gospel choir near the end. Class. "What it is" has a nice little buzzy riff and it meanders on for a while, but then the big chorus comes in and Bob screams like Macca in "Helter Sketler". An epic track that features some jammy guitar work and ends with a near whisper. We finish with "I Know, I Know" which has a jive organ riff and another catchy as hell chorus.

Now, for a self released album, the sound of this one is incredible. It is stuffed to the gills with sonic tweaks and twitches, which in no way detract from the tunes. That's what its ultimately about, ain't it? I mean if you are looking for catchy, Beatles inspired rock, then Bob Parins is your man.

 
- Diggsy
09/27/07

+ SPINNING IN SAO PAOLO

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:06:35 -0400

Music Writer Claudio Szynkier did a feature on THE KISSING ROCKS in his descobrindo bandas web-log and is also spinning the record at his monthly party at MILO GARAGE in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Here’s the feature for any of you who read Portuguese. If anyone can comment a translation of this I would appreciate it!

BOB PARINS

brooklyn tradiÁa

bob parins (clique sempre no amarelo) È um desses caras que ficam meio ‡ margem da jovem cobertura indie impressa americana. hipÛteses? s„o caras, como ele, que parecem mais velhos do que s„o, e para o bem e para o mal, o que os jornalistas desse ramo perseguem, mesmo nos EUA, È uma idÈia soberana de rejuvenescimento.

como o gÍnio dan wallace, ou mesmo como jeff tweedy, que, em seus ˙ltimos discos, no wilco, teve bem menos apoio nativo do que merecia, bob parins n„o tem medo de oferecer roupagem nova para aquilo que È enxergado como cafona ou ultrapassado. e n„o tem medo, inclusive, de envolver essa roupagem em registro e timbres bastante tradicionais, apesar de vigorosos.

o engraÁado È que parins vem do vanguardista brooklyn, NYC, e meio que representa o outro hemisfÈrio do mesmo mundo que tem no mapa, do outro extremo, os n˙cleos vanguardistas e selvagens de flying, dirty projectors, grizzly bear e etc.

o que acontece È que parins n„o deixa de ser uma vanguarda l· tambÈm, redefinindo, com tanta propriedade e fome, os traÁos da psicodelia radiofÙnica (por ter vocaÁ„o, n„o por ter tocado na r·dio) dos zombies e dos beatles; ou dialogando, dotado da mesma propriedade, com a geraÁ„o do powerpop noventista americano classudo, de gladhands (uma das mais perfeitas bandas de rock a j· ter tocado), sloan, oranger, wondermints, turma de talento cujo tamanho, com seus super pa-pa-p·s, n„o foi visto nem na geraÁ„o sessentista, e consagrada, desse mesmo estilo.

o brooklyn encantado e desconectado do mundo, desenhando dentro de seus prÛprios limites um novo nÌvel de realidade musical, uma nova proposta de mundo-arte, È de fato do grizzly bear e do flying. s„o os que sobreviver„o a tudo, e a histÛria vai consagra-los assim. mas o mesmo brooklyn abriga, e È bom sabermos, tambÈm, uma das frentes tradicionalistas-pra-caralho mais interessantes e estimulantes de sua Època.

em 2006, o ano da m˙sica em amplos sentidos, bob lanÁou um disco belo chamado the kissing rocks, cheio de suingues melodiosos, palminhas e tecladıes e guitarronas de FM que vocÍ pode conferir na p·gina do myspace tambÈm, e esperemos pelas prÛximas bordoadas pop cheias de capricho.

e, para os que vÍm acompanhando o blog, a novidade È o podcast tanque (leia mais aqui). inaugurado agora, hoje, daqui a pouco. tem bob parins no primeiro programa, claro, que tentar· lanÁar sonda sobre o brooklyn, centro nervoso do que melhor a m˙sica jovem pensa e produz nesta dÈcada. entrevistei chris taylor, arranjador e baixista do grizzly bear, e essa È apenas uma das atraÁıes. ham.