Rotary Downs

An unlikely sound of noisy, fuzzy, psychedelic pop is emerging from New Orleans - and leading that charge is Rotary Downs. Their latest studio effort, Chained to the Chariot, was described by NPR as "a stunning collection of psychedelic art pop songs that plays like a brilliant mash up of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck." When one imagines music from the Crescent City, brass bands, R&B, and jazz pianists may come to mind. But Rotary Downs is challenging this comfortable construct by creating music that is simultaneously original and classically New Orleans. Chariot is a masterpiece with commentary on many different elements of life in South Louisiana and has quickly become a favorite among fans and critics. Rotary Downs is bursting out of their local scene after having been named “Best Rock Band” in the Gambit Weekly’s 2008 Big Easy Awards and the #2 “Best Unknown Bands of 2007” by NPR. They are fresh off of a successful performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – their second consecutive year at this heralded event. Also in 2007, they had a high profile slot at NOLA’s Voodoo Music Experience where they will return this Fall. Attention is being diverted towards this rock’n’roll coming from the Crescent City as Rotary Downs has been invited to perform at major national events this year including the prestigious SXSW Music Festival in Austin, the 7th Annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and the 18th Annual High Sierra Music Festival. Rotary Downs have been one of the driving stalwarts in the under-praised genre of experimental indie-pop since 1999. Chained To The Chariot follows three previous albums: Quitters EP in 2004, Long After the Thrill in 2003, and their self-titled debut in 2001. They've emerged from Katrina fully formed with the addition of more drums, bass, keyboards and trumpet giving their fuzz-guitar and pedal-steel-driven sound an extra dose of texture. In 2008, the band added vocalist/percussionist Tiffany Lamson to the lineup as they head out on the road and into the studio for their next highly anticipated release. The rearview mirror shows many amazing experiences for Rotary Downs over the last couple of years. Their multiple trips to New York City have included performances at the Knitting Factory and the Mercury Lounge. They have been a guest on public radio with in-studio performances and interviews on NPR’s Studio 360 and WNYC's Soundcheck, while the incredible track "False Protection" has been featured on All Songs Considered. In 2007, the band completed their inaugural trip to the West Coast, which featured several memorable shows, including a sold out performance at the famed - and now closed - Sweetwater Saloon in Mill Valley, CA. During the excursion, Rotary Downs was filmed for a feature on CurrentTV – the Emmy award-winning network led by former US Vice President Al Gore – and can be seen in its entirety on current.com. Rotary Downs is James Marler (lead vocal/guitar), Chris Colombo (lead guitar), Jason Rhein (bass/vocal), Zack Smith (drums), Cory Shultz (trumpet/keys/guitar), and Tiffany Lamson (voc/percussion). "The New Orleans rock group Rotary Downs has released a stunning collection of psychedelic art-pop songs that play like brilliant mashups of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck." - #2 on the Top 10 Great Unknown Artists of 2007 list - NPR Music "Singer James Marler sounds like he has been taking double shots of thesaurus, unraveling densely packed rhymes in his abstracted lyrics. Too lo-fi to be baroque, too catchy to be experimental, songs like "G-7 Hit!" and "A Feast in Squalor" swerve into woozy grooves but don't stay for long." – Rhapsody.com "****" - Alternative Press "The [JazzFest] set suggested New Orleans really ought to be paying a lot more attention to Rotary Downs." - Offbeat Magazine "[Chained To The Chariot] is a diverse album that ricochets from roots-tinged psychedelia to edgier synth-pop to excursions along the spaceways, but with a sure hand on the wheel." - Gambit Weekly Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.