Action Toolbelt

Hailing from the the Empire State of New York comes one of America's freshest new rock groups. Action Toolbelt.

Originally formed in 2002 as a recording project of Owen Biggs, their 4 song demo quickly got them noticed. Less than 2 months after finishing the demo they were signed to the Fastmusic label by Neal Ganslaw. They went back to L.A. to record 6 more songs and quickly had a 10 song cd ready. Released in May of 2004, the self titled debut quickly became a college favorite and indie rock staple on online radio stations, consistently finishing in the top 5 of their radio countdown and coming in 4th for album of the year.



The current evolution of Action Toolbelt personnel still has ringleader Owen Biggs and drummer John Orestano with additions Ben Wise on bass and Marco Talamo on synths. Their track At My Expense was featured on The Punk Vs. Emo soundtrack that included some of today's best new bands such as Rufio, Bayside, The Goodwill, onelinedrawing, and Mae and sold over 15,000 copies.



With an aggressive and energetic live show that also manages to mirror the sound and feel of the cd, the band has built up a strong following by opening for major acts at The Downtown on LI and places like Kennys Castaways, The Continental, The Lit lounge and The Theatre at MSG in NYC for Festivals like CMJ, The MEANY Fest, The NY International Music Fest and the Pleasantville Music Festival.



Too pop to be the Foo Fighters and too rock to be The Killers, Action Toolbelt’s approach to making music takes boundaries out of the equation. The band is able to effectively craft songs that give the nod to left of center bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Minus the Bear while still maintaining a pop/rock sensibility that’s all their own



Driving guitars and passionate vocals interact with catchy melodies and infectious hooks in no-nonsense tracks that evoke the heyday of college radio, while the introspective lyrics and resourceful production reflect a grown man’s hard-won maturity.



In 2009 the band signed with Tom Kat Records/DSN Music and released their new Cd in Feb. 2010.



“Sirens In Spades” as an album sounds as diverse as the influences that inspire the band. Songs like “Touch & Go” and “Used to Be” engage the listener with an up-tempo attack of powerpop guitars synced with buzzy synth leads and floaty arpeggios .“One More”, the first single off the album presents calm, introspective verses that segue into explosive choruses and morph back into catchy rock rhythms. “Last Inline” wastes no time in pulling the listener in with catchy alt rock edginess only to become awash with layers of strings and keys. Finally, “Trip and Fall”, the closing song on the album, takes the foot off the gas and opts for a slow introspective approach with acoustic guitars and lush strings- a noteworthy finale.



The result is an Action Toolbelt release that is sharper, shinier and more powerful than ever.



So the bottom line is this then: Between their inescapable hooks, unique lyrics and raw emotion, you'll have a hard time imaging life without Action Toolbelt in your music rotation. DSN Music is proud to showcase Action Toolbelt for download, featuring their most popular hits.