DESCRIPTION:
The Broken Remotes - "Boxer's Arm"

little-videos.com

August 12, 2009

Allen and I met up with The Broken Remotes' Jon Leahy at the back-house studio he lives in, not far from the 405 and Sunset. They were some pretty sweet digs, sort of a record and music lover's utopia, filled to the brim with vintage instrument ebay purchases, old film cameras - the perfect setup for some mad-scientisting (not a word). He had managed to wrangle a little backup vocal / hand clapping accompaniment from girlfriend Morgan Kibby (M83), and was in process of teaching her the parts when we arrived. Drummer Amy Wood was running late from a session out in Santa Monica, which was actually a blessing in disguise because it left enough time for the heat to dissipate, and for Jon and Morgan to decide to add an organ/accordion/keyboard (not sure the name of that particular ebay pickup) part to one of the songs. Side-note: I guess the studio needed to keep Amy's high-hat for the night, so hence only the ride...

There's something so accessible and genuine about their music, Leahy's subtle delivery and beautifully crafted songs, intricate instrumentation, lyrics bustling with imagery, self-reflection, and even some moments of humor; it makes it hard to classify their sound into any one niche of indie-rock. But It's love at first listen. And they're pretty much the nicest people ever (buy me pizza and beer and you've secured yourself a special place in my heart forever...).

It's always great to see musicians enjoying playing with the arrangements; it translates. They weren't scared about improvising a bit (it was Amy's first time even hearing the new song, "Canyon Girl," when she showed up that night, and Morgan was coerced into doing backups without any real practice to speak of...). But they were having fun with it and that's fun to watch.

Find out more about The Broken Remotes @ thebrokenremotes.com

Camera: Elliot Glass & Allen Kelley
Sound: Elliot Glass
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