KiNDERGARTEN

"brainy, twitchy funk-rock in a Talking Heads mode. . . ."
- TIME OUT NEW YORK
Watch KiNDERGARTEN videos at http://www.vimeo.com/kindergartennyc
Kindergarten IS the New York sound that has been missing since the late 70's!! This NYC-based quartet with serious funk chops and a knack for hook-laden songwriting establishes a party atmosphere at every single show, whether it's at a fraternity house or a downtown rock club. Mix one part each of classic artists Talking Heads, Television, Elvis Costello, David Bowie and Lou Reed - then smother with a thick layer of Prince funk, and you'd get a sound like this foursome produces. On 1/1/10, the band celebrated a soft release of their new sophomore album Small, which is currently available on iTunes.
Fusing elements from the 1970's up to the modern age, Kindergarten is particularly influenced by NY legends Talking Heads, Television and Lou Reed, as well as seminal artists David Bowie, Earth Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson. Originally formed in 2002, the band’s creator and producer Ariel Levine went through 32 bandmates before settling on the current three members of the group. Both Sakura Toyama and Zach Abramson studied classical music and piano since early childhood, with Toyama earning her Artists Diploma from the Chopin School of Music in Poland and Abramson receiving his MA in orchestral composition from the Manhattan School of Music. Yancy Drew Lambert grew up playing the trumpet and took up drums in the late ‘80s when the acid jazz scene was booming in New York City. Lambert later joined the acid jazz collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials, which took him touring worldwide and sharing stages with the likes of James Brown, George Clinton, and The Roots as well as making national TV appearances on VH1 and the BBC.
Small is the follow-up to Kindergarten's debut album River of Slime (2007) which was almost entirely written, recorded, produced and mixed by Ariel Levine. Small is a collection of 12 hook-heavy songs the band has been performing live for over a year prior to their recording, and is a more collaborative effort between all 4 band members. The lyrics focus on dark themes and bizarre dream sequences but it is the Kindergarten trick that these weighty matters are couched in catchy melodies, driving choruses, and funk-dance grooves. Blogcritics Magazine says the album will “knock your socks off with intriguing lyrics and awesome rock.”



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