The New Standards

The New Standards are John Munson (of Trip Shakespeare and multi-platinum Semisonic) on bass, Chan Poling (founder of the seminal 80’s haute-punk-pop group The Suburbs) on piano, and Steve Roehm (Billygoat, Electropolis) on vibes. This unique minimalist trio was formed in 2005 by three friends and consummate performers with the idea of playing their favorite songs unplugged, but with the opportunity to enhance the inherent attributes of the tunes with as wide a range of interpretation as they saw fit: from the plainest rendition to an all out swinging nuttiness. With their natty suits and their unique jazz, rock, soul and pop chops, The New Standards tell each song’s story in singular style.



The New Standards' "Rock and Roll" follows up their eponymous debut. Focusing more on favorite rock tracks this time, the trio gives the new set a workout that is by turns fiery, soulful, stark and dark. The group lays bare the lovely bones of songs like "Maps" by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service while swinging through modern punky classics like The Replacements "Androgynous," The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" and The Clash's "London Calling.” Fans of the band will be happy to finally hear recordings of their arrangements of "Hey Ya" by Outkast and Britney Spear’s "Toxic."



The New Standards are regulars at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in New York City and have been featured in The New York Times and been pick-of-the-week in Time Out/New York, they’ve played Europe and China, and in their hometown Minneapolis/St. Paul regularly sell out their Dakota Jazz Club multiple show stands as well as the 1000+ seat Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul with their Annual New Standards Holiday Show. Don’t miss what the Minneapolis Star Tribune calls “one of the most fun bands out there now” when they come to your town!



REVIEWS



"On its self-titled debut, jazz trio the New Standards takes pop and rock tunes, such "All the Young Dudes," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "The New Pollution," then strips them down and juices them back up with vocals, piano, bass and totally cool vibes. It's a bit quirky, but it works." THE NEW YORK POST



"To those who came of age in the 70s or later, a standard isn't necessarily a perfumed and ribboned love song by Jerome Kern. It might be Becks The New Pollution, Roxy Musics Oh Yeah or Mott the Hooples All the Young Dudes. These are some of the chestnuts that warm the brooding hearts of the New Standards, a year-old chamber-punk trio that has fast become one of its native Minnesotas favorite lounge acts. The group takes songs you may have been too stoned to fully appreciate in the past and lays their poetry bare; the raucousness of the originals is replaced by a stark acoustic setting of piano, vibes and drums."TIME OUT NEW YORK



EMAIL: thenewstandards@yahoo.com



The biggest collection of MySpace 2.0 Layouts online



From our show at the Fitzgerald Theater in November 2006: