Press
New Music - The Slow Learners By Brian Campbell
cockyThe Slow Learners cocky musical swagger sounds as if it were born in New York City smoky bars and exclusive venues, you know, the kind in alleys with no signs. They have a certain air of cool to them, but it might surprise to find out that the band calls the Nation’s capital, Washington, DC home.
While it may be hard to specifically pinpoint the accurate adjectives and nouns to describe the bands’ music, the words eclectic and diverse do come to mind.
“We would describe it as Frank Zappa meets the Blues Brothers with a little Jimmy Buffett, says vocalist/guitarist Ed Jentsch. “It’s a roots rock indie hip-hop thing based in blues and country. Unique, the music is real and the words are filled with humor.”
You almost never know what you are going to get with this band from song to song, as their sound tends to change often. ‘Hollywood’ has a weird Miami Vice 80’s vibe to it while ‘Drinkin Song’ sounds like polka. The bands best work might be ‘Jesus Saves,’ which sees their best guitar and piano work. They have indie, rock and dance elements to their music as well. You might think that with all of these different layers to their music that they get a bit jumbled, but to the contrary, the band transitions seamlessly.
“Our music comes from comedy actually,” says Jentsch. “I was never a great singer, more a vocal stylist, so I had to find things I could sing about that were believable to people. What makes me laugh I figure might make someone else laugh and the songs that are not tongue in cheek I look towards Bob Dylan for inspiration knowing no one can compare to him.”
“Just do your own thing and if nothing else it is true and real.”
The band might be onto something by thinking that the music industry is reverting back to the 1950’s, putting more focus on singles than full albums. They are currently attempting to get their music on television and in movies, as well as looking for proper managements and label support.
“As long as no one else will put up the money for us to record, we will record only songs we like, even if they are politically incorrect." - Today.com musical swagger sounds as if it were born in specifically have indie, rock and dance elements to their
These are the other sites that carried this Article
Get Exposed Music Press
STARPULSE.com
Philadelphia at home.com
Syracuse at Home.net
Baltimore at Home.com
Buffalo at Home.com
Detroit at Home.com
Cleveland at Home.com
Rochester at Home.com
DC at Home.com
Denver at Home.com
Chicago at Home.com
Get Exposed BLOG MySpace
More from By Brian Campbell and his BLOG go to TODAY.com
june 6th,2005
OK here's my take-
You guys sound like Dr.Hook fronting Little Feat!I gotta give you an A+ overall.There's nothing about your musical execution or songwriting that i could possibly fault:
o Hammond organ along with the funky lead provides a "signature sound" that can't help but go over really well at gigs!
o Songwriting is quirky and fun,just like you described it.I esecially enjoyed "ELVIS",but I'm also one of The Bleeding Vaginas' biggest fans,so I'm not sure my opinion really counts for much here.Hearing your rendition of a black church choir going off on The Death Of Elvis rivals that special moment on South Park when Stan tells Cartman "Don't say cocksucker in front of Jesus,asshole!"
o Everybody in the band knows what they're doing;while you dont come off as one of Frank Zappa's supergroups,I'll bet you rock the house when the beer starts flowing.
But mostly,it kept coming back to Little Feat for me.And probably some of the best regionally successful party bands in my memory strove only to come up with That Special Rendition Of Dixie Chicken that had people coming back for more every week.But again,the fact that there was Guinness on tap for a dollar and free Sidecar probably didn't hurt the cause neither...
Originally,the first song o' yers that i heard was the one about cigarettes;and then I checked out your Photo section and see the very first photo dedicated to smoking a cigarette the way the French do it,I knew that This Is A Band That Lives It Like They Play It.You get an A+ for authentic.
But the absolute coolest thing about your band is the photo at your website!You deserve a major label contract just for That Sign!
Now that I know your group better,I wouldn't change a thing in your Bio.In fact,it would be a crime to add punctuation!
Later Bros!You make me thirsty for beer.
Billy
For more about Mr.Billy Shaw go to www.sonicbids.com/BillyShaw - sonicbids review by Mr. Billy Shaw
New Press May 20th 2009
Hail from: Washington, DC
Label: None
Sounds like: The Pixies, the Band, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
You should be listening to: Assorted Demos
I Should Care Why?: Chances are probably pretty good you may have never heard such a diversified group as the Slow Learners. They also might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they are a band that needs to be experience to be believed. Their sound ranges from indie rock to jazz and dance grooves and pretty much makes stops just about everywhere in between. If you are in the mood for something different that kicks ass, be sure to looks these dudes up.