Founder, conductor and leader of all that we consider ingenious in the world of music, New York City has a lot resting on its shoulders. And rightfully so. It gave us Interpol, and then The Strokes, post-punk and co., and even tastefully revived grunge rock. The past decade has endured a disorderly mess of sounds, birthing all sorts of zany genres from ”electroclash” to “noise rock,” while providing an umbrella of shelter to the seemingly relentless production of anything “indie.” Now, an era of dishing out handfuls of ubiquitous sounding bands is winding down and the city is again prospering with unique talent. And with Brooklyn’s latest “sonic boom,” it seems great music is becoming more accessible than ever.
In the middle of New York’s musical upswing, there’s a band about town worth talking about, and they don’t give a damn about Brooklyn and all its appeal. On their recent tour playing alongside legendary production-team Simian Mobile Disco, we caught up with Daniel Collas and Joan Tick of The Phenomenal Handclap Band during their brief Toronto-stopover. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, their music certainly will. You’ve probably heard The Phenomenal Handclap Band’s viral hit “15 to 20” blasting throughout a local H&M, or, (more likely) peppered somewhere in the blogosphere, as remixers world-over have adopted it as their own. And while the single is certainly catchy, we assure you these guys are no one-hit-wonder; this is only the beginning.
At first glance, there’s something entirely unconventional about these outwardly 70s-style rockers. Perhaps it’s that unlike, well, just about every other band in the world, earning the famed “Brooklyn” label is the least of their priorities.
“It’s funny, actually most of us live in Manhattan,” says Collas, co-founder of the eight-piece outfit. “We get it all the time. I’m almost starting to take offense to being labeled ‘Brooklyn-based.’ It’s such a rare and weird thing to be from Manhattan these days.”
Still, they lend themselves to no particular borough or location. Fittingly, their style is just as elusive. Their first [self-titled] LP features an array of contributors, from reputable scenester Jaleel Bunton (of TV on the Radio) to renowned 80s hip-hop queen Lady Tigra.
“Everyone on the record is basically an old friend of mine, from my travels and nightlife,” says Collas. She [Tigra] was a receptionist at a night club I used to go to. She looks like she’s twelve years old still. She would sit there and answer the phones and look cute, and one day I finally asked, ‘What’s the story with that girl?’ and everyone was like, ‘Oh that’s Tigra,’ and I’m like “Yeah I know that’s Tigra.’ And then they said, ‘No that’s Lady Tigra, dude.’ We kept in touch, and years later she was in town and I just asked her if she wanted to collaborate.”
The album features a revolving door of stand-ins, which begs the question: Who is an authentic PHB member and who isn’t? The answer lies in whoever made the final tour cut. “We recorded all together –contributors and all — and then it dawned on us that we had to do the same thing live,” Collas explains. “At that time, we had to do our first three shows which happened within a month of each other. It was more about re-creating the record onstage. So, we hired a percussionist, and then just… played live. The first time we left New York together to play live, that’s when it became the final eight of us. The real draft.“
The resulting eight member powerhouse consists of: Daniel Collas, Sean Marquand, Patrick Wood, Luke Riverside, Bing Ji Ling, Laura Mrin, Joan Tick and Pier Pappalardo. Essentially the brain child of Collas and Marquand, both New York-based underground club DJs, PHB has come a long way from “a bunch of music-lovers just wanting to make good music.” And despite having no previous working rapport with each other, they now function as one big octagonal family.
As to be expected with numerous musical minds working together, their influences range across the board – from Thin Lizzy to The Rotary Connection. “Big producers from the soul era are what makes me tick,” says Collas, contemplatively adding, “mostly from the 70s, the two tone era.”
It’s certainly apparent on the 65-minute album, featuring groovy synth-disco elements on tracks like “The Martyr,” the dream-inducing continuum of “You’ll Disappear,” and of course, the anthemic foot-tapper “15 to 20.”
With the growing success of their first LP, their sights are already set on making more groovy music. When prodded about their next project, Collas eagerly dishes the news: “Yes, there’s a new album in the works. I think the second album is a big deal for us because it’s going to be written by all of us. We’re all really excited about it.”
The collective virtuosity that shone through both on their album and live, gives enough reason to anticipate a second album more ambitious than the last. And you can be sure to count on more Phenomenal Handclap Band and less collaborative features. With equal eagerness, Tick describes the music-making process of the next record: “On our first record, we didn’t exactly have a band,” she says. “It was an opportunity to work with a lot of people that we really admire. But now that we have an actual band, I think it’s going to be a lot more exploring in the studio and we’re going to see how creative we can be.”
(photos by Dean West)
- Gigi Rabnett
