ABOUT 23RAINYDAYS:
Most bands go their entire careers without playing before a crowd of thousands. For 23RAINYDAYS, that chance came in 2004, before the band even had songs or a name, much less a stable line-up. They had all decided to quit music in order to pursue their careers. It was months later that they were offered the opportunity to open for Kill Hannah and the Violent Femmes at Live on Penn. They quickly put a new lineup together and in a matter of weeks they had written 15 new songs and were playing to 10,000 people on the streets of DC.
From such auspicious beginnings, 23RD have not only gone on to prove themselves as great songwriters focused on the national stage (they recently returned from a stint on the road with industrial founding fathers, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult) but also as a prolific recording act. In a little over four years, they’ve managed to record two full-length albums and a handful of EPs, mount three coast-to-coast US tours, get picked up as a MySpace Band of the Week and ink a new deal with Metro area record label, Radioactive Music.
Creating a sound self-described as “Dark Pop Synth Rock,” 23RD balance the doom and gloom perspective of their Goth roots with the consummate pop production that has been garnering them airplay across the Mid Atlantic. Listening to their songs ‘Monster,’ ‘Get a Gun,’ or ‘From Today Until Forever’ you get your fill of guitar but can feel a dance band dying to surface. In the words of singer Ian Kaine MacGregor “The people in our band are absolute music fanatics and we’re all the sort of misfits that liked everything from Depeche Mode to Motley Crue when we were growing up.”
Because of — or perhaps in spite of — that diverse range of influences, 23RD hesitate to be lumped in wholesale with any and all of the scenes their music touches upon. They are not goth and certainly not emo. 23RD’s music owes more to melodic, eyeliner-heavy British acts like Placebo, The Killers and The Cure than any MTV-friendly angst rock by a long shot.
The band — currently comprised of singer/guitarist MacGregor, bassist Bryan Kimes, and keyboardist Jonathan Lim — has big plans for 2009. They’ll be touring extensively in support of Radioactive’s re-release of their first album “From Today Until Forever,” and their newest release “Wonderful Disaster v2.” It promises to be the most ambitious touring schedule the band has ever tackled and they are also exploring the possibility of a trip to the UK. Based on the strength of 23RD’s accomplishments so far, D.C.’s favorite black-on-black-clad sons have alot to look forward to. It's almost a given that widescale recognition awaits 23RAINYDAYS.
Bands We've Shared the Stage With
Kill Hannah, The 69 Eyes, Katatonia, Thrill Kill Kult, Modern English, Wednesday 13, Hanzel & Gretyl, Violent Femmes, RED, Guided By Voices, Program the Dead, 45 Grave, Bella Morte, Brett Scallions (Fuel)
Grave Concerns Ezine
The Dom (Jan 06, 2009) "Dark but irrepressibly catchy, this five-song EP delivers enough melancholy emotion to keep fans of modern goth-inspired acts happy but also full of enough hooks to draw in a much wider audience...."
Sphere Magazine
Matthew J.(Jan 06, 2009) "Now this is interesting, the Washington based four-piece have single-handedly managed to make Goth-rock cool again by bringing it smack down into this decade void of any real inspiration...."
OnTap Magazine
Hunter Gorinson (Jan 01, 2009) "23RD have not only gone on to prove themselves as a heat-seeking hard rock band focused on the national stage (they recently returned from a stint on the road with industrial founding fathers, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult) but also as a prolific recording act...."
ReGen Magazine
Ilker Yücel (Dec 19, 2008) "No track on From Today Until Forever exceeds the four minute mark, making each song a bite-sized morsel of dark melodic rock that will attract those with short attention spans, but as the music is so richly constructed and expansive, nothing is lost in their brevity..."
ReGen Magazine
Ilker Yücel (Dec 11, 2008) "23RAINYDAYS are a difficult band to pigeonhole, not that one should wish to, especially after hearing the Wonderful Disaster EP...The band has demonstrated their ability to evolve, honing their finely tuned craft of '80s synth-laden pop rock with powerfully melodic hooks..."
MetroMusicScene.com
Jeff Campagna (Dec 02, 2008) "23RAINYDAYS embrace their influences (The Cure, The Smiths) while expanding on them, and they do it beautifully, creating a gorgeous expansive sound, lush with electric guitars and synths."
On Tap Magazine
Music Editor (Jul 1, 2008) "Capable of creating appealing hooks through their reinterpretations of the ‘80s and ‘90s goth movements, with more than a subtle influence from the radio-friendly antics of groups like Linkin Park and mascara-laden emo bands still rotated on MTV2, 23RAINYDAYS are obviously talented songsmiths and musicians."
On Tap Magazine
Chris Connelly (Mar 1, 2008) "Decked out in eyeliner, the group creates moody goth-punk reminiscent of Chicagos Alkaline Trio. 23RAINYDAYS carries a deep appreciation for dramatic 80s groups like the Cure, channeling their inner Robert Smith in creating darker soundscapes a fact clearly evident on tracks like Broken. 23RAINYDAYS is certainly a band to keep an eye on."
Washington City Paper "After such a wet summer, you might want to just dry out. But then you'd miss the full force of 23RAINYDAYS. Because 23RD combine a melodic, 80's feel with a thoroughly modern energy that we find utterly refreshing!"
Leechy's Catch of the Day "Before Leechy says a single thing, 23RAINYDAYS are ANGSTY. They roll around in their own sadness and their urine is laced with pain. However, the songs are strangely touching, so that automatically allows them to behave in such a way. And the lead's allowed to get away with seeming as if his voice has been greatly dettered by castration. With silky, flowy vocals and a very clean overall sound, teh boys of this partly goth-based band pull off very listenable inner cries of torment."
MetroMusicScene.com "In this weeks column we start things off with “My Own Addiction,” by 23RAINYDAYS. The music bursts out of the speakers on this very well-produced alternative-rock track. The guitar tone on the lead work is excellent, and I’m digging the combination of drums and electronic beats."
WashingtonPost.com "Live on Penn had an electric atmosphere that began with 23RAINYDAYS original set. They came on with great music and a dark, powerful energy. They were aggressive and anxious, like vampires out at dusk. See them live at all costs."
FINALLY "A Dream Between Two Fires" is OUT EVERYWHERE!!!
Ra guitarist Ben Carroll's 1st full length solo record! Autographed CD's can be purchased here: http://www.adreambetweentwofires.com/adbtf_cd.html
CD's are signed upon request. Each CD comes with a FREE download of the 2004 EP "Ben's Tasty Tunes."
ALSO upon request I will throw in one FREE downloadable RA song lesson. (Do You Call My Name, Sky or Don't Turn Away) Each lesson has TAB of the FULL song and comes with multiple VIDEOS of me breaking the song down and showing you how it's played.
"A Dream Between Two Fires" is also available at these retailers: iTunes, Amazon, Guitar 9, CD Baby, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody....and more
so, you're music is pretty amazing. and i'm not lying :P everyone should should listen to it, so if you read this, listen to ALL the songs :D haha you guys are amazing, (:
I LOVE THE ALBUM ART!!!!!! PRETTY!!!!! Hey guys!! Hugs Ian, almost done with my article, and good chance of getting it published just in time for your new CD so now you have to explain, the message if one....
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