Our EP is on sale at reckless all 3 locations in Chicago. Also Permanent Records. Off you go to buy it now! :) If you live out of town write to aleksandthedrummer@gmail.com. If you work at a record store and like us and want to help, PLEASE let us know.
Aleks Andra Tomaszewska (toh-ma-SHEV-ska)
singerka
keyboarderka
crazed beats born of diseased hearts, viscous opalescence, victorious and sad dance music, nintendo adrenaline, tearful resolutions, middle-eastern candy, operatic desperation for the useless, obsessive nature of complex paper cut-outs, and meandering melodies among ancient trees. thank you for visiting and enjoy us please.
2008/June : Chicago Reader : CRITIC'S CHOICE The drums sound like a horde of Krautrockers on horseback, the organ like an incoming storm—Sitek ran it through four amps at once—and Tomaszewska sounds like the raving art-school Valkyrie who’s running the show.
2008/ June : flavorpill.comAleksandra Tomaszewska lays twisty Farfisa runs over drummer Deric Criss' Ege Bamyasi-inspired mix of taut timekeeping and manic fills. The way Aleks' spooky warble mingles with her circus-like keyboard lines can give you the creeps (in the best possible way), but the band's mesmerizing brand of minimalism is completely its own.
2008/March : Spin.com
2008/February : Centerstage : "the duo is one of the most original acts to come out of the local music scene in the past few years."
2008/February : UR Chicago Online Review of our show with Liars and No Age :
"Chicago’s own Aleks and the Drummer took a break from working on their forthcoming EP to warm up an icy crowd. Deric Criss’ tight, driving rhythms combined with Aleks’ circus-organ riffs and dark, melodic voice made for a pleasant, albeit unexpected, surprise. Charging through a set that included the brooding tunes, “I Want to Melt His Eyes” and “SZCZ,” Aleks and the Drummer set themselves apart from the current herd of guy/girl combos getting press as of late." - Rob McGee
2007/ : Oh my rockness "I've never heard a band quite like Aleks and the Drummer. Maybe that's why I keep listening."
2007/November : UR Chicago interview (PDF) "Even the wordiest
individual with an expansive knowledge of music would be
hard pressed to define the sounds that emit from Deric Criss’ drum
set and Aleks Tomaszewska’s slight figure and Farfisa organ. It
reminds you of the scary music that plays once you reach the boss
level of an old-school Super Nintendo game or the trills of a
Slavic woman inexplicably singing a Japanese anime theme song. "
2007/September : Radio Free Chicago live review of show opening for Stereo Total
2007/July : peoplewithanimalheads.blogspot.com : "Chicago's Aleks and The Drummer are definitely not a band you have heard before... wholeheartedly unique and inspiring. Singer/keyboardist Aleks Andra Tomaszewska perform music so intricate and interesting that you can be left a bit speechless."
2007/May : gapersblock.com : opening for Celebration : "...Their sound is part erie nightmare, part polka and part hypnotic dance music. Quite a mix, huh? It needs to be heard to be understood."
2007/March : Mule Magazine : As they started to play, the group quickly became one of my favorite Chicago live acts... hypnotizing "Castlevania" (the videogame) style organ in a non-cheesy way. The sound in an old-school Nintendo game fashion is fun in its own right, but the melodies are downright beautiful, picked up from somewhere in Eastern Europe... Watch out for the band's takeover and please pressure them to record an album, so you won't have to be lucky enough to just stumble upon them -- Thomas Cordova
2007/february : radiofreechicago.com : "Her voice is a force. Its powerful, urgent and wicked..." -- of deric's beats:" If I had not been there to observe it myself, I might have assumed they used some fantastic drum track."
2006/August : Chicago Reader--This local duo is one of an apparently dwindling number of bands gutsy and straightforward enough not to hide behind outfits or effect pedals or laptops. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's always worth watching. Aleksandra Tomaszewska sings deadpan and wobbly, often in her native Polish, and it's like she just has to or her chest will burst; she scribbles her fingers over a Farfisa and occasionally barks orders at the Drummer (aka Deric Criss), mostly to tell him to slow down. Their Gypsy emo is in the spirit of Victorian high drama--you want to have the smelling salts handy in case someone gets so hysterical she passes out. -- Liz Armstrong,
The Treatment --
Note: we have nothing against effects pedals, and Aleks is really into outfits!
Note 2: and Deric just got a new MacBook Pro. Hit him up to video chat. Or not.
Thank you good friend Todd Leibov for recording our first myspace recordings.
Happy 4th o July. Sorry to hear about the Farfisa -- I hope to God it is OK. In fact, I will pray for it~~note: this is the first piece of electronica I've ever prayed for.
Best of continued success. I'm SUPPOSED to have a friend in Chi-town purchasing the CD for me...who can you trust, eh?
I have seen Aleks and The Drummer about 4 times now thanks for being friends !!! i do have some vid from a detroit show and i dident relly grasp the whole consept of some of your songs bc i only speek english so it was tough for me but i enjoyed all the times ive seen Aleks and The Drummer very much ...
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i am really so sorry i missed your release show a couple of weeks ago. i really hope i can make it up to you somehow, lady! i've been traveling lots these days, but i am finally back for most of summer, and I am ready to dance my life away to aleks and the drummer!!!! love you!!!xoxoxo
Normally I comment on a band's music but I must say this act has THE BEST photos EVER. Having been blessed with good genes helps, I suppose. See you in London!
we are nice people.
