With the right mix of a whos who of local musicians, The Avatars set out to seduce audiences with their infectious, primitive brand of rocknroll. The group plays simple poppy concoctions with ample catchiness creating a bubblegum bop mix thats been described as reminiscent of a fresh Motown-Ramones sound. Their straight-up contagious tunes proved to be the key to winning audiences in Detroit and beyond, leaving crowds asking for more hip-shaking action wherever they performed.
Working through a set of originals ranging from hard-edged to sultry, the sometimes raw, sometimes nuanced force of singer Mariah Cherem's intense bluesy vocals is supported by the sonic interplay of guitarist Chris Taylor's manic, raucous mid-air soloing and Charlie Lorenzi's fine and tight rhythm swagger. Underneath it all, drummer Claudia Leo and bassist Theresa Kiefer set a rock-solid, foot-stomping, head-melting rhythmic core. The bands girl-group-meets-Romantics rock formula has allowed them to scoop up some of the most coveted shows in the cutthroat world of Detroit Rock City, playing with many of the most-talked about bands in the scene, such as The Sights , The Detroit Cobras, The Paybacks, Von Bondies, Gore Gore Girls, Demolition Doll Rods, Nathaniel Mayer, and Nikki Corvette.
In early 2004 the band unleashed one of the hottest local 7 singles of year with the release of "Wait" backed with "There Was A Time" on No Fun Records. The fiery single made several of Detroit's "best of" lists for the year, got impressive international press coverage, and also found the band on tour supporting the Von Bondies' debut on Sire Records, where they gained well-praised exposure to new audiences around the Midwest.
Throughout 2005 The Avatars continued to sway new fans with their brand of Rock N Roll at international festivals such as the Motor City Music Conference, CMJ New York, and CMJ Cleveland. The band was featured in MC2's national promo campaign and appeared in international magazines, such as Clear. They also shared the stage with such diverse acts as The Woggles, Holly Golightly, Magnolia Electric Co., Outrageous Cherry, and Peelander-Z. That same year the group booked themselves into Jim Diamonds world-famous Ghetto Recorders studio. With Mr. Diamond engineering and John Speck (The Fags, Hoarse, Skeemin No-Goods) brought in to produce, the band set about documenting their live sound onto 2 inch tape for the release of their first full length platter of sonic rock goodness.
The result would become the album "Never A Good Time". Set for a June 2006 CD/LP release on No Fun Records, the album documents the bands intense live sound while adding to it with a mix of local Detroit talent from the likes of John Szymanski (SSM, The Hentchmen) on piano and organ, Eric Stollsteimer (The Elevations, Mondo Mod) on vibes, and Jeremy Abbey (Superdot) on saxophone. The record bristles with up-beat pop energy on songs like the title track "Never A Good Time", as well as rockers "Sooner Or Later", and an updated version of Wait. The rest of 2006 will find the band performing at NXNE, MC2, and CMJ, and relentlessly promoting the record far and wide with upcoming trips back to the east coast and all points in-between.
In short, The Avatars know how to have fun, how to vamp it up, and how to give the tambourine a certain rattlesnake tension that has won them a reputation for being fireballs on stage.
All Music Guide review of NEVER A GOOD TIME
Discography:
"Wait b/w There Was a Time" 7 inch. (2004)
"Never A Good Time" CD/LP (2006)
For Fotolog pictures, go HERE!
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