Ira Levin - lead vocals, flute and alto sax
Greg Minter - bass and vocals
Josh Garey - guitar and vocals
Assorted Spontaneously-Combusting Drummers and many, many talented artists from the Bay Area are guests on our Magnum Opus, "Hello, Dali!" - including T. Hallenbeck, Amy X Neuburg, DJ Pause, Jerome Rossen, Dustin Hengl, Dean Johnson, Darren Johnston, Joaquin Spengemann, Darian Gray, Debra, Donalda & Trelawny of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Dan Cantrell, Joel Griffin, Kayla Cahoon, plus we sampled a little Louis Armstrong and Monty Python.
Influences
Laughing, crying, waking up with bed-head, being in love, being a positive force for life's enjoyment, sleep.
Sounds Like
Cab Calloway & Louis Armstrong sharing a taxi with John Lennon and Groucho Marx.
'HELLO, DALI!' REVIEWED BY THE EAST BAY EXPRESS:
"Vaudeville, Americana, and rock 'n' roll are the jumping-off points for this tight Bay Area trio smitten with the subtle humor of They Might Be Giants. There's a little bit of weird-for-the-sake-of-weird, though it rarely gets in the way, and over the course of 72 packed minutes, Comfy Chair asserts its allegiance not to geeky gimmickry but to music itself. — Nate Seltenrich"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Comfy Chair- The World's Last, and First, Time-Traveling Vaudevillian Rock Band!
‘Hello, Dali!’ is finally out!
Yes, it’s true. After nearly ten years of painstaking, meticulous and eccentric frivolity, Comfy Chair emerges from its cartoon cocoon to deliver their masterwork.
From the iconic front cover to its 22 tracks of sheer melodic madness, ‘Hello, Dali!’ will curl your moustache and straighten your slacks.
With Raffi calling to be in the band and Donalds Trump & Rumsfeld demanding an explanation as to how this album was allowed to be released, Comfy Chair finishes its banana and invites you to slide into their appeal.
But seriously, this record features over a dozen guest musicians of every stripe. From the operatic vocals of Amy X. Neuburg to the hip scratching techniques of DJ Pause, the epic strains of T. Hallenbeck’s electric cello, the amazing ticklishness of Jerome Rossen’s ivories and the sultry smoking tones of Darren Johnston and Dustin Hengl’s trumpets, this record packs a punch. There are gospel singers, there’s a banjo. There’s a Tuvan throat singer. A saw. An accordion and a fake didgeridoo. And that’s just on the first song.
But seriously. This is one long album. But there’s a lot of short, sweet songs of tasty variety within. The Jazz Age is an all-out swing-infused rocker, Dance of the Wigs is a dark, old-world fantasy waltz, and Rainy Day is a tune even your grandmother would love. There’s even some comedy-sketches weaved in. Despite the twisting and turning, this album will take you on a journey to the heart of lunacy and bring you back with a lemonade in your hand. Or the beverage of your choice.
You will love this record! Click HERE to purchase 'Hello, Dali!' through CD Baby or to download it from iTunes! And don't forget Salvador's dying words, "Long live the King of Spain!"Silly Bio:
It all started in 19-dickity-2 when lead singer, sax and flute player Ira Levin was working in Miami as a haberdasher for Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sr., when he chanced upon a very unique garage sale. Buying the portrait of drummer Darian Gray, and also acquiring H.G. Wells' time-traveling armchair for a song, he was on his way to 1890, where he found bassist Greg Minter in Tucson, Ariz., sitting atop one of those big front-wheeled "Pennyfarthing" bicycles and plucking his handlebar moustache like a giant rubber band. From there they played with numerous guitarists, until bumping into Josh Garey for the umpteenth time. They found him jamming in Berkeley in 1969, a full two years before his birth. When it finally came together, Comfy Chair was ready to begin starting all over again one last time.
Serious Bio:
Greetings,
Comfy Chair does an energetic and lively acoustic trio performance, or an over-the-top theatrical rock show as a four-piece electric band, and mixes upbeat covers of swing, blues and rock favorites with their own surreal, Vaudeville-rock originals.
The band released their debut CD, 'Party on the Titanic' in 1997 to critical acclaim, inducing Greg Heller of BAM Magazine to utter the immortal words, "I heard they were the best band ever in the history of time."
In 1998, Elektra Records chose 'Renaissance in Harlem', a single from the album, to be included on their internationally distributed compilation disc, 'Jump Up and Boogie'.
The band followed up 'Party' with the raw and raucous 'Live and Uncut' in 1999, recorded while playing at the Oregon State Fair.
Comfy Chair has built a dedicated following all along the West Coast. From the Showbox and the Backstage in Seattle to the Viper Room and the Whisky A-Go-Go in L.A., the Oregon State Fair two years in a row, the Great American Music Hall in S.F., as well as hundreds of other clubs, parties, weddings and fairs, Comfy Chair's soiree into the surreal has pleased audiences of every kind. In addition, Comfy Chair hosts, plays house band, writes and acts in comedy sketches, and books a variety of solo performance talent, all to form their unique, randomly recurring Vaudeville-style show, "z'Art Fantastique".
'Hello, Dali!', Comfy Chair's current release, is a migration from their trademark slamswing sound to the arena of the wild, the psychedelic, the Old World and the surreal. Including over a dozen guest performances, Comfy Chair performs this groundbreaking material at all their showcase gigs.
Saul Goode, Flaming Pie.
Hey Ira and crew we're back on and would love to have you come to the Spring Equinox Celebration Saturday March 21st. Looking forward to having you play in April or May.
Ever wondered what to do in the event of a nuclear threat?
A while ago I came across some stuff that inspired me to make this film:
Living Under the Shadow of the Nuclear Umbrella
Both artistic (ensure you get the background music!) and educational, it primarily comprises official British government civil defence advice.
Though source materials are quite aged, the fundamentals are still relevant today.
I encourage all to visit the YouTube page to learn more (Show support! Rate! Comment!) and responsibly circulate as widely as possible, here: http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=UaIim3Rj7L4
Good to have you as a friend! So great to see the internet in action this way, shortening distances between people.
I hope all's well with you and that you enjoy checking out my web site some time.
For occasional, new, refreshing, insightful and (possibly?!) valuable content, I encourage you to sign up for my free newsfeed/email newsletter (using the form on site at page right - high quality, low quantity, no spam!).
Take care and keep in touch.
Best, Faber.
"Just a guy trying to make the world a better place. "
As a friend of Killaflaw we'd like to give you the opportunity of purchasing our uniquely numbered, limited edition CD single 'Revolution' which also includes the much loved 'Holy Fuck' on the B side.
There are only 1000 copies in existence and further copies will be sold without these unique numbers, so here is your chance to own a piece of music history from the LIPA award winning band dubbed by Eddy dance/rock guru Temple-Morris "the missing link between Soundgarden and The Prodigy"
The record is of course also available to buy as MP3 download.
