Kenny Young and the Eggplants

Bio:

"THE AMAZING KENNY YOUNG AND THE EGGPLANTS ARE A VERY WELL KEPT SECRET. BUT NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW THE EGGPLANTS ARE THE MOST AMUSING, WONDERFUL, WHACKY BAND IN THIS OR ANY OTHER TOWN."

Alexander McCall Smith
(Edinburgh, Scotland)

EGGPLANTS RECEIVE 4-STAR REVIEWS AND WIN A HERALD ANGEL AWARD AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL/FRINGE!!!
(see reviews at the bottom of the page)

NEW ALBUM - AVAILABLE NOW!





REVIEWS FOR "ARRR!"

Rick Kaminsky from WPKN radio

"Finally, the world has been blessed by another installment in the pantheon of goofy but lovable character studies from our own beloved Kenny Young and the Eggplants. The latest trip from the purple trio takes the form of a missive from a pirate radio station, emphasis on the "pirate" part (hence the album title "Arrr!"). The radio thing is simply a clever device by which our vegetated friends introduce us to winsome and winning songs about "Curtis Mayfield on the Moon", "Double Bubble Day", "Rage against the Washing Machine", "Lushy the Grouse", "Plants on Film" and many more. Fanciful, fun, chockablock with puns and gentle pathos, "Arrr!" is a sure-fire delight for kids and adults of all shapes and sizes. Charmingly indispensable". ***** 5 out of 5

Doctor Demento

"New York City seems like a much nicer place these days than it used to be. I am convinced that no small part of that has to do with Kenny Young and the Eggplants, who have been making music there for a bit over a decade now. The Eggplants mix brainy, funny lyrics with a fine sense of what makes pop music wonderful, and they are intensely dedicated to showing their audience a good time. They have become cult heroes (in a nice way) in England and Scotland, where they tour often. "Double Bubble Day", which reminds me greatly of the sunnier varieties of late 60's British psychedelia, is from their 4th CD, "Arrr!", in which the Eggplants create an imaginary pirate radio station".







NEW EGGPLANTS T-SHIRTS



ALL EGGPLANTS MERCHANDISE
AVAILABLE AT THE BAND'S MANY PERFORMANCES

Ladies Tanks and Shirts
(Medium and Large) $15.00

Kids Shirts
(Small 6-8, Medium 10-12, Large 14-16) $10.00

Regular T-Shirts
(Medium, Large and Extra Large) $12.00


View Kenny Young and the Eggplants's EPK

Claiming to be from Brooklyn (but possibly from some other galaxy altogether), Kenny Young and the Eggplants are a not-easily-described semi-acoustic trio who perform songs about giant squirrels, scary bits of cheese, inebriated crime-solving birds, and malevolent washing machines, among other important rock and roll topics. Various attempts to define their music have been made, but perhaps the most entertaining quote comes from the New York Times, which said that the band gives “eloquent voice to the multifaceted neuroses of prolonged adolescence.” In the U.K., the Sunday Herald said the Eggplants “mix the wit of Jonathan Richman with the sound of the Nico-era Velvets to create a surreal and satirical gumbo.” They have also been called a “deeply eccentric pop band” (The Guardian), and a “wonderful weird band” (The Scotsman). The Village Voice said, “The naivete Kenny wears on his sleeve is genuine - think of an East Village Brian Wilson, without the money but still tilted in his own wacked-out way.”

At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the Eggplants won a coveted artistic award known as a Herald Angel. The Herald Angels, which span all the Edinburgh Festivals (International, Fringe, Film, Book, Jazz, etc.), are awarded to "celebrate excellence across the spectrum of artistic activity" and to recognize "outstanding contributions to the festival."

In addition to the award, the Eggplants received 4-star reviews from Scotland's most prestigious newspapers. The Scotsman called them an "endearingly oddball Brooklyn trio ... carving their singular niche somewhere between whimsy, psychedelia and classic lo-fi pop." The Herald said that the Eggplants' show was "like a kid's party that's continued for the grownups and possibly the most charmingly diverting hour on the Fringe."

Perhaps because no one can figure out exactly what the heck they are, the Eggplants get invited to play an intriguing variety of venues. In New York City, where they have performed at countless clubs (including the much-missed CBGB and its acoustic annex, The Record Canteen), they have recently become regulars at The Living Room on the Lower East Side. They played at BB King’s club on 42nd Street on an evening hosted by Dr. Demento, they performed during the New York City Marathon, and they were Tom Robinson’s back-up band at The Mercury Lounge. They have played at prestigious British venues like the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican, Ronnie Scott's, The 100 Club and the Burton Taylor Theatre. They have performed for college audiences, for children, and at science-fiction conventions. They have also played at a number of festivals, included CMJ, Clearwater, and Planet Pop, in addition to the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Eggplants frequently stray from their Brooklyn vegetable patch to the UK, where there is an apparent need for more songs about 6-foot squirrels. They have performed live on numerous BBC radio shows, including The Tom Robinson Show, The Musical Mystery Tour, Kaleidescope, and The Phil Jupitus Show. Their UK tour stops have included such places as London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Chester, York, Falkirk, East Kilbride, Penicuik, Kings Lynn and Bristol. Unfortunately, no matter what the destination, they always seem to get stuck in traffic somewhere around Wolverhampton.

Across North America, songs from the Eggplants’ four CDs have been played on hundreds of radio stations. Close to home, the band has enjoyed substantial airplay on a wide range of shows on WFMU, including Greasy Kid Stuff, Teenage Wasteland with Bill Kelly, Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock, and the Irene Trudel show.



The Eggplants have released three CDs on Coney Island Records: Even One is Quite a Few (1996); Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs (1998); and The Search for Eggplantis or Glam on the Half Shell (2002). Their fourth CD, titled "Arrr!", was released on Cheese Thing Records (2006).



The Eggplants say that the prevailing mood at their shows is 'cheerful chaos.' But it's always good to hear what others think. Reviewing a show in Edinburgh, the Sunday Mail said: 'They don't come much zanier than this New York trio. They sang goofy songs about partying worms with artistic temperaments and Rambo going on shopping sprees . . . But behind the surreal antics were technically proficient musicians who know how to write a good pop tune and work an audience. Alien Love Song had a chorus so infectious I was humming it all the way home. There is genius among the Eggplants . . . Energetic, unpredictable and fun . . . if its surreal entertainment you are after then they're your boys.'

The BBC Collective website gave the Eggplants 4½ stars (out of five), with the following explanation: 'The songs are quirky, yes, and funny, but they also stand up as songs in their own right. Even though they have whimsical lyrics about aliens, families comprised completely of lawyers, and things growing in the sink, the dry delivery and quick guitar playing mean that they don't lose their appeal simply because you know the jokes ... Kenny Young and the Eggplants would be a fun band to watch if they simply stuck to girls and cars, which is why they work - the jokes and surrealism are part of the act, rather than the act itself.'

For now, the final word on Kenny Young and the Eggplants will go to DJ Adam Walton, host of the Musical Mystery Tour on BBC Radio Wales, who coined the term 'aubergenius' to describe the band. Mr. Walton has posted the following musings on the Eggplants:

'I can't remember the last time a band made me laugh, whilst still marveling at their ability to pen an interesting tune. Actually, I can. The band concerned was Kenny Young and the Eggplants, and I nearly wet myself drinking in their peculiarly surreal and litigiously funny show at Telfords Warehouse in Chester last year ... I love this band. I love to heckle this band, but sometimes that doesn't work out so well. Other patrons of their gigs get a bit pissed off and think that I'm being disrespectful - but nothing could be further from the truth. I'm down with Kenny, Gil and Eddie. When they're in town, the stars are smiling ... See you soon, most egg-celent musical auber-geniuses from Brooklyn.'



AND NOW FOR A SHORT FILM

We are pleased to announce that Mitchell Bard's funny short film, "Soup or Salad," can now be viewed in all its four-minute glory. And although the Eggplants do not appear on screen, they can certainly be heard playing "My Dinner with Elvis" when the credits roll at the end.



Thanks to Steve W. for sending us this video.


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This was sent to us courtesy of Jacqui from Oxford. This version of SAVAGE EGGPLANT was recorded at The Vaults in Oxford during the 2006 UK tour. Thanks Jacqui.

....



'Eggplantis Arrrtwork' (Mike DeSantis)
Email - desantismedia@gmail.com

'Animal Art' (Kenny Young)..
Publicity Photos and 'Cheese Thing Records' Logo
(Gnomeheid Graphics and Mike DeSantis)..


A FAN WEBSITE CAN BE FOUND AT -
www.freewebs.com/kyeggplants

THE EGGPLANTS APPRECIATION SOCIETY CAN BE FOUND AT - www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2367573778

..



PRESS REVIEWS

****THE HERALD (2009)

Parents of Harry Potter fans wondering how to fill the void after the publication of the boy wizard’s final adventure may wish to consider trading quidditch for Auberginemania.

A “suitable for ages nine to 90” mental health warning would be no exaggeration – in fact, one of these endearingly nutty New Yorkers’ Fringe gigs boasted just such a demographic in attendance – for the appeal of a band whose most popular songs include the tale of T-shirts raging against a despotic washing machine and My Dinner With Elvis, in which our hero not only spots the King’s face in a pizza but gets savvy advice into the bargain. Not only that, they also teach kids to say “please” before granting their requests.

Songs from their brand-new album that look certain to join the Eggplant Hot List include the title track, The House at Creepy Lake, which carries a “scary song alert” but only gets scary because resident poltergeists get freaked when a navel-gazing singer-songwriter arrives next door, and the delightfully silly Attack of the Maniac Librarian.

An hour of gentle insanity with irresistible tunes.

by ROB ADAMS, The Herald

****THE SCOTSMAN

CARVING their singular niche somewhere between whimsy, psychedelia and classic lo-fi pop, this endearingly oddball Brooklyn trio first played the Fringe in the early 1990s, back at the old Acoustic Music Centre on Chambers Street. The Eggplants' withdrawal from the August festival fray some years back mean these return shows by singer/guitarist Young, bassist Gil Shuster and percussionist Eddie Logue thus have something of a homecoming flavour.

There was a nearly full house in attendance on opening night, and several fans had submitted requests long in advance.

For those new to the experience, though, the very first number provided a pretty good introduction. Entitled Eggplantis, it describes the band's spiritual home as a lost undersea city inhabited by animated vegetables, a story narrated via as many terrible puns as possible. The second proceeds from the viewpoint of "five innocent T-shirts", trapped in a broken washing machine, while the next begins with the line "Curtis Mayfield's on the moon".

A subsequent enquiry as to whether we're "ready for some arena rock" leads into a song about a six-foot squirrel (named Earl, because it nearly rhymes, in a Brooklyn accent), complete with random musical allusions to the Rolling Stones. Also on an animal theme, the brilliant Lushy the Grouse, featuring a children's cartoon character with a drinking problem, surely has its origins in a certain famous whisky advert.

If such glimpses into the Eggplants' world are leaving you cold, they're probably not a taste you're likely to acquire.

Those tickled by the humour, however, may be further tempted by the threesome's impressively taut though understated musicianship, deftly weaving in strands of blues, soul, funk and folk, and setting Young's gently catchy melodies against sharp, punchy rhythm work.

by SUE WILSON, The Scotsman

****THE HERALD

A Fringe star receives a lovely e-mail from a female admirer, requesting that when he gets to Edinburgh, he sings her favourite song especially for her. The star feels flattered, senses promise and then discovers that the fan is six years old and she's here with her parents.

Cue much hilarity, or as it's known on the planet Eggplant, business as usual. Kenny Young is a singer-guitarist-songwriter who can't help having innocent fun with words and creating kooky situations, and he delights in sharing them with a self-deprecating, natural storyteller's flair.

So we have T-shirts trying to keep their necks above water in Rage Against the Washing Machine, an alcoholic grouse whose best pal is a worm that lives in a tequila bottle, and a gregarious squirrel called Earl who sings - all together now - "Squirrels just want to have fun".

With the Eggplants variously playing bass guitar and multifarious electronic and acoustic percussion and having Star Wars sword fights with the audience, it's like a kids' party that's continued for the grown-ups and possibly the most charmingly diverting hour on the Fringe.

by ROB ADAMS, The Herald

THREE WEEKS

How many instruments can you name that resemble an aubergine? Kenny Young and his affable band have a whole bag of them, which they bring out for their hilarious finale, ‘The Savage Eggplant’. In between songs, this Brooklyn trio seem a bit bemused, and humble to the point of bashfulness, but when they start singing their laid-back acoustic pop and bizarre but witty lyrics, they take the audience into a world of talking alligators, aliens and pirates. It’s liberating, silly stuff, toe-tappingly cheerful, and I found myself joining in the several spontaneous sing-alongs that occurred. They evidently enjoy themselves on stage and have a great rapport with their audience, and Kenny’s soft but edgy voice is great for their kooky tunes.

by LOUISE RIDLEY, Three Weeks

Member Since:

April 27, 2006

Members:

The band members, who insist that they first met while training to be astronauts at an undisclosed location near the Meadowlands, are as follows:

Eddie Logue (percussion of various sorts)

.... Gil Shuster (bass and role model for children)

.... Kenny Young (acoustic guitar and vocals)



CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact us directly at kyeggplant@aol.com
UK Bookings - contact John Barrow, Stoneyport Associates at jb@stoneyport.demon.co.uk

Influences:

....Velvet Underground; Curtis Mayfield; The Ramones; Bootsy Collins; Parliament-Funkadelic; Tom Robinson; Devo; Violent Femmes; Jonathan Richman; Monty Python's Flying Circus; The Monkees; Frank Zappa; Futurama; The Simpsons; Dr. Seuss; Warren Zevon; The Kinks; T-Rex; Stevie Wonder; Queen; Toots & the Maytals; Patti Smith; Bob Marley & the Wailers; Rolling Stones; Tito Puente; Neil Young; Santana; The Clash; Run-DMC; Life in a Blender; They Might Be Giants; The Funk Brothers; Stax Records; Motown; Sun Records; James Brown; Bo Diddley; Little Richard; The Beach Boys; Chuck Berry; Ray Charles and so many more ...

The Eggplants have also met many very nice, very talented, musicians ... who sound absolutely nothing like the Eggplants. But they are all worth checking out. Here are some of them: The Big Buzzard Boogie Band, Rebecca Hollweg, Andy Hamill, Stekpanna, Sudden Death, Ookla the Mok, Love Camp 7, Rebecca Turner.

Sounds Like:

....Various attempts to define their music have been made, but perhaps the most entertaining quote comes from the New York Times, which said that the Eggplants give eloquent voice to the multifaceted neuroses of prolonged adolescence. In the U.K., the Sunday Herald (Glasgow) said the Eggplants mix the wit of Jonathan Richman with the sound of the Nico-era Velvets to create a surreal and satirical gumbo. They have also been called a deeply eccentric pop band (The Guardian), and a wonderful weird band (The Scotsman). The Village Voice said The naivete Kenny wears on his sleeve is genuine - think of an East Village Brian Wilson, without the money but still tilted in his own wacked-out way.
Overall, the following artists seem to get mentioned the most when people are struggling to describe the Eggplants: They Might Be Giants, Violent Femmes, Jonathan Richman, Frank Zappa.

Record Label:

Cheese Thing Records / Coney Island Records