"There are so many bands out of Brooklyn these days it's almost hard to believe that there's anyone living there that isn't toting around a guitar or working on some obscure indie label. The quality and variety as of late though has been impressive - so go ahead and add Tavo Carbone to your list. Playing with a long list of rotating musicians, Carbone makes the type of subtle glockenspiel-laden old-timey pop that simultaneously makes you feel like you are both in the past and the future."-www.lawrence.com (Lawrence, Kansas).
"Being surrounded by so many hand-wringing emo outfits these days, it’s sometimes nice to hear whimsy carry the day. From Victoria Wil-liams to De La Soul to Kimya Dawson, there’s always room for a capricious ditty in your life. A guy who knows all about such matters is TAVO CARBONE. The Brooklyn singer-songwriter crafts oddball tunes that veer off to parts unknown when you least expect them to. What’s that cello solo doing in the middle of the song about Hawaii? How did he make that crazed croon of his land in the right place at the right time in the song about the cricket telling time? Just another day in the world of experimental folk music, I guess."- Jim Macnie, The Phoenix (Providence, RI).
Tavo Carbone is a native of Brooklyn, NY. These are some of his songs. Over the course of a humbly sized songbook that consists of some 15 self-released albums, Tavo's been fortunate enough to collaborate with many talented individuals.
From ages 18-23, Tavo recorded albums in his bedroom on a Tascam 4-track machine, singing and playing guitars, accordion, piano, bass, percussion, glockenspiel, radios. Over 50 songs were recorded/demo'ed; some would later appear on the 2007 studio albums, 2/3 Skeleton and Forward: Live at Greenwall Auditorium .
In Fall '05 Tavo began working with a backing band, bringing some of the old four-track recordings to life and more accessible dimension. In Spring '06 Carbone was joined by the talents of Lee Johnson (upright bass/tamborine), JJ Beck(drums/piano), Adele Mori(cello), Sam Clement(guitars/dobro), Michael Chinworth(trumpet/chord organ/keys) and John Eagle(french horn). 2007 marked the release of 2/3 Skeleton- a bass/drum/pump-organ driven record that captures some sounds of the Spring '06 band and other ones to come.
Ear Training, a more odd atmospheric group of songs that meander around string quartets and orchestra samples. Recorded partly in Berlin, Germany at the Staatsoper Operahouse and partly during a long Vermont winter.
To commemorate these two releases in the spring of '07, Carbone gathered an ensemble comprised of seventeen collaborators and friends to perform Forward: Live at Greenwall Auditorium in the green hills of Vermont. The 10 songs played maintain a teetering balance between the contrasting attitudes of "2/3..." and "Ear...". The ensemble included timpani, a string quartet, saxophone, two trumpets, trombone, accordion, drums, upright bass, electric bass, piano, symphonic chimes, guitar, clarinet, voices, harp, washboard percussion and glockenspiel. This evening was captured by the professional ears/acoustic gusto of Travis Garrison and seamless videography of Connor Kammerer- and released in Fall '07 on both CD and DVD format. That summer, Michael Chinworth(accordion/voice) and Alex Bleeker(tape recorder/aux percussion) toured with Carbone and Jersey-based Dinosaur BBQ to support three '07 releases.
In the Fall '07, Tavo began developing new material with an entirely new band. The group played steadily in Vermont, NY and PA. Members included Travis Garrison(voice,keys,glockenspiel,banjo), Owen Cartwright(drums,bass), Sam Rich(bass), Sam Clement (guitars), Kate Ritter(fiddle) and John Eagle(french horn). The winter of '08 found Cartwright, Garrison, Rich and Carbone embarking on a 4 1/2 week tour around the US. The foursome previewed new material from the upcoming new album, Crow Songs (due out Fall '08). They also performed alongside some of the most talented musical acts of the country- including Wighead (Tulsa, OK), The Extraordinaires (Philadelphia, PA), A Childlike Fear (Fort Worth, TX), Now Now Sleepyhead (Kansas City, MO) and Spencer's Hundred (Arlington, VA). Kia Carbone, a stellar photographer and also Tavo's sister, documented the entire tour.
Currently, Carbone lives in New York City and where he now works with yet another (more permanent) band which includes friends JJ Beck(drums,bell,accordion,keys), Matt Scott(bass,voice), Adele Mori(cello,voice) and Heather Sommerlad(violin, voice).
Tavo has also contributed to musical projects by The Deedle Deedle Dees, JJ Beck, Sam Clement, Balthrop Alabama, Chris Buckridge of The Ne'er Do Evers, S.Rich & The K.N.O, Matt Scott, Dinosaur BBQ, Oil Can Chuck, Memphis and the Mud Bock, among others.
Please contact us about booking or merchandise! Tavo Carbone plans to tour the netherworlds supporting these songs and hopes to find you there. Thank you!
Booking: tavo.k.carbone@gmail.com.
All songs © T.Carbone 2007
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