Built around glacial Pink Floyd rhythms and spacey guitar and keyboard textures, the New Slave boast a psychedelic sound. But for all of the space they create, this band is focused: the hooks are sharp and the lyrics are clear, always down the middle and biting. If anything, their music is a sparse psychedelia. Through a haze of depressive and self-medicated sounds the New Slave embraces moments of clarity that arise during harrowing periods of emotional despair. And as true relationship drifts happen over time in real life, this band examines their own personal dramas in real-time, employing the space of several songs to examine conditions like romantic withdrawal and loss of faith. With their confessional lyrics set as the foundation, they decorate the architecture with subtle electronic beats, acoustic strums, cerebral guitars, and layers of keyboards. The effect is surreal but undoubtedly human.
The band's four members -- Craig M Clarke, Daniel Crowell, Troy James, and Daniel Phifer -- are unassuming, non-flashy residents of Northern California. Traveling between San Francisco and Sacramento to work on their music, these guys are more concerned with honing their sound than their fashion. After years in other projects, the members of the New Slave emerge as California's newest mood rockers, bringing experience, focus, and heart to a dark project. Like the most oblique and spare moments of Joy Division and Spacemen 3, the New Slave often paint a cold mood, but it's always honest.
2009 is shaping up to be a busy year for the New Slave. Their first release, the Building Spring EP, drops on February 10th, 2009. It will be distributed online via San Francisco's Snowstorm Music and available in a limited-edition physical form at the band's shows. Meanwhile the band is putting finishing touches on their debut, self-titled, full-length. They are working closely with Jace Lasek (of the Besnard Lakes) who is currently mixing and producing the album. Following the album's completion and release in 2009, the band will hit the road, touring the West Coast extensively and continuing to establish themselves as one of the Bay Area's best groups. The New Slave can't really sit still, though, and have promised even more underground EP releases throughout 2009. - Andre Perry
Just dropping by to say Hi and see what you’re up to and how you are doing.
As always, wishing you well. Stay positive, productive & purpose driven.
Peace
Michael
Listened and met you Sat. night at Shanachie ... Scott & Tami ... LOVED you guys! (asked you to play my All Hallow's shindig) ... LOVE the cd! Thank you Thank you ! Looking forward to seeing/hearing more of you
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