Roman Bluem, Samantha Tobey, Pelle Hillstrom, Danielle Firouzi, Genevieve Artadi, Rich Sherwood,
Influences
Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Stoned Plastic, The Missing Scenes, The Residents, IXOHOXI, Jon Brion, Shit Puke Cum Eat Repeat, The Kinks, Maria Capra, Odd + Evil, King Crimson, Power Nap, The Locust, Tom Waits, Queen, Impostor, GG Allin, Anthro-Punk, Faith No More, mme mme mme, Bob Marley, Acid Bath, Roger Waters, Captain Beefheart, RZA, Ween, The Mean Reds, Eyes Died White, Sp_cer, Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, Comfort Woman, Frank Zappa, Father Wolf, Tire Fire, Green Jello, My Only Friend Loneliness is Pleased to Meet You, Primus, The Silent, Smoke + Windows, Forgotten Rebels, Jesus Lizard, Peter Gabriel, Fantomas, Teen Collision, Another Mother, Love, The Who, Buy Judgements it Pays, Pink Floyd, MIA, R.FrozenDoom, DJ Fluffy Bunny, Soundgarden, Manpower, PIL, Black Sabbath, Cab, Metallica, Vs. Us, Funkadelic, Product Intl., 2Nuts, Bunn 'n the Bake, Cream, Dead Kennedy's, ClockTower, Beehtoven, An Albatross, Sex Pistols, Genesis, Amoralanimal, The Orange Frost, Johnny Cash, mBdB, DJ Cloud & Uglyface, John Lennon, Diatribe, The Nuggets, xbxrx, Tool, The Collectors Edition, Quicksand, The Doors, MC Dolla' Bin, SuperEarth, X, DieRockerDie, Syd Barrett, My Tab!, Samantha Tobey, The Coyotes, The Germs, Calabi-Yau, Vibe Destroyer, QOTSA, The SqueeGees, Mr. Bungle, Iggy Pop, Red on Red, Tuba, Four Hundred Donuts, Led, The Kola Wars, Steve Vai, SunCrusher
PRESS QUOTES
The music is vaguely familiar yet, at the same time, otherworldly. This duo take commonly used tools, namely the acoustic guitar, some sprinklings of spacey synths and their harmonious vocals, and meld them into to a sound that is distinctively their own. - Angry Ape
“Work” and “Merry Go Round” both have an air of psychedelic whimsy redolent of the folkier elements of English bands like Barrett-era Pink Floyd or the Zombies, with a dash of the Mamas and the Papas’ harmonies thrown in.
- Music Musings
This is more than the 70’s, this is refreshingly 2008, at its acoustic best. While bringing out a sense of nostalgia in me, it also made me acutely aware I had not heard anything like this in some time. It’s hippy laced, vibrant, meaningful and haunting at times, but never frightening. - lipstik bands
“With entrancing work of lyrical and instrumental balance their music almost has a Danny Elfman feeling to it!” - Reckless Magazine
“This is stylish stuff. It is almost über cool in fact, much like a Michael Legrand soundtrack...- but not so much so that it would be mistaken for background music - the attention to detail is there as well with the lyrics being a remarkably good compromise between perceptive and poetic.” - Bluesbunny
“It's like the sounds of Syd if he'd been spending too long with his Kinks LPs.... It's stripped down psych to get lost in. It's quite obviously brilliant. As a whole, it's quite difficult to believe that Ubyk hail from America. They sound so... English.... and it's great.” - Electric Roulette
“Matryoshka” never allows itself to be a retro-happy homage, an uncritical tribute or a mere pastiche...it truly is: Autumnally coloured three-dimensional Folk. Sound as intense as life itself, even though the dreaminess occasionally makes the music want to lift off like a hot air balloon. - Tokafi.com
“Despite the almost depressing mood of the record, Ubyk have hit on a strangely hypnotic and intoxicating formula that still attracts after several listens.
-Leonard’s Lair
Ubyk's music is instantly gratifying and full of sounds that float and drift with the mood. The harmonies are deeply satisfying. This is an EP that will keep you wanting more.... Ultra Indie
BIOGRAPHY
Ubyk, initially the duo of Roman Bluem and Samantha Tobey, first released a four-song demo entitled “Work” in 2006. They did a 40 stop U.S. West/Southwest Tour to promote the material to close the year. They went back into studio w/ producer Alex Newport to record their debut EP Matryoshka released in April 2008 on ITUNES, CDbaby, Amazon. They also released a stop motion video for the title track "Matryoshka"
The band has since evolved and has settled into a 5-piece featuring Roman Bluem, Samantha Tobey, Swedish/LA transplant guitarist Pelle Hillstrom, LA native keyboardist Danielle Firouzi, and veteran LA drummer Rich Sherwood.
The expanded lineup has been performing songs from the "Matryoshka" EP along with new material which they plan on recording this fall. As for the band name (im)properly pronounced ooo-bik), it was inspired by sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick's book.
A more detailed history is available upon request. Email us at ubyk.band@gmail.com or send all inquiries with a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
UBYK INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DIVISION
623715 NW Ubyk Lane East Suite 345a7y
New Ubyk City, U.B.Y.K. 01581591572 UBYKISTAN
I JUST SHOT A FAT ROCK OF HEROIN AND YOUR MUSIC REMINDS ME OF A DISMAL GUN TOTING JESUS CHRIST FIGURE FIRING OFF RANDOM ROUNDS AT A MARIJUANA FIELD FILLED WITH PANDAS WEARING KABUKI MASKS-MY FAVORITE WORD IS ECHELEON SHE SAID FROM A BURNING CAR PLAYING A LOST BEATLE SONG THAT NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND----------222
In The World I See, Your Stalking Elk Through The Damp Canyon Forrest,Around The Ruins Of Rockefeller Center. You'll Wear Leather Clothes That Will Last You The Rest Of Your Life. You'll Climb The Vines That Wrap Around Sears Tower. And When you Look Down,You'll See Tiny figures Pounding Corn,Laying Strips Of Venision On The Empty Carpool Lane Of Some Abandoned SuperHighway........
