Ursa Minor
URSA MINOR SHOWFACE / NY Times Playlist
This staunchly eclectic indie-rock band released its first album, “Silent Moving Picture” (Smells Like), back in 2003. Its second album, “Showface” (Anthemusa), has finally been released, and whatever mystery lies behind the long wait, the new music feels tough and loose, totally incubated. As ever, Ursa Minor lives and dies by the effort of Michelle Casillas, an assertive lead singer and a broodingly earnest songwriter. She used to play keyboards in the band and now focuses on electric guitar, which may account for the punchier underground-rock tone. There are guest turns by the guitarists Teddy Kumpel and Jim Campilongo, the violist Caleb Burhans and a handful of jazz-trained horn players. And the band still has one of the most flexibly rugged rock rhythm sections in New York, with Tony Scherr on guitars, Rob Jost on bass and Robert DiPietro on drums. (Mr. Scherr and Mr. Kumpel produced and mixed the album.) The songs run the gamut — power pop (“She Wants You”), ragalike rock (“No Other”) and retro-grunge (“Guerilla”) — and they’re often infused with surprising details. They make you want to see Ursa Minor in action at a place like the Living Room, where the band will play next Saturday (July 23rd at 10pm. Details on that show are at ursaminor.info.) -Nate Chinen [Photo by Dina Regine]
Christmas lights. Coke bottles. Cover-free. www.petescandystore.com
Purchase tickets HERE
Bowery Electric's Old Soul Revival [Photo Recap]
Derek Cruz, Jesse Malin, Michelle Casillas. Photos by Dina Regine.
Jesse Malin, Lucinda Williams, Derek Cruz, Michelle Casillas, David Garza
URSA MINOR @ CBGB'S FESTIVAL:
JULY 5th @ Le Poisson Rouge @ 8PM 
Photos by Dina Regine
CBGB's FESTIVAL: JULY 5TH @ POISSON ROUGE
URSA MINOR @ 8, FIREHORSE @ 9, XYLOS @ 10, ESCORT@ 11
158 Bleecker Street www.lepoissonrouge.com
L/G to Lorimer-Metropolitan Tickets @ bk.knittingfactory.com Photo by Dina Regine
CMJ 2012 @ the Bowery Electric: Ursa Minor Solo, Lenny Kaye, Robert Gordon & many more
SUNDAY April 29TH, show starts @ 7
URSA MINOR SOLO @ 8:30pm, & joining JESSE MALIN @ 9pm
THE BOWERY ELECTRIC 327 Bowery @ 2nd Street, NYC
Great cause, Great music.
More info / Ticket purchases HERE
THURSDAY FEB 2ND @ THE LIVING ROOM
URSA MINOR @ 10PM, HARPER BLYNN @ 9PM www.livingroomny.com
Photo by Todd ChalfantPUSS N BOOTS XMAS SPECTACULAR
Photo by Arthi Krishnaswami
PUSS N BOOTS is Sasha Dobson, Norah Jones, & Catherine Popper. Special guests Teddy Thompson & Jeff Hill, Michelle Casillas, Kaki King, So Brown, Harper Blynn and many more! Burlesque by Nasty Canaste, and Minnie Tonka.
MONDAY DECEMBER 19TH @ THE BELL HOUSE
7:30pm Doors / 8pm Show / $15 Advance Tickets
URSA MINOR SHOWFACE / Beaconpass
Ursa Minor can take the Violent Femmes' sweet little ballad "Please Do Not Go" and turn it into a smoldering reggae slowjam, somewhere between Blondie's version of "The Tide is High" and Patti Smith's "Birdland." Singer Michelle Casillas and her band can wring every drop of feeling out of a song, whether it's loud or lowdown, sweet or seething. Their first album, Silent Moving Picture, leans more on vintage electric pianos and the members' considerable jazz backgrounds. (It also made them label mates with Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead.) This Spring will see the release of their followup, Showface. The sound is often bigger, louder, more pugnacious, the album's emotional range is almost schizophrenic: this is the sound of a band playing whatever turned them on at the time. Live, they combine peerless musicianship with Casillas' unnevervingly direct, captivating delivery. -James Rickman [Photo by Dina Regine]
For BEACONPASS URSA MINOR feature click Here.
For JOE'S PUB TICKET PURCHASES, click HERE
Shows & Events
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General Info
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Genre: Indie / Pop / Rock
Location Brooklyn, Un
Profile Views: 114049
Last Login: 3/24/2013
Member Since 7/6/2005
Website www.ursaminor.info
Record Label Anthemusa Records, Smells Like Records
Type of Label Indie
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Bio
New York Times- "Tough and lose, totally incubated... one of the most flexibly rugged rock rhythm sections in New York" Time Out New York- "The group [Ursa Minor]'s album Silent Moving Picture is one we keep coming back to, finding something new each time." All Music Guide- "Bold and original" Envisioned, fronted and founded by New York chanteuse Michelle Casillas, Ursa Minor has become a mainstay in NYC's indie rock scene. The band delivers a timeless mix of vocal driven pop/rock with a primal rhythmic undercurrent; sharp and urban, broad and free. "Ursa Minor blurs the line between folk, jazz, and experimental music...with haunting, spare, even cinematic songs"-All Music Guide. Splendid Magazine calls their songs "warm works of natural beauty…appealingly tousled" and the Village Voice describes Ursa Minor's sound as "ethereal yet concise.. wrought with enunciated keens and alto murmurs, moody drum snaps and strong melodies." Ursa Minor's debut LP "Silent Moving Picture" was released by Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, on Smells like Records; a label known both for championing new artists (like Cat Power and Blonde Redhead), and for releasing comprehensive series of works by Lee Hazelwood, and Sonic Youth. Since Ursa Minor's debut, Michelle has swapped her Fender Rhodes for electric guitar and her songs have a new snap in them. Her singing is startling and sexy; effortlessly rhythmic, with soulful vulnerability and a bold attitude. "Casillas [wields] a sensuously fragile inflexion and phrasing…lilting from yearning highs to crooning lows almost instantaneously." -Movment Magazine. "She hits her notes effortlessly, sometimes giving them a full oboe-like resonance and at other times skittering over them like a hipster flute." –Splendid Magazine. Bassist Rob Jost (Imogen Heap, Wayne Horvitz, Bjork) and drummer Robert DiPietro (Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Josh Rouse) equally create the sound, contribute songs of great depth and strength, and sing harmony, while the infamous Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Sexmob, Feist, Lounge Lizards) brings a sonic lightning with his electric guitars. Watch for the new album, Showface. "The stormy vocals set alongside the haunting instrumental backdrop make for wonderful…any time of day music" -Movment Magazine. "Ursa Minor put a purplish Fender Rhodes bruise on storm cloud through picture window singer-songwriting ritual" -Village Voice. "It's the kind of voice you would follow anywhere" –Splendid Magazine -
Members
Michelle Casillas ● vocals/guitar/wurlitzer/rhodes Rob Jost ● bass/vocals Robert DiPietro ● drums/vocals Tony Scherr ● guitar/vocals -
Influences
yo mama -
Sounds Like
they wanna make some noise
Ursa Minor Mailing List !
| Michelle Casillas | ● | vocals/guitar/rhodes |
| Rob Jost | ● | bass/vocals |
| Robert DiPietro | ● | drums/vocals |
| Tony Scherr | ● | guitar/vocals |
SHOWFACE was produced by Tony Scherr, Ursa Minor & Teddy Kumpel. Featuring Michelle Casillas (vocals, guitar), Robert DiPietro (drums, vocals, percussion, wurlitzer, gtr), Rob Jost (bass, vocals, french horns) & Tony Scherr (guitars). With special guests, Teddy Kumpel, Jason Crigler, Jonathan Goldberger, Jim Campilongo, Caleb Burhans, Ethan White, Chris Brown, Tony Barba, Jesse Neuman, & Ryan Keberle.
BUY THE ALBUM HERE:
Steve Lewis + Kelli Scarr + Ursa Minor
Union Pool Sunday Mar 11th, 8pm. 484 Union Ave (at Meeker Ave)
(718) 609-0484 union-pool.com
Subway: L to Lorimer St, G to Metropolitan Ave Get directions
Local songsmith Steve Lewis plays winningly stripped-down guitar pop,
pitched somewhere between Elvis Costello and Tom Petty.
Ursa Minor @ 8pm, Kelli Scarr @ 9pm, Steve Lewis @ 10pm
There's something extremely satisfying and even refreshing in discovering a new act that plays rather traditional songs and does it exceptionally well - Ursa Minor is such an act. Sounding like a marriage between Tom Petty, early Tori Amos and The Pretenders, Ursa Minor's songs are instant pop-rock gratification with an americana twist. Michelle Casillas' stunning, present vocals complete the picture drawing beautiful melodies and confidently playing different "roles" in different tracks. Even though the cover of Ursa Minor's upcoming record "Showface" depicts Michelle in front of the Empire State Building, this is a record we'll enjoy best during our next car trips getting us outta here... Check out Ursa Minor live at The Living Room on April 14, or at their CD release party at Joe's Pub on May 24...
See full feature HERE
TONIC reunites!
MONDAY MAY 9TH at POISSON ROUGE
Great music all night: Ursa Minor, Sex Mob, Elysian Fields, Heather Greene, Yuka Honda, Jamie Saft, White Out, Billy Martin, Ben Perowsky, Vernon Reid, Dougie Bowne, Mike Wolf
Don't miss it! More info / Advance tickets HERE
158 Bleecker Street, NYC www.lepoissonrouge.com
