Pinky Weitzman met Mason Brown while fighting over the last known phonofiddle tuning peg at a dusty antiquities market in Damascus. A scuffle broke out, blood was drawn, visas were cancelled, and a lifelong musical bond was forged. They wrote their first song while being deported to Brooklyn in the brig of a slow-moving Syrian freighter. The bosun’s mate aboard the vessel, fallen Catholic priest John Frazier, agreed to exhume his electric guitar with the promise of a blind date with a gentleman named Johnny Walker. Upon landing on their home soil, the group was set upon by one-eyed U.S. customs official, Jeremy Forbis, who agreed to stamp their passports only on the condition that he be allowed to bang rhythmically on things. Not Waving But Drowning was thusly born in a squalid lower east side cabaret, dripping with absinthe and sincerity. And there was much rejoicing.
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WAIT! He's a goddamned liar - don't believe a word out of that toothless syphlitic maw. Here's the real story:
Mason and Pinky met while playing in the bands LD & The New Criticism and Clint, Michigan. Pinky has also recorded/toured with indie rock luminaries such as Belle and Sebastian, The Hold Steady, The Magnetic Fields, Crash Test Dummies, and Nathan Larson of Shudder to Think. John currently fronts John Frazier and the 8 Year Olds (with whom Pinky plays and Mason occasionally sits in), and formerly led 90's alt-rock Works on Blue. Jeremy Forbis is the creator of rock string quartet Majnun (with whom Pinky plays: we like playing in each other's bands) and solo-vibraphone The Sea That Dried Up(...).
Not Waving But Drowning has played at venues such as Joe’s Pub, The Living Room, Mo’ Pitkins, and P.S. 122. We recorded our debut full-length album at Water Music in Hoboken with renowned producer Stewart Lerman (whose credits include Loudon Wainwright and Laurie Anderson.)
How are you? I just got the T-shirts I ordered for the NYC Musical Saw Festival. I'm excited about the logo: What do you think? I hope you can join us at the festival on Saturday, July 18th, 2pm at Trinity Church, 31-18 37th street, Astoria (Queens), NYC.
I would like to share some exciting news: after a long application process, the NYC Musical Saw Festival was approved by the Guinness Book of Records to attempt to break the current world record for the 'Largest Musical Saw Ensemble'. The current world record (set in Poland last year) is 27 musical saw players playing together. Could we set a new world record on July 18th? We need your help for it! Please join us and be part of a Guinness World Record breaking attempt at the 7th annual NYC Musical Saw Festival: When: Saturday, July 18th, 2pm Where: Trinity Church, 37th street corner of 31st Avenue, Astoria (Queens), NYC. Admission: $10 Info: www.MusicalSawFestival.org
For the Guinness World Record attempt all sawists will be playing 2 pieces together (in what we call the 'Chorus of the Saws'): Ave Maria/Schubert - accompanied by church organ Over the Rainbow - accompanied by piano The 'Chorus of the Saws' will be conducted by Scott Munson.
Hope to see you there, and please - pass the info on - we need to get as many musical saw players to participate as possible to set a new Guinness World Record!
