"sha sha sha sha shake it / I know if I can take it..."
The churn and burn punk explosion of "Earthquake Water" by New York based Miranda and the Beat feels seeded as much from seminal 50's rockers who possessed punk hearts like Little Richard or Screamin Jay Hawkins or Chuck Berry as other resulting bands I referenced when trying to describe Miranda and the Beat's aesthetic like Deadmoon, The Gories, Black Flag, Siouxsie and the Banshees. The gleeful crazy, ID up front crazy capture cinematic sound feels exquisitely raw and fresh compared to the cut and paste mode of music that we all hear way too often these days. I will always prefer, revel in music made in a sweaty rehearsal room than in front of a computer. If you do some deep diving into this band's past and present material, you get the sense that their historical knowledge of blues, rock, jazz, punk and all the interconnected blending / iterations is vast. There might be a visceral inclination to think of punk hybrids like Suicide or Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and the incredible vocal countenance of vocalist Miranda Zipse to cast images of Lydia Lunch or Exene Cervenka (sonically or attitudinally) but I also kept flashing on Amy Winehouse and Pagona Kytzidis as well (or an amalgam of both). Zipse's vocal character is complex and powerful, old soul-esque and multi-genric.
ABOUT "Earthquake Water," [Miranda Zipse, the band's frontwoman, shares a deeply personal and humorous story from her childhood.] Miranda recalls, "Growing up, my father would hide 'earthquake supplies' in the garage in case of emergency. Big tubs of beans, rice, and gallon jugs of water lined our garage for the impending collapse of society. As a kid, I was not allowed to play music in the house, so the old, crumbling garage seemed like a great place to play my guitar. One day, I became thirsty from writing one of my first worldwide number-one hits and noticed one of the emergency jugs was half empty and I thought it would be safe to have a drink myself. To my 12-year-old disgust (delight?) I spit out the contents immediately, as the jug was in fact full of vodka instead of water. It turns out there was a whole scheme at play to hide gallons of liquor in the garage to maintain a sham of sobriety and years of AA meetings. Thus, the term ‘earthquake water’ was born, a running joke in the family to this day.”
LOVELY LINER NOTES (bracketed):
[Miranda and The Beat is a rock and roll band from New York City consisting of Miranda Zipse (guitar and lead vocals), Dylan Fernandez (farfisa) and Alvin Jackson (bass). The band disrupted the New York scene in 2018 and quickly became known for their high-energy live shows and mesmerizing frontwoman which has earned them a reputation for their lawless gang mentality and fearless approach to punk.]
[The gang left the big city in 2022 and have toured extensively over the past year scouring every nook and cranny of the US and Canada. Highlights include touring a full two months with The King Khan and BBQ show in 2022 and taking Europe by storm in 2023, where the phrase “Miranda and The Beat is like a slap in the face!” was heard nightly.]
[After losing a tooth and a few broken bones later the band released their self-titled debut album on King Khan’s Khannibalism/Ernest Jenning Record Co. label in May 2023. This release follows their debut 7-inch release of “Such A Fool” b/w “Chillantro” on Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. The debut album is hot and spicy with tracks like "Sweat," glorifying hangover sweats “all up in your crack.” Mixed by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, this album is a true rock n roll record, a hallucinogenic ode to New York City, garage punk, and utter mayhem.]
[About the band King Khan “Emperor of RnB" says:
“I never thought I would see someone be able to play guitar with the ferocity of Link Wray, and sing like Lydia Lunch had a nuclear meltdown and morphed into Etta James and Yma Sumac. Miranda and the Beat ARE the quintessential heirs to our rock n’ roll throne… May the circle remain unbroken. Consider the torch has not only been passed but its fiery tale is ready to set the whole world on fire all over again.”]
Yowza. Double Yowza.
- Robb Dark Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gU5B9awyQfxX24z8MwErn
Miranda and The Beat are a Rock and Roll band, w/ all the term might entail. Drawing from traditional rock music (The Dirt Bombs, The B-52’s, MC5, and Ronnie Spector) Miranda and The Beat operate from a clear eyed appropriation of the greats and healthy disregard for blame. Garage, soul, punk, classic rock… pick your poison; the band has plenty to spare. Arriving in New York City in 2018, the band have, through songwriting & performance, proved themselves an essential spark and spearhead to a scene of new blood rockers, bringing a much needed renewal of energy to the New York City scene. Originally a duo of then 21 year old guitarist/vocalist Miranda Zipse and 21 year old drummer Kim “The Beat” Sollecito, the pair added a full band and quickly became known for their tireless,wheel-on-fire live sets driven by Miranda’s captivating stage presence, vocal prowess, and her pyrotechnic (but never indulgent!) melodically slashing guitar work. Their live reputation (and for being neither pushovers nor scumbags) led to collaborations with such childhood idols as The Mystery Lights and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Soon there was the release of their 7” single Such A Fool, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. One pandemic later, between days/nights spent sweating out piss, vinegar, and trackloads of tears in the studio, and a rigorous rehearsal schedule, Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.Their live reputation (and for being neither pushovers nor scumbags) led to collaborations with such childhood idols as The Mystery Lights and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Soon there was the release of their 7” single Such A Fool, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. One pandemic later, between days/nights spent sweating out piss, vinegar, and trackloads of tears in the studio, and a rigorous rehearsal schedule, Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.Their live reputation (and for being neither pushovers nor scumbags) led to collaborations with such childhood idols as The Mystery Lights and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Soon there was the release of their 7” single Such A Fool, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. One pandemic later, between days/nights spent sweating out piss, vinegar, and trackloads of tears in the studio, and a rigorous rehearsal schedule, Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.
Miranda and the Beat, punk, garage rock, art punk, post punk, alt rock, New York, "Concrete" (Official Video), guitarist/vocalist Miranda Zipse, Kim “The Beat” Sollecito, "Earthquake Water",
No comments:
Post a Comment