The Kobolds have only been around for two years, but they play like they’ve been a band for much longer.
Alternative indie rockers The Kobolds have recently released their second EP, and it’s a five-song sample of rock music today—from slower ballad to reggae to good old-fashioned rock and roll. The band, which hails from Astoria, Queens (you know, the other cool-kid borough), offer up the basic band lineup—Nicholas DiMichele on vocals and lead guitar, Spencer Synwolt on rhythm guitar, Alex Grau on bass and Andrew Benson on drums and percussion—and throw in keys, brass and even a few strings.
The EP itself is well-constructed: a rocking and rolling start with “Buckle Up,” some reggae-ish beats with “The Grind,” and slowing it down almost completely with “The Itinerant” before bringing it back up to speed with “Take Me Now” and “Rerouted.” Grau and DiMichele have been playing music together since they met down in Texas, and it’s clear the other members have fed right into the pair’s chemistry.
The band’s second EP is definitely one that is has excellent production and the talent to back it up—between DiMichele’s vocal range and guitar solos (see: “Itinerant”) to Benson’s spot-on percussion choices (see: “Take Me Now”), it’s clear we’re working with real musicians here. The band would have fit quite nicely on WRXP 101.9 (had to whine about this eventually). Good to know that New Yorkers are still rocking out, regardless.
On May 15th, 2011, we received an album review for The Kobolds EP II from BandBlog.it!
THE KOBOLDS EP II
By Alessandro Tibaldi
Translated from the original Italian by Google
Edited by Nicholas DiMichele
Habemus secundum! The Kobolds are back with a new EP recorded in the same studio as groups like Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Talib Kweli. The quality shows.
This Astoria music group had already struck once before with their previous work, and with this new publication, it appears they have been working non-stop. "The Grind" is the most successful song, and they have just released their first music video to accompany it. The song is full of style and strong inspiration, ranging from Gorillaz to Red Hot Chili Peppers, which makes it very fun. The other tracks aren't bad either, mind you! They flow with such variety, each rich with its own originality.
This album's bravado, technical aspects, and charisma reaffirm the Kobolds to be a solid project with growth-potential. We often use many words to say nothing, so for this band, it seems easy to simply call them a true success.
-Where are you from? How does living there affect your songwriting? Three of us are from College Station, TX, and one from Lancaster, PA. We all live in NYC now, and living here is definitely an influence on our music. Everything we write comes from our collaborative sessions in our Astoria, Queens rehearsal space, but we always write with the NYC audience in mind.
-How long have you been playing and what was your first instrument? Some of us have been playing upwards of 15 years. We went through a number of instruments growing up, but I believe Andrew (our drummer) has stuck to his instrument the longest!
-What are your main musical influences? Black Keys, Gorillaz, Led Zeppelin, White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few.
-What's the song you're most proud of writing? So far, I think we're all pretty pleased with how The Grind came out. It took us a long time and lot of changes to really find the initial groove, but once we discovered that complicated verse drumming with raunchy bass, everything else fell into place.
-Have you played any great live shows lately? Sure! We'd like to think every show we do is special. Our live show has been, and will always be, our first priority and the fullest expression of our work.
-What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on stage? Well, I seem to remember trying to funny once when speaking to the audience and accidentally crossing a line or two. I think I accidentally issued a death threat once. Oops!
-What is your favorite movie?
My personal favorites are Apocalypse Now, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and When Harry Met Sally. And anything by Ingmar Bergman. But I can't speak for the other guys.
-What do you have planned for the future?
We hope to keep our team growing to the point where we can support a tour or two! Of course, we'll keep writing new material and record when we have the financial ability, but we've also got a mind to start getting involved in some Festivals and bigger shows. But for the moment, NYC is where we'll be!
APRIL 25th, 2011
'The Grind' was featured on an episode of Wyrd 101!
APRIL 9th, 2011
We were featured in the Music Think Tank Project for up and coming artists!
On February 21st, 2011, we received a performance review from BandBlog.it!
THE KOBOLDS LIVE IN NYC
By Alessandro Tibaldi
Translated from the original Italian by Steven Frieson
Edited by Nicholas DiMichele
I had good things to say when, by coincidence, I came to own their album. I have great things to say now that I have seen them live. [...] Alex, Spencer, Andrew and Nick are a young quartet, all under 30, but seem like they've been on stage for a lifetime or two. Nick, the singer, [...] seems infernal, full of adrenaline, and irrepressible. He's a true front man with nothing to envy of even his most experienced colleagues. You will be astonished by his vocal ability and charisma. They were strong on the album, and even better live.
It was impossible not to get involved. When Nick casually came out into the middle of the audience, continuing to play and sing as if he were still on stage, we instantly began to breathe in and smell the rock’n’roll. At the end of the concert, it was absolutely natural to give them great compliments. [...]
The Kobolds, in German mythology, are invisible elves that enliven their surroundings with jokes, pranks and unexpected vitality. The Kobolds, however, here in New York are perfectly visible, and- trust a fool- hurry up and see them.
FEBRUARY 10th, 2011
We were selected as Fanbridge's Artist of the Day!
JANUARY 30th, 2011
On January 30th, 2011, we received an album review for The Kobolds EP from BandBlog.it!
THE KOBOLDS
By Alessandro Tibaldi
Translated from the original Italian by Google
Edited by Nicholas DiMichele
In New York, [...] several young guys hailed me on the street and gave me a CD. Turns out, they are "The Kobolds" , a band who decided to promote themselves in this unusual (but effective) way. They travel about the city and give music away to those lucky enough to be in their path!
The album is more of a demo, with only 5 pieces, but I was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of the recording. It's a very clean, crisp sound that can make for very good listening. [...] Going online, their website is surprisingly interactive and stylish. Clear, simple, and original, you can buy merchandise, see videos and look up dates of their upcoming concerts.
Their genre is hard to define: a mix of experimental rock with references to the '70s but also to existing groups such as White Stripes and Gorillaz. From this glance of the independent scene - apparently -New York music has nothing to envy of the majors, and these "kobolds" are a clear demonstration.
OCTOBER, 2010
In October of 2010, we were featured in the Long Island City Courier with a beautiful two-spread by Steve Moscoe, the editor of the LIC Courier. Below are links for the full PDF of the printed spread as well as the online article. A text transcript of the online article is also reprinted here. Full copyright goes to Steve Moscoe and LIC Courier/Queens Courier.
FLASHING THEIR RIFFS
-The Rise of the Kobolds-
BY STEVE MOSCO
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 3:36 PM EDT
Young residents of Queens are starved for a music scene to call their own. They search the streets of Astoria and LIC while some even cross over to that other borough, Brooklyn, for their audio fix.
But the times, we hope, might actually be changing. While a few singer-songwriters have made the rounds up and down the coffee shops and watering holes of Queens West, very few bands have formed in, and toured around, this borough.
At least one band might be on the verge of altering that trend. The Kobolds, a quartet consisting of three former Texans and one New Yorker, released their first EP earlier this year and are now taking their brand of music to the people.
“Our music scene here in Queens seems to crossover a lot with Manhattan,” said Alex Grau, bassist for The Kobolds. “We want to go everywhere.”
The Kobolds formed when Nicholas DiMichele, Spencer Synwolt and Grau left their native Texas for the city, where they found drummer Andrew Benson working at a local music store.
“We started playing together regularly and we were really digging what we were creating,” said Benson. “Once Spencer arrived, the band became complete and we began to develop our sound and discover our direction.”
Their sound seems to recall many different genres of music and is hard to pigeonhole into one category. It’s a spacey, funky, alternative rock with thoughtful lyrics and a landscape of sound that delivers unexpected turns and very few clichés.
On “Waiting,” from their self-titled debut EP, the band slow burns a groove, until the chorus hits with a rock hook ensuring that “this city has an iron jaw/it protects us all.” While on “Quest,” the band displays a guitar-driven swagger that one believes would sound many times raunchier when played live.
The band themselves have a difficult time trying to label their music, tending instead to either avoid doing so or making up genres completely.
“Someone asked me that same thing the other day and I was stumbling, like I didn’t know exactly what I should say,” said vocalist and guitarist DiMichele. “I kind of wound up saying that it’s just like ‘quirky rock’ or just ‘Quirk-Rock,’ as I just decided right now.”
DiMichele, and the rest of the band, believes that this ambiguity allows them to pull from many different influences and also attracts the attention of music fans who tend to stray beyond the usual avenues.
“We’re not really a cookie-cutter rock band. I’d like to think fans of any genre can get stuff out of our music,” he said. “That ambiguity really allows us to bring ourselves to the music and pull from a large pool of musical heritage.”
Guitarist Synwolt said that he’s proud of the band having its own sound, much in the way some of the more successful acts in the history of music also have a sound to call their own.
While ignoring genres for the most part, the band focuses its attention on expanding the music scene of LIC and the surrounding areas. They recently hosted a soon-to-be monthly rock showcase event called KOBO-KON!: A Night of Awesome Music in the city’s Ace of Clubs. What made this gig unique was that it featured an all-Queens West lineup; The Kobolds closed the show with bands The Astor Kings and Hypodive opening.
“It was a huge success,” said Benson. “Our friends, The Astor Kings and Hypodive, came out with us and just blew the doors off the club.”
Along with that monthly event, The Kobolds will kick off a monthly gig at LIC’s Wunderbar with a free show on October 9. Other shows are in the works; check out www.thekobolds.com for details on all their upcoming shows, as well as music clips, videos, blogs and merchandise. The Kobolds can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thekobolds.
OCTOBER 10th, 2010
We were featured of the Mega-Vlog "Internet Killed Television," and subsequently invaded by CTFxC fans! Our segment is around 5:18 in the following video:
