Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #14 The Fresh & Onlys
It’s important to remember that not all bands are derivatives of others. Really, after so many years and decades of hearing bands, it’s hard not to compare a band to someone else. I do it all the time here at NBD. It’s the best way to give you a frame of reference. So The Fresh and Onlys from San Francisco, released a song so amazing this year, it’s hard not to say you’ve heard it before. Just erase the past and listen to one of the BEST NEW BANDS and SONGS of 2010.
Vitals:
Hometown: The greatest city on Earth San Francisco, CA
Band members: Tim Cohen, Shayde Sartin, Wymond Miles, Kyle Gibson
Sonic Soulmates:….I can’t do it to you…just listen to the track!
Song of the Year:
“Waterfall”
I love 60’s and 70’s classic Americana rock. I’m a kid of the 80’s and my parents loved music. Sitting in the back of my mom’s Vega listening to America, The Band, Bread and even a little CSN are memories that will live on forever. When a band comes along and recaptures that sound, not in a carbon copy way, but in a modern upgrade of that classic Americana driven folk, you need to acknowledge it. It might not be your thing, but for any child of a baby boomer, it’s part of your DNA. I can say that the Pet Sound is a modernization of the sound, but it misses the harmonies of two or even three lead singers. Fleet Foxes and Panda Bear do the old Boston, Black Sabbath self-harmonizing. Ozzy did it best in Sabbath, singing with himself. That’s some good music, but it’s the CSN, multiple leads harmonizing about love, loss, drugs, the road, that do it for me.
When you combine the mastery of soul folk from the Felice Brothers and one of George Clinton’s P. Funk All-Stars, you get The Duke and The King. This new elixir of the classic CSN/70’s soul rock sound come from the Catskills and are driven by SIMONE FELICE, BOBBY BIRD, SIMI STONE and NOWELL HASKINS. The Duke and The King have serious fame ahead of them. The tracks are a combination of The Band’s spirit with a layer of soul vibe. It’s a great album and one that will last a lifetime on my shelf. It’s worth a physical LP purchase.
The year is shaping up quite nicely. Let us know who you think should be the New.Band of the Year! I think The Duke and The King deserve some accolades. Comments start now!
Hear: Three very Diverse tracks from the bands new LP Long Live The Duke and The King
“Children of the Sun” – Classic re-invention of late 60’s folk
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #14 The Fresh & Onlys
NewBandDay 