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 the black watch's Profile |
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Icing the Snow Queen out NOW! |
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| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Country: |  United States |
| Last Login: | Jun 26, 2008 (547 days back) |
About Me |
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Formed in Santa Barbara, California the day after frontman John Andrew Fredrick saw a London band called The Lucy Show play to seven people at a State Street club, the black watch have made 11 CDs of dreamy, beautiful, literate indie pop: "the hypnotizing sea," "very mary beth," "jiggery-pokery," "the king of good intentions, "lime green girl," and "amphetamines," among others, including the NEW LP, "tatterdemalion"--all of which are available from amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, or from your friendly neighborhood indie store or Virgin, and which are distributed by CARROT TOP DISTRIBUTION and PARASOL RECORDS. 2005's "the hypnotizing sea" is out in the UK now and available from SHELLSHOCK UK, and getting wonderful reviews, but it's also available in the United States from www.notlame.com, www.parasol.com, www.insound.com, and www.tonevendor.com. "With a vocal style that rivals Robert Smith's, John Andrew Fredrick writes the dreamiest pop songs this side of My Bloody Valentine."--SplendidEzine "Hazily low-key psychedelic dreampoppers the black watch deliver--in "Icing the Snow Queen"--their best record yet!"--LA Weekly "A critic's delight yet still somehow under the radar, the black watch once again lend thoughtful, highbrow, intelligent chops to the nearly dozen songs on "Icing the Snow Queen," especially on the urgent "On Another Plane," the delicious "Apres Lisette" with its sweet harmonies and guitar accents as it glides beautifully along, the bubbly, Beatleish "The Love of the Buzz," and gentle but gorgeous My Bloody Valentine-like "Peppermint."--Popmatters "John Andrew Fredrick, leader of this highly intellectual Beatlesque band, says outright that "Icing the Snow Queen" is about death; yet this is not a dark or depressing record. Instead, much of the material is lovely and expressive warm, fuzzy pop. Obvious influence: "Rubber Soul." Yet "On Another Plane," "Jenny Holly Wally Martin," and "Peppermint" drive along with great big distorted, oddly tuned guitars. The overall effect is picturesque, dreamy-floaty pop. With its illustrious history, the black watch is what fans of nebulous indie rock absolutely dream of."--JerseyBeat "Swirling guitars, acidic lyrics, super catchy melodies--the black watch are like a dream combination of The Dukes of Stratosphere and My Bloody Valentine--whoa!"--Amoeba Music "the black watch has never sounded like this. Wow! John Andrew Fredrick's LA foursome once had me calling them America's Go-Betweens, yet "Tatterdemalion" is the loud guitar, cranking bass and stamping drums LP they've never fully attempted. The opening title track will open minds and mouths, scaling six-string altitudes where Echo & the Bunnymen melds into The House of Love--with a swatch of Fredrick's My Bloody Valentine fondness on "Autoportrait" and "The Lost Colony of Roanoake." "Williamsburg employs Jesus and Marychain/Cure fuzz--the guitars are airborne with beautiful reverb and delay. THIS is what guitar effects were invented for: to cascade, reverberate, expand and tantalize. Marry this to Fredrick's compositional knack for smart poptunes, and you have this great, unexpected alt-rock guitar-rock LP."--THE BIG TAKEOVER "the black watch remains, after nearly 20 years of making music, both intriguing and exhilarating. The group's sound continues to be both provocative and just out of reach.From the woozy title track that sounds more than slightly off-kilter to the cosmic clutter of "The Lost Colony of Roanoke" to the wistful "Covers the Bummers" and lilting "Never Know"--songs that reinforce the band's more melodic sensibilities--one can only hope that, after eight albums and half as many EPs, the black watch's time has finally come."--AMPLIFIER "Why is this excellent LA band so loved in the UK? Have a listen to their new "Innercity Garden" EP. My vote for anthem of the summer? the black watch's "Innercity Garden." It's like a giant swing that lands you on your own secret party in a cloud."--LA WEEKLY "Los Angeles has not produced a band like tbw in a long time; they have, in singer/songwriter/guitarist John Andrew Fredrick an artist capable of both My Bloody Valentine miasma and Nick Drake quietness--with literary allusions from Shakepeare and Dylan--to whimsical,nursery rhyme plafulness. It's a shame that they are relying on a tiny label out of Dorset to get their fine melodies heard."--ANDY GILL in THE INDEPENDENT UK "the black watch is the best band you've never heard. "Innercity Garden" burns the house to the ground with its grinding, fire-alarm guitar riff."--MAGNET "Remember the first time you heard XTC or The Cure? Discovering the black watch is precisely what is evoked by such memories. "Tatterdemalion" is a triumph of jangly-fuzzy beauty--the latest in a long string of stunningly catchy records."--TUCSON WEEKLY "Hailing from Los Angeles they may be but indie rockers the black watch seem to be taking a few clues from Britain. Close in tone to what the Kaiser Chiefs are doing, the black watch write pop songs first and foremost, sometimes clouding them in walls of dissonance, sometimes in guitar freakouts. Frontman John Andrew Fredrick sings in a rich baritone, his lyrics acting as mini stories, his vocabulary stretching further than your average rocker--a kind of cross between Jarvis Cocker, that guy from Doves, Morrissey and Dylan. THE HYPNOTIZING SEA marks the band's UK debut album, and an intoxicating collection it is too. Kicking off with the single, "Innercity Garden," tbw sound like My Bloody Valentine meets Doves--delicious guitar abuse anchored by joyous choruses and deftly delivered melodicism. The equally enchanting "Buttercup Fairchild" is a sweetly sung pop tune that takes frequent sidesteps into swirling noise, while the self-explanatory "Dylan, Dylan, Dylan" skips along with an acoustic jangle and a harmonica to keep you company, with Fredrick spurting forth lyrics like "visions of johanna/ made me truly see/ that that little Zimmerman/ is of great help to me." It's a love letter to a musical hero. In a similar vein, "The Teacup Song" saunters along with gentle acoustics, while the very lo-fi "Willing to Wait" makes Guided by Voices sound like overproduced major label lackeys. The quirky "Another Summer Coming" somehow puts one in mind of Noel Coward, while "Story of Your Life" finds the band taking a more straightforward approach, with shimmering guitars and gentle drumming coming together in this dreamy love song. A satisfying and intoxicating collection of classy pop tunes, THE HYPNOTIZING SEA is a record that snuggles up to you and begs to be loved. Quirky in places, heartfelt in others, the black watch make music that's the aural equivalent to a Technicolour daydream."--UK MUSIC SEARCH ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- Icing the Snow Queen ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- Tatterdemalion ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- Very Mary Beth ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- jiggery-pokery ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- |
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My Interests |
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Music:Member Since: 2/16/2005Band Website: theblackwatchmusic.com Band Members: John Andrew Fredrick--guitars, vocals;Scott Taylor--bass, vocals;Rick Woodard--drums;Steven Schayer--guitar, vocals. Influences: the black watch discography:Tatterdemalion CD, stonegarden usa (2006) The Hypnotizing Sea CD, pink hedgehog uk (2005) Innercity Garden CD/EP, pink hedgehog uk (2005) Very Mary Beth CD, stonegarden usa (2003) Jiggery-Pokery CD, stonegarden usa (2001) The Christopher Smart EP CD/EP, saltwater usa (2000) Lime Green Girl CD, saltwater usa (2000) The King of Good Intentions CD, not lame usa (1999) Seven Rollercoasters CD/EP, catapult usa (1997) Amphetamines CD, zero hour usa (1995) Flowering CD, doctor dream usa (1991) Sounds Like: [insert clever quip here] Record Label: pink hedgehog UK, stonegarden US, zero hour US. Type of Label: Indie |
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My Background and Lifestyle |
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| Occupation: | Music Artist (Psychedelic / Indie / Pop) |
My Pictures |
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My Blog |
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"Quartz Pink Cloud" from the new CD |
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| this is , weirdly, what we must have meant to do be doing at the time. the new new single! and something we find pleasantly puzzling. cheers, tbw Posted by the black watch on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:00:00 PST |
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our eskimo labelmates the furious seasons |
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| please go to, listen to, and befriend our labelmates the furious seasonswww.myspace.com/thefuriousseasonstheir beautiful, mellowish stuff will remind you of summertime, good wine, the books you want t... Posted by the black watch on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:46:00 PST |
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exciting news in tbw-land!!! |
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| we are all too too excited to have STEVEN SCHAYER joining the black watch on second guitar and vocals! Steve was in New Zealand pop sensations The Chills for a spell, and fronted his own fine pop ban... Posted by the black watch on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:57:00 PST |
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what we are reading and watching |
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| amit chaudhuri, Afternoon Raagantonioni, Blow Upquentin bell, virginia woolfnabokov, king, queen, knaveanderson, There Will Be Bloodcoen brothers, No Country for Old Meneliot, The Waste LandWilliam Bo... Posted by the black watch on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:57:00 PST |
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what we’re listening to! |
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| the move, message from the countryvelouria, kiss it better (coming soon)cocteau twins, lullabies for violaine (the early eps!!!)the furious seasons (coming soon)ray, "great strange dream"super furry a... Posted by the black watch on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:52:00 PST |
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Wikipedia.org: the black watch (band) |
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| there's an entry now for tbw on wikipedia.org Posted by the black watch on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:46:00 PST |
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tbw supporting ADAM FRANKLIN, ex-Swervedriver! |
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| at THE ECHO in Echo Park, Tueday 17July!doors open 9pmcheers! Posted by the black watch on Wed, 23 May 2007 03:12:00 PST |
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"Tatterdemalion" on iTunes--up now! |
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| in case you can't find the CD through your local indie mom and pop!cheers! tbw Posted by the black watch on Wed, 09 May 2007 02:42:00 PST |
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tbw in the studio--new record soon! |
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| the black watch are in the studio, with bassist scott taylor producing, making a new CD/LP for eskimo records USA. the tentative tile is "calliopes & xylophones." track list as follows: "oh death d... Posted by the black watch on Thu, 03 May 2007 08:45:00 PST |
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tbw on Village Voice podcast! |
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| have a look at http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0710,beghtol,75968,22.html
Posted by the black watch on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:34:00 PST |
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My Friends |
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XTC, My Bloody Valentine, The Beatles, Parasol, velouria, steven, The Furious Seasons, Steph, KXLU, UNIVERSBOLD, Quynnie, ...IS GOOD w/ Jon Hershfield, The Rutles, [ Ely ], Insomnia Radio: SoCal, The Lucy Show, new order, Robyn Hitchcock, idaho, Pat Fish, Entangled Records Ltd, RAY, Super Furry Animals, For Against, Airy fairy in the forest merry!, Chandler, Dave Coverly, Pink Hedgehog, The Cure, Tim, Cassie La Baraque, Robert Vandeven, typewriter, Sonic Boom, Hong Kong In The 60s, Andrew Taylor, zeph.yr, Charly Sez..., PerkinsWood, *Rob*, Phil Wilson, What is love?, [ROYAL ESSOTERICA], deathsheadallmonsters, Giuly Strano, Bruma, EXIT 3, moon bullet, Below The Radio!, Mik, exprime desh, Six Red Carpets, Judy, ORANGE lem, Julie Production, June Noh, Mequetrefe, Max X, kimiko, Proletaria, T@E, Curveballs, Maria, S.a.G. music management, claudio cataldi, TITO, AnDi pHotO GirL, LOAF Recordings, noia sinfonica, Yeti Island, Ladyjanes, MYA VON STEIN, Kai Reiner, [*Steamofficial*], Riadij Músik
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Tags |
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the black watch's profile has been tagged with the following keywords. Click a tag to search for profiles with the same tags. parasol records, my bloody valentine, king of good intentions, sweet harmonies, amazon co uk, lucy show, snow queen, carrot top, indie pop, la weekly, london band, santa barbara california, green girl, dozen songs, john andrew, popmatters, black watch, rubber soul, pop songs, vocal style |
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