| The Parties | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 2006 – present |
| Website | thepartiesrock.com |
| Members | |
| Rob Uytingco, Rex Padayhag, Jeremy Powers, Adam Symons, | |
The Parties is an American psych rock group based in San Francisco, CA.
The Parties brand of powerpop harkens back to the classic era of melodic song writing popularized by such bands as The Byrds, The Beatles, The Zombies, The Who and The Beach Boys, as well as bands involved in the '80s Paisley Underground scene and the '90s shoegaze phenom. The Parties have received accolades from such national publications as Uncut Magazine, Allmusic and Amplifier Magazine. They have played both the International Pop Overthrow Festival and New York's CMJ and Austin's SXSW, and they have shared the stage with The Shore, Sky Parade, The New Fidelity, The Waking Hours, Prabir and The Substitutes, The High Dials, and The Parson Redheads.
Contents |
The Parties were formed in 2004 by Red Planet alum Jeremy Powers and Richmond, VA songwriter, drummer John L. Morgan IV with a joint love for all things Lennon-McCartney. The two soon hooked up with bassist Rex Padayhag, who grew up in the Philippines playing with various bands on the Manila Psychedelic Pop circuit, and Oakland guitarist Sarah Melfeld. The current line-up sees Morgan and Melfeld replaced by Rob Uytingco and Adam Symons respectively.
The band's debut full length "Can't Come Down," was released on the Rainbow Quartz label in 2008. Journalist Alan Green of Caught in the Carousel writes, "Conjuring images of Lambretta vespa scooters, boys in button down shirts and Fred Perry shoes and girls in mini skirts and tights, The Parties' debut is a winning batch of '60s mod pop" (Caught in the Carousel-Alan Green). While Allmusic describes their sound as, "like the Left Banke without the Baroque trappings or the Rain Parade stripped of their studied cool, and it makes for a quietly impressive debut from a band that can look to the past without sounding as if they're selling paisley nostalgia" (Allmusic). David Bash of Amplifier Magazine also adds, "The Parties heartily embraces the neo-psychedelic revival which rejuvenated the UK pop scene in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s with chiming, tremulous, Byrdsian guitar figures, harmonies that float on a cloud, and very strong hooks which permeate each tune on" (Amplifier Magazine-David Bash).[1][2][3]
Released November, 2009 on Rainbow Quartz Tracklisting
Rex Padayhag- bass, vocals
Jeremy Powers - guitar, vocals
Adam Symons - guitar, vocals
Rob Uytingco - drums
Sara Melfeld - guitar, vocals
John L. Morgan IV - drums, vocals