Action Painters
"Writing."
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Websites:
Bio: In 2006, Tom Haslow (guitar/vox) left NYC synth-pop darlings Unisex Salon to start Action Painters. After finding Amit Wehle (drums) and Allison Zatarain (keys) in ... (more)
the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist, they began rehearsing in a frigid Brooklyn basement, soon adding Joe Hankin on guitar. Over countless subterranean nights, Action Painters found their sound: blistering, irresistible tunes carried by Haslow's confident, Verlainian tenor, groove-punk rhythms, soaring choruses and deadly hooks. It's art rock for the masses, pop you can love the morning after, played by art school nerds who grew up cool.
The band soon gained a fervent following at NYC hotspots like Mercury Lounge, Tiswas, Pianos and Cake Shop. Relentless touring and gigs at bigger clubs like Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg raised their profile. They shared bills with zeitgeist rockers Delta Spirit, Robbers on High Street, Tigercity, The Figurines, Dappled Cities, XYZ Affair, Bear Hands, Jonny Lives!, and Wild Light.
In June 2007, Action Painters released their 7-song debut, Chubby Dancer, with producer Ron A. Shaffer (Ambulance Ltd., Tricky) at the helm. A sparkling document of the first year of the group's life, its rough-and-tumble aesthetic and irrepressible energy delighted tastemakers at Spin.com, Deli Magazine and dozens of music blogs. Tracks from the album were picked up for TV shows on Discovery Channel, Fuse and TLC.
Since then, Action Painters have delved back into the Downtown/Brooklyn nexus that inspired the band's formation: playing shows, writing music, directing their own short films and music videos, collaborating with NYC artists in print, multimedia and photography projects, and making their music a movement, a true reflection of all the ecstatic modes of New York City existence. The Painters found their names on best-of 2008 blog lists, and new tracks were picked up for the upcoming season of MTV’s Real World: Brooklyn. A 3-song studio performance/music video project called Grand St. will be released in Spring 2009, and they are currently recording their first full-length record with multi-platinum producer Peter Wade (Elkland, J-Lo), due out in late 2009. The first single, “Supermarket”, released in late 2008, is further proof of the limitless possibility and undeniable swagger of this fiery young band.
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