Years active 2010–present Record label The Backyard Committee | Website Official website | |
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Associated acts The Alternate Routes, Sun Dagger, Kennesaw, superfallingstars Members Mike Sembos
Eric Donnelly
Stephen Chopek
John Stavola
Brian Larney
Pat Jones Origin New Haven, Connecticut, United States Albums Mountains, Festival, The Backyard Committee, Plains Genres Psychedelic music, Jam band, Indie rock | ||
The Backyard Committee is a band from New Haven, Connecticut that plays melodic roots-rock injected with moments of improvisation and experimentation, much in the spirit of the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, but with modern influences like Guided By Voices and Neutral Milk Hotel. Mike Sembos (vocals, guitar) writes the songs and then serves as the editor of the project. His rotating cast of musicians are encouraged to play their instruments using their own ideas and their own voices to make each lineup and each show completely unique.
Contents
The band's self-titled debut album The Backyard Committee was released as a free download on the band's site, thebackyardcommittee.com on December 8, 2010.
Sembos also plays bass with The Alternate Routes, a group that has toured the U.S. countless times, performed on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Mountain Stage", and played festivals like Gathering of the Vibes and Mountain Jam.) Members of the Alternate Routes often sit in at BYC shows.
The Backyard Committee has shared stages with the likes of Richard Buckner, Crooked Fingers, Sean Hayes, The Spring Standards, The Philistines Jr., The Zambonis and the Capstan Shafts. They played B.O.M.B. Fest 2011 at the Meadows Music Theater in Hartford, and at the 2011 Bridgeport Arts Festival.
Discography
Album Reviews
"Whatever ineffable attributes Sembos brings to the Alternate Routes, there's no mistaking what he has done with the Backyard Committee: He's made an inviting album of songs that linger after the last note fades," says Eric Danton of the Hartford Courant.
"The real joy of this album for me is the production" says John H at CT Indie. "The instrumentation fits the vocals so perfectly it's mind-blowing. The songs have the ethereal undertones of a typical Daniel Lanois production, and still maintain the minimal folk sense of something Rick Rubin would do. Listen to the guitar solo in "Once in a Blue" and you'll find they dialed up just the right amount of crunch for a sharp single-coil pickup. Listening to "So Long Ago" the windy, gritty organ is absolutely perfect, and adds a low layer of ambiance and noise to what would otherwise be a squeaky-clean late era Jeff Tweedy-esque tune. The super low-end tones of piano on "Winter Trip" sound like they'd be right at home on Cash's American IV.
"The end result is a sort of jam-session garage band you’d actually want to sit and listen to–like somewhere in Connecticut is this bunch of musician neighbors that get together for a barbecue or something, and actually sound really, really good," says Jeff McQ of the Oomph Music Blog.
Songs
Once In a BlueThe Backyard Committee · 2010
Hey LoverMountains · 2017
Lost WeekendFestival · 2013