Pmr +1

New York quartet The Damnwells don't play it safe. Describing their music as 'rock with problems,' front man Alex Dezen's dreamy, languorous phrasing and majestic melodies drive the band. With Dezen on vocals and guitar, former Whiskeytown drummer Steven Terry, bassist Ted Hudson, and guitarist Dave Chernis round out the line-up. PMR + 1 (Poor Man's Record plus one bonus song), finds the band at their finest, crafting beautiful pop songs propelled by The Damnwells love for a great rock song. The songs get stuck in your head, while you tap your feet to the infectious rhythms. You keep hearing the songs even after they're done, singing them in the shower, while you walk down the street, and in your car. Harnessing the power of their live shows, The Damnwells make sure that you remember not only their name, but their sound, each song possessing it's own distinct melody, all the while sounding undeniably like The Damnwells. Constant touring and recording has kept the band busy. Tours with Josh Rouse, Mason Jennings, and Slobberbone have helped the band find an ever-growing audience in each market they hit. They've also played several shows with Cheap Trick (where they sold an astonishing amount of merchandise each night). Look for the band on the road constantly, as they tour the East Coast, Midwest, and, recently, the West Coast, helping to spread the word of The Damnwells one fan at a time. REVIEWS * The Pittsburgh Pulp (July 2002) The Damnwells' press kit will probably fill up soon with articles mentioning drummer Steven Terry's brief tenure with alt-country poster kids Whiskeytown. He played on Stranger's Almanac, their major label breakthrough. However, the New York quartet doesn't bear much sonic resemblance to Ryan Adams' work; instead they mine a territory closer to slow, hypnotic pop. Vocalist Alex Dezen's drowsy vocals and the band's thick blend of rumbling bass and chiming guitar takes the band closer to Radiohead. A loop of what sounds like mellotron bloops drones throughout the slow, dynamic 'While You Can.' At the same time, the Damnwells' songs have a Middle American rock feel beneath the layers of sonic gauze. Dezen freely admits the influence of such writers as Tom Petty. 'If you want to learn how to write a song and put a song together, listen to Tom Petty records,' he told the online zine Swizzle-Stick. 'There is no fat on any of those songs.' This aversion to pork can be found in the dreamy soundscape of 'H.C.E.' -- MIKE SHANLEY * The Village Voice (July 2002) To be successful in the music industry, you need good people behind you, good people before you, and talent, luck and an uncle in high places. The Damnwells have good people behind them (Roadwork Music), good people before them (a growing, loyal fan base), talent (see and hear them), luck (never step on cracks), and...and...damn, well. Who needs an uncle, when you rock? With Slobberbone and Tandy. (Aber) * In Music We Trust Not a band to be pigeonholed, The Damnwells' debut release, a six song E.P., is an understated rock masterpiece. An album that wears it's heart on it's sleeve without sounding pout-y or pretentious, delivers memorable pop hooks, and knows how to rock, passively coming out of your stereo and doing what it does, regardless if you're paying attention or not. And it is because of that it is so beautiful. The simplicity collides with the complex, the fearless hovers over the unsure, and the lively emotions overshadow the soothing melodies that guide the songs. 'Have To Ask' is a prime example of what fuels the band. The song starts out soft and impulsive, reeling you in with an outcry of emotions, before launching into the guitar-driven rock chorus. Echoing back to the quaint verse, the band has you on your tippy-toes before re-introducing the rock and shaking you with vibrancy and passion. 'The Trade' is a meditative acoustic singer-songwriter offering that makes you focus on the depth of the songwriting, while the subtle pop leanings give you enough hooks to latch on to. And then there is the mid-tempo 'H.C.E.', which opens the albu