Swimmer - Girl Friday CD

Product Description Amidst legions of bands that play the Lower East Side clubs in New York City, Girl Friday stands out as one to watch. Fronted by charismatic singer-guitarist Amanda Dora, who hails from the Midwest, and backed by Texan natives Byron Isaacs on bass and Konrad Meissner on drums, this rock trio is steadily gaining a cult following. While doing session work as a cellist in the late 90s, Amanda started writing a group of songs that would eventually become the nucleus of Girl Fridays first record. She met Byron and Konrad through mutual friends in 2001 and the three have been making trouble together ever since. Released on their own Get Fresh Records, Swimmer features songs whos themes range from personal, and at times confessional, to social and universal. Its sonic landscapes draw as much inspiration from the immediacy of indie rock bands like The Shins as they do from the aggressive energy of artists like PJ Harvey. Combining haunting and evocative melodic textures with muscular, up-tempo rhythms, Swimmer makes for a mesmerizing listen. Producer Pete Keppler, just off tour doing live sound for David Bowie, recorded the album with the band over the course of the last year. Petes production and Hector Castillos nuanced mixes showcase the bands skillful playing and surging arrangements, as well as Amandas stirring, earthy vocals, which reach deep into the emotional heart of the listener. Girl Friday is currently in the studio working on a second full length record set for release later this year. The band toured last summer behind a three song EP which showcases a leaner, meaner sound while still featuring their lush three-part harmonies. If ever there was a textbook written on how to demonstrate composure and restraint while writing and performing a rock album in todays crowded market, Girl Friday definitely have a well worn copy of it. SWIMMER is a razor-sharp collection that thrives on songwriting economy; each of its eleven tunes is leaner and less wasteful than the one that preceded it. The most impressive thing about Girl Friday is how unconcerned they are with impressing anyone. These songs, masterfully sung by Amanda Dora, are content to be lean and linear, never once dipping into showy excess, ill advised genre mixing, or other familiar songwriting pitfalls." -Philip Stone, Splendid Magazine. About the Artist Girl Friday have tried to be miserable -- it just doesnt seem to stick. Despite their ability to do melancholy with the best of em, Girl Friday are three people who actually enjoy each others company. Leading lady/guitarist Amanda Dora says, "Its all about the collaborative process for us, its like were a 3-piece indie-music commune. Everyone is throwing something in." Formed in 2001, the bands remarkable synergy creates a kaleidoscope of mood and texture in their music, which seems to defy categorization. "Our songs are not your average one chord, out-of-tune, hostile rants," explains bassist Byron Isaacs. Joie de vivre aside, the lyrical content of many of the tunes on Swimmer is certainly contemplative, often harnessing a spiritual, albeit non-religious, aura. The pulsating rocker, "Give Over," for example, is based on a 17th century Quaker poem by Isaac Pennington. "Leave No Worry" is about the cycle of living and dying -- going back to the earth, becoming dust -- so why sweat the small stuff. Swimmer, the title track, uses a choppy sea as a metaphor for life. Worthy is complex rock song whose lyric deals with the destructive impact of guilt in life and love. The band name Girl Friday came out of Amandas day gig running Keith Richards website. She is essentially a part-timer at a straight job, like so many cash-poor musicians. Her co-workers started to call her "Girl Friday." ("Oh, Girl Friday is here; great, we need you to fix the fax machine.") Amanda was born in France, the daughter of an anthropologist, and spent part of her childhood in Burkina Faso (West Africa), but mostly in Minnesota, where shes more likely to tell you shes from. She grew up in a progressive household, with parents who refused to own a TV, so she spent her leisure time learning music -- cello, for the most part -- before ever picking up a guitar. She came to NYC in the mid-nineties and landed an internship at Philip Glass recording studio, The Looking Glass (a regular workspace for David Bowie). She went on to manage the joint for five years. Bassist Byron Isaacs grew up in Houston, Texas and started playing music when he was 15, trading in his passion for skateboarding for the bass. His first band was called Potato Skin Revolution. He did a stint working on cruise ships and then moved to NYC in the mid-nineties. He has since toured with Joan Baez and played with a number of New York bands, including Elysian Fields. Drummer Konrad Meissner grew up in Austin, Texas. He started playing drums in the 6th grade, did the marching band thing, got a BA in English Literature, but decided to go with music, and moved up to NYC in 98 whereupon he played with such notables as Syd Straw, Mary Lees Corvette and The Silos. Its clear that Bryon and Konrad make a particularly solid rhythm section. Indeed, they have that special affection for each other that applies only to siblings or very close friends, which is regularly expressed through a series of insults. Together with Amanda, the trio occupies a rehearsal space in Dumbo/! Brooklyn with a growing community of like-minded bands.

Specifics

• Album: Swimmer
• Artist: Girl Friday
• Label: CD Baby
• Genre: Rock, Pop
• MPN: none

1. Give Over
2. Make My Peace
3. Leave No Worry Here
4. Lost
5. Worthy
6. Ravaged
7. Meadow Song
8. Alone
9. Don't Know Anything
10. Swimmer
11. 100 Miles

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