By Lorca Records
Money & King
Across The Cul-De-Sac
Lorca Records – Spring 2013 Release – For immediate release
Download free review copy of album
These guys are equally adept at both lovelorn twang and baroque-pop strum, and while the unceasing tunefulness of the songs here disarms, it’s the words—slippery, melancholy, pining—that give Across the Cul-de-Sac its crucial kick. From cuckold’s plaint (“The Laughing Moon”) to idler’s promise (“I’ve Got Time”), Appalachian hoedown (“The Question”) to neo-noir abstraction (“Malibu”), the gems on this record refract staple verities with seemingly effortless aplomb. Highly recommended.
– Ernesto Yermoli, Ascots for the Needy
Money & King’s two alternating front-men, composers, and co-producers of this album, James Sparber (acoustic guitar) and Brandon Goldstein (drums), played in bands together while growing up in the small town of Vienna, VA. After high school they parted ways to play music on opposite coasts: James, in Brooklyn, formed indie band Breakup Breakdown (Cordless/Warner) and (twice NYITA-nominated) avant-garde collective Colonna Sonora, while Brandon spent ten years in Los Angeles playing drums for popular country and indie acts such as Merle Jagger and Leslie Stevens and the Badgers. Upon Brandon moving to Brooklyn in 2010, the two reunited friends formed Money & King with bassist and backup singer John Loggins.
After two years of refining their sound playing live shows in New York and New Jersey, the band began work on their first full-length album, Across The Cul-De-Sac, an eclectic collection of ‘60s- and ‘70s-influenced indie-Americana songs driven by James and Brandon’s signature emphasis on interesting melodies and vocal harmonizing. Recorded by James Sparber in his Colonna Sonora Studio in Brooklyn, mixed by Anthony Puglisi at SENTRALL Sound in LA, and packaged in hand-painted artwork by comics artist Matthew Thurber (1-800-MICE), the album features stunning leads and guest performances from such musicians as Tyler Cash (Henry Wolfe) on piano, Sean O’Brien (PAPA) on lap steel and mandolin, and LA country/jazz vocalist Kathleen Grace (Fleeting Heart). Across The Cul-De-Sac also features guest appearances from Jeff Mensch and Brady Bagger (Colonna Sonora), who have both since joined as full-time members of the band.
Since finishing the album in early 2013, Money & King have released music videos for their first two singles: “I’ve Got Time” directed by Sean Barrett (Epic Rap Battles Of History) which was featured on Friday Night Vids on Gimme Tinnitus, and “The Question” directed by Jeremy Sage. Their song “CID” has been played multiple times on Toe Tappin Music on KXLU 88.9 FM (LA’s longest running classic country radio show), while “Tigercat” has gotten radio play on Gimmetinnitus Sunday Radio Show on Newtown Radio, and Town & Country Underground on KITR/IntraffikRadio, which has also featured “Care of Abbott Laboratories”. In May, the band will be appearing and performing songs on two online shows, Wreckroom and Under The Covers, both produced and hosted by Adrian Grenier (Entourage) and Damien Paris (Paul Banks).
Please join Money & King at one of their upcoming shows: May 12th at Mercury Lounge in Manhattan, June 8th at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn, or June 28th at Kittenfest in Augusta, NJ.
Videos and press kit with hi-res band photos and album cover image are available at www.moneyandkingmusic.com
