A Brief History of...

by Win Win Winter

HISTORY

Alternative Press

Rob Ortenzi on 8/7/08 @ 12:03 PM

HQ: Winter Park and Orlando, FL

NOW PLAYING: Ghosts In The City (24 HOUR SERVICE STATION; 24hourservicestation.com)

THE STORY SO FAR: Tempting puns be damned, History began in 2004 when Orlando punk outfit Sound The Alarm (not to be confused with Geffen Records' shaggy quintet) took in drummer Patrick O'Neal (ex-My Hotel Year). Still using their old moniker, vocalist/guitarist Matt Caron, moogist Scott Ososky and bassist Kenzie Pause played a handful of shows with O'Neal before adding keyboardist/vocalist Melissa Parker (ex-New Roman Times), changing their name and re-charting their musical course away from the trendy pop-punk scene toward post-punk. "If I gave you [our old] CD, you'd have a good laugh at the difference," says Caron.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: They may be the fourth search result on MySpace when you type in "History," but if it's keyboard-splashed indie rock with a D.C. undercurrent you're scouring for, History provide a textbook definition. Caron believes that their success (they've played with These Arms Are Snakes, Helmet and Smoking Popes) and intricate sound is the direct result of not over thinking anything that isn't music. "It's easy for us not to worry as much about some of the business stuff sometimes and just get out there and enjoy what we're doing," he says. "This is honestly the first band I've been in where every night isn't a chore. It's just another fun night with my friends playing exactly the music I want to play." --Brian Shultz

YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: NAKATOMI PLAZA / JAWBOX / FUGAZI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Win Win Winter

A Brief History Of...

www.winwinwinter.com

by Lindsey Ibarra

With influences ranging from the classic rock of Pink Floyd and The Beatles to the experimental stylings of Beck, Tampa, Fla.’s Win Win Winter are carving a sound for themselves based on southerntouched riffs and sweeping lyrical builds. Combining the indie melodies of D.C. post-punks Dismemberment Plan with the raw twang of Wilco, members Tommy Simms, Matthew Bennett, Alan Relkin, Brian Schnack and Joshua Greenberg have barely been together a year but have already played some of Florida’s biggest festivals, sharing the stage with Spoon, Minus the Bear, Dresden Dolls, Mates of State and The Stills.

A Brief History Of... marks the group’s first EP on Tampa-based indie label 24 Hour Service Station and is a solid outing from the Florida fivesome. Effortlessly transitioning from quiet country melodies to up-tempo pop, the songs all build and break at several points within their time allotment, creating a consistently undulating feel throughout the record. Attempting to maintain a juxtaposed mood with lyrics and melodies, it ends up that the one far outshines the other. It is the combination of Simms’ and Relkin’s fluctuating guitars that draws you in more so than the vocals, which can seem a bit too high-pitched and out of place at times. Midway through “Doves and Uppercuts,” the group nails it with Relkin and drummer Matthew Bennett creating a gorgeous sound scape over which Simms’ vocals float perfectly, and you’re left wishing that sound would have filled all five minutes of the song rather than just the last two.

By far the strongest track on the EP is “Exit Rows.” Captivating you immediately with a building synth and easing into a bit of bluesy guitar, the track perfectly exemplifies the balance of experimentalism and classicism you could feel the group had been striving for from their opening song. This is the point where all five members’ singular talents

finally meld together to form a cohesive and moving piece of music.

Although it’s easy to say that these boys are simply riding the coattails of other southern crafted rockers like My Morning Jacket, the brightest spots on A Brief History Of... solidify that the group is well on its way to finding and honing that balanced sound that will set them apart. Experimental enough to capture the attention of discerning musical tastes, and yet not so much so that it makes them inaccessible, Win Win Winter are more than poised to successfully build on what those before them have laid out. (24 Hour Service Station)

Label: 24 Hour Service Station

Released: December 7, 2007

What happens when Fugazi meets Black Sabbath? History. Okay, so time will tell if History the band actually makes history, but there's no denying that the potential is there. Their album, Ghosts in the City, isn't just the result of these influences slapped together in some random fashion, but a natural meeting of the former's mathed up passion and the latter's heavy groove (tempered perhaps into a less sludgy though no less compelling hard rock sound). Add to this the airy effects of two keyboards and their sound finds an even more unique voice for itself. What really makes the album great though is that it provides both the frenzied excitement of calculated hardcore and the pumping, thumping heaviness whose legacy is at the root of pretty much any decent hard rock and heavy metal, all with more than a touch of madness.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

 

Win Win Winter: Win Win Winter heats up
By Julie Garisto

Win Win Winter and the phrase “best new band” often appeared in the same sentence this past year.
The acclaim happened overnight — sort of.

When singer-songwriter-founder Tommy Simms started playing solo in late 2006/early 2007, there were signs of promise, but his self-titled act lacked focus.

Simms changed the name to Win Win Winter and a sudden transformation took place, like when the Bucs switched from Bucco Bruce orange to crimson and pewter. Soon after, the lineup solidified with longtime friends Josh Greenberg on keyboards, Alan Relkin on guitar, Brian Schanck on bass and Matt Bennett on drums.

Word of mouth spread, the local press praised them, they booked more and more shows and landed a spot on burgeoning indie label 24 Hour Service Station, which released their current six-song EP, A Brief History of ....

One of the major components of Win Win Winter’s strategy: Simms’ knack for interweaving the tried-and-true elements of pop with the less predictable chord progressions of jazz and progressive rock. He also writes evocative, empathic lyrics and sings them succinctly. He can snag a hook just right and hit you later with a snazzy breakdown.

WWW’s most popular songs, New Accents and Doves and Uppercuts, infiltrate your brain like tunes you’ve heard a million times on the radio, minus that not-so-fresh feeling.

“Tommy’s songs always have something that grabs your attention and commands it,” Greenberg said. “He is also very open to collaboration, which prevents his music from becoming too much of a vanity project. He is consistently reaching for new ideas and isn’t afraid to work and work at it if it’s not working out, which is another aspect of his strength as a songwriter: patience.”

Simms couldn’t do it alone. The guys, who vary in age — Schanck is the youngest at 21, and Greenberg the oldest at 27 — are just as solid. They provide much-needed creativity and texture and widely contrasting musical backgrounds — Greenberg and Relkin from Mants, Schanck from the Same and Bennett from various punk bands.

They’re all friendly jokesters onstage and off, even going so far as to insert a hidden gag on the inside of their CD sleeve: the simple phrase, “Gay Wizards Three.”

“We came up with it on tour while playing Mad Libs,” Greenberg says. The three words, he explained, were part of a revamped nursery rhyme:
“Old King Cole was a busted old soul / A shriveled old soul was he/ He called for his grandma/ He called for his postal employee/ And he called for his gay wizards three.”

Win Win Winter

Lineup:
Tommy Simms (vocals)
Josh Greenberg (keyboards)
Alan Relkin (guitar)
Brian Schanck (bass)
Matt Bennett (drums)