Chamber Punk and Cabaret Funk
4738 N. Beacon 3W, Chicago, IL 60640
PH: (773) 275-9519
E-Mail:apartment1@excite.com
www.apartmentmusic.com
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Contact: 4738 N. Beacon 3W, Chicago, IL 60640 PH: (773) 275-9519 E-Mail:apartment1@excite.com www.apartmentmusic.com |
BIOGRAPHY |
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apartment's lush CELLO, irreverent melodic GUITAR, thumping UPRIGHT BASS, quirky infectious KEYBOARDS, dark-humored VOCALS, and subtle groove-infected DRUMS combine to form a unique, chamber-like sound with a raw punk edge. The band makes use of a wide range of rhythms and phrases from Tango to Funk, Art Rock to Punk. Not afraid of rapid shifts or committing to a groove, apartment manages to plod and float all at once through thoughtful compositions. |
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 (synths/keys/trumpet) A former music major, Chris dropped out of music school to travel; and returned to graduate with a Humanities degree. Catchy light syncopation juxtaposed with chunky traditional dance rhythm form the basis of Chris' playing. Her familiarity with and affection for a broad range of styles comes through in her compositions, which often include Latin rhythms, Seventies Ambience, Eighties Pop, and Minimalist phrases. |
 (guitar) A one time piano studENT, now a Columbia College GRAduate, ariella... has... picked...up...the guitar. But OH! SO! GENTLY! she does play with those handy, dandy knobby fingers, like a surfin' Samba momma space rock case, a jazzy spy face, licking those frets with a funk punk grace. |
 (vocals) Caila is a multi-faceted writer and performer. Her lyrics and vocals are based in a liking for all things absurd. Her captivating theatrical flair provides the band's witty, pointed focus and strong stage presence. |
 (cello) Natalie is a dedicated activist, artist, and self-educator. She seeks to weave together disparate segments of society, and these emotions are reflected in her cello playing. The cello pulls together the pieces with contrapuntal lines serving to add warmth and tonal depth. |
 (upright bass) Tired of eeking out an existence in an all too often mundance horizontal world, crawling around from gig to gig bent over low to the ground... James decided it was time to evolve and walk upright, to finally stand up and take charge in the ever-changing, wonderful, mystical world of the vertical players. Always a square peg in a round hole, James never wanted to play cookie cutter music in cookie cutter projects and the ever-changing landscape that apartment provides is the perfect place to stand tall. |
 (drums) Jeff joined apartment in June 2000. A Masters Graduate of The Berkley College of Music, he brings a wealth of stylistic knowledge and creativity to his drumming. He is able to punch out a punk rhythm, gently swing and shift the groove into odd syncopated overdrive providing apartment with its rhythmic substance. |
apartment started in early 1999 with Caila (vocals) and Chris (keyboards) making electronic part live, part sequenced music and creating some of apartment's first songs. The object was to eventually grow into a band when musicians where found. Ariella (guitar), a friend and schoolmate of Caila and Chris, was added, followed by Natalie (cello). All four early members attended Shimer College, a small "great books" college in Waukegan, Illinois. These four formed the core of the group adding some songs and playing a few gigs, which resulted in very positive responses and other gig offers. Chris, who is open to non-traditional pop instrumentation invited Joe (tuba) to sit in. Joe eventually headed for New York. James Wallace came in as upright bassist and Jeff Kelly on drums. |
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PRESS |
 When critics write that a band "defies categorization," it usually just means that the string of hyphens would be too ugly. The Chicago sextet apartment fleshes out lyricist Caila Lipovsky's literary scatological and sexual texts and keyboardist Christine Heinisch's new-wave cabaret ditties with guitar, cello, drums, and a tuba for a fractured, theatrical, and sometimes sinister (but not goth) stew of strident witty art punk. |
 Apartment has all the eerie charm of an Edward Gorey book. Classically twisted, perky and dark, the juxtaposition of so many opposing qualities draw you into these songs even when they most disturb you. With an unconventional mix of instruments, this self-described "chamber punk" quintet could have fallen from a David Lynch soundtrack. Moaning tubas, synthesized marimbas and warm cello notes play with jazzy percussion and pop-rock guitars. The beauty of this album is that despite all its polarized elements it feels completely cohesive and at peace with its extremes. |
 To accurately give a description of Apartment's music, you have to let your mind wrap itself around the performance art nature with which vocalist Caila Lipovsky and keyboardist/vocalist Christine Heinisch, who also acts as principal songwriters for the band, attack their sound.... There is a charmingly dark, theatrical, witty overtone to both the lyrics and the exectution of the various musicians on this disc.... What Apartment does with this disc will be anyone's guess; the creativity and talent is nearly overwhelming, so much so that if that dark sense of humor wasn't present, it would be over the top.... |
 I arrived early and caught the tail end of apartment's sound check. I knew I was going to be in for a real treat. Not often do I see bands with upright bass, cello and trumpet.... Overall an outstanding performance. I look forward to hearing these guys as they develop more. |
 *For full reviews, visit www.apartmentmusic.com |
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