Black Flamingos
Black Flamingos | |
|---|---|
 Photo by Magdalena O'Connell. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Surf rock, alternative rock |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Little Dickman Records |
| Associated acts | Plato Zorba, The Brigantines, Bog Iron Bloom |
| Website | blackflamingosnj |
| Members | Rob Butkowski Vincent Minervino Declan O'Connell |
Black Flamingos is an American rock band from New Jersey.
History
Black Flamingos is an instrumental alternative surf rock trio from Asbury Park, New Jersey, that formed in the Spring of 2014, originally from Freehold, New Jersey.[1][2][3] The band is composed of Plato Zorba guitarist Rob Butkowski, the Brigantines guitarist and drummer Vincent Minervino, and Bog Iron Bloom bassist Declan O'Connell. Their music is compared to Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Messer Chups, and the Hellbenders. The band cites musical influence from the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, the Ventures, and Dick Dale.[4] They performed at the 2014 Asbury Park Surf Festival, and by the end of the year, Black Flamingos had performed with the Californian rockabilly trio the Chop Tops, and the punk rock band Agent Orange.[3] Their first release is the six-track EP, Black Flamingos, on compact disc and digital download, on October 16, 2015. It was recorded at Coffee Haus Studios in Freehold, New Jersey, with engineering and mixing by Benjamin Feldman. The Aquarian Weekly says the song "Devil Punchbowl" "fires [a] gritty combination of the Coffin Daggers and the Cramps up the middle; Butkowski growls and groans chord magic throughout each changing sector of sound." The review closes with saying the EP showcases a "talented band and honed voice in the genre of instrumental surf sounds." The record release party for Black Flamingos was held at the Asbury Yacht Club on Mischief Night, October 30, with the Coffin Daggers.[5]
Little Dickman Records
Black Flamingos' debut album, the eleven-track Neon Boneyard, was released jointly by Little Dickman Records and Hi-Tide Recordings, on 12"-vinyl, compact disc, and digital download, on May 19, 2017. The album was recorded live on analog tape, at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank, New Jersey in the Summer of 2016, with co-production by Adam Vaccarelli. Jim Appio describes the single, "The Gurch," as "flesh[ing] out that cinematic image of headlights and chrome hubcaps rolling through the fog on a beachside road," and Speak Into My Good Eye writes that the song is an "impeccably tight groove whip[ped] up by a mysterious, black hole sun-soaked wipeout."[6][7] They toured across the Northeast of the United States in May, performed at the Surfer Joe Summer Festival in Italy in June, Las Vegas' Viva East Rockabilly Weekender in July, and returned to the East Coast for the Asbury Park Surf Festival with Los Straightjackets and the Fathoms & Aqualads, in August.[7][8]
In 2018, the Black Flamingos toured California, played at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, and opened for the rock guitarist Dick Dale.[9] Their second full-length album, the twelve-track Play Speedway and Other Hits, was released on Little Dickman Records on October 26, 2018.[10] It contains nine original songs, and renditions of "Malibu Run" by Richard Podolor, "Black Swan" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and "Experiment in Terror" by Henry Mancini. The band was augmented by baritone saxophonist Chris Fitzgerald, guitarist Chris Barfield, and vibraphonist Randall Sutin. The album was produced by Black Flamingos, with engineering and mixing by Vaccarelli at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank, and mastering by Bill Henderson at Azimuth Mastering. In support of Play Speedway and Other Hits, Black Flamingos toured the Northeast of the United States, and the Ontario region of Canada.[10]
Members
- Rob Butkowski – guitar
- Vincent Minervino – drums
- Declan O'Connell – bass
Discography
- Albums
- Neon Boneyard (2017)
- Play Speedway and Other Hits (2018)
- EPs
- Black Flamingos (2015)
References
- Citations
- ↑ Mital 2016.
- ↑ Makin 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bodkin 2014.
- ↑ Lustig 2016.
- ↑ Pfeiffer 2015.
- ↑ Mehalick 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Appio 2017.
- ↑ Biese 2017.
- ↑ hMag Staff 2018.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Makin 2018.
- Bibliography
- Appio, Jim (February 24, 2017), "Black Flamingos Releasing Debut LP on 5/19. "The Gurch" Available Today.", CoolDad Music, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Biese, Alex (August 9, 2017), "Asbury Park Surf Music Festival brings the party back to the beach", Asbury Park Press, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Bodkin, Bill (September 8, 2014), "Happy Mondays Interview Series: Black Flamingos", The Pop Break, retrieved April 11, 2019
- hMag Staff (April 18, 2018), "The Latest Noise: Live at White Eagle Hall, with Black Flamingos, Collective Man, Diap, and the Silver Horse Sound Showcase–Friday, April 27th", hMag, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Lustig, Jay (April 25, 2016), "Jersey bands catching a wave on reverb of surfing music", The Star-Ledger, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Makin, Bob (April 13, 2017), "Makin Waves with Black Flamingos, Sally Draper, Cook Thugless, and this curse.", Institute for Nonprofit News, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Makin, Bob (October 17, 2018), "Makin Waves Scene Report with The Paper Jets, Miles Nxbxdy, Black Flamingos and more", New Jersey Stage, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Mehalick, Mike (March 1, 2017), "Listen: Black Flamingos Share "The Gurch" // Debut LP Out 5/19 via Little Dickman/Hi-Tide", Speak Into My Good Eye, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Mital, Sachyn (January 17, 2016), "Light of Day's Winterfest Reaches Its Sweet 16 and Expands Beyond Asbury Park", The Village Voice, retrieved April 11, 2019
- Pfeiffer, John (September 16, 2015), "Shoreworld: Black Flamingos; The Battery Electric", The Aquarian Weekly, retrieved April 11, 2019
External links
- Black Flamingos discography at Discogs
