Growing up, I don’t think that there are many of us that looked at our teachers and thought of them outside of a school setting. Your small, young, and naïve and often times, wrongly think about them as only your teacher. Sure you liked some of them; you probably even had one or two teachers that you remember fondly. But to think of them as regular people, talented, or god forbid cool! What if you saw two or three of them on the school yard chatting or at a table in the cafeteria your immediate thoughts generally wouldn’t think that they were working on a song bridge or planning an East Coast rock tour amongst themselves! Not In A Million Years!!!
Well, there is an elementary school out in California where this scenario likely happens
Imagine if you will three elementary school teachers, dressed to the nines in matching, fashionable dresses walking into a bar, plugging into their amps, and sucker punching your soul into next month, leaving you drained, fervently craving for more, and wondering what in the hell you just witness! To give you an idea, No Small Children are as if you combined a less dark Shirley Manson of Garbage, crossed with the GoGo’s, the tongue in cheek charm of Tenacious D, with the creative guitar work of Sleater Kinney.
Formed in the spring of 2012, No Small Children guitarist/colead singer Lisa Pimentel and drummer Nicola Berlinsky decided to start the band, and I cannot make this up, on recess duty. Within a few months they had an EP recorded, a number of shows under their belts (55 in the first 3 months of their formation), and an East Coast tour booked. Bassist and singer Joanie Pimentel(the Pimentel’s are sisters) moved from New Jersey in October of 2013, and the present lineup was complete.
The groups third album 2015’s Hold On, I’m Flying is heavier, tighter, more complex, and with a bit more attitude. It was mixed by legendary producer Bob Marlette (Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath, Filter, etc.) Every track on this album is strong. Every...Single...Track! Stand outs include the up tempo Big Band style drum intro, harmony for miles “Big Steps” that just keeps building and building with an amazing horn section bridge smack dab in the middle of this staccato screamer. “Hold On, I’m Flying” is an enchanting hold on; don’t give up song with soaring vocals and gritty echoing guitar work throughout. “I Don’t Want It” is a bouncing funky bass tune expertly done by Joanie Pimentel, again soaring vocals of Lisa Pimentel, shimmering guitar, driven forward by the stellar drum work by Berlinsky. And these are the first three tracks, and this album just keeps producing one quality track after another. “Welcome To This World” is an up tempo sing along that just has to get their fans singing along. “I See You Crying” is a sad Soul/Rock guitar/Hammond organ grinder that is surprising touching. Following such a touching song is the gritty and angry “Jerk”, which just throws the mood of this album right back into overdrive. Hey, was that just a Spaghetti Western drum & horn solo in there?! I could have done this whole article simply reviewing every song on Hold On Tight, I’m Flying, but I cannot emphasize enough how talented and fun this band’s music is.
Along with their frequent West Coast tours (interspaced often during school breaks), they’ve played SXSW, and in the summers try to get out to the East Coast and Mid West to tour. Their upcoming East Coast/Midwest tour starts August 7th in Oak Bluffs, MA circling west to NY, Ohio, Michigan and back around to DC, Philly and ending August 20 webpage for a venue near you this summer. No Small Children is a band to be reckoned with. However, they do it more as a fun albeit serious side project vs. getting rich and famous, as theyth again in Hull, MA. Check their have absolutely no plans to quit their day jobs. And that is heartening; because that means there are some very fortunate students that have some seriously cool teachers that are awesomely committed to their students!
Show them some love on their official website, Facebook and Twitter!
No comments:
Post a Comment