• Skidmore Fountain’s new record Cloudless Blue will be featured next Wednesday 6/17 http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=7173
• Skidmore Fountain’s Cloudless Blue has been added to 131 radio stations in the last month!

• The Latest Review of Cloudless Blue From                                                                                                                             http://powerpopaholic.blogspot.com/2009/06/skidmore-fountain-cloudless-blue.html 

Skidmore Fountain Live on CBX, plus our latest album Cloudless Blue is now available for purchase!    

Click Here To Buy

Big Fat Cat Showcase @ Banjo Jim’s- Skidmore Fountain

I headed deep into Alphabet City to Banjo Jim’s for the Big Fat Cat showcase to catch Skidmore Fountain. Based in Brooklyn, not only did they look incredibly dapper and keep their set wound tighter than a tick, their brand of pop, which runs the gamut from classical to funk-inspired, was highlighted by the absence of a bassist. Why? Well, when you’ve got a crack cellist like Topu Lyo, who needs one? Lyu also used his instrument for its intended melodic purpose, driving along the theme of “Asylum,” the single that lead singer Randy Bergida demanded everyone take home for free in CD form.Bergida has one of the cleanest, most earnest voices I’ve ever heard, one that neatly skirts generic pop vocals by harmonizing with guitarist Steven Cohen. Dylan Wissing is what happens when you harness a freight train to a drum kit, and the band never had the chance to step out of line once during the set. Their full-length album, Break, is available in iTunes, Rhapsody, and CD Baby from Triple R Records.

by Heidi Vanderslice

Our last show of the year is this Thursday at CMJ.  We’ll be playing Banjo Jim’s (oct.23) at 10pm sharp.  We would love to have you celebrate and bring in our last show as we did Piano’s on Friday for the release of the single “Asylum”.

We will be taking the next few months off stage to finish up recording our 2009 release.  Stay tuned for the cd release party early 2009.
And again thanks to all that came out to piano’s.  You were an amazing audience!

In fact Skidmore Fountain has been chipping away at the final tracks for their new release coming out January 2009. Three tracks that no ears have ever heard beyond the 12×12 rehearsal studio will be performed this coming Tuesday. Here is a summary of the three brand new tracks:

Track 1 = “Purple Mountain Glow” – US Presidential Candidates take their final debate to the Wild Wild West to have a shoot off ending with, “the people dance the people laugh and dream” and some ” oh oh oh’s ”

Track 2 = “Whole World Coming Down” – The title says it all…

Track 3 = “Cloudless Blue” – A love song. A good song to make babies to.

Show Details:

Skidmore Fountain
Tuesday August 19th at 10pm
Public Assembly (formerly Galapagos)
Back room $5

With our friends:

Postscript
The Eidolons
Laredo
DJ Mike Dextro

+ Shot and beer $5 drink special.

Topu Plays the Theremin

Randy’s hanging out with a 60 year old guitar.

Steven through the looking glass.

Topu warming up in the mixing studio

Chuck Sokol

Warren over the desk

Steven’s plays octaves in front of a 200 year old pipe organ.

Warren…the rightful owner of Rotary Records.

We were lucky to have the company of 18 year old intern Haoming Chang as she brought out the kid in us (ok…you got me…we would have played anyway, but she was a great addition to the game and added an extra sense of inspiration). Steven, wise in the way of hide and go seek, requested that we only use one floor. Topu and I were in doubt that there wouldn’t be enough places to hide, but we were schooled in this notion. Whether it was between the box spring and mattress, or under a heaping pile of dirty laundry, we found some very inventive places to hide making for a successful game of hide and go seek. At around 4am, we had to force ourselves to sleep as we had a long day of recording ahead of us.
10:30 roles around and we literally were kicking Topu to wake him up. We drove to the local eatery run by a sweet family. Even though the food was sub par, they put a lot of love into it and it fueled us for the day!

Back to the studio and into music making we went. It was a 1 take kind of day. Everything was feeling really great. The recording session culminated into Topu, Steve and I gathered in a circle singing our oldest new song “sun in the sky” in an old school kind of way. There’s a lush three part harmony throughout the song that we wanted to capture like they would in the Beatles era. So we gathered in the big open reverb room of the Church (I had been waiting for this moment) and nailed the harmonies. It was a very bonding experience. We weren’t sure that we could pull it off, but we were very happy with the results.
Again, a big thanks to Chuck Sokol and Warren Amerman who made for a truly wonderful recording experience; From our wonderful apartment on the bottom floor to the amazing studio that Warren built from the ground up (minus the 200 year old church). It’s always tough to leave a place where you feel so at home. I can’t speak enough good things about Rotary Records. I leave with a tear of happiness.

Now stay tuned for the new EP due out September!

bzzz

SF

Thanks for all who came out to our show last evening. It was beautifull and physical. Lots of moving hips and even out of control dancing. And to put a cherry on top of that, what a special surprise to have Justin Tranter, lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons (the most beautiful man in the world), to do a special cameo to bring in Steve’s Birthday. Do not miss Semi Precious Weapons show on June 6th at rebel. If you haven’t checked out one of their shows yet, you are in for a treat!

We are heading off to West Springfield in less than 4 hours to finish our upcoming EP due out September. We’ll keep you posted and let you know if they let Johnnie Walker into the church this time.

The excitement endures as we hit the Stage of Arlene’s Grocery on Friday May 23rd at 10pm sharp! After several days in the recording studio we are prepared to put on a fiery show. As we have been working day and night to produce enough new tunes to record our unexpected new EP release, we will have, may I say, 6 fresh tunes to share with you! We are very excited to introduce our 2008 sounds to Arlene’s Grocery. It’s a fine place to play and a fine place to spend a Friday evening. Where else would one rather be than the Lower East Side in New York City on a Friday evening. Ok, maybe Williamsburg, but you know, sometimes you gotta give it a “break”.

We just returned back to New York after an amazing couple days out in West Springfield, MA. We were expecting something great, but this was beyond great. We had not only the luxury of recording in a mansion of a 200 year old church that has been converted to a recording studio, but we were surrounded by some fine amazing musicians, producers, engineers, and friends. I want to thank Warren Amerman and Chuck Sokol for being so great to work with. Thanks to Mike Kreher for making sure everything happened!

The first night we arrived we met Warren and Chuck for the first time. Warren owns Rotary Records, the 200 year old church, and gave us quite a warm welcome. Well, we brought the whiskey, but he is just so kind and very inspiring. Warren tapped me on the shoulder as I was setting up my equipment. He saw that I pulled out my tele, so he decided to grab his which was an original from 1962. Then he pulls out his princeton, also from the 60’s as well as his lime green Gretsh. It just didn’t stop. Loads of insane vintage gear and tons of Church reverb.
We were off rehearsing for our big day under the influence of several glasses of Johnnie Walker’s Red Label and the most echo that Skidmore has ever embraced. We settled at about an hour of a jam and then we ventured to our little apartment on the first floor of the church. As I was drinking water I hear an immense amount of laughter coming from the bedroom. It was Steven rolling around on his bed laughing out of his mind. Don’t ask me.

The sessions went amazing. We got much more done than ever expected. Topu, Steve and I will be heading back out to the Church at the end of the month to finish up. Then the final mixes, then to the mastering plant, off to duplication and voila, our record will be released.

Please stay tuned for more details. Unfortunately our camera had no memory and our video camera had a dirty head. No footage, no pics, but believe us, this was something not to forget.

bzzzz….

Here’s a little info about the show:

Welcome to Cypress Bay High School — home of the award-winning newspaper The Circuit. Its fiercely competitive student staff exhibits the aptitude, pride and ambition of future leaders, and they want the world to know it.

Between struggling to keep the peace with each other, maintaining good grades and managing extracurricular activities, these students have their hands full. But they still put their hearts and souls into writing memorable stories and making the best paper they possibly can.

Every day, the paper’s dynamic personalities battle it out to see who has what it takes to produce news that’s fit to print. Journalism is taken very seriously at The Circuit, and its staff is a truly ambitious bunch.

For many soon-to-be seniors, it’s time to battle it out for the position of editor-in-chief. But only one will score the top slot.

Meet Amanda, the paper’s copy editor. She checks the grammar and flow of all the stories, but she prefers to oversee everything. Amanda sees herself as enthusiastic and driven, but some staffers think she’s on a power trip. To win them over, she may have to learn some tough lessons.

Amanda will face-off against her good friend, Alex, the paper’s sports editor. Alex, who’s a friend to everyone, is a gifted writer but he’s looking to branch out and cover more ground as a journalist — and as editor-in-chief.

Then there’s the business manager, Adam, who has a flair for the dramatic. Adam doesn’t do anything halfway, which is exactly why he thinks he has a good shot at becoming editor-in-chief.

Also in the running is Giana. She’s the paper’s clubs editor and although a strong contender for editor-in-chief, she sometimes gets distracted by her co-worker and boyfriend, Trevor.

Speaking of Trevor, you can never count him out. As a math genius and layout king, he’s always angling in on something. Trevor, along with Cassia, the staff’s most vocal activist, and Dan, the staff’s most vocal, well, the staff’s most vocal… you never know who will come out on top.

The pressure is on at The Circuit to become the paper’s “Big E.” But as the drama unfolds, who’ll excel and who’ll have a meltdown? And once the decision is made, will they stay friends till the end?

Find out what it takes to build an editorial team and run an award- winning paper. Follow the staff of The Circuit from beginning to end, from brainstorming to getting the pages to the printer. And with a new editor-in-chief in charge, watch the drama unfold!

Skidmore Fountain next NYC show – April 3rd at Club Midway w/ good friends Quitzow and Setting Sun.

We have some very exciting news that will “break” Monday March 3rd, so check back in a couple hours for something special.

We will see you there!

Skidmore

“Though most of Quitzow’s recorded work—a whimsical, homemade blend of classical, electronic and pop—maintains a skeletal synth feel, her approach to songwriting heavily reflects the collage aesthetic favored that the late-career Beatles impressed upon her at a young age.” .

We had a great show with them in New Paltz last month and you an see us together in Long Island Cityon Friday Nov 9th at Creek and Cave, 10-93 Jackson Ave.,
We will have a new song for you and it is one of your last chances to see us in NYC before the end of the year. So see you there!

Next we will be playing at Banjo Jim’s for CMJ. We hope to see you there and look out for some upcoming exciting shows in November.

Anyway, if you do not know what I am talking about you are lucky because we are playing with March 4th again tomorrow (Monday, Oct 8th) at the Knitting Factory, main stage.

On another note, many things happening with Skidmore Fountain; we played in New Paltz for the first time at the Oasis Cafe with our good friends and plan on making New Paltz a regular stop. There is nothing to make you feel like more of a rock star than driving back to New York after a show and finally getting in bed at 6:30 AM.

Also, we will be playing at Banjo Jim’s for CMJ. Of course we will also be going to ALL CMJ events. Let us know if you are also going to an event so we can meet up and discuss the future and past of the music industry and watch us perform at Banjo Jim’s on the 18th.

Check out the tour video here and let us know what you think. Also check out our upcoming shows where we are playing with some exciting bands including the 30 piece marching band March 4^th.

Mac’s in Lansing was great as usual, particularly with some late night partying with The Chairman – Some of the coolest people in the mid-west.

In Indianapolis we found some good home cooking and old friends at Birdy’s. Coolidge put on a great rock show and a big sound for a trio.

The STL MUSIC FESTIVAL & CONFERENCE in St. Louis blew our mind. This was created by our good friend Laura and there is so much talent running through that city. Check out the 90+ bands in 3 days at http://www.playstlfest.com/ . Some of the bands we got to see were Semi-Precious Weapons, Go Motion and The Feed. Semi-Precious Weapons put on one of the more entertaining shows we have seen in a long time with their glamour and ability to persuade girls to take their shirts off. Fortunately for us, they live in our hometown of Brooklyn.

Rhino’s in Bloomington was a pleasant surprise where we got to play and hang out with old friends and the band Sister Suvi from Montreal, which includes members from the band Islands. It is always fun to play with younger aged bands like Concordia who has already written hundreds of songs and are creating some high quality music.

Ypsilanti was the last stop of the tour where our show really came together. This was also the first time in this town which I can quote a couple band members saying that they would live here (I was not one of them).

Some of the groups we are playing with which we are quite excited about are

19th at Mac’s Bar w/ ACROSS TUNDRASwsg EMPIRTE EMPIRE + THE CHAIRMEN + THE LUMINOUS

20th at Birdy’s with Dorsey and Coolidge

21st at Blueberry Hill at STL MUSIC FESTIVAL & CONFERENCE
LaPush • Brighton MA • Femme Fatality • Beta Male

22nd at Rhino’s with Concordia and Sister Suvi (Montreal, Canada)

23rd at the Elbow Room with Lips On and The McFlys

When we get back from tour we have some great shows as well. We are playing with a 30 piece marching band at the Knitting Factory with a band called the March Fourth Marching Band (see pics below). This will be great fun and we will be well lubed up from our tour.

426am. arlene’s grocery was a blast
as always. thank you to everyone for
coming out!! hope everyone can hear
the pre-post fx of going on a nice tour.

conversation rings in monsieur topu’s
head.. “topu, let me tell you.. music
is different in other parts of the world.
music is not a means to an end. this
is something you cannot understand
growing up in this country. there is no
finish line at the end of the journey..”

topu thinks silently… silence.. more
silence..

silence is the key..
bzzz
.

topu

please check out myspace.com/skidmorefountain
and see the new tour vid.

Skidmore Fountain “Break” (Triple R)

“On their sophomore record, Brooklyn’s Skidmore Fountain sprays out poppy streams of alt-rock with surprising dexterity. Although they stamp their ’90s forbearer’s logo on their album’s blueprint, the quartet builds on that with an eclectic architecture. Jagged, reggae-inflected guitars coverage with contemporary jazz chord changes in, “Get Away?” while “Dance Political” finds the band channeling a King-Tubby-produced B-52s. Electric cellist Topu Lyo lends orchestral bombasts to “And It Matters” and ambient whimsy to “Lost and Lonely.” Randy Bergida belts out sleek vocal melodies with breathy confidence, and the loungey “Lost and Lonely” will inspire countless make-out sessions and the gobs of catchy choruses seem destined for crowd shout-alongs.”

Web: www.skidmorefountain.com

RIYL: Counting Crows, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime

Key Tracks: “Break,” “Blur,” “Lost and Lonely”

Of Note: Break’s producer Ken Lewis, has mixed Grammy-winning albums by Kanye, Usher and CeCe Wynans

2. UP AGAINST THE WALL

Skidmore Fountain is one of those bands that is too modern to be considered classic rock and too classic to be considered modern rock. They fall somewhere in between, like the Killers. They don’t offer as many catchy hooks as the Killers, but they offer straight-ahead rock with some added depth.

Hailing from Brooklyn by way of Tucson, Ariz., and Portland, Ore., the band contains two classically trained instrumentalists, including Topu Lyo on five-string electric cello. Producer Ken Lewis, who has produced John Legend and the Beastie Boys, adds a certain amount of polish to the band’s sophomore release. Randy Bergida has a great rock and roll voice—ranging from a Johnny Rotten snarl to a David Bowie falsetto. Plus this is a band that is not afraid to ask the important questions, such as: “If you could get up from lightning/Would you get off from lightning?” (“Lightning”). I don’t know what it means either, but it sure is fun imagining possibilities.

Album Release – April 24th : www.skidmorefountain.com

3. PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

Skidmore Fountain: Edgy indie rockers stretch the parameters with tremulous vocals,

off-kilter tunes and an interesting band set-up featuring five-string electric cello. In another age, these guys would be getting a major label push, but hey, times are tough. Grape Street Philadelphia, 4100 Main St., 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, $5, 215-483-7084,

grapestreet.com.

4. RADIO FREE DAVID BLOG

Notorious LIZ scours high and she scours low and all along the way she turns up

some real gems; today is another great pick from her: Skidmore Fountain.

Skidmore Fountain is not your typical “rock” band and their sound is a little difficult to describe, but “very good” goes a long way to that end. Skidmore Fountain is made up of Randy Bergida, Steven Cohen, and Dylan Wissing: being Brooklyn based, they’ve played at some awesome NYC venues (CBGBs, Knitting Factory, the Bitter End and Piano’s). Skidmore Fountain is really coming into their sound with Break, their second album. We’re happy to feature the title cut Break in our rotation.

5. MUSIC MORSELS JUNE 2007 EDITION

Brooklyn has some tough neighborhoods, and Skidmore Fountain reflects that with music that feels, not just sounds tough. There is a kinder gentler side as well, but even those passages have a coarseness that grips you, and they are often sandwiched by grittier bridges. Witness the highly creative “Blur” and you will get the picture. The band stretches songwriting boundaries further on the twisted blues of “Lost and Lonely” and the rootsy punk of the title track. A lot of inventive and enjoyable music here. URL: http://www.skidmorefountain.com

so the summer ‘07 tour is finally
coming to an end.

3500 miles driven
cd’s bought and listened to:
wilco, battles, feist, japanther,
the national…

lansing michigan was suprisingly
a blast. when we drove up on the
venue it looked quite ominous.

so off to the rock n’ roll hall of fame
peabody’s cleveland.

bzzzz…

so skidmore fountain finds themselves back
in indianapolis again and playing birdy’s
tomorrow night.

so far everything has gone amazing.
bloomington was amazing! many thanks
to ESW and the Philosophy @ rhino’s.

st. louis has been the best place so far,
we played bluberry hill famous for
chuck berry. this is probably one of
our favorite venues next to arlene’s and
knitting factory. also the bands:
troubadour dali, and wydown are definitely
two of the coolest.

pittsburgh was a bit scary get lost every
which way going across
every *&^% bridge in town finally arriving
at goosky’s on top of polish hill.
bands: workshop, brooklyn’s own low down.

anyway capturing footage of everything!

stay posted!
245am

bzzzz..

today the members of skidmore fountain
made the long long trek passing through:
nj, pa, w. virginia, ohio, and finally arriving
at indiana.

lessons learned for the members
1. always get a aquafina wide mouth
select at certain gas stations
essential for keeping hydrated and
also essential for not having to pull
over for bathroom breaks.
2. brooklyn drivers license is an extra
$55 a day for each additional driver
3. wendys has a decent salad when you’re
all out of options.

day 1 nyc to indianapolis
13 hours
729 miles driven
$150 spent on gas
arrival 2am

bzzz…

the skidmore bus is gearing to leave
brooklyn in a few days. last minute
rehearsals, perfecting the set, new
songs, transitions… transitions to a
quick stint through the midwest in a
7 passenger mini van that we’ll call
home for two weeks.

indianapolis is the home of where randy
is from. “hello mr. mrs bergida, how
you all doing?” the band will say.
“we’re doing fine boys, come on in. i
have some food awaiting for you boys.”
the boys crumple out of the van into
a small puddle of dirty laundry and gather
around the dinner table..

topu smiling writing blog suddenly interrupted.
realizes he’s daydreaming again. until then
several last minute thank you(s)
jim byrne (doing our video)
– myspace.com/skidmorefountain–
laurie berg’s parents (housing st.louis)

and to all you good night and see you soon!

bzzzz.

this is what it feels like sometimes.
the tour is in a few weeks.
the gigs are lined up well, great
exciting venues. college, specialty

radio, publicity, distribution
check check check… just wait
for the trigger. aaaaaaand

bzzz..

new music: andrew bird, martin dosh, battles, black dice

saw human feel on sat. truly truly
impressive. excited about the general
movement of music these days. seems
like a fusion of all genres of music.
electronic acoustic beats, more compositional
mixed with free. and this seems relevant
to all genres especially rock.

anyway enjoy the 85 degree weather
..
bzzz

skidmore fountain working away and
preparing for our specialty radio,
college radio stints. more info on that
later.

we just received pics from the arlene’s
show which came out amazing. those
too will be posted shortly. it shows a
packed house with many familiar faces.
thx again to everyone.

bzzz

many cd’s, shirts were
sold.

feedback good. momentum
keeps rolling rolling.
keep your eyes out for a few
reviews.. one from cmj
out next issue.

thank you to everyone for
making it out and saying
hello.

much love

bzzz…

skidmore fountain has been woodshedding. every song is completely re-orchestrated, cut, pasted, multiplied…

come see for yourself

skidmore fountain
arlene’s grocery (95 stanton)
april 6th (friday night)
10pm

soon this will be over with so i should enjoy every moment. but it was too too late, and before i knew it everything was put into place and an amazing album was made.

and yesterday my dear friend randy came over with a brand new copy of this album with the art work and we both smiled and listened to it in its entirity.

we’re excited to share this with you.

bzzz..

snow falls so slowly.  it looks so strange coming down…  new yorkers go unphased, unnoticing of these little flakes of white goodness.  a man with his dog waits patiently as his dog sniffs the sidewalk.  what is he thinking?  his face is expressionless.  tompkins square park is bustling with people.  in the distance a man sprints across the park like he is late to an extremely important meeting..  hmm..

its been an insane sprint to finish this album.  months and months of endless recording, pre-production, rehearsals, commutes, listening sessions…  but sadly enough the stressful but enjoyable sprint is almost over.  what that means to you my dear friends is that the album will soon enough be available.  what that means for us is that the fun is just beginning.

hang on to your seat people!!

2 hours later the door opened and he skipped out cellos in hand.

the journey was difficult but well worth the trip. the songs have amassed several layers of cellos, guitar and drum overdubs and the jet is slowly gaining momentum on the launchpad.

bzzz.

topu
skidmorefountain.com

knitting factory
february 9th
10pm