This month ESBMusic is featuring the NYC quartet The Twees. Comprised of Jason Abrishami (guitar and vocals), Daniel Edwards (drums), David Kaplan (bass and vocals), and Jon Zuckerman (guitar and vocals) the post-punk band has a sound that will instantly catch your ear.
This past January The Twees released their latest EP entitled These Girls. The five track compilation that you will want to listen to over and over. Songs like “These Girls,” “Give It Up,” and “Wishful Thinking Youth” feature high intensity action packed melodies featuring high, speedy guitar riffs making you wanna kick it and hit the floor.
I had the opportunity to see the band live earlier this year and their magnetism blew me away. There was an intensity and fervor that crept out into the crowd. Their distorted, garage pop rock has an 80’s post-punk inspiration that could appeal to any music lover.
ESBMusic caught up with The Twees to discuss their musical influences, what’s behind the meaning of The Twees, how they come up with songs, and their plans for the summer.
ESMusicWhat is the meaning behind your name The Twees?
Jason: My friend came back from London during the Summer of 2008 & was constantly using the slang that they had over there. I was interested in learning some of it so I Googled “British slang.” The word “Twee” popped up and grabbed my attention. It means someone who is disgustingly cute.
ESMusic: This past October you guys played CMJ. Have you played it before? Did you find that it has increased your presence on the music scene?
Twees: We haven’t performed at CMJ before, but it was quite the interesting experience. It did help as a good reference to tell people we’ve done CMJ, but getting onto a good bill can be a little tricky.
ESMusic: You guys released a video for “On the Spot” featuring you playing. What is your next video release going to be? Will it be the same format or will you put in a story line?
Twees: We’re working on doing a new video really soon, but it will have more of a story line.
ESMusic: You performed on Break Thru Radio this past year. What was that experience like?
Twees: It was awesome! Those guys are really nice & dug our stuff. They still help us out here and there by giving away free tickets to our shows/promoting them.
ESMusic: At your live shows you have everyone come up on stage during “Wishful Thinking Youth,” what started you guys to do this? Who came up with the idea?
Twees: It all started last Summer (2010) at Lit Lounge where Jason was a little intoxicated and thought it would be a fun idea to have the crowd join us in dancing to that song. Thank god it worked then, and basically every time after that.
ESMusic: Your sound is reminiscent of older punk pop music, who are your main influences?
Jason: My main influences include: The Velvet Underground, Television, The Clash, Bloc Party, The Beach Boys, The Strokes, etc
Daniel: The Clash, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Kings of Leon
David: Queens Of The Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters
ESMusic: When you write a song do you write the melody and lyrics together or one then the other? What inspires you?
The Twees: One of us basically comes up with the idea of the song and we work on it all together piece by piece until we’re comfortable with what we just made.
ESMusic: You’ve played around the tri-state area lately. What is your favorite place to play? Are the crowds the same?
The Twees: We love playing everywhere so this question is a little tricky. Personally I (Jason) really liked performing in New Jersey at The Stanhope House – it’s a cool spot. The crowds are different though.
ESMusic: You recently released your EP, any plans for a full album in the future?
The Twees: We plan on releasing new material in the near future, whether it be a LP or EP – expect some news real soon!
ESMusic: What are your plans for this summer?
The Twees: To tour a bit, get our music heard more, and write some new material.
For more information on The Twees check out their official website, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter pages. Get their EP These Girls now on iTunes!
The band is also currently in the running to play the 2011 Warped Tour. To Vote for them click here!