The Chordaes, The TVD First Date and Premiere, “Falling Up”

“My earliest memories of listening to music go back to my preschool years, when I’d spend afternoons at my grandparents’ apartment and they’d play records on their old stereo system. They’d put on popular standards or show tunes, and I was especially obsessed with My Fair Lady, which I made them play over and over. Apparently I used to sing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” in a Cockney accent at the time. While my memories of all this are hazy, I have no doubt that my songwriting has been heavily influenced by these classics.”

“I tend to write with a Tin Pan Alley structure, which is probably one reason people have compared my songs to The Beatles, who were of course also influenced by the standards. In fact it was Beatles records that first turned me onto rock music, as my parents had the red and blue greatest hits double LP’s, which I’d make them play on their turntable. The first one, 1962-1966, was an obsession, and I’d probably listened to it hundreds of times before the age of 4, staring at the album spread out on the floor.

Eventually, my family moved, the turntable was jettisoned, the records went into storage, and there came a long dark age when I had no access to vinyl. However, just recently, I set up a new turntable, hooked it into their speaker system, and got their hundreds of records out of storage. I also went to Innersleeve Records in Amagansett, New York, where there’s a huge assortment of new and used records, and picked up a few key albums. It’s hard to describe the pleasure of hearing Pet Sounds for the first time as it was meant to be heard—on vinyl. Another classic I’ve been playing is Supertramp’s Breakfast In America, which also has excellent album art.

I tend to find that vinyl has a much warmer and less bombastic sound that really does more justice to the dynamics of a lot of songs than the CD/streaming version can. An example is the song “I’m Waiting for The Day” from Pet Sounds. The streamable version of the song simply just does not do justice to the original dynamics and mix of the song. When you listen to it on vinyl, the sound is more gentle and has more room to grow, and the idea simply comes across as more articulate and easy to pay attention to.

I’m looking forward to hearing more great records on vinyl. When The Chordaes’ own first album is released next year, I’m sure there will be a vinyl pressing, so look for it! The album will include “Falling Up,” which as you can hear has classic rock DNA and should play best on vinyl.”
Leo Sawikin

The Chordaes’ debut full-length release arrives in stores next year.

The Chordaes Official | Facebook | Twitter
PHOTO: NINA WURTZEL PHOTOGRAPHY

The Chordaes Live:
10/20 – The Bitter End, NYC
11/2 – Silvanna, NYC
11/15 – Palisade, Brooklyn
11/25 – The Bitter End, NYC
12/9 – Bowery Electric, NYC

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