Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars
Background information
Also known as	CEG
Origin	New York City
Genres	Indie rock[1]
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Barsuk Records
Website	Band website
Members
Joseph D'Agostino Matthew Miller Matt Whipple Brian Hamilton
Past members
Neil Berenholz Daniel Baer Matthew Cohen Jon Levine

Cymbals Eat Guitars is an indie rock band from Staten Island, New York,^[2] founded by high school friends Joseph D'Agostino and Matthew Miller. The band's name comes from a Lou Reed quote describing the sound of the Velvet Underground.^[3]

History

Cymbals Eat Guitars was founded in 2007 by guitarist Joseph D’Agostino and drummer Matthew Miller, who both graduated from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin in 2006.^[4] Neil Berenholz, guitarist Matt Cohen, and keyboardist Daniel Baer joined the band after responding to an ad D'Agostino posted on Craigslist.^[5][4] 90's alternative bands such as Pavement heavily influenced the Cymbals Eat Guitar's sound.^[1] An early version of the song "Share" was released on the Indiecater Vol. 1 compilation in June 2008.^[6]

The band first gained buzz in 2009 when their self-released debut album Why There Are Mountains was included in Pitchfork Media's "Best New Music", earning 8.3/10 in the website's review.^[7] Later that year, Cymbals Eat Guitars went on tour with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and opened a couple of shows for The Flaming Lips.^[1] In addition, the band played at the 2009 College Music Journal festival and the Pitchfork Music Festival.^[8][9] In late 2009, the band was chosen as of one Beyond Race Magazine's "50 Emerging Artists," resulting in a spot in the publication's #11 issue (with Bodega Girls and J. Cole on the cover), as well as an exclusive Q&A for the magazine's site.^[10]

2009 also saw a change in Cymbal Eat Guitar's lineup. Dan Baer, the band's original keyboardist, left the band due to an illness, while the band's original bassist, Neil Berenholz, left due to his dislike of touring.^[1][11] Baer and Berenholz were replaced by Brian Hamilton and Matthew Whipple respectively.^[11][5]

In March 2011, Cymbals Eat Guitars signed with Barsuk Records to produce a follow-up to Why There Are Mountains.^[12] The band released their second album Lenses Alien on August 30, 2011.^[13]

Band members

Members of Cymbals Eat Guitars are:^[14]

• Joseph D'Agostino – guitar, lead vocals
• Matthew Miller – drums
• Matt Whipple – bass guitar, vocals
• Brian Hamilton – keyboards, vocals

Former members include:

• Daniel Baer – keyboards
• Neil Berenholz (2005–2007, 2009) – bass
• Jon Levine (2007–2008) – bass
• Matthew Cohen (2008) - guitars

Discography

Albums

• Why There Are Mountains (2009)
• Lenses Alien (2011)

Singles

• "...And the Hazy Sea/Tunguska" (2009) (PureGroove.co.uk exclusive w/slap bracelet)^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Lello, Michael. Crash and Jangle: An Interview with Joseph D'Agostino of Cymbals Eat Guitars. Popmatters. 7 January 20101. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
2. ^ CD Reviews | Cymbals Eat Guitars. Jerseybeat.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
3. ^ Lawrenson, James. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountain. Drowned in Sound. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} RockFeedback - Artist - Cymbals Eat Guitars. Rockfeedback. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
5. ^ ^{a b} May, E.N. Interview: Joseph Ferocious (of Cymbals Eat Guitars). Consequence of Sound. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
6. ^ "Indiecater Volume One". Indiecator Records. http://www.indiecater.com/indiecater-volume-one/. 
7. ^ Cohen, Ian (16 March 2009). "Cymbals Eat Guitars: Why There Are Mountains". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12826-why-there-are-mountains/. Retrieved 1 April 2009. 
8. ^ Deusner, Stephen. CMJ: Friday Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bear in Heaven. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
9. ^ Pitchfork Staff. 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival Two-Day Passes Sold Out!. Pitchfork Media. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
10. ^ Stevens, Naqeeb. Cymbals Eat Guitars. Beyond Race Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
11. ^ ^{a b} Breihan, Tom. Cymbals Eat Guitars Get New Bassist. Pitchfork Media. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
12. ^ Studarus, Laura. Cymbals Eat Guitars Sign to Barsuk New Album This Fall. Under the Radar. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
13. ^ Cymbals Eat Guitars: lenses alien. Barsuk Records. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
14. ^ Cymbals Eat Guitars. Myspace. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
15. ^ Cymbals Eat Guitars ...and the hazy sea / Tunguska (Plus Free Bracelet) - Pure Groove Exclusive. PureGroove.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2011.

External links

• Official Website