Foldersnacks was born near the end of 2009. Jesse Elder had just finished a US tour which was his first foray into the land of performing rock & punk rock & participating in scandalous vaudevillian on stage theatrics. The band was fronted by the outrageously adventurous and talented Mr. Angelo Moore, a.k.a Dr. Mad Vibe. Night after night Angelo ripped up the stage, surfed the crowds, rocked the mic, the saxophones & the theremin. Jesse was thrilled to be extricated from the NYC clubs, bars & underground jazz scene for a hot minute as he was launched suddenly and unexpectedly into this life changing adventure. Angelo helped Jesse open up his style, always encouraging him to liberate himself from the concept of seeking "perfection", in favor of really digging in, taking risks and getting dirty with the sounds.
Jesse returned to his humble abode in Fort Greene, Brooklyn forever changed. His desire to "rock " fused itself with his life long study of jazz, classical, avant garde and other musical styles. He started writing lyrics & music so that he and his roommate & musical collaborator, lead singer of Foldersnacks, Zack Foley, could start a band and make some new music that really integrated all of these concepts authentically. Foley internalized and personalized the songs, memorizing all of the lyrics and interpreting them with originality & style.
After writing the music, Foley & Elder got a band together and warmed up the tunes over the course of several gigs at a venue called BargeMusic, (an amazing floating concert hall docked under the Brooklyn bridge). The momentum behind the music was building as if propelled by some force beyond them. They knew it was time to record... They gathered a cohort of fantastically talented players and friends who expressed joy in participating in the project and booked a date at Lofish studios in Mid-Town Manhattan. Joining Zack Foley (lead vocals) and Jesse Elder (keys/vocals) on this recording are Ryan Ferriera (guit), Devin Gray (drums), Chris Tordini (bass), Scott Tixier (violin), Matt Parker (sax/flute) & Emilie Weibel (voice).
The ensemble recorded keys, bass, drums, guit & lead vocals live at the studio. All 12 tracks were cranked out in 3 hours, due to having to work on a tight budget. The result is a rock-ish sound with a jazz approach. The raw energy captured in those first and second takes defines the record, and is true to the group's live sound.
Elder and Foley took the tracks back to Fort Greene and converted a bedroom into a recording studio. That's where they dumped the project into garageband and recorded violin, sax, flute & more vocals. They mixed, edited & refined the sound of the album with help from the band, Reed Talyor, Yohann Potico and other friends. The whole process took place over the course of 2 months in late 2010. It was a joyous auditory experience every step of the way.
Foldersnacks offers you this music in hopes that you'll enjoy it & benefit from it. The musical & lyrical content is very personal, but it applies on a universal level. If you are a bizarre kind of listener with an appetite for the unknown, perhaps you will become a Snack Head!! We would be delighted of course and we welcome you with open arms. If you simply decide to check out the album once or twice, for a little flavor of something different, we welcome you all the same and hope you enjoy your time with us...
Sincerely,
Foldersnacks
