“(Happy Anarchy’s) Reset feels right at home among The Brakes, DeVotchKa, and Spottiswoode & His Enemies (if those bands don’t ring a bell, try The Flaming Lips, or maybe even The Beatles in their Magical Mystery Tour period). Happy Anarchy loves taking risks, with twists and turns to mess with the melody that is always there.†– Here Comes The Flood
Happy Anarchy is an indie alternative rock band from Staten Island, NY, with influences ranging from The Beatles and The Who, to Radiohead, to Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips. Happy Anarchy is not easily categorized, but guitar, bass, drums and keyboard are ever present in their music helping to build a solid foundation for a modern sound that’s instantly classic. With trading complex guitar likes akin to Built To Spill, majestic wall of sound production like Mercury Rev, and intelligent-beyond-their-years lyrics, each song on Reset is different from the previous and the album works as a cohesive piece of work like a storybook with intros, outros, songs blending into each other (not just a bunch of songs on a CD). Throw in a trumpet, sax, violin, congas, group vocals and various guitar effects and you have an aural symphony that can only be described as “happy anarchy.†A five piece band fronted by Joe Pecora on guitar and vocals and joined by original members Tim Boylan on acoustic guitar and trombone and Yuhei Yamanaka on electric guitar, the band was originally an eight piece. Despite losing five members prior to a three week east coast tour, the band pressed on until drummer Pete Smith and Jesse Blum (keyboards, trumpet) were recruited as part of the lineup. Together now for over a year, it was this lineup that redefined the sound and soul of Happy Anarchy. Publicity is growing rapidly, and Happy Anarchy has been featured in sources ranging from Purevolume.com (as a front feature) and various news sources such as the New York Times, City Link (FL), New Times (FL), RazorCake Magazine, and the Staten Island Advance (NY). With all of this growing attention and their fantastic live performances, Happy Anarchy plans to tour the states in 2008. For now they will be co-headlining the Staten Island Music Festival with Budos Band and headlining the Mercury Lounge in NYC in June. Be sure to catch them live, Happy Anarchy is a movement you don’t want to miss.