Fuzzy Logic @ STPP Fest - The Cinnamon Band

It's almost here, friends! The Fall installment of the STPP Fest is nigh upon us, and it's about time to get to know the musicians that are part of the showcase yours truly has put together. Come spend your weekend at The Islander with us!

BIO: Songwriter/guitarist John Harouff and Drummer Neil Campbell, the two heavy-hitters behind The Cinnamon Band make one hell of a first impression. The two first won attention as high school students comprising two-thirds of the shapeshifting noise-pop act The Union of a Man and a Woman, including from Darius Van Arman who signed the group to Jagjaguar. Fast forward to 2011, the duo have expanded and matured their music pallet, trading angular riffs and odd time signatures for infectious melodies and clever lyrical punchlines. But The Cinnamon Band still brings a kind of sonic power and inventiveness that’s rare for a band with such classic songwriting at its heart.

After opening for Sub Pop duo Handsome Furs at a local show, they once again made a strong and lasting impression, this time with the Fur’s Dan Boekner (also of Wolf Parade), who invited the band to open nearly 40 dates across the US. But the good fortune and Canadian hospitality did not end with the touring, as they were then invited to record at Wolf Parade’s studio Mt. Zoomer in Montreal with Wolf Parade’s Arlen Thompson. The stunning result of the session is their debut EP All Dressed – four tight songs of close harmony vocals and incredibly catchy melody. It was released in 2010 on the LA-based Post Modern Recording Co. label which was founded in 2009, releasing the catalogue for Japanese indie/electronic wizard Cornelius.

Along with the Handsome Furs tours, The Cinnamon Band have also shared the stage with The Hold Steady, Fiery Furnaces, Mates Of State, Ariel Pink, Justin Townes Earle, White Rabbits, Cass McCombs, Besnard Lakes, Great Lake Swimmers, Warpaint and Wintersleep to name a few. They have played all across the U.S. and Canada, in such well known venues as The Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge in New York, the Echoplex in L.A. and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

“A minimal act whose impact is expansive. Silk-lined vocal harmonies, melodies that only know how anthems feel. There’s lean, refined songcraft, but no shortage of ferocity…” – Cville Weekly

Look for the “Black Love / Tough Love” double A-side 7-inch single to be released in Fall 2011 by Funny/Not Funny Records.

mp3: Buena Vista (The Cinnamon Band - more here)

The Cinnamon Band play Saturday at 8pm.