The New Standards

John Munson of Trip Shakespeare/Semisonic fame, Chan Poling, founder of the haute-punk new-wave group The Suburbs and Steve Roehm, vibraphonist extraordinaire, got together with a plan to play and sing their favorite songs – naked. Well, the musicians are clothed, and quite nicely we might add, but the aesthetic is raw simplicity, communication and soul. The song selections span the twentieth century. Each song must be someone’s favorite and each arrangement must bring something new to the song. In an age of digital overkill, The New Standards keep the instrumentation simple. Poling on piano, Roehm on vibraphone and Munson on double bass. Chan and John split the singing. If that’s not enough, a footstomp here, a shout-out and a fiery solo, and it’s cooked. Simple, elegant, illuminating. Fun.

“On its self-titled debut, jazz trio the New Standards takes pop and rock tunes, such “All the Young Dudes,” “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “The New Pollution,” then strips them down and juices them back up with vocals, piano, bass and totally cool vibes. It’s a bit quirky, but it works.”  - THE NEW YORK POST

“…give these guys an award for being so super cool in their awesome versions of Lou Reed’s “Rock and roll”, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps” and Outkast’s “Hey ya”.
- Melodic.net (SWEDEN)

“the trio’s rock chops fuel unplugged and jazzy covers of songs by Elvis Costello, Britney Spears and the Clash.” - WNCY.org

“To call The New Standards a covers band is to do a disservice to the trio’s ambition and imagination. They add so much to the songs in their repertoire that you immediately forget these are songs made famous by other bands. … What impressed me most about the band’s performance was that they took ownership of each number.

The New Standards at Hotel Cafe was an exceedingly entertaining show and one of the more memorable I’ve seen all year. At night’s end the band literally had the audience asking for more. If nothing else, The New Standards should be commended for making a Britney Spears tune tolerable and breathing fresh life into songs I only thought I knew so well. Spending a night with these boys is wholly recommended.” - The Red Alert • Review of show at Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles

www.thenewstandards.com

Check them out in this clip on You Tube, then catch them in person at the Dakota

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