Harmony drenched, hook-laden, anthemic indie rock songs abound on the recent release, Harmony and Discord, from darby jones. With a home base of Northern New Jersey, darby jones draw from New York City sophistication and down to earth New Jersey realism to produce catchy pop melodies with intricate arrangements and at times gritty rock power.
Lyrically, their songs communicate sincerity and conviction with topics that pull from everyday life and the self-searching question of "where is my life going?" "Make it up unless you know a better way / It's for better or worse and it can't be that bad" darby jones guitarist/vocalist Nick Cavagnaro exclaims in "Faster Than Your Angel," an explosive song off the LP.
Bassist/vocalist Rob Chojnacki describes the band's writing process as emotional therapy. "I try to communicate things that I just don't talk about normally, and the music becomes my only outlet for these things." Drummer Seth Masarsky adds, "We also derive some of our lyrics from the experiences we've had living in Suburbia. We live in Jersey so we deal with a lot of issues and imagery that comes with that."
darby jones cut their teeth making a homemade debut record in 1999 and playing a slew of reginal shows. The band quickly gained a diehard following and has become one of New Jersey's most popular club acts receiving regular requests from many NY and NJ clubs. In 2002, they appeared on compilations from Artist Amplification and Reinforcement Records.
The group has played extensively in the Northeast, along with one Midwest tour, and has shared stages with The Strokes, Ultimate Fakebook, Longwave, and in a somewhat surreal gig experience, Rod Stewart. With a recent line-up addition, guitarist Steve Sabet joined the group to thicken the mix and help the band recreate its record in a live format.
The band has appeared at such festivals as the CMJ Music Marathon, International Pop Overthrow, MacRock 2000, the Independent Music Festival, and the Philadelphia Music Conference. darby jones have also been covered in the New York Post, Star Ledger, Music Biz Magazine, The Aquarian, among many others, and their releases have been played on college stations throughout the United States.
