Harsh Crowd Record Release Show

NY teen rockers Harsh Crowd, who met at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, are celebrating the release of their debut EP, "Don't Ask Me," with an all-ages show. Free CD with every admission!


PRESS RELEASE:

Indie Rockers Harsh Crowd Play All-Ages Record Release Show on October 11 at Union Hall

Debut Release Don’t Ask Me is out today!

“These rockers have learned that they can achieve any goal they set for themselves.” —Fuse Music News

“I’ve been a fan...for almost 2 years” —Jessica Pimentel (Orange Is the New Black, Alkehine’s Gun)

Harsh Crowd is a punk-pop band composed of four 13-year-olds who formed in 2013 after meeting at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn, New York. Harsh Crowd may be young, but they’ve already opened for the folk-blues New Orleans–based outfit Hurray for the Riff Raff!, shared a Central Park Summerstage bill with young metallers Unlocking the Truth, and performed on Center Court at Madison Square Garden to open the WNBA’s New York Liberty season in 2014. At a recent Feminist Press benefit at Le Poisson Rouge, Harsh Crowd worked up a version of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” and had Amy Ray (yes, of the Indigo Girls) come on stage to back them up.

But the big news is the release of Harsh Crowd’s brand-new EP Don’t Ask Me, a blast of original, un-gentle pop music that happens to rock—sometimes very hard. Reaching back to the pioneering rock n roll of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and gutsy blues of Big Mama Thornton, Harsh Crowd also channel the likes of Joan Jett, Le Tigre, The Orwells, Radiohead, and the Clash. The gritty title track boasts crunchy guitar chords, punkish vocals, and punchy-funk beats. “DRP” is both a loving thumb-the-nose to parental oversight, as well as a clap-along showstopper. Then there’s the introspective, uplifting “Four Walls,” with its group-chant chorus, “Keep! Standing! Up! Tall!” Overall, the music is bright and hopeful, but full of unapologetic attitude and deep intensity. And the members are not afraid to put their own spin on beloved anthems and make them their own: During live shows, Harsh Crowd has been known to transform Radiohead’s “Creep” into an awkward middle-school slow-dance waltz, and to deliver a rousing version of Foster the People’s “Pumped up Kicks.”

Harsh Crowd is definitely the sum of its unique parts. Guitarist/vocalist Dea loves exploring effects pedals to impact the guitar soundscape, even though she writes on acoustic guitar. Her love of Broadway also informs her musicality, as she has always been extremely active in Theater Arts at school, starring in shows from an early age. Bass/keyboard player Rihana studies upright bass and violin, enhancing her already solid classical keyboard training. Rihana moves effortlessly between styles and instruments, composing standout melodies on the high register of the keyboard and cranking out killer low-end bass guitar lines, often jumping back and forth on the same song. It’s no wonder she was recently tapped to participate in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Academy. Drummer Lena conjures up consistently well-chosen grooves and complex, yet tasteful fills. Sometimes at rehearsal, she’ll break into Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times,” which she performed during her auditions for Performing Arts schools, or Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy” just for fun. Then there’s Willow, the band’s explosive and magnetic frontperson, who can always be relied upon to find a catchy vocal melody (or three). Willow has appeared on both Dan Zanes’ recordings and in concert dress for NYC’s Face the Music programs.

“‘Girl band’ is more than just a label that has to do with gender—it’s also a type of sound—and it’s not a sound that we want to have, or that we do have. So... we are a group of four girls playing music, but we’re not a ‘girl band’!” —Harsh Crowd, from a 2014 interview, published as part of the Feminist Utopia Project.

Harsh Crowd is seeking sponsorships from Pop Chips and Gummy Tummy Penguins.

DON’T ASK ME is available for purchase in digital formats on http://harshcrowd.bandcamp.com. There’s also an exclusive, limited-edition T-shirt!