nice trick liar

Band Update

2006-10-09T21:58:00.000-04:00

While we've been working on some new material and mulling over new gig possibilities, early October has also lead towards upgrading our band. We are piecing the press kit together nicely to help land us new shows. As a matter of fact, we should be lining up our first-ever photo shoot next weekend with my personal colleague, co-worker and rock music fan Chris Hayes (check out his work at www.photo.net/photos/Chris Hayes). In addition to the photos we are going to package and print our cds differently. On top of that, we may have some live photo/video work done at our next show, providing Joe can recruit a photo/video guy that worked with his own project, the New Kings of Rythym. Also, look for Joe's new bio on the website soon... just click on the ewok.

Post Show Report

2006-09-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

It's true we're back, but could we live up to or excel past expectations at these two latest NTL shows? Nervous tensions surged through each of us at our first gig back at the East End. After all, we were going on first on a Saturday night gig - sucking was not an option. Even with Joe burned out from playing 2 previous gigs and having had no sleep in 3 days, we pulled it off with flying colors. The East End loves their original music and we dished it out kicking the night off right. Extra thanks to Soraia and The Pulls for an awesome night.
No more than a week later at Mojo 13 we stepped it up a notch. The sound setup seemed to fit us better than any gig before and complimented by a stellar live show performance, this 2nd gig back was quoted by some as "our best ever". Yes, we're back, it sounds great, and I can't wait to see what's ahead. Keep checking back to the website for the latest news and shows to come out and party with us.

Back In Action!

2006-07-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

Hey Alls,

For those of you bored enough to check up on the web blog, thought I'd update you on the latest happenings. We have been practicing regularly for the last month with our new drummer, Joe Buono. After these first few sessions, the old and new music is really coming together, so it's time once again for us to gig out. We are starting things off in Newark at the East End on Saturday, August 19th. We will be playing with Soraia and friends, so come check it out. It'll be our first live show since December. Also we will be playing Mojo 13 on Friday, August 25th. We will be posting more details about both these gigs on nicetrickliar.com and our myspace page at www.myspace.com/nicetrickliar. It's been too long, but these next shows will prove to be the best thing since, well, our last shows. Be there and rock with us!

K-Dub's Infallible Best/Worst Albums of 2005 List!

2006-01-03T23:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s been another long, semi-productive year in Nice Trick Liarville. It’s been a while since anyone has updated, but I am hoping to get more content on this and all the other sites in the near future, to fill you NTL fiends on what’s happening and other band gossip.

In the meantime, here’s my shortlist of the best (and worst) albums of the year. If you don’t already own all of these albums, its really too late for you anyway, so don’t bother. And if you haven’t heard them yet, for god’s sake don’t tell anyone. I’m inviting my fellow bandmates to contribute their own lists. Just keep in mind that if they differ from my picks in any way, they are wrong. Enjoy.

WORST ALBUM OF 2005
1)Nice Trick Liar- Champions of Indecency
With all the critical hype surrounding this group’s debut, it really couldn’t have been more of a disappointment. The only thing they have going for them is the truly-talented-yet-subtle-and-modest bass playing, when you can actually hear it. And that drummer is pretty decent, too- let’s hope he sticks around.

BEST ALBUMS OF 2005

1)Serena Maneesh- Serena Maneesh
In one of the few pleasant surprises of 2005, the self-titled debut of this Norwegian quintet sounds like Sonic Youth snorting painkillers with My Bloody Valentine and then making out for an hour.

2)Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince Billy- Superwolf
This year, Will Oldham added one of his finest albums yet to his extensive, eccentric catalogue. The seemingly awkward pairing with former Chavez guitarist Sweeney turned out to be an accessible introduction to the Bonnie Prince’s gloomy, fragile brand of folk.

3)Bloc Party- Silent Alarm
There’s a lot of Gang of Four-prize contenders out there as of late, which makes it all the more impressive that Kele Okereke and co. contributed a moving, powerful debut that is as critically bulletproof as it is bombastic.

4)My Morning Jacket- Z
In a move that usually spells doom for most groups, Z turned the tables on the band’s Neil Young-meets-Lynyrd Skynyrd sound, incorporating skewed time signatures and styles to prove that My Morning Jacket is more than a one-trick pony.

5)Sufjan Stevens- Come On Feel the Illinoise
Following last year’s departure, Seven Swans, Stevens continues his absurdly mammoth undertaking of dedicating a concept album to each state, and delivered his best record yet. Rumor has it Delaware is next on his list- we can only hope…

6)Devendra Banhart- Cripple Crow
On his longest and most expansive album, Banhart stretches out with more complex arrangements and instrumentation. Cripple Crow is altogether more grounded than previous efforts, while retaining Banhart’s unconventional freak-folk roots.

7)The Fiery Furnaces- EP
Following last year’s epic, challenging Blueberry Boat with an album of shorter, attention-friendly singles proved just the trick for the Freidburgers to turn. These ten mini-rock operas are as captivating as they are fun.

8)Matisyahu- Live at Stubb’s
Although an ordained orthodox Rabbi fronting a roots reggae band sounds like yet another failed SNL sketch, one listen will show you how well it works. The live setting makes the impassioned and powerful delivery all the more impressive.

9)R. Kelly- Trapped in the Closet Chapters 1-12
Ok, so technically this is a DVD, but you really can’t get a true appreciation for Mr. Kelly’s urban opera (note how I place no “sarcastic quotes” around that phrase) without seeing it in all its outlandish glory. While maintaining a sense of mystery (what happens next? is this supposed to be as hilarious as it is? why is he shooting at people?), Kelly has occluded us as to whether he himself is any surer of what is going on than we are. An additional 10 chapters are in the works, but Kelly himself has alluded to continuing his story indefinitely. My most sincere wish is to receive the full 15-DVD box set from my children in 2030.

10)Calexico & Iron and Wine- In the Reins
Sometimes blatantly obvious pairings can backfire. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case on In the Reins, whose creators melded so effortlessly that another team-up would be more than welcome.

Honorable Mention:
Architecture in Helsinki- In Case We Die
The Boy Least Likely To- Best Party Ever
Twee pop came back in a big way this year. Australia’s Architecture in Helsinki displays a hyperactive, genre-leaping style reminiscent of the Fiery Furnaces, but lighter and sweeter. Best Party Ever is far and away the single greatest soundtrack for throwing a tea party with your stuffed animals i have ever heard.

Give 'em the Boot!

2005-09-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

SO... lots of exciting news in the world of Nice Trick Liar! Let me get started by announcing that our next two show dates at Pontiac Grille and East End Cafe have been confirmed. Come check us out at the Grille on South St. in Philly on Thursday, Oct. 6. Here's the line-up:

9:30-10:00 - Navar
10:15-10:45 - Nice Trick Liar
11:00-11:30 - New Union Rules
11:45-12:30 - Kill Hands
12:45-1:30 - Longshot Hero

Check out our shows page or the Pontiac Grille Event Calendar for more info. Be sure to get there early, cover will be $7. Contact us if you have any questions or need directions.

In other developments:

We laid down tracks for the last song, "In a Year I'll Be Doin Heroin," to complete our overly-awaited forthcoming release "Champions of Indecency" at Wonderland Studios on Tuesday. Apparently the Newark Police took exception to my non-payment of the parking meter, slapped me with a $50 ticket, and done booted my car. Ah, Newark... such fond memories...

At any rate, Steve and i drove back down Wednesday morning and i took care of the ticket while he got to record a new solo for "Sometimes I Despair."

As i write this, Steve and Darian are on their way down to the Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival, where they will be networking and socializing the whole weekend, and hopefully relaxing a bit in the process. Have fun, guys, and try not to kill each other.

Help Support KORC!

2005-09-26T13:11:00.000-04:00

Howdy, liars and liettes! If you missed our show on the 15th opening for Stucco Lobster Breadbox and Soraia at East End, well, nuts to you. It was one of our best live sets yet, and we got a great reaction for our first real show in Newark. Thanks so much to all our friends who showed up, and to all the NTL virgins for their enthusiasm. Hopefully we made a few new fans and friends in the process- if you liked what you saw, be sure to come out and see us again, and keep supporting live, local, original music.

But despair not, o lovers of the rock who may have missed the boat. Dubby is here to show you the way to the promised land, namely two potential shows at the Pontiac Grille on South Street in Philly on Thursday, Oct. 6th, and another spot at East End again the following Wednesday, the 12th. These shows are still tentative, so keep your busy schedules clear and check back here and at nicetrickliar.com for up-to-the-whenever-we-get-around-to-it info.

On a more somber note, some of you may not be aware that two of our bandmates, Steve and Eric, lost their day jobs recently. While this does leave them more time to rock, it kind of puts a damper on their financial situations. So be sure to buy them a beverage the next time you see them, to be sure, the gratitude you get from seeing their innocent, smiling, drunken expression will be more than worth the cost of a Miller Lite or three.

Also, we are starting a charity drive to help get them back on their feet. We will be accepting canned goods, clothing, Flyers tickets, Jager shots, lapdances, LIT's, and pork roll sandwiches. Send all donations to:

Keep Our Rockstars Crunkified
c/o K.W. East
410 N. Everhart Ave.
West Chester, PA 19380

Choking Bouncers

2005-09-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

What up! We had a hell of a night at our gig on Friday at Bank Shots. It started out great, with one of our best sets ever, but later chaos ensued. A fight outside took the attention, attitude, energy, and the will to live away from our smashing 2nd set and left a sour taste in our mouths from then on. It just takes one dickhead to ruin it for everyone, but that's pretty much what happened. We'd like to apoligize to most of you there who had to experience the carnage, as for the rest of you, well you might of enjoyed it. Anyway, to put this behind us and focus on better things to come, I'd like to announce we are opening for Stucco Lobster Breadbox this Thursday at the East End Cafe in Newark, DE. Come on out and support as as we'll hit the stage around 8:00 to kick the night off. I will send an e-mail out soon with directions for those of you who can make it out, and hopefully this time things won't end with the cops showing up. Guess that's the rock lifestyle, and we live it, live it.

NEW SHOW ADDED!

2005-09-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

Oi!

I am pleased to announce we will be playing at Bank Shots in Wilmington on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 from 9 til close. We will also have Burning the Past opening and a special guest, Stucco Lobster Breadbox performing between sets. This will be a rocking night so come on out and support our live sound!

Plywood on Dirt

2005-08-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

Yo Yo,

It's Pissboy here to let you know this week's band happenings. Before I get into the details of what's up and coming this week in the land NTL, let's allow some time for reflection upon the past year. Yes, about one year has passed since what I would consider the start of our band experience. Since then, we gained a drummer, wrote over 15 original songs, had our first gig performance and recorded the tracks for our upcoming album, "Champions of Indecency". It's fun and hard at the same time, being in a band, but we continue to grow musically, and with growth comes our hatred for Darian (just joking Darian, don't get you panties in a wad, you know we all love you and continue to make love to you at the beginning of every practice).

Now the time has passed, along with Summer fun, it's time to bunker down and turn the heat up on the band activities. What's in the works this week? Band practice, my friends. Besides that, we are looking to keep active by playing an open mic night in the next week and focusing on the completion of our long awaited break through cd. It sounded easy to record and produce our first album quickly, it has proven to be difficult with unforseen problems and delays along the way. We assure that the final product will be worth the wait. Stay tuned, for the best is yet to come, along with my vow to keep you informed with this ultimate band blog.

NTL Band Update

2005-08-17T13:21:00.000-04:00

Yay-O!

It's mid-August and I must say this has been one hell of a nutty Summer. As far as band happenings go, we finally played our first official gig at Bank Shots and it kicked ass. For those of you who made it out to the show, thanks for rocking, drinking, and supporting us. Check back often for info on our website for a soon to be added follow up show in September at Bank Shots.

As for our studio album: no it's still not finished. When will this nugget of rock history explode into the scene? I have no clue, but I can tell you that all but one of the songs are finished, so it won't be long. One more solid studio session is needed to re do "In a Year I'll Be Doing Heroin" and place it on the final cut.

Last but not least, we wish to take this time to announce Retardo Ultimo as the NTL Blog Contest winner for the best (and only) blog entry. He earns a free copy of our album "Champions of Indecency" when it's released, as well as a chance to MEET THE BAND! Way to go Retardo!

Nice Trick Liar Fan Blog Contest!!!

2005-06-14T14:20:00.000-04:00

BLOG CONTEST RULES:

The fan with the most compelling, creative, disturbing, uplifting, hilarious and/or inspirational blog entry will receive a free signed copy of our upcoming cd release, Champions of Indecency and will be entered to win a chance to meet the band!!! All you have to do to enter is post a blog on our site with "Nice Trick Liar Blog Rocks!" as the title and let the creativity flow. All blog contest entries must be posted by July 4th, 2005, so get your blog on and GOOD LUCK!

Contest sponsored by Choking Rufus Records.

Do it, Do it...

2005-06-01T15:57:00.000-04:00

Hails all... Just an update here to let those who missed the party know we rocked the hizouse. Thanks again to the bands and the house mates for pulling together a funfilled night of angry drunks, lesbian love, and muscle shirts.
So, you might be wondering what's next. Well Champions of Indecency, our first album, is nearing the end of the final mixing stage. It's taken awhile longer to get things straightened out, but the final copy will be well worth the wait. The band is also looking forward to a busy month in June with two possible upcoming show dates in the works.... more to come, bitches!
So bear with us as we move along through the early stages of summer, and more importantly check back here often to see what's new. Best of luck should go out to KW too. Dude finally graduated and is looking to take the world by storm. Extra props for juggling the band, graduating, and moving in with us up in West Chester. Remember, you're a Pennsylvanian now buddy, and we don't take shit from anyone unless there's money involved.

Rock On,
Steve

Takin' it back to church

2005-05-10T22:17:00.000-04:00

Well, after spending two days sweating it out in the production booth at Wonderland Studios, "Champions of Indecency" is nearing completion.

We suffered a minor setback on Saturday, when, after working all afternoon on three songs, we discovered that the volume levels were way too low.

Saturday night was spent in Sea Isle, N.J., where Steve, Daryl, Globey, and myself retired to Steve's recently-sold beach house for a boys night out. We went to Ocean Drive, where Mr. Greengenes was playing (check out my recent tirade about cover bands here). We picked up a washer and dryer the next morning, graciously donated by friends of Steve's parents, and brought them back to West Chester. i'm pretty sure i got a good dose of tetanus scratching my arms on those rusty bastards.

Monday night was much more productive. We finished mixing down seven of the eight tracks (Part of the guitar intro for "In A Year I'll Be Doing Heroin" got cut off, Marcus is going to try to fix it), and they sound a world apart from everything else we've done thus far. Darian, Steve and i also recorded a gang chorus/shout for the end of that song, and i cut a new vocal track for "Sometimes I Despair."

Afterwards, we rode around Newark blasting the finished songs and i nearly killed us all in an attempt to shout the name of our Web site at two dogs that were hanging their heads out the window of the car next to us. i don't think we made any fans. But i digress.

With a few more tweaks left to be made, it won't be long before you have your very own copy collecting dust between Neil Young and Nirvana on your shelf. That is, if you alphabetize by first name. Oh, and lest i forget, the "Champions Of Indecency" release party will be held on Saturday, May 21st in Darian and Co.'s ginormous basement. Delaware favorites lower case blues will also be playing, and we may get a surprise appearance from the fabulous Elktones. Well, i guess it isn't a surprise anymore, but it still will be if they show up. Stay tuned.

Portrait of the artist as a young band

2005-05-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

This caricature of the band was lovingly crafted as we drank and waited to play our first time at 15 North. Steve drew me, Eric and Darian, then we had Eric finish it off with his portrait of Steve. Besides the talented linework and sense of proportion, there are a few other items that deserve notice:

-The inclusion of horns, the double sign of the beast, and my trademark fire-breathing technique, all of which i demanded be added.
-Steve absent-mindedly neglected to accentuate certain of Eric's, ahem, assets. Eric was obliged to correct the picture to a more realistic proportion.
-Darian closely resembles Velma from Scooby-Doo, as she does in real life, but forgot her glasses that night and instead wore what was apparantly the mask of either a bank robber from the '20s or a raccoon.
-There seems to be some form of projectile being ejected from below Steve's waist. i'm not going to attempt to speculate any further about that.
-Eric is wearing a Cancun T-shirt.

Obviously, i now have my beat up old scanner working again, so expect more images soon. We should have pictures from the studio sessions and our "ask-me-about-my-malaria" practice space up on the pics page by the end of the week.

Yes, It's a Girl.

2005-05-02T13:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess I can't let the guys have all the fun. I have to let the world know that Marcus, our studio god, has given his seal of approval on our initial recording efforts and can't wait for our triumphant return. Also, thanks must be given to my roommate, Zach, who's annoyance with our brand of sonic expression has presented us with the title to our CD. (Rumor has it that Eric has since split with the ketchup bottle, and is now seeing her younger and more sophisticated cousin-Fancy Ketchup.)

We Came, We Saw, We Recorded

2005-05-01T17:31:00.000-04:00

Hails to all! For those of you unaware and unfortunate fools, breaking news shook the rock world this weekend when Nice Trick Liar hit the studio at Wonderland in Newark, DE to record our first album. When I say album, I mean album. At first I was only thinking demo, but we went in and accomplished much, much more by laying down tracks for 8 different songs. We head back down next week to meet with Marcus to mix it all down. Our final product will be all wrapped up by sometime this weekend, but you can expect our album, titled "Champions of Indecency," to be fully unleashed at an NTL party at the end of May in Newark... party details and studio photos to come.

Fun with condiments!

2005-04-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

This is our drummer, Eric, whispering some sweet nothings to his ketchup in Cancun. He claims to have hooked up a threesome with this very bottle and a voluptuous napkin dispenser later that night, but we don't believe him.
But damn if that isn't a fine piece of catsup.

In a year we'll be doing heroin

2005-04-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Thanks for visiting the Nice Trick Liar Blog. This site will be your source for all the delicious and scandalous news regarding your new favorite band. We are just getting started up, but be sure to check back frequently here and at nicetrickliar.com, because we plan on adding MP3s, pictures, band member bios, and more super-secret treats for you, our adoring fans.

So what's new? Well, i'm glad you asked! We just played a short set for open mic night at 15 North in West Chester, PA last night. Luckily enough, we had it documented for posterity so no one would have to miss what may just have been our best outing yet. You can view the show in its entirety here. We also received free clothing, most likely out of sympathy... i got a hat.

Currently, we are putting the finishing touches on our demo, which is tentatively titled "I'll Hold the Bag." We'll keep you informed...