What? This Southern band’s moniker may be a fairly groan-worthy play on the Beatles’ drummer’s name, but there’s certainly nothing off-putting about the jangly sounds that Gringo Star have created with their debut album, All Y’all, out now via the band’s own My Anxious Mouth Records. Produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), the new record sees these Atlanta, GA, residents — like their musical brethren the Black Lips — bash out psych-laced garage-rock that shifts musical styles from surf to psychedelia. And the with the lo-fi balladry of “Together,” the four-to-the-floor boogie of the album’s title track, and the Kinks-esque shuffle of “Dolls,” these guys stirred quite a craze at this year’s CMJ music fest. Oh yeah, and Gringo Star’s drummer is pretty good, too.
Who? Originally named A Fir-Ju Well, the band was formed in 2001 by brothers Nick and Pete Furgiuele, along with Peter DeLorenzo. Matt McCalvin would join in 2004. The boys decided to change their name to Gringo Star in 2006 and released an eponymous EP a year later. As multi-instrumentalists who bounce between guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, accordion, kazoo, and tambourine, Gringo Star share songwriting duties — all contributed to All Y’all.
Fun Fact: The members of Gringo Star also function as Nashville singer/songwriter Aria Cavaliere‘s backing band, and are sometimes referred to as the Gringos.
Now Hear This: Gringo Star, “Come on Now” (DOWNLOAD MP3)
