Skip to content
Spotlight

Tiny Masters of Today

Who? Punk rock duo Tiny Masters of Today began their masterful ascent to glory early — like two years ago, when they were about the same age as Bart and Lisa Simpson. Now siblings Ivan and Ada are a much wiser 13 and 11, respectively. The Masters honed their sound on Brooklyn stages before signing with U.K. label Tigertrap and releasing two EPs of basement cuts on vinyl. Their first full-length, Bang Bang Boom Cake, arrived via the Mute label last month. Playing CMJ Tuesday (Oct. 16) at the Annex at 10 P.M., and Thursday (Oct. 18) at the Bowery Ballroom at 9 P.M.

What’s the Deal? Blame it on that boundless well of kid energy: Ivan and Ada work hard. Both sing — Ivan plays guitar and bass, while Ada mans keyboards. Before Bang Bang Boom Cake, they also both played drums, but that duty now falls to Russell Simins (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) who contacted them through their MySpace page. Simins proves a good percussive match to the Masters’ bouncy, skillful punk: he’s vital but out of the way. The first few seconds of “kid voice” might throw you, but then you’ll realize that these siblings have real vocal chops. “Tooty Frooty” boasts Debbie Harry-ish chirps, and “Hologram World” finds Ivan and Ada matching vocal prowess with none other than Karen O (another fan). Throw in some punchy dance tracks (“Disco Bomb” and “Hey Mr. DJ”) as well as a protest song or two (“Bushy”) and you’re set for a solid half hour.

Fun Fact: Parents Nancy and David keep their kids’ surname private and screen their MySpace page to protect their budding punks from weirdos. They’ve also turned down requests to base a reality show on Tiny Masters of Today’s rock’n’roll exploits.�

Now Hear This:Tiny Masters of Today – “K.I.D.S.” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:Tiny Masters of Today at MySpace tinymasters.net

Talk: Do these Tiny Masters pass muster?