Fascinations Grand Chorus Release s/t EP

Fascinations Grand Chorus

Back in March, I shared with you "Welcome," the debut single from Brooklyn duo Fascinations Grand Chorus. The project is the result of a competition / collaboration between Stephanie Cupo (Souvenir Stand) and Andrew Pierce (Chalk and Numbers). On Friday, the pair released their self-titled EP. In addition to "Welcome," the set includes two more examples of the "rival songwriters'" approach to retro, lo-fi pop.

"Growing" is an urgent bit of keyboard driven pop that includes an almost surf-inspired guitar solo. "I Don't Wanna Fall in Love" is a reverb-drenched wall of sound. Together, all three songs form a perfect mini soundtrack to summer days and nights spent hanging on warm Brooklyn rooftops or ambling along the Jersey Shore.

You can stream Fascinations Grand Chorus via Bandcamp. The EP is available for purchase directly from that page or via your favorite online source for that kind of stuff.

Debut Single from Fascinations Grand Chorus

"Welcome"

A while back, Stephanie Cupo's Souvenir Stand made a stop at Asbury Lanes to play a show with our good friends in Dentist. Her songs were rooted in the pristine pop of Brian Wilson and 60s girl groups. Now, Cupo has joined with drummer Andrew Pierce (formerly of Chalk and Numbers) for a new project called Fascinations Grand Chorus.

Styling themselves as a "band of competition," Stephanie and Andrew joined together to "write against each other" and to push each other's boundaries as songwriters. The result of their first competition is "Welcome." The song retains the retro sensibility of Cupo's work as Souvenir Stand; but, this time around, things are more lo-fi with Cupo's vocals and keys being carried along by Pierce's rolling drums.

Check out "Welcome" below, the first track from the duo's forthcoming, self-titled EP.

Show Preview: Dentist, Souvenir Stand, The Pretty Greens, GayGuy / StraightGuy, Saturday at Asbury Lanes

Dentist helped bring together a solid bill of locals and out-of-towners for Saturday night at Asbury Lanes.

A Show That Goes Surf, Pop, Rock

I'm getting ready to publish this weekend's listings tomorrow, and this is one of the biggest weekends of the summer so far. There are two big shows on the Stone Pony Summer Stage, but I did want to give you a deeper look at a couple of the other shows on tap. Let's go out of order and start with Saturday.

On Saturday night, Asbury Lanes will play host to a bill that includes local favorites Dentist and GayGuy / Straight Guy along with a couple of imports.

New York's Souvenir Stand is the project of New Jersey native Stephanie Cupo.  Her three-minute pop songs are reminiscent of an earlier time with sounds inspired by The Beach Boys and girl groups of the 60s.



Philadelphia's The Pretty Greens also play with some 60s-inspired sounds, but they come down more on the surf / garage side of things. Their most recent EP, Jealous Waves, is three tracks that remind me of a less fuzzed-out version of early Vivian Girls.



Two local acts that I spend a lot of time talking about here round out the bill. Dentist, whose excellent, self-titled LP has been getting play even overseas, bring their surf-inspired sound.



Duo GayGuy / StraightGuy, who are working on new material of their own, will shake Asbury Lanes with their straight-ahead and always loud rock and roll.



It's really an excellent line-up for a summer night by the beach: Surf, Pop, and Rock. Doors for the all-ages show open at 7 and there's an $8 cover.