The Twelve Bands of Christmas: Day Three - The Hard Tomorrows

Another great band from DC is The Hard Tomorrows. This year saw the highly anticipated release of their first full length. While they are still relatively unknown outside of the region, they are starting to receive some love. This is likely to expand as word continues to get out about their energetic live shows and solid releases. As long as they can keep Jesus Crisis away from the zoo, the future looks bright for this band.

Band:
The Hard Tomorrows
Location:
Washington DC
Formed:
September 2003
Members:
Rob Pierangeli: vocals & guitar
Rishi Chakrabarty: guitars
Mike Tasevoli: drums
Jesus Crisis: keyboards & vocals
Charlie Flexon: bass
Label:
Death Row
Recordings:
5 Songs, May 2004
Lights Out, September 2006
Upcoming Live Dates:
January 11th, 2007 at the Wonderland Ballroom

How did the band form?
Over drinks at a bar.

How was '06 for you?
It was great. Lights Out is doing is well.

Highlight of the year?
Jesus Crisis getting arrested for verbally abusing Tai Shan the Panda.

***Local Musician Fined for Verbally Abusing Pandas at National Zoo***
WASHINGTON, DC
Nov. 21 2006
Twenty-four year old Jesus Crisis, keyboardist and conceptual disorganist for local pop band the Hard Tomorrows, was apprehended late Monday afternoon near the Panda habitat at DC's National Zoo after launching a furious verbal assault on the zoo's 16-month-old Panda cub, Tai Shan. The eccentric musician was caught on tape taunting the young cub: "Don't you see the deep evil surrounding your harem of sycophants and googley-eyed onlookers? You're one of trillions of life-forms on this filthy glittering globe. Shall I scale this divider and destroy you, or will you allow your keepers to do that gradually, pathetically, like candy left to rot in a vending machine?" Crisis was part of a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health in 1999, testing, "substances that may induce violent psychotic outbursts and proto-predatory bloodlust in mammals." "Saddle up to ride the comets into oblivion! You're lower than Koala shit, and they're not even real bears!" he was heard saying as he was led to a Park Police cruiser. In a telephone interview with one of NIH's chief clinicians, we learned, "We can't quite figure it out--Mr. Crisis was part of the placebo group."

What do you have in store for '07 (touring, albums, etc)?
We’re going to do some long weekends up north and down south in February or March. We’re also working on new material now and hope to have an EP out in mid 2007.

Goal for '07 and beyond?
To make music that is interesting to us.


Lights Out (2006)
Patterns
Darling
Lights Out

Bonus
Teenage Kicks (Undertones cover)

*Go here for more mp3s


3 favorite songs of '06?
Rob:
Pass the Hatchet, I think I’m Goodkind – Yo la tango
Everybody Daylight – Bright Black Morning Light
O the Deed – Nethers

Jesus :
Sexyback – His Majesty Timberlake
Paxilback – The Gray Kid
I’m So Close – Maiden Rider
The new weirdly produced Beatles album
That one good song on Thom Yorke’s record (title?)
Anything Jim O’Rourke is doing.

Favorite album of the year?
Rob: I haven’t been buying that much new music. Mostly older stuff because I have so many holes to fill. This is kind of sad - and shouldn’t even count because it came out almost 12 years ago - but it’s brand new to me: Get Lost, by the Magnetic Fields. I have a major crush on Stephin Merritt right now.

Rishi: I’ve been getting older stuff too. The only new record I can think of that I bought this year is Yo La Tengo “I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass” and it is great.

Charlie: Show Your Bones – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

JC: Pass the Hatchet – The Tomahawk Kids

Best live show you saw this year?
Rob: Bright Black Morning Light and Espers at DC9

Rishi: Jeremy Enigk at Rock Hotel. I kind of feel obligated to say Beck at the Backstage too.

Charlie: Massive Attack at 9:30 Club

JC: Vwar (the all-female Gwar tribute band)

Favorite holiday song and artist?
Rishi: A Durga Pooja to Remember by Ravi Khan and the Siva-lites

Charlie: Holidays in the Sun by The Sex Pistols

Rob: Frosty the Snowman by Billy Idol

JC: What Child is This when sung by my mom

Best present you ever received?
Rob: My first guitar from my parents when I was nine.

Rishi: A photo of an orangutan.

JC: A BJ in a movie theater while watching ‘Amelie”

Worst present you ever received?
Rob: A used hammer and a roll of duct tape from my brother, which really isn’t that bad of a present come to think of it.

JC: The shattered windshield of my friend’s car on my bed when I came home from work.



The Twelve Bands of Christmas
Introduction
Day 1: Telograph
Day 2: AVEC
Day 3: The Hard Tomorrows
Day 4: Middle Distance Runner
Day 5: Thrushes
Day 6: Georgie James
Day 7: Exit Clov
Day 8: Jette-Ives
Day 9: These United States
Day 10: Cedars
Day 11: Two if by Sea
Day 12: Soft Complex