From "WG - Williiamsburg Greenpoint News+Arts
"Where Brooklyn Meets the Sky"
By Ethan Pettit
"Clockwise from top right: Jonah Byrd of Jigsaw Soul; Sam Levin of micro-jam band Blast Off; Edgey of The Last Internationale; Singer Karen of Atta Boy.
If East Williamsburg is not the most beautiful place on earth, it’s pretty close. It’s a neighborhood where Pentecostal churches hold rousing services in the streets outside their storefronts. It’s a place of industry and warehousing, where vertical tenements look over horizontal shipping yards. Low slung warehouses give the place a big sky. It is massive and sublime in a way that makes the Williamsburg of the waterfront look quaint.
We are in an area that is considered to be part of Bushwick. Into the heart of the valley curls the fetid tail of Newtown Creek. Hither and yon lie great truck yards and old railroad tracks. It is full of trucks. It also full of exotic people. We are at the epicenter of an artist community, one of those aggregations of worldly and professional folks who change everything, completely and forever, wherever and whenever they arrive.
I have seen three of them in my life. Or maybe a dozen. But I’m not talking about all the rural, regional, and leafy towns of the western world that go cosmopolitan. I’m talking about Berlin in the 80s, Williamsburg in the 90s, and this place now. Taken all together, it’s a phenomenon on the order of any of the great migrations of world history. An urban subculture turns into a major economic event in a few short years, twice, in North Brooklyn, in two decades, each time during a recession.
I like my scenes heavy. Funny, but heavy. And that describes the band Jigsaw Soul perfectly, who played on a recent Saturday night at Brooklyn Fire Proof. Everything about this band is inventive. They make sure of it. You’ve got a five-piece ensemble with a rich musical range. Into this comes a dance troupe of exquisite creatures that vie with the musicians. Odalisques on the loose, fucking with the set. They climb on the musicians, wrestle for the microphones, and then come in on vocals right on time. It’s a luscious experience, with music and sounds from everywhere, but at the same time coherent and authentically strange.
Lead singer Jonah Byrd is slightly portly, and bald and bespectacled. But then he sings like an angel and moves like yo mama. Black Francis and Ron Athey come to mind — that kind of intensity. And for fuck’s sake, what can you say about a band that uses Viola da Gambas, mediaeval chanting, and whose drummer pulls out a trumpet and sends a song out with a fanfare. And then after the show, the dancing girls sell CDs and t-shirts from cigarette trays. Ouch!...."
For the full article by Ethan Pitt click here.
Abana- Paris, France (2009)
Translation of original French article, also included below
Jigsaw Soul or the rock in dumping.
When we really want to understand the particular musical environment in Brooklyn, it's important to know that some of the best presiding groups choose sometimes voluntarily there to live in a relative confidentiality, preferring that people talk about him in the marketing plans of chief warrant major companies, to be able to keep the free to play in original and different places, in front of public varied without having of accounts to be returned. Among these confidential groups initiated of which are passed on the name under the coat, Jigsaw Soul, create in 2006 by musicians knowing since more of 15 years, is probably one of the most interesting so musically as by its way to approach the stage.
Joining contemporary dancers and a vj as members of the full group (and not as simple ornamental elements added for the representations), their creative prejudices make it a kind of abnormality in a more and more homogeneous environment. Their pieces consist in constant round trips between their diverse individualities, so weaving links of an unmistakable strength between music and scenic aspects and adding a different energy to their multidisciplinary narrative works. The dance and the video so take all their measure and allow a public often little broken in its disciplines to approach them and to learn about it.
Tuned in to their two disks, we feel of more an almost bulimic will of assimilation of the musical history in its wealth, complexities and differences. Using both the "traditional" instruments of the group of classic rock (bass, drum, guitars) and go out all of particular sound sources, we catch ourselves by listening to attentively to feel the references so diverse as the Tibetan songs, the folk song, Pink Floyd, Sonic Youth, Nina Simone or John Cage, the choirs or Stabat Mater, Gothic or the same the metal. Far from getting lost, these mixtures are made with a sharpness and a flow allowing every piece to be unique while joining an evident continuity within every album.
The wild will of these musicians to occur in singular places and to exchange with talented creators of any horizons and more widely with the public whatever it is brought them to occur so much sold out in some of the clubs most sélects and sharp of NewYork and Brooklyn, such the Goldfish or Galapagos, that in private evenings, during parades, festivals or demonstrations. Looking for the outstanding experiences, a residence in a shop window of the renowned commercial district of Time Square, far from frightening them, will be the opportunity not only to record the raw material of their second album, to organize numerous events (evenings, festivals of short films, exhibitions) To invite the other creators to occur in their side (companies of contemporary dance professionals or musicians), but also to interact directly with passers-by of any horizons, businessmen, tourists, strollers and curious.
In the crossing of a decadent Dada cabaret of roaring twenties and performances deserving of what we can see in some of the best current art galleries, mix of contemporary dance, of video, circus and concert, each of their performances immerses the spectator in a cocoon engaging all the senses. Of all this complex group results a poetic but realistic mirror of our world in its duality and its contradictions, its blackness and lights, hopes and fears were sometimes distilled at the same particular moment. A total show, an organized, intense, global and intelligent chaos from which we cannot go out unhurt and which denotes of most of the current groups working according to hackneyed recipes, preferring to strong and original taken parts a consensual warmth. A generous group building itself with his public and not close, to discover at all costs if you are in NewYork by waiting to be finally able to see them at home.
(original French article):
Jigsaw Soul ou le rock en immersion.
Lorsque l'on veut véritablement comprendre le milieu musical particulier à Brooklyn, il est important de savoir que certains des meilleurs groupes y officiant choisissent parfois volontairement de demeurer dans une relative confidentialité, préférant le bouche à oreilles aux plans marketing des majors, afin de pouvoir garder la liberté de se produire dans des lieux originaux et différents, devant des publics variés sans avoir de comptes à rendre.
Parmi ces groupes confidentiels dont les initiés se transmettent le nom sous le manteau, Jigsaw Soul, crée en 2006 par des musiciens se connaissant depuis plus de 15ans, est probablement l'un des plus intéressants tant musicalement que par sa façon d'aborder la scène.
Intégrant des danseurs contemporains et un vj comme membres du groupe à part entière (et non pas comme simples éléments décoratifs ajoutées pour les représentations), leurs parti-pris créatifs en font une sorte d'anomalie dans un milieu de plus en plus homogène. Leurs morceaux se composent en constants aller-retours entre leurs diverses individualités, tissant ainsi des liens d'une force indéniable entre musique et aspects scéniques et ajoutant une énergie distincte à leurs œuvres narratives pluridisciplinaires. La danse et la vidéo prennent ainsi toute leur mesure et permettent à un public souvent peu rompu à ses disciplines de les aborder et de s'y initier.
A l'écoute de leurs deux disques, on ressent de plus une volonté quasi boulimique d'assimilation de l'histoire musicale dans ses richesses, complexités et différences. Utilisant tant les instruments « traditionnels » du groupe de rock classique (basse, batterie, guitares...) que toutes sortes de sources sonores particulières, on se surprend en écoutant attentivement à ressentir par touche des références aussi diverses que les chants tibétains, le folk, Pink Floyd, Sonic Youth, Nina Simone ou John Cage, les chorales ou Stabat Mater, le gothique ou même le métal. Loin de se perdre, ces mélanges se font avec une finesse et une fluidité permettant à chaque morceau d'être unique tout en s'inscrivant dans une continuité évidente au sein de chaque album.
La volonté farouche de ces musiciens de se produire dans des lieux singuliers et d'échanger avec des créateurs de talent de tous horizons et plus largement avec le public quel qu'il soit les ont amenés à se produire tant à guichet fermé dans certains des clubs les plus sélects et pointus de NewYork et Brooklyn, tels le Poisson Rouge ou Galapagos, que dans des soirées privées, lors de défilés, festivals ou manifestations. Recherchant les expériences hors du commun, une résidence dans une vitrine du quartier d'affaire réputé de Time Square, loin de les effrayer, sera l'occasion non seulement d'enregistrer la matière première de leur second album, d'organiser de nombreux événements (soirées, festivals de courts métrages, expositions,...), d'inviter d'autres créateurs à se produire à leur côté (compagnies de danse contemporaine professionnelles ou musiciens), mais aussi d'interagir directement avec des passants de tous horizons, hommes d'affaires, touristes, flâneurs et curieux.
Au croisement d'un cabaret Dada décadent des années folles et de performances digne de ce que l'on peut voir dans certaines des meilleures galeries d'art actuelles, mélange de danse contemporaine, de vidéo, de cirque et de concert, chacune de leurs prestations immerge le spectateur dans un cocon engageant tous les sens. De tout cet ensemble complexe résulte un miroir poétique mais réaliste de notre monde dans sa dualité et ses contradictions, ses noirceurs et lumières, espoirs et craintes parfois distillés en un même instant particulier. Un spectacle total, un chaos organisé, intense, global et intelligent dont on ne peut ressortir indemne et qui dénote de la plupart des groupes actuels fonctionnant selon des recettes éculées, préférant à des partis pris forts et originaux une tiédeur consensuelle. Un groupe généreux se construisant avec son public et non pas à côté, à découvrir à tout prix si vous êtes de passage à NewYork en attendant d'enfin pouvoir les voir chez nous.
Anne-Laure Lemaitre pour Abana
Review: Bound to Collide by Jigsaw Soul by Armando Jaramillo Garcia (NYC)
Ok, here's the scenario: 2008 was lean year, for various reasons I don't need to go into here, so, I bought very little music and accepted as gifts much of what I did listen to and "acquired" the rest. It was a good thing in the case of Jigsaw Soul's Bound to Collide, which was given to me by a friend. Normally, when a friend says "you should listen to my friend's band" or "I'm in this band you should listen to it it's really cool" I immediately start worrying in the recesses of my brain - what if this isn't good, what do I say? Mind you, I had seen them once live and thought they had performed admirably given the lousy sound system, and I was in a lousy mood as well, so I was a bit unsure of what these guys were about, but had a sense that they were at least confident in what they were doing.When I put the CD on the first time, desperate at the time for anything new, I was undoubtedly in a good frame of mind to be engaged, given this though, I was taken aback by the oddity if not downright audacity of the first song "Burn The Church Of Reason" as it slowly unfolded with a restrained sense of expectation. The spaces of wooshy silence and the bells that accent the song are just the first of many evocative elements that cradle this song from beginning to end. The acapella-like qualities of the layered vocals, which slip into didgeridoo-like qualities at the end, perfectly counterbalanced the dramas of the percussion. It's a song you want to listen to slowly while it slowly unfolds, and actually you have no choice. Certainly a bold choice as an opening track to the album. When the last phrase is sung, much clearer than the rest of the lyrics, you want to believe the exuberant if not naive exclamation of "bursting into song" - sometimes I am sold on it, sometimes not, but I am almost sure that they believe it, and so I can leave my cynical self out of the equation and enjoy the dramatic enthusiasm of such a statement - and, you know, we all want to believe sometimes.
I was perfectly satisfied with this, and honestly harbored no more expectations, so, I was pleasantly surprised, when the second song, "Fake 5", seamlessly mixed into the previous song, crept up on me with its calm guitar figure over which another, compressed, thin guitar lead is superimposed, reminiscent of Modest Mouse circa The Moon and Antarctica. Again, the layered vocals, mixing high and super low harmonies, offsets the distantly mixed rhythm section as an anchoring organ makes its presence felt, and a third guitar comes in with its grace notes. It is to their credit that the guitars remain low in the mix and don't at this point begin to dominate, keeping the tension in the song alive. That is until the song swells to its musical resolution with a satisfying insistence, in that way that the best pop songs do. The mood here, despite the upsurge in the middle, is one of restraint with the vocals switching perfectly from mournful to a confident plaintiveness, explaining the situation to the world at large. In this song, as in the first, the sentiment at the end "I hear them sing Hallelujah to the lord" takes some selling. In this jaded world the word Hallelujah is difficult to pull out with conviction. But, it is a simple enough thing to say that it's a nice little melody that oddly places a hook at the end of the song, and so it sticks with you, and another Hallelujah is added to the church of music.
Newsday- Front Page NYC Pics- "Bound to Collide" CD Release
The Deli Magazine- Feb 17th, 2009
Brooklyn based multimedia, indie-music whirlwind, "Jigsaw Soul," a live band that incorporates a unique approach to video manipulation and modern dance will host an interactive event on Feb 20th at Galapagos in DUMBO. A celebration of the release of their 2nd CD, "Bound to Collide," the album has it's origins in recording sessions that took place during the course of a 24/7 one-month space grant at the Chashama art gallery in Times Square. Since then, the sessions have been transformed into an epic work, rich in sonic beauty and well constructed, unpredictable songs. The CD Release event will be augmented by DJ's, aerial silk performances, photo booths, baked goods and crazy co-conspirators, all ending with a late night/early morning after party in a Williamsburg loft.
Deli Magazine Printed Article
VIDEO AWARDS
"Cockroach Hotel" (2008)
Directed by Christopher Piazza
FUSE on Demand Feature
Much Music feature (Canadian Broadcast)
Made the cover of Studio Monthly
Featured Billboard.com, SingingFool, Vimeo.com, Band Pro, allmusic, Radar Music, NewYorkesi
Jon Fordham and "Cockroach Hotel" featured in Band Pro magazine:
Panopticon's favorite director of photography, Jon Fordham, featured in Band Pro magazine.
Here's an excerpt: "Director Christopher Piazza asked me to shoot 'cockroach hotel' in what he described as an aged aesthetic. He wanted not only to capture the look and feel of old film, but he intended to deliver the finished piece as a clip of found footage…"
"Last Train Ride" (2006)
Directed by Gokhan Okur
The Jigsaw Soul "Last Train Ride" video has won numerous international awards and is currently touring Eastern and Western Europe.
Awards:
Future Shorts - Video of the Year 2007: view it
Future Shorts 2007, London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, Coventry, Cornwall, Norway, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Kazakhstan, Japan, NYC
1st Place and F-Chair Award Terminal 00 International Balkanart Fest, Slovenia 2006
1st Place Best Music Award. Planet Ant Film & Video Festival, USA 2006
ONEDOTZERO 10, UK, 2006
5th If Istanbul Independent Film festival, Turkey, l 2006
Mestre Film Fest - ninth edition, Italy , 2006
Streaming Festival, Netherlands, 2006
25th International Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey, 2006
8th Annual New York Turkish Film Festival, USA, 2006
18th International Istanbul Short Film Festival,Turkey, 2006
Hisar Short Film Fesitval, Turkey , 2006
IV International Animated Film Festival ReAnimacja 2007, Poland
"Anchor" (2006)
Directed by Chris Piazza
Prop Master: Jayel Draco
Awards
Evil City Film Fest 2006
Sundays in the City 2008
NYC TV
Press Play TV appearance and Video for Anchor
Stella Artois video award 2007
WHAT PEOPLE SAY:
"Good mix in vocals, and in music, works very well in the theme we have
here at 'On The Horizon'. Always great to air quality tunes."
John Anderson - Host
--
"These guys get points for creativity."
-Charlie Walk- President Epic Records, NY, NY
A few Of the comments from our friends on Myspace:...
''wow, i really dig your music. i love that your lyrics are kinda minimal while meaning so much. personally, i can't say anything of value in less than three paragraphs of all run-on sentences! i especially love this: "Back on the treadmill in a world of which I have grown ill, corrupted air, fluorescent lights: so bright." great imagery and symbolism. i often feel the same way. i'm so glad i found you! thanks for doing what you do. keep the poetry in music flowing!''
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''JigSawSoul is awesome... you totally rock!!!''
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''You guys rocked it last night!!!
once again a pleasure to share the stage with the mighty Jigsaw Soul!!!''
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"'I love this band.''
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''happy to dig ur yummy sound and lyrics''
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''ill remember Anchor when im in union sq.''
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''Dudes... you guys rocked last night... and the ladies dancing rocked as well... there was alot of rockin goin on... cool!!!''
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''Hello. I just wanted to say that you are all very sexy and spiritual to boot... where can I get an album?''
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"Hi there.
'Ive keep watchin Anchor video like 10 times.and I will more hahaha. What an amazing work!! I love it.very sweet>>>>>>>>>>>
I hope the video gets some awards like Last Train video. Also, I listened to the new tunes too*** I like how you compose the songs. Every song is original and
never makes me bored.I enjoyed your music and film but I havent seen the dancers! i hope ill see them soon''
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''top band...top band.''
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"Your song the last train ride is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It is so unique and unusual I really like it. Thank you and keep up the great work."
-Nikka
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"You are the first band on myspace where I actually listened to every song."
-Graham
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"Last Train Ride is a masterpiece."
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"It is poetic and touches me in a way only the greatest of art forms do."
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"If I could put your music to a film, it would be The Fountain... For it is the most intricate of contradicting emotions... You can't quite decide if you must cry in it's compassionate nature and yearning for something beyond this realm of existance or if you are engulfed in the ornament of being enamored.
That is how everything created should make one feel... and exactly what few things ever will."
--
"Last Train Ride will never lose it's depth or intensity"
"Aural Cinematography is Dancing In Your Head."
Jigsaw Soul is a uniquely soulful multimedia indie band that incorporates live, original, synchronized video and 4 creative modern dancers.
-Cockroach Hotel is playing on Fuse on Demand until Oct 9th -Help us get our music catalog into the right hands.
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