Our friend Ryan Murtha shot this video for “The Friction” with 3 cameras at AS220's Black Box Theatre in Providence. It was an early morning shoot and we ran the song about 6 or 7 times. The video is a just one take beginning to end. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and we'll make more videos!
Thanks to Providence Monthly and Adam Hogue for this great piece:
“It is this movement towards the honest, vulnerable, and connected that 123 Astronaut continues to find refreshing in the seemingly un-freshness of the bass-drums-guitar setup. Like a good game of chess, the basic rock and roll setup offers endless variation, even when it may seem that it’s all been done before.“
Read the rest of the article here.
Thanks to Jake Bissaro at Motif Magazine for this glowing review of our new record:
The Friction is the auspicious debut EP by 123 Astronaut. Some may know frontman Jeff Robbins from the well-regarded Boston band Orbit, active from the mid ‘90s to the early ‘00s. This stuff hits like a breath of fresh air, a kind of beefy power pop that’s like a mix of Matthew Sweet and the Smashing Pumpkins.
According to the band’s website, these tunes were written in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election as an attempt to make sense of it all in a positive way. I was skeptical. I’m generally not a fan of vaguely political, uplifting lyrics like “We are surrounded by the stars,” or “I am invincible.” But musical conditions on this planet are so good that even a crusty cynic like myself has to give mad props.
The Friction capably makes the case there really need be no more than 3 chords, and is boosted by great musical performances all round around, featuring Keith John Benjamin on bass and Eric Hastings on drums. The title track is a fuzzy, up-tempo rocker, and “Cheyenne” goes balls-to-the-wall. The horn section kicking in on an epic bridge on “Stars” is something I could listen to endlessly, and the more subdued “Weightless” is captivating in its own way.
This EP is highly recommended, and is hopefully just the first from these guys. Seriously, some of these tunes are so catchy, you may find yourself neglecting work duties to get a few extra listens in.
Rock Show
Friday May 11th 2018 we'll be playing the historic Columbus Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island.
We'll be playing with Silverteeth, Eric and the Nothing, and Extraordinary Rendition Band. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. This should be a fun show with some really great bands. Get your tickets now.
Thanks to the amazing Jesse Snyder for the cool poster design.
Our new EP is out, and you can buy it right now on Bandcamp. You get streaming access through Bandcamp.com and download versions in high-quality MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, AIFF, and lossless FLAC or Apple Lossless. We've got it discounted for the first couple of weeks, so head over ASAP and grab a copy.
This song is "Invincible." Mike Silvia and Jesse Snyder came to us with this great concept. Thanks guys!
Today is my birthday! Let's celebrate with another 123 Astronaut song. This one is called "Stars." You can find the song on SoundCloud, but I've been making minimalist videos to go along with the new songs. Here's one that I put together with time lapse photos from the International Space Station. Thanks NASA! We think you're great!
This song features horns from our friends Jim Whaley, Patrick Pine, Bodie Pfost, and Matt West of Extraordinary Rendition Band.
We posted a rehearsal video (in 360°) of this song a few weeks ago. But here's the studio recording of Cheyenne. Enjoy!
Sharing SoundCloud clips on social media isn't really cutting it. You've got to click and link and click again, ending up in 2 or 3 websites or apps. But we can put videos everywhere - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course, YouTube. And… if my memory of the 80's is correct, you can put music into videos! So here's a little something that I put together in my backyard during winter storm Grayson, here in Rhode Island. Find it in our Twitter and/or Facebook and share it with your people. -Jeff
Happy New Year! How about some new music to start off the new year? Here's the first 123 Astronaut recording that we're sharing with the world. Hope you like it!
Scroll around this spherical video. It's like being there! If you're on a mobile device, you may need to open up YouTube to see it correctly.
Well... if you're reading this, you probably know this already. We've got a new website. And this is the first post.
What you might not know is that we've got new music coming along. We're going to be releasing the new songs one by one, so sign up for the newsletter and we'll let you know as they're released.
While you're at it, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or YouTube.
We're also hoping to book some shows and have more news for you over the coming months... so stay tuned!
