Portland's New York Rifles are somewhat quietly making a name for themselves in the Northwest. It's not that they are a quiet band by any means, but they don't seem to push an image or work the larger club promoters and delve much into the biz side of things. Every time I've seen them it's been at Seattle punk bars like Funhouse and The Monkey Pub. The thing is, they aren't really a punk band, their the kind of band that I'm surprised The Stranger, KEXP and ThreeImaginaryGirls aren't all over... maybe they just aren't hipster enough (something I'd consider a good thing of course). But I digress, what you need to know is they fucking rock. They play attitude-free power pop with occasional '70s rock and synth punk influences. I even hear a little X in songs like "Tell Me." I know, they sound all over the place, but it totally works. Empty Records US, who put out their debut album "Faraway Faster", describes them as "The Stranglers of The Soft Boys, riding in The Cars, wearing X-Ray Spex, listening for The Undertones,and upsetting The Saints for touching The Buzzcocks, while high on X." Ha ha. All I know is when vocalists Scott and Kari are singing sweet harmonies together backed by catchy guitar hooks, this band shines.
Here's a sample of Wrong Tennis Shoes. You can hear more songs on The NY Rifle's MySpace page.
Band members: Scott Young on vocals and guitar, Kari Schafer on vocals, keyboards and guitar, Sean Moultrie on drums, and Brent Williams on bass.
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