Shrubs are an American rock ‘n roll band based in

Rock Tavern, New York New Windsor is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. History The region was originally inhabited by the Munsee people, part of the Lenape confederation. The first European settlers were colonists from Scotland who arrived in 1685. ...

History

Shrubs was formed in 1994. The band members are Bob Torsello (bass), Rob Takleszyn (drums), and Jay LoRubbio (guitar). They perform music, a mix of garage/psych/punk/folk/pop, that has been described as “garage pop fused with alien poetics.” They have released five full-length recordings and have toured extensively throughout the northeast. Their songs have been played on many college radio stations. Their first two releases, ''Pickled Children'' (1995) and ''Somebody’s Watching'' (1996) were issued by NOT Records on cassette tape only. A track from the former, Space Thrust, was featured on the first New Brunswick Underground compilation. In early October 1995, Shrubs performed at the Tinker Street Café in Woodstock, New York (The Dave Matthews Band also performed on the same day 8 hours earlier, thus technically the opening band). The show was broadcast live on

WDST WDST (100.1 MHz), branded as "Radio Woodstock 100.1", is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Woodstock, New York, and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. Radio Woodstock is known as a progressive station that was at the forefront of both the mo ...

. A live cassette, ''Deluge On Tinker Street'', documenting the event was issued later that year. Shrubs released their first CD-format recording, ''Zod, King of Spoons'', in 1997. It featured artist Erik Wrobel on space guitar. In 2001, the group completed their first UK tour which included shows at the

Hope and Anchor, Islington Hope and Anchor is a pub on Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington which first opened its doors in 1880. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock. With the decline of ...

in London and at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. A CD that documents those shows, ''“Bangers & Mash – Live in the UK”'' was released in May 2001. It was debuted at a Patti Smith concert in New Haven CT Their 2001 release, ''Misfits & Dreamers'', is considered a ‘deep underground classic.’ . It features a guest appearance by

Glenn Mercer Glenn Mercer is the vocalist and guitarist of the North Haledon, New Jersey-based rock band The Feelies. Together with Bill Million, Mercer has written and produced virtually all of the Feelies' recorded output. History The Feelies' debut albu ...

of The Feelies. Shrubs also cover The Feelies Find A Way. Jim Santo of Demo Universe described the CD this way:
“''Shrubs' first album of new material since 1996 could have been recorded in 1966 or 1976 and not clashed with the landscaping, so timeless is Shrubs' proto-garage-punk sound. Unvarnished, unpretentious and utterly unsuited to cross-media synergy, Misfits And Dreamers stands fat and hairy against the oppressive onslaught of hyper-marketed mannequins. Viva Shrubs''!” In June 2007, Shrubs were invited to perform at the memorial concert for folk legend John Herald at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock which also featured

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

, Amy Helm and Larry Campbell. Shrubs were invited by The Feelies to open their reunion shows in 2008 and 2009 at The Bowery Ballroom (NYC), Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn), and 9:30 Club (Washington DC). They have also appeared with Wake Ooloo, Pete Seeger and

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams The Slambovian Circus of Dreams is a Hudson Valley, New York based band which was founded in Sleepy Hollow in 1998. The band's music is a form of folk rock, americana and is sometimes described as "Hillbilly Pink Floyd," or "Punk Classical Hill ...

. The group appeared live on WFMU’s Three Chord Monte program in November 2008. A cover version of

Bevis Frond The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in Walthamstow, London, England. The band is fronted by Nick Saloman and has recorded many singles and albums on various independent labels. Information Saloman was originally in a band kn ...

’s Through The Hedge was recorded that day and appears on a 2010 tribute CD entitled "Are You Sitting Comfortably?". In 2009, Shrubs recorded a new CD ''Forgotten How To Fall'' at Glenn Mercer's studio. Mercer co-produced, recorded, mixed and sequenced the record. He also contributed guitar, percussion and keyboards. Erik Wrobel has once again contributed the cover art. On October 24, 2009, the band celebrated its release at the Tuscan Cafe in Warwick NY with special guests Glenn Mercer and Dave Weckerman of The Feelies. Joe Wawrzyniak, reviewing the CD for

Jersey Beat Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

, said this: "''Representing pop-rock at its most infectiously bubbly, catchy, and upbeat, this album makes a sweet and strong impression just like a bright sparkling beam of sunshine piercing through some storm clouds in an otherwise gloomy sky''." Writing for the Chrongram, Jeremy Schwartz says of Forgotten How To Fall: "''The 15 tracks cover a diversity of sound within the garage/psych-pop idiom. Part of the charm of the record is its unpretentious, everyman-rocking-out vibe, which, come to think of it, is one of the subtle pleasures of the original mid ’60s wave of amateurish garage punk''."

Side projects

Janet Hamill Janet Hamill (born July 29, 1945 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American poet and spoken word artist. Her poem "K-E-R-O-U-A-C" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her fifth collection, titled ''Body of Water'', was nominated for the Wil ...

and Moving Star - A spoken-word group featuring Torsello and LoRubbio. Greg Feller and Evan Teatum are also members. The group has performed and recorded with Patti Smith,

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper Ma ...

, and David Amram. *

- Torsello plays bass in Glenn’s solo band. *Mighty Girl – Torsello plays bass in this Orange County NY band. *Armedelite Rifles – Lorubbio plays bass and organ with this group. *Electric Heater Project - Takleszyn performs with the Electric Heater Project in and around central New Jersey.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Pickled Children'' (NOT Cassette 1995) *''Somebody’s Watching'' (NOT Cassette 1996) *''Zod, King of Spoons'' (NOT CD 1997) *''Misfits & Dreamers'' (NOT CD 2001) *''Forgotten How To Fall'' (NOT CD 2009)

Live albums

*''Deluge on Tinker Street'' (NOT Cassette 1995) *''Bangers and Mash'' (NOT CD 2001)

References

External links

Review of Washington DC show 2009
{{Authority control Rock music groups from New York (state) People from New Windsor, New York Musical groups established in 1994 1994 establishments in New York (state)