Tiny Masters of Today are an American indie punk rock band, consisting of siblings Ivan (born February 21, 1994) and Ada Wolin (born March 4, 1996) and their friend Jackson Pollis. All members are from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

History

The Early Years

The adolescent punk group came to international attention after putting some of their homemade recordings on a Myspace page in the spring of 2005. Before they had even performed their first live show, they were featured in ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'', who called their "brief, bratty" songs "remarkable". Shortly thereafter, British independent label

Tigertrap Records Tigertrap Records is a London-based record label, which was set up in late 2005 in music, 2005 by Drowned In Sound writers Tom Edwards and Adie Nunn. The label released a series of singles through 2006, concentrating on unbroken talent. During ...

, compiled three songs from the home recordings as the EP '' Big Noise''. The entire pressing sold out almost immediately and influential UK music tastemakers Artrocker Magazine featured them on the cover proclaiming them "the future of rock and roll." Influential rocker

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

praised the band in several media outlets, declaring their first single "Genius." A second home-recorded EP '' K.I.D.S.'' was released in December 2006 and also sold out immediately. The earliest incarnation featured Ivan and Ada accompanied by a laptop computer. Russell Simins, drummer for the Blues Explosion, contacted the band after hearing their demos and began an improbably lengthy stint as their live drummer. The trio played nearly 60 shows together, including tours of the UK and Europe. Simins also co-produced (with Phil Hernandez and Chris Maxwell aka The Elegant Too) the band's first full-length album, Bang Bang Boom Cake (2007).

Bang Bang Boom Cake

The critical response to their first singles led to significant label interest in the band although the band remained unsigned during the recording of Bang Bang Boom Cake. Upon completion the album was licensed to Great Society/ World's Fair for North America and Mute Records for the rest of the World. The album featured 13 songs and included writing collaborations with

Kimya Dawson Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American folk singer-songwriter, one half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Dawson's work with the Moldy Peaches earned them a cult following and critical acclaim, with their 2001 song "Anyone El ...

and

Karen O Karen Lee Orzolek (born November 22, 1978) is a South Korean-born American singer, musician, and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist for the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Early life She was born in Seoul, South Korea, the daughter of a Ko ...

from the

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

. Guest performers included

and

Nick Zinner Nicholas Joseph Zinner (born December 8, 1974) is an American guitarist for the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a record producer. Zinner is an accomplished photographer. Musical career Before forming the Yeah Yeahs Yeahs with Karen O and ...

(

Moldy Peaches The Moldy Peaches were an American indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004. The appearance of their song " Anyone Else but You" in the film '' Juno'' ...

), Russell Simins ( Blues Explosion),

Gibby Haynes Gibson Jerome Haynes (born September 30, 1957) is an American musician, radio personality, painter, author and the lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers. Early life and career Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Gibby Haynes is the son of actor ...

( Butthole Surfers), Fred Schneider (

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

) and turntablist DJ Atsushi Numata. In a video interview by VidoCity, Ivan mentioned that Blues Explosion drummer Russell Simins showed interest in working with the band on their debut album. In a mix-up, a photo of Def Jam pioneer Russell Simmons splashed onto the screen instead. The band appeared with Simins on the Public Radio International program '' Fair Game'' in December 2006, performing the songs "Stickin' It to the Man" and "Tooty Frooty"."Fair Game 006 - 12.07.2006"
publicbroadcasting.net, December 7, 2006 (via

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

) Simins went on to tour with the band in 2007 but was replaced by Jackson Pollis in 2008. On March 31, 2009, Tiny Masters announced the April release of their single "Skeletons" in the UK and US, supported by a ten-concert ten-day tour of Europe and England and an already widely seen video. A new album was announced for June.

Sound

Their songs usually feature a simple structure and repetitive lyrics and are frequently less than two minutes long. Some of the songs consist solely of a single chord. They also make ample use of technology, incorporating loops and samples and programmed drums into many of their songs. Much of their recording is done using a home computer with GarageBand. Many critics have compared them to punk forefathers

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

and

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

. Their music has also been described as simple, repetitive, shallow and unengaging.

Discography

Albums

*'' Bang Bang Boom Cake'' (2007) * Skeletons (2009)

EPs

*''Big Noise'' (2006) *''K.I.D.S.'' (2006) *''Real Good'' (2009)

Compilation albums

* ArtRocker compilation (2006)

Singles

*"Radio Riot" (2007) *"Hey Mr. DJ" (2007) *" Hologram World" (2008) *"Pop Chart" (2009)

Remixes

Remixes of: *"Hey Mr. DJ ( CSS Remix)" (2007) *"Hey Mr. DJ" ( Liars Remix) (2007) Remixes by: * Liars "Clear Island (Tiny Masters of Today Remix)" (2007) "New Liars - "Clear Island (Tiny Masters of Today Remix)""
Stereogum, November 2, 2007

Music videos

Notes

External links

Tiny Masters of Today
at MySpace

List of Articles at pop-catastrophe.co.uk *

Jessica Pressler Jessica Pressler (born 1977/78) is an American journalist and contributing editor at '' New York'' magazine. Her 2015 article "The Hustlers at Scores", was nominated for a National Magazine Award, and was later made into a feature film called ...

"Mama Was a Riot Grrrl? Then Pick Up a Guitar and Play"

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, November 19, 2006 * Tiffany Tondut
"Interview: Tiny Masters of Today"
Supersweet
"Profiles: Tiny Masters of Today"
Chief Magazine (via

)

Index of live videos via PunkCast.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiny Masters Of Today American child singers Child indie musicians Family musical groups Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Living people Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups from Brooklyn American musical trios Mute Records artists Punk rock groups from New York (state) Sibling duos Rock music duos Year of birth missing (living people)