The French Kicks, goofing off in front of microphones,
will be performing at Spaceland this Friday.
By Andrew Lee
Daily Bruin Contributor
For any sunburned West Coaster whose idea of the subway system
involves Clay Henry and a steady diet of Veggie Delite, New York is
not only a cultural haven, but also a mythical, almost mystical
place, foreign in spite of its far-reaching familiarity.
When it comes to music, present-day New York is a city different
from that which spawned the ’70s punk scene. But the rich
artistic history of the city has been absorbed by bands like the
French Kicks, the Realistics and The Strokes, that constitute the
city’s revitalized music scene.
The French Kicks’ Web site labels the band as torchbearers
of the “New New York” sound, but guitarist Matt
Stinchcomb is more than willing to waive that honor.
“We didn’t write that,” he said with a
chuckle. “And we really don’t know what it
means.”
In fact, the Kicks would simply prefer not to be pegged into one
specific scene at all ““ while they do have a sound
reverential to the days of NYC yore, closer listening reveals
chunky guitar rhythms reminiscent of Washington, D.C., post-punk
and Gang of Four-ish Brit swagger. Songs like “White”
from their self-titled EP roll along with a lo-fi brand of apathy
that hints at early Pavement.
Their influences reflect their multi-regional past ““ three
of the members grew up together in D.C. before moving to Oberlin,
Ohio, for college. It wasn’t until after school that they
moved to Brooklyn and met guitarist Josh Wise, marking the
beginnings of the band.
“We’re a New York band because that’s where we
started out,” drummer Nick Stumpf said. “But I think
that someone who actually lives in New York would be less likely to
say that there even is a “˜New York’ sound.”
 The Realistics have an unconscious connection to New
York, but they don’t feel it actively shapes their music.
That’s probably because the scene itself is an amalgam of
different influences, a sonic melting pot of sorts.
The inability to label the New York music scene has led to its
continued association solely with ’70s punk rock and its many
adherents, ranging from the Ramones and Television to Velvet
Underground.
“I can’t say that New York City really influenced
our music,” said Mike Dossantos, bassist of Staten
Island’s Realistics. “But there’s this
subconscious element there that makes you adapt to your
environment. It’s definitely affected the way we dress, and
just the way in which we present ourselves.”
All members of the Realistics grew up in New York, and while
they pay obvious tribute to their urban predecessors, they also
incorporate dub and reggae with their jerky, funky, groove-based
rhythm section.
“What’s interesting about New York right now is that
I don’t think there is any sort of conscious movement,”
Stinchcomb said. “I think there’s just started to be
more of an interest in straight ahead rock bands that don’t
try to make a certain type of music just because no one else is
doing it.”
Which brings to mind The Strokes, yet another
“savior” to that not-dead-yet rock scene. The
Strokes’ music nailed a vision of New York for those who
don’t live there, and nailed a nostalgic vision of the past
for those who do. Julian Casablancas, with his leather jacket and
carefree lyrics about getting drunk, running amok, and just having
a grand old time, doesn’t sound like, but is, the essence of
hipster life in the Big City.
If only it were really so simple. One of the biggest obstacles
to New York’s current independent scene is the fact that
rising rent costs generate a hostile atmosphere for aspiring
musicians looking to hone their skills.
 Photos from www.bighassle.com The bands the French Kicks
and the Realistics are two bands in the neo-New York scene that are
making a comeback.
Unlike The Strokes, whose wealthy backgrounds eliminated this
problem, a band like the French Kicks has had to take the standard
rock and roll route. Unable to handle the costs of living in the
city, the band members cooped up in a farm in Virginia to finish
recording their debut self-titled EP. After that, it was back to
New York to play gigs at venues like CBGB’s.
Now, four years after life in New York, the Kicks decided to
finally leave its familiar environment.
“(The cost of living) is eventually what drove us out of
there,” Stumpf said. “Being in a band in New York is a
nightmare because everything costs so much money; the amount of
money you have to spend just to survive makes it impossible to
spend the amount of time you want for writing and rehearsing. We
may end up back there later, but in terms of being in a (young)
band in New York, it’s almost impossible to do.”
The French Kicks still associate themselves with the city,
though ““ a home show for them is still a New York show. That
kinship with the city is probably the most gratifying bond of all,
especially considering the amount of turmoil facing it in the past
months.
“We just weren’t able to do anything for a long
time,” Stinchcomb said of the band’s attitude
post-Sept. 11. “It was just a very surreal experience. There
were no shows in New York for a while. It’s so ingrained now
in the back of our heads, that everyone is really on edge but
trying to carry on at the same time.”
Both the French Kicks and the Realistics were scheduled to play
at the postponed CMJ festival on Sept. 13. But for a few weeks
after the attacks, neither of the bands had much interest in
playing.
“We couldn’t think about music or shows,”
Dossantos said. “There were just too many other things to be
concerned about.”
The verve of the city, however, could not remain quelled for
long. It’s New York, and staying inside was hip like maybe
seven years ago.
“A lot of people started going out instead of staying home
and holding it in,” Stinchcomb said. “People were
basically like, “˜We’re not going to let this stop
us.’ In a way they just wanted to go out and try to have fun
again.”
MUSIC: The French Kicks play at Spaceland in
Silver Lake Feb. 8 and Chain Reaction in Anaheim Feb. 10.