Speedsquare
Be Cool

    Asheville duo Speedsquare are gradually carving their niche onto the NC music scene. You don’t see very many drum/keyboard two-pieces floating around out there, but through steady touring and a few appearances on WNCW 88.7’s Studio B program, Speedsquare is gaining quite the following in North Carolina.
    Between Billy Sheeran (keys, vocals) and C. Scott (drums, guitars, horns, vocals), there is a lot more sound coming out of these guys than you might expect. Their influences seem to be all over the musical maps in both genre and time, but the calvacade of sound they create is diverse enough to be entirely their own.
    As a key-driven group with vocal harmonies, one would be remiss not to throw out Phish as a definite influence on these guys, but there’s a ridiculously large amount of other stuff in there: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Buena Vista Social Club, early Styx and Kansas, Umphrey’s McGee, Soul Coughing, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and God-knows-what-else.
    From the opening track "Broken Legs," a wall of horns and keys that will have you tapping your toes all the way to the head shop/local symphony/1960’s outdoor South American farmers market, whichever the case may be.
    Tracks like "Be Cool" and "Let it Burn" help you come to grips with the fact that, yes, you’re going to have three to five impossibly catchy piano riffs stuck in your head for the next several days. There’s no doubt that these two guys have a wealth of talent at their disposal and, here on Be Cool, there’s no doubt that they use it.
Four and a half stars.
Review by Matt Davis
-the Village Idiot

Pick up the December 2007 issue of The Laurel of Asheville (page 86/87) to read the full spread with images or check www.the laurelofasheville.com 

that's right speedsquare to take the streets of the US.  we will be leaving asheville NC on june 17th embarking on a US tour comprised of mostly street performances with some club gigs and more still pending, and really any other kind of an event house party, carnival, circus.. you get the picture.  we wheel out our acoustic piano, drumkit, and horn and go to work.  if you are interested in having us play at your club, house, street, etc. let us know cause we are willing...... probably ( we will also have our electric rig with us). here is a brief list of towns we will most likely be stopping in.  this is loose and will probably change some.

June 20-21 Atlanta, GA 
June 21-22 New Orleans, LA 
June 22-23 Austin, TX 
June 24-25 Phoenix, AZ 
June 26-30 SanDiego/LA/San Fran, CA 
July 1-4 Portland/Seattle 
July 5-6 Salt Lake City, UT 
July 8-10 Denver/Boulder, CO 
July 13-20 Chicago, IL

July 20-22 Pittsburgh, PA 
July 23-25 Washington, DC 
July 25-27 Philadelphia, PA 
July 27-31 New York City 
Aug 5-7  Charlottesville/Richmond, VA 
 

we will also be updating our road blog as well as posting mpegs of our most recent adventure. thanks for coming by

sincerely

speedsquare

 

 

FYI -- Speedsquare play in The Pheromones - (band for The Rebelles) - tickets are selling quick.  Spread the word.

The Rebelles Burlesque
Aug 4, 5, 11, 12 2006 at 9:00 PM
Asheville Community Theater
35 East Walnut Street Asheville, NC 28801

Click Here To View Event

Earful ~ Notes on local music ~ by Hunter Pope

Link to Review

Show review: Speedsquare at the New French Bar, Friday, May 12, 2006: Five out of Five Stars

Genre(s): Experimental, jazz, ragtime, and whatever genre they feel like.

Be glad you stayed home if: You don't like music.

Defining moment: "Blue Rhondo a la Turk" - The difficult Dave Brubeck staple ended the evening on a jaw-dropping note. Speedsquare demonstrated that, although they are always up for a good time, they can also get instrumentally serious.

For a year, I've tried to witness C Scott (drums, guitar, trumpet, melodica, etc.) and Billy Sheeran (piano, vocals, guitar), the duo behind the mighty Speedsquare. Bad decisions, bad scheduling and bad luck have prevented me from seeing perhaps the most imaginative and talented band working in Asheville.

The wait was worth it. I had Andes-sized expectations going into the show, and the duo easily glided over that peak and onto another apex. C Scott (whose past stints include trumpet for Scrappy Hamilton and DR. Ensemble) could opt for the one-man show gig at any carnie outing. Still behind the kit, C Scott would provide a bass-drum beat while playing the trumpet or any other instrument of his choice. Sheeran, the mad scientist behind the keys, played with the fervor of a man who might be playing the very last note on the planet Earth. No genre went unconquered that evening, which included a rousing rendition of "Jolene" with a guest Dolly Parton impersonator. The best thing about Speedsquare is their accessibility, as emotion-starved shoegazers could be bumped by emotion-laden hippie twirlers, all keenly observed by slow-sipping jazz-bos.

Hosted By: Terpsicorps
When: Thursday May 18, 2006
at 6:30 PM
Where: The Historic Art Deco S&W Building
6 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
US
Description:
Terpsicorps

Click Here To View Event

it's getting warm again!

or maybe i'm just sitting in my own piss.