This ain't yer father's rock 'n roll band and this ain't no Kansas, neither. Gone are the days of tawdry templates and tired refrains- if you're looking for a band that plays within the box, COTE isn't it. Not that this power trio lacks the conviction of traditional paradigm nor the bare-bones vitality of primal scream. COTE delivers sonic goodness to the tune of critical mass, pushing the envelope filter of genre through a progression of rock-based dynamics that baste the ozone with flavors of Afro-Latin grooves, bass-thick funk, middle-eastern bitters, and a whole lotta backwoods cajun love sauce. The truth is, Citizen of the Empire is the synergetic amalgam of styles and sense: three empassioned musicians at odds with convention yet struggling towards center, striving to write songs that are at once voluptuously asymmetrical, as nitty as they are gritty, and lyrically and melodically contagious with jutspah, simpatico, and- hell- even cojones (six, to be exact). GOT EMPIRE?
Press Info
Booking: russell@citizenoftheempire.com 310.559.9088
OR greg@citizenoftheempire.com 310.592.7884
Similar Artists
Gosh- to say we sound "similar" to other specific artists would be presumptious at best. Better yet, why don't you have a listen and draw your own conclusions?
Influences
From the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepellin and the Doors to Tool, Incubus, System of a Down, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age. Also, generous helpings of Folk, Jazz, Blues, & World Music.
Bio
Citizen of the Empire was born in the aftermath of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, when Lorenzo Perea and Greg Gerber moved their instruments (bass and drums, respectively) into Russell Mamorsky’s Glendale, CA, garage and started flushing out songs that each of them had written. Given the gravity of the times and the mounting energy and collective vision of an advancing global peace movement, the direction of the band was partially guided by a need and a will to add their voices to the maelstrom of dissent against the world’s unruly superpower and it’s doctrine of unilateral tyranny in the “New American Century”. While partial inspiration for the band might well have been handed down by the founding fathers themselves, the band name was a gift they came across while watching the movie “Ghandi”. As the significance of the name ’Citizen of the Empire’ began to take hold, COTE went about refining their live show in local LA clubs like The Joint, The Gig, The Garage, Coconut Teaser, etc., and were a featured act in the November ‘03 Songsalive! showcase at Kulak’s Woodshed. Late in 2003, they self-produced a 5 song EP/demo entitled “Need-Fire”, which they are currently promoting, along with an educational campaign launched early in the election year '04 with the moniker “Got Empire?” (www.gotempire.us). Plans for an indie music video are currently in the works, as well.