PRESS QUOTES
“rocking post-classical quintet which takes inspiration from minimalist chamber music, instrumental rock, modal jazz, and more”
-New York Magazine
“…malleable music which doesn’t distinguish between classical and rock.”
“…[McBane] is a natural composer, a fresh voice…”
-Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“Build has been attracting serious attention with its genre-traversing mix of chamber-music decorum, rootsy twang and pop-fueled drive”
-Time Out New York
“…seeming to occupy sort of a gray area between instrumental post-rock and classical chamber music…”
-John Schaeffer, New Sounds, WNYC
“…a stone’s throw from chamber music…”
-New York Times
“skittery, unpredictable and utterly charming musical inventions.”
-Bloomberg News
“Cleave is, to be blunt, f*$&ing incredible. The simplest materials (piano ostinato, tight and irregular glissandi in the strings, militaristic drums) grow and build and expand inexorably to Cleave’s high point. The music is haunting, sorrowful, mesmerizing, and hits me in an intensely personal space. When it starts, I can do nothing but listen.”
-Sequenza 21 (reviewing Place)
BIO
Build is:
Matt McBane: violin/compositions
Andrea Lee: cello
Mike Cassedy: piano/keyboard
Ben Campbell: bass
Adam Gold: drums/percussion
Build is a Brooklyn-based instrumental band consisting of Matt McBane, violin/compositions; Andrea Lee, cello; Michael Cassedy, piano; Ben Campbell, bass; and Adam D. Gold, drums. Both in its make-up and music, Build is fundamentally a hybrid group. Since forming in December 2006, it has developed a body of work and a performance style that draw on (to name few) minimalist chamber music, instrumental rock, modal jazz, American fiddle music, experimentalism, and film music, reflecting McBane’s interests as a composer and the backgrounds of the band members. Time Out New York described Build as a “quintet that straddles the increasingly permeable line between chamber music and instrumental rock.”
Build released Place, its second album, in 2011 on New Amsterdam Records with distribution by Naxos. Place consists of 9 new tracks that build upon the language of the self-titled first Build album. It is an expansive hour-long album whose tracks work both individually and collectively to create a cohesive dramatic arc across the entire album.Place uses a more sophisticated production that heightens the sound of the live band, brings out the core feeling of the individual tracks and creates at times a more tactile, more orchestral or more aggressive sound through the layering of tracks, processing of sounds, placement of mics, etc. The increased studio time that allowed production approach was funded in part by fans through a Kickstarter fundraising campaign.
Build released its self-titled debut album on New Amsterdam Records in the summer of 2008 and in 2009 it was re-released with distribution from Naxos. It has received critical acclaim from both esteemed classical music critics and indie bloggers alike includingBloomberg News’ Alan Rich who praised its “skittery, unpredictable and utterly charming musical inventions”, Seattle Sound Magazine which stated “…the surreal wonderland Build leads you through is endlessly fascinating and often gorgeous”, and Sequenza21which praised the performances on the disc: “If you listen, you hear that the rhythmic profile of the piece is treacherous. The performers make it sound easy, effortless, and improvisational.” Recorded with a DIY ethic and miniscule budget, tracks from Buildnonetheless went on to be played extensively on several of NPR’s major programs including All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition.
Build has performed at clubs, art spaces and concert halls throughout New York and across the country. Recent and upcoming performances include the Chelsea Art Museum (NYC), Joe’s Pub (NYC), UCSD’s ArtPower! (San Diego), the Carlsbad Music Festival (San Diego), Zipper Hall (LA), Montalvo Arts Center (California), the San Diego Museum of Art, and the 2009 Bang on a Can Marathon from which their performance was selected as a highlight for WNYC’s New Sounds by John Schaeffer.
Posters and logo by William J Arnold
