BIOGRAPHY
The Attic Ends are a four piece, atmospheric indie-rock band from Bushwick, Brooklyn. Their music has been described as a spine-tingling mix of rock’s primal recklessness with the intricacy of complex indie-pop. The music evokes an expansive darkness, richly-layered with appealing melodies and power pop vocals. The band formed in 2010, and recorded a debut album shortly thereafter. After that, The Attic Ends felt the need to take time in order to develop their own unique sound. For three years, they wrote, rehearsed and performed the songs for their new double EP. Then at long last, on July 12th, 2013, they released “The Sky Begins (Part One)”, and followed that up with "Mark of The Moon (Part Two) on January 25th, 2014. The sky is the limit for this group of friends, who are committed to creating great music.
”Our music is one of personal reflection, empowerment and ultimately liberation. It documents the highs and lows that come with that type of introspection: at times dark and rumbling, at times euphoric.”
”Our music is one of personal reflection, empowerment and ultimately liberation. It documents the highs and lows that come with that type of introspection: at times dark and rumbling, at times euphoric.”
THE ATTIC ENDS are:
Jan Christiansen . Keyboards
Pete Hur . Guitars
Bob King . Drums
Samantha Rex . Vocals
Jan Christiansen . Keyboards
Pete Hur . Guitars
Bob King . Drums
Samantha Rex . Vocals
FULL Biography
Each member of the ethereal indie rock band The Attic Ends comes from a vastly different musical background. Drummer Bob King has played in everything from festival-friendly jam bands to hard rock groups. Guitarist Pete Hur’s influences span the continuum from Rachmaninoff to Radiohead. Keyboardist Jan Christiansen infuses classical piano melodies with an afro-Carribean sense of rhythm. And then there’s singer Samantha Rex, an early lover of Gospel music who reluctantly became a pop star in Germany. It’s an unconventional mix but what these Brooklyn-based artists have in common is a resolute commitment to making the melodic but rough-hewn stadium rock of The Attic Ends.
Rex was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Obsessed from an early age with soul music, she convinced her parents to let her go to church to sing in the gospel. “I didn’t even know what the preachers were talking about,” she remembers, “I just wanted to be around that energy.” As high school graduation approached, Rex became increasingly determined to pursue a career in music, and decided she’d need to move to New York. “I always heard that New York was the place where things happen,” she remembers. “I knew I had to get there.”
So, Rex packed up her teal Ford Tempo and drove cross-country. “As soon as I arrived in New York City, I knew I was home,” she remembers. In a matter of weeks, she was signed to New York Model Management, who quickly recognized her potential not only as a model, but also as a singer. Within a year, Rex was signed to Universal Records Germany. Her voice – a beguiling mix of riot grrrl roar and heartbroken forties lounge vixen - landed her the spot as lead singer with Heaven Sent. For the next three years she lived in Berlin and touring stadiums with the group, which landed a couple of singles in the German pop charts.
While Rex was touring Europe, Christiansen and Hur were in upstate New York, attending Cornell University, and playing in a collection of different bands from rock to reggae. “I had recently lived in Senegal, studying percussion and found the right fit in a reggae band called The Uplifters,” Christiansen remembers. “That band was how Pete and I met each other. Ever since that project ended we’d been fiending for the next opportunity to collaborate.”
That’s where New York City came in. Disillusioned with the soulless melodrama of prefab pop, Rex decided not to make a second record with Heaven Sent and moved back to New York to model and work on her own music. She was spending time in Venice, California collaborating with the likes of the Berman Brothers and Duncan Sheik when she was back in New York for a few days. It was here that she met Christiansen. The two stayed up all night talking about music and she convinced him to come hear her sing at an open mic night a few days later. Not that he needed to be talked into it. Christiansen remembers, “I was totally smitten and I hadn’t even heard her sing yet. As soon as she did it was one of those clouds part type moments.”
Christiansen had a vision and took quick action. Within a matter of days, a studio full of musicians was assembled including both King and Hur. “I thought it was a travesty she wasn't singing on a larger stage, and wanted to get some music behind her” he remembers. “Pete agreed and was all in right from the start.”
For six months The Attic Ends were writing haunting acoustic ballads as a trio. The signature elements were there: preternaturally appealing melodies juxtaposed with intricate arrangements, moody lyrics, and an overall sense of expansive darkness, but something was missing. The Attic Ends needed to rock. And Rex was convinced she knew just the guy. “I’d seen Bob in other bands and I knew he was going to be my drummer,” she remembers. “So I started stalking him.” As soon as King heard the tracks he was in. “Sam’s got a great voice, and I liked that they were dreamers but not just dreamers,” he recalls. “A couple of pro-active ivy league guys and a professional singer, and this is all they want to do.”
They released Home, their debut album in December of 2010 and released the first part of a 2-part album in 2013 starting with “The Sky Begins: Part 1” in July 2013. "Mark of the Moon: Part 2" was released in January of 2014. The Attic Ends have finally arrived at their signature sound: A spine-tingling mix of rock’s primal recklessness and the intricacy of brainy indie-pop, richly layered with appealing melodies and power pop vocals. The Attic Ends are gearing up for summer performances in NYC and the north east, continuing throughout the US and internationally to promote their latest creation.
Rex was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Obsessed from an early age with soul music, she convinced her parents to let her go to church to sing in the gospel. “I didn’t even know what the preachers were talking about,” she remembers, “I just wanted to be around that energy.” As high school graduation approached, Rex became increasingly determined to pursue a career in music, and decided she’d need to move to New York. “I always heard that New York was the place where things happen,” she remembers. “I knew I had to get there.”
So, Rex packed up her teal Ford Tempo and drove cross-country. “As soon as I arrived in New York City, I knew I was home,” she remembers. In a matter of weeks, she was signed to New York Model Management, who quickly recognized her potential not only as a model, but also as a singer. Within a year, Rex was signed to Universal Records Germany. Her voice – a beguiling mix of riot grrrl roar and heartbroken forties lounge vixen - landed her the spot as lead singer with Heaven Sent. For the next three years she lived in Berlin and touring stadiums with the group, which landed a couple of singles in the German pop charts.
While Rex was touring Europe, Christiansen and Hur were in upstate New York, attending Cornell University, and playing in a collection of different bands from rock to reggae. “I had recently lived in Senegal, studying percussion and found the right fit in a reggae band called The Uplifters,” Christiansen remembers. “That band was how Pete and I met each other. Ever since that project ended we’d been fiending for the next opportunity to collaborate.”
That’s where New York City came in. Disillusioned with the soulless melodrama of prefab pop, Rex decided not to make a second record with Heaven Sent and moved back to New York to model and work on her own music. She was spending time in Venice, California collaborating with the likes of the Berman Brothers and Duncan Sheik when she was back in New York for a few days. It was here that she met Christiansen. The two stayed up all night talking about music and she convinced him to come hear her sing at an open mic night a few days later. Not that he needed to be talked into it. Christiansen remembers, “I was totally smitten and I hadn’t even heard her sing yet. As soon as she did it was one of those clouds part type moments.”
Christiansen had a vision and took quick action. Within a matter of days, a studio full of musicians was assembled including both King and Hur. “I thought it was a travesty she wasn't singing on a larger stage, and wanted to get some music behind her” he remembers. “Pete agreed and was all in right from the start.”
For six months The Attic Ends were writing haunting acoustic ballads as a trio. The signature elements were there: preternaturally appealing melodies juxtaposed with intricate arrangements, moody lyrics, and an overall sense of expansive darkness, but something was missing. The Attic Ends needed to rock. And Rex was convinced she knew just the guy. “I’d seen Bob in other bands and I knew he was going to be my drummer,” she remembers. “So I started stalking him.” As soon as King heard the tracks he was in. “Sam’s got a great voice, and I liked that they were dreamers but not just dreamers,” he recalls. “A couple of pro-active ivy league guys and a professional singer, and this is all they want to do.”
They released Home, their debut album in December of 2010 and released the first part of a 2-part album in 2013 starting with “The Sky Begins: Part 1” in July 2013. "Mark of the Moon: Part 2" was released in January of 2014. The Attic Ends have finally arrived at their signature sound: A spine-tingling mix of rock’s primal recklessness and the intricacy of brainy indie-pop, richly layered with appealing melodies and power pop vocals. The Attic Ends are gearing up for summer performances in NYC and the north east, continuing throughout the US and internationally to promote their latest creation.
