My favorite
Encyclopedia
My Favorite was an independent
indiepop band
formed in Long Island, New York in the early 1990s, who eventually migrated to the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. They released two full length CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives, three e.p.s, and a few limited edition vinyl only singles. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band.
My Favorite were frequently discussed in the indie music press of the time in the context of New Wave retro-ism, but are perhaps more accurately thought of in the tradition of romantic, lyric driven post-rock n' roll melancholia, strands of which originated with artists like The Velvet Underground and certain Glam rock artists before reaching their apex in the post-punk period. My Favorite's principal influences included The Smiths, David Bowie, New Order, and various singles from influential labels like Factory, Rough Trade, Cherry Red and Sarah Records. In negotiating these influences and impulses they were contemporaries of The Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian, two bands they performed alongside at New York performances. Michael Grace was also part of a blue beat and oi! centered skinhead subculture during his early twenties, and the influence of certain artists like The Special's and Lee Perry can be heard in certain early recordings.
Late in their career, My Favorite found their greatest acclaim in Sweden where they were the focus of a National Radio feature. They performed at three influential festivals and had many smaller, but enthusiastically received performances in cities like Gothenburg and Stockholm.
The songs of principal songwriter Michael Grace jr, found a small but passionate cult of fans, who both related to and discussed the words and themes of his songs. These themes include alienation, nostalgia, loss, and love, and are often explored using a series of pulp novel-esque teenage characters and tragedies. References to science fiction, horror, suburbia, and Catholic mysticism (Joan of Arc, St. Theresa) show up frequently as metaphoric settings for what might be described as a post 1980, Generation X "it's all been said/done/lost" emotional malaise.
One of the best examples of My Favorite inspired criticism can be found in influential music blog 'The War Against Silence"
http://www.furia.com/page.cgi?type=twas&id=twas0470&terms=my+favorite
In their career, they made two videos in addition to the two studio albums. They were featured in the Village Voice, New York Post, New York Daily News, The Alternative Press and a few interviews for indie programs such as New York Noise
. Their song Homeless Club Kids was featured on a CBS daytime soap. http://www.lostdetective.com/index-new.html
In 2007, the remaining five members of My Favorite joined forces with vocalists Lisa Ronson, the daughter of David Bowie
guitarist and Morrissey
producer Mick Ronson
, and Erin Dermody to form a new band called The Secret History
. Their first EP is due out in 2008.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
indiepop band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
formed in Long Island, New York in the early 1990s, who eventually migrated to the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. They released two full length CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives, three e.p.s, and a few limited edition vinyl only singles. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band.
My Favorite were frequently discussed in the indie music press of the time in the context of New Wave retro-ism, but are perhaps more accurately thought of in the tradition of romantic, lyric driven post-rock n' roll melancholia, strands of which originated with artists like The Velvet Underground and certain Glam rock artists before reaching their apex in the post-punk period. My Favorite's principal influences included The Smiths, David Bowie, New Order, and various singles from influential labels like Factory, Rough Trade, Cherry Red and Sarah Records. In negotiating these influences and impulses they were contemporaries of The Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian, two bands they performed alongside at New York performances. Michael Grace was also part of a blue beat and oi! centered skinhead subculture during his early twenties, and the influence of certain artists like The Special's and Lee Perry can be heard in certain early recordings.
Late in their career, My Favorite found their greatest acclaim in Sweden where they were the focus of a National Radio feature. They performed at three influential festivals and had many smaller, but enthusiastically received performances in cities like Gothenburg and Stockholm.
The songs of principal songwriter Michael Grace jr, found a small but passionate cult of fans, who both related to and discussed the words and themes of his songs. These themes include alienation, nostalgia, loss, and love, and are often explored using a series of pulp novel-esque teenage characters and tragedies. References to science fiction, horror, suburbia, and Catholic mysticism (Joan of Arc, St. Theresa) show up frequently as metaphoric settings for what might be described as a post 1980, Generation X "it's all been said/done/lost" emotional malaise.
One of the best examples of My Favorite inspired criticism can be found in influential music blog 'The War Against Silence"
http://www.furia.com/page.cgi?type=twas&id=twas0470&terms=my+favorite
In their career, they made two videos in addition to the two studio albums. They were featured in the Village Voice, New York Post, New York Daily News, The Alternative Press and a few interviews for indie programs such as New York Noise
New York Noise
New York Noise is a one-hour indie-rock music video television program which aired from 2003–2009 on NYCTV in New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. It was created, produced, and edited by Shirley Braha and funded by New York City under the Bloomberg administration...
. Their song Homeless Club Kids was featured on a CBS daytime soap. http://www.lostdetective.com/index-new.html
In 2007, the remaining five members of My Favorite joined forces with vocalists Lisa Ronson, the daughter of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
guitarist and Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
producer Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
, and Erin Dermody to form a new band called The Secret History
The Secret History (band)
The Secret History is a New York based indie pop/art rock group formed in 2007 by cult songwriter Michael Grace Jr and members from his previous group My Favorite, alongside vocalist Lisa Ronson Their first release was the "Desolation Town" e.p...
. Their first EP is due out in 2008.
Discography
- "Love at Absolute Zero CD/LPLove at Absolute Zero CD/LPLove at Absolute Zero was an album released by My Favorite on the Double Agent record label in 1999. It was My Favorite's first CD. The subject matter contains: the end of New Wave, the new millennium, and growing up in suburban Long Island, New York....
" (1999) - "Joan of Arc Awaiting Trial EP" (2000)
- "A Cult of One EP" (2001)
- "The Kids Are All Wrong EPThe Kids Are All Wrong EPThe Kids Are All Wrong was an EP released by My Favorite on the Double Agent record label in 2003.-Track listing:# "Burning Hearts" – 5:44# "The Radiation" – 3:57# "Rescue Us" – 4:17# "The Lesser Saints" – 3:21...
" (2003) - "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives: The Complete Joan of Arc Tapes 2CDThe Happiest Days Of Our Lives: The Complete Joan of Arc Tapes 2CDThe Happiest Days of Our Lives was a 2-CD Compilation released by My Favorite on the Double Agent record label in 2003. It compiled the group's then out of print "Joan Of Arc" material...
" (2003) - "The Happiest Days Of My Life 7" single" (2005)