by Ben Smith
Stringer began in 2015 out of the ashes of the effective Shea Stadium house band, Heeney. The indie punk four piece features Max Kagan, Mark Fletcher and John Spencer all formerly of Heeney; Stringer also brings in J Boxer, the guitar virtuoso of Fiasco, Bluffing, and The Gradients fame. J Boxer also runs an independent label based in Brooklyn, Underdog Pop, which will be posthumously releasing Heeney’s only LP, Colorado, expected early 2016. Underdog Pop has also in the past put out releases for local Brooklyn DIY favorites such as Old Table, Palberta and Big Neck Police.
The debut Stringer 6-track 7” EP titled Dead Ass brings in a sonic blend of post-hardcore and indie-punk. Mark Fletcher, Max Kagan and J Boxer all share equal songwriting duties, trading off lead vocals in a style that takes a hint from the early days of the Beastie Boys. The 15-minute run time of Dead Ass is greatly used to exemplify the diverse range of songwriting influences that have inspired Stringer, with each track providing its own variant of modern punk rock, giving the debut EP immense replay value.
Stringer’s sound brings together all of the previous experience garnered by each member of the four piece through previous projects that Kagan and Fletcher and J Boxer have all been a part of, ranging from Le Rug to Fiasco along with the precise drumming of John Spencer. Dead Ass is a cohesive and powerful statement of what Stringer is and where Stringer has come from, blending upbeat post-punk sounds with math-rock inspired guitars along with a signature trading off vocal style that harkens back to a classic DIY indie-punk sound. Dead Ass will be out December 11th on Underdog Pop, with a limited physical release of 100 tapes.
Upcoming Shows:
December 11th - Brooklyn, NY @ Aviv (EP Release Show) w/ Bueno, Slonk Donkerson, Large Lady, Wicked Kind, and Spit