Short Bio

Impossible Hair is a rock and roll band from Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Their songs are short, hooky, and a little odd. Their influences include XTC, Devo, and Guided By Voices. Members are Joe Ryan, Jim Glass (Buttsteak, Lee Harvey Keitel), Sammy Ponzar (Andalusians), and Roman Kuebler (Oranges Band, Spoon). The debut album, “What is the Secret of Impossible Hair” will be available April 1, 2009.


Long Bio

Is Impossible Hair a bunch of high-jumping chimpanzees? Shower-dwelling vampires? No, but they are primates, and they frequently jump around on stage like men possessed. In an age when it’s uncool to act stupid, this unabashed absurdity is not only credible; it’s necessary.

Impossible Hair is a rock and roll band from Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Their songs are short, hooky, and a little odd. Their influences include XTC, Devo, and Guided By Voices. Members are Joe Ryan, Jim Glass, Sammy Ponzar, and Roman Kuebler.

Guitarist Jim Glass played in the legendary Baltimore band Buttsteak whose music has been described as kind of a punked-up Devo/B-52’s. They were famous for their stage presentation, which was frequently elaborate and often bordered on the bizarre. Buttsteak garnered international attention, recording a session with John Peel in London. The band later morphed into The Lee Harvey Keitel Band, which was voted best band in Baltimore by Baltimore’s City Paper and Baltimore maazine. Jim specializes in providing the cinematic bits.

Bassist Roman Kuebler is the front man in one of Baltimore’s most recognizable bands, The Oranges Band. The Oranges Band put out three records on Berkeley California’s LookOut! Records (Green Day, Rancid, Ted Leo) and toured all over the place with the likes of the Hold Steady and Guided By Voices. Roman also played bass in Spoon (Merge) during the “Girls Can Tell” tour and appears on the “Kill the Moonlight” record. Roman produced the forth-coming Impossible Hair record and in general, keeps things from getting out of hand.

The influence of Washington D.C. on Impossible Hair is most evident in the drumming of Sammy Ponzar. Sammy lives a few minutes from the Dischord House in the D.C. suburb of Arlington. And his drumming style is clearly influenced by the propulsive rhythmic drumming that was blasting out of the Dischord basement during the Fugazi years. Sammy also plays drums in the D.C. band The Andalusians (Dischord/Lovitt Records).

Guitarist Joe Ryan works as a research fellow at that National Institutes of Health just outside of D.C.. He studies the molecular evolution of animal embryogenesis by surveying the DNA of sea anemones and comb jellies. He writes memorable pop songs that have nothing to do with animal embryogenesis. The songs are meant to be howled!

Impossible Hair’s debut album, “What is the Secret of Impossible Hair” will be available April 1, 2009.

Credits
All songs by Impossible Hair except "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" (Dimitri Tiomkin / Paul Francis Webster, 1959).

Produced by Roman Kuebler at his Low Street Warehouse Studio, in Baltimore. Engineered by Roman Kuebler and Adam Cooke.

What is the secret of Impossible Hair also features Alexandra Chassanoff on Bass on tracks 5, 8, 11, 12.

Mastered by TJ Lipple and Chad Clark at Silver Sonya.

Contact

E-Mail: impossiblehair >at< gmail.com
Phone: 617-480-8417

 

News/Press

PillBox.it (March 21, 2009)
What is the secret of impossible hair? Buy this incredible album and you will find what rock and roll means in the XXI century. It’s a looney monkey matter. Lyrics are as a Magritte’s painting: beautiful and crazy, colourful and black.

Link

theoploeg Twitter (March 9, 2009)
briljante retrobritpop uit Baltimore. Buzzcocks anno 2009, zoiets. cool!!!!
Link

Le Nez Dans La Compote (March 7, 2009)
...On pourrait d'ailleurs s'attarder comme cela à chaque titre, tant il est vrai que chacun regorge de grattes juteuses, de rythmes francs et de vocaux séduisants, et s'avère tubesque au point de faire du disque décrit en ces lignes un must de rock mélodique et noisy. A découvrir très vite donc, et à écouter à volume plutôt élevé.
Link

Happy Days are Here Again (February 28, 2009)
"Profumo di Guided By Voices e Pixies (oltre al sapore dei - fenomenali - Party Of One). Senza particolare diletto verso la ricerca innovativa. Perchè a volte non se ne sente veramente il bisogno. Impossible Hair ed il loro primo album “What Is The Secret Of Impossible Hair?”. Una ventata di freschezza. Sempre gradita da queste parti."
Link

DCist (August 19, 2008)
"This past weekend welcomed a great indie rock show at the Atlas District's The Red and The Black. The night started out with a super tight set by local act Impossible Hair. Their sound can be likened to the straight forward indie rock of yore, with a dab of new wave sparkle. They consistently hit the audience with with pop sensible, nod-provoking tune after tune."
Link

Baltimore City Paper (April 4, 2008)
Impossible Hair's songs were short and to the point, like little collections of riffs in quick succession..."
Link

Lyrics

ACCIDENTAL CLAUSTROPHOBES swirling around don’t let them fool you hold steady what we might have brought to the table might kill you in the dark and can i get some silence for my solitary heart the green zig-zag country you know it oh so well consider yourself lucky or is it too early to tell the green zig-zag country we hope it treats you right and we got to get to the country we’ll meet you there tonight.

This is why i brought you here please sit down and i’ll let you in on a clue it’s not you even now we don’t get down what you want by staying around what can you do it’s not you the sound of KETTLES keeping everyone insane his last dream kept him up he thought he was the rain and he said…

I am just a radio turn me on tune in and drop me out and i can feel your skin right now and your vibrations hate me you know i’ve been falling apart since i fell for you the sound begins to reach you in a flash it becomes clear to you the light and darkness meet with the TAMBOURINES OF FURY and lord you ain’t no stranger now and all the iron faces of all the caffeinated screaming for onion flowers and then a quick dip in the ocean.

SISTER raise your right HAND and keep your eyes to the sun but don’t kill the bright man and you won’t kill the son if you rob the preacher and you raid his home you will stand in the fire but you won’t stand alone if you want what you say that you want but you keep what you got behind the scenes then you are what you think you’re supposed to be can’t you see when you search for the words from your heart and you feel like the echoes are running free instead of being what you want something always goes wrong.

Never stop to guarantee and you will FIND IT they will never disagree if you find it you’ll find it on the other side indeed you’ll find it the forgotten scene you seek well you’ll find it you’ll find it all along you’ll see find it all is over me half your heroes have broken free and you’ll find it then they shocked your decency and you found it rummaging through the diagrams you found it you’ll find it you’ll find it all along you’ll see find it all is over me half your heroes would disagree and you’ll find it.

MR. STEPHENSON you’re not at all where you said you’d be i waited all day by the rental nevertheless you were not there it’s ok that you never called but you could have sent a skywriter Mr. Stephenson.

SILVER AMPLIFIER lonely melody the organ solo makes you cry little sparrow singing cheap city love songs i feel like marching to the sky.

All the time we believe what we’re seeing not only humans but alternate beings consider the X-RAY MAN considered the ultimate surgeon and now we are reeling and now we collide who decides what you imagine is real and why don’t you say what you obviously feel perhaps a rush from the safety perhaps you should keep yourself away from me and now we are reeling and now we collide.

When i first saw you early sunday morning you were keeping everyone awake when i came through you had left a note that read you’d be getting out of the way cuz you know i love my baby better than myself when i next saw you you took me by the hand and led me into the trees and you said that you’d be getting out of the way cuz you know i love my baby better than myself HAVE YOU GOT THE DOG?

The many lovers of THE ONE LEGGED MAN saw the pale blue eyes and his extended left hand he was halfway to sanity when they let them in to where he was he said come and play with me and i hope you never leave cuz i sleep all day don’t go away and your fish will swim round and round and round yeah and these hands are coming round to you.

The debut of the so-called reign the tiger lily of st. James ain’t it far away and it’s run by flames luna2 has hit the road sam the monkey will explode how time will fly 1959 yeah the truth you will find in the depths of knox mine 1959 they’re singing look at our eyes we got all the right kinds 1959 there’s no fire in my mind like the time you described 1959 yeah the time will fly yeah the time will fly high 1959.

MY LITTLE BROTHER he has the finest disguises he’s like no other cuz we know each other’s surprises but he don’t know what’s happening all the time my little sister she is the queen of the flowers watch her go twisted cuz she has no fear of the power she don’t know what’s happening all the time cuz you don’t know what’s happening all the time give me your money so i can go out to the movies and you think it’s funny but not when you’re seeing right through me cuz you don’t know it’s happening all the time.

WORKING DAYS and i’m dreaming of a car working days and i’m still away ways away from knowing who you are keep away cuz i got it on the wire and you ain’t gone far and i’m working all the days and somehow i’m still standing you were riding all the way and i am so demanding keep away from the madness that you start cuz you have given nothing more than attitude and i’m waiting and shooting for the part that takes away this sadness and i’m working all the days if it makes you feel any better.

click below for hi rez press fotos