| CRAIG
HARFF |
MICHAEL
PAWLOWICZ |
JESSICA
LEDBETTER |
KUKI
KOOKS |
| guitar
& vocals |
guitar
& vocals |
bass
guitar & vocals |
drums
& percussion |
With echoes of rock n roll's forefathers and bastard children alike resonating through their amplifiers, The Dearloves bring to you a sound both classic and beautifully original. A combined century of musical absorption among them distills down to both male and female vocals pouring over solid, driving drums and searing guitars with a living energy. They come at you straight and look you in the eye. Intelligently constructed and performed with unforgiving conviction & clarity, their songs are nearly impossible to lock into a specific genre, opting rather to wander through many different rooms with many different sounds. Imagine the child of The Beatles & Nirvana, born in the bathroom of CBGB's and raised in a commune inhabited by Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, and The Verve. The Dearloves want to take you somewhere and show you something.
--Ian McCabe
The Dearloves formed in Brooklyn, NY, in 2010. They can be found regularly at city venues such as the Mercury Lounge, Glasslands, Cameo Gallery and the Cakeshop.
PRESS
Straight-forward and technically proficient, those who enjoy hearing the sort of music that stays clear even in the smallest of venues should take a listen to what these Brooklyn buds are bumping. The guitars rock, the drums crash, the vocals are sharp and coed—basically all the elements of rock are here. Not indie, not very alt—but then again not punk, or blues, or classic-styled…think “The Cult.” Ian Astbury’s band found themselves lumped in with new wave bands during the 80s just for this reason—so while they are so genre that they really belong to no genre, they are partially part of every genre…if you get our drift.
— Metromix
The Facebook page for Brooklyn-based quartet the Dearloves lists a lengthy inventory of influences that includes Nirvana, the Beatles, Radiohead, Bob Dylan and Radiohead. Openly citing the aforementioned godfathers of pop is a risky move around these parts, but with the Dearloves it’s more or less on the mark. Just check out their crashing “Rebels & Ghosts”: it opens with laughter and coughing, a la Bringing It All Back Home-era Dylan, while a fuzzy, Stonesy riff gets things going. By the time singer Michael Pawlowicz croons the opening line — “I’ve tried to be so kind / And I’ve tried to blow your mind” — the song has built up a dizzy, swaggering momentum. The influences may be present, but the band's rawness and exuberant joy are all their own.
— Elie Lichtschein for Unveiled Arts
The Dearloves have only been together for a little over a year but they seem to be getting it right. The band creates some kind of shoegazer-influenced rock and roll where songwriting and energy have priority over the genre's proverbial wall of sound. The drums and bass are the glue to the at times furious guitars, which produce an instantly classic and somewhat epic indie rock sound. Confident male and female vocals, both full of attitude, alternate from song to song, but this doesn't take away from the overall band sound.
— Kirsten Ferreira for The Deli Magazine
"Newly formed group The Dearloves are quickly making their presence known..." "The four-piece is no-frills rock: driving drums from Kuki Kooks (former Fan-tan drummer), sparking, clean riffs from Craig Harff, and shared male/female vocals from dual front-persons Jess Ledbetter and Michael Pawlowicz, who both give strong presence to the stage."
— Consonants & Vowels Recordings
LINKS
Read a 2011 interview with Jess Ledbetter here at The IN Link.
Jess models for Lucky Magazine's feature for designer Sunjoo Moon.