The Headlocks

The Headlocks have been a fine Rock and Roll band. Rob Carey's vocals and harmonica seem to reverberate from the same chamber as some of the best that classic Rock and Roll and Soul has to offer, while the simple structures of their catchy songs allow the band to pulsate in wave after wave of sonic joy. The songs, among other things, carry themes of the working class and living in America in the wake of a cultural revolution that has been eaten by its exploitation. The emotional charge of their live performance is something you will carry with you and remember. Something to note about this band is the fact that it dodges simple category descriptions. There isn't one type of song here, but more of a diverse and classic approach to the idea of performance and song writing as a band. They've played and continue to play in everything from small and intimate rooms, to large festival stages. Once called "The quintessential barroom band". But there is more to it. The Headlocks bring with them an array of life's snapshots and feelings and thoroughly enjoy improvising in the moment of each room, in the energy of each crowd. 2013 started off with a very fun show on New Year's Day in the town of Woodstock New York and 3 additional songs recorded on January 2nd at Millbrook Studios in New York, and the year is ending with a couple of local NYC gigs and small tour in New Orleans/ Austin Texas, with brand New album in tow. A recording date or two while they are down south, is keeping them on their toes as they are inching toward a third album, even as the second is being finalized and mastered. It should suffice to say that the band has too numerous a number of influences to name. It is a distinctly American Sound. These influences, as well as the band's environment, surviving and even thriving in a borough of New York City that seems in many minds to be in lost in the shadow of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Yet Hailing from Staten Island, where so much recent talent in quite a few artistic mediums has blossomed and unfolded, has shaped the band in a unique way. It is a way that will take some of the best things you love about All Kinds of American music and even British Invasion, retool it, and spin it on it's head. Enjoy. The Headlocks first and (as of November 2013 Only) album, Cuckoo Bird, a thundering, wide-ranging album, was recorded at Hard Luck studios in Brooklyn, NY and mixed at HeadGear also in Bk. It was mastered in NYC at Avatar by Fred Kevorkian. Music from Cuckoo Bird was featured on season one of the TLC show NY Ink, as well as on the upcoming film about the ever brilliant Mario the Magician- Maker and Magician. Cuckoo Bird sold over 2250 copies (by hand) and garnered a good deal of local, national and international press and college/ independent/local and internet radio airplay. Here is what some folks have said about Cuckoo Bird: "The music throughout CUCKOO BIRD is invigorating and creative making each track an enjoyable listen, rerfeshing and lively. A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ALBUM FOR ALL THOSE WHO SEEK A UNIQUE SOUND..." Charlotte Bones, Maverick Magazine UK "Over the past few years, The Headlocks have gained a name for themselves by playing ENERGETIC AND MELODICALLY PLEASING FOLK AND ROOTS ROCK all over the [New York] city" Ben Johnson, SI Advance Cheshire Cat Sez: "This is the first "COLLEGE ROCK" album that I'd ever define as such. A little raw, unique without being quirky, and equal parts playful Bob Dylan and the White Stripes. REFRESHING AND AUTHENTIC." Bryan Skowera PENN STATE UNIVERSITY "This band has that classic rock aesthetic, sort of like a Jack White project (think Raconteurs) or bands like Dutchess and the Duke. ... you can’t knock the QUALITY of the product." Peter @ -EARSOFTHEBEHOLDER.COM "In some songs they sound as 'Arcade Fire' or 'The Decemberists'...they will surely succeed in dragging an audience on their journey through the music." Valsam, WWW.ROOTSTIME.BE "The Headlocks plough a similar if slightly more disciplined furrow to The Felice Brothers, with up to a dozen musicians throwing everything into the mix, just about making sense of it, and emerging with A ROWDY SOUND that FUSES The Band, SOUTHERN SOUL AND THE BLUES TO EXCELLENT EFFECT" Rock and Reel Magazine (UK) " AMAZING VOCALS that are backed with a great group of instrumentalists.... In one song you may hear rock mixed with folk mixed with a little soul sprinkled with some blues and it all sounds great mixed together" Montrey, EARMILK.com "Cuckoo Bird is both ramshackle hillbilly blues, tender American folk, gentle ballads, and shout-a-long Stones rock all crammed into one album. ...GOES DOWN EASY AND CLINGS TO YOU WITH REPEATED LISTENS" StatenIslandDump.BlogSpot " With so many artists chasing the long tail of the market, it’s interesting to see someone take the opposite approach." Joseph Tacopino, Pop Matters.Com "This band has TRIBAL-LIKE SOUND" Larry Liedy, Liedy's Shore Inn "...a rowdy yet disciplined band of seasoned players from blue-collar Staten Island [with] an authentic ’60s vibe of collective creativity and PURE MUSICAL JOY." Timothy Ledwith, Ledwithzeppelin, NoDepression.com " (Cuckoo Bird)... gets better with time... an AMAZING PIECE OF WORK..." - DorianSpencer.com "First of all, Rob Carey's voice is phenomenal! This is my new favorite CD... and who is the prodigy on guitar? :-) Honestly, I love it! REMINISCENT OF SGT. PEPPERS..., no?" Marnee Morris, NJDOE " JOY, GROOVE and FEELING is what the disc (Cuckoo Bird) is all about and wants to deliver, and The Headlocks succeed very well." Par Winberg, Melodic.net Soul, Blues, Folk, Funk, Americana Rock and Roll, Psychedelia