New Beard: “Moment of Peace”
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Strange yet enticing, Brooklyn-based band New Beard flies in the face of the antiquated notion of “genre.” The band is the brainchild of singer Ben Wigler. He’s added background vocals to bands Dead Confederate, Samantha Crane and the Indigo Girls. Joining Wigler is Tony Waldman on drums, the one-named Yazan on guitar and holding down the bottom end on tuba (no bass in this band) is Joe “Tuba Joe” Exley.
Today’s song of the day is the title track from New Beard’s debut EP Moment of Peace, released earlier this month. It includes a guest appearance by Swedish psych-rocker Gustav Ejstes (of the band Dungen) along with a wide range of musicians playing everything from harmonica to zither.
The record has some far-out moments, but “Moment of Peace” is a straight-ahead rocker. Exley renders the tuba an instrument of funk on par with the Fender Jazz Bass. Wigler’s lead vocals are soulful yet playful. Yazan, who also wrote the song, adds an outstanding solo in the back half that echoes glam-era Mott the Hoople. It’s a fun kick-off to an interesting record.
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