Of the slew of indie bands recently popping up around the country, one that has been getting a fair amount of attention is the New York City- based group TV/TV.
Fresh from New York’s East Side, these hipsters, all in their early 20s, have been steadily creating a fan base thanks to their self-described “Kooks meets Maroon 5 meets the Police” sound.
As explained by TV/TV’s lead singer, Josh Ocean, the band derived its name from an unlikely source.
“TVTV was a film group that, starting in 1972, pioneered guerilla-style television production,” said Ocean.
“The group was famous for taking portable video cameras and going to the Republican and Democratic national conventions and asking politicians questions that the mainstream media would not ask.”
Ocean explained that the group wanted its name to mean something, leading to this choice of a namesake.
“We thought this was a really cool group, and we liked what TVTV originally stood for … a sense of rebellion through an art medium,” he said.
Ocean was quick to add that, though the members of the band definitely have strong political views, they choose not to let it interfere with their music.
In terms of what makes the band unique from the crop of emerging indie bands, Ocean cites their diversity of musical influences.
“Each person comes from a different [musical] background,” he said.
Among these influences, the members cite Michael Jackson, the Hives and the Police.
TV/TV prides itself on showmanship.
“We also put on a really good live show,” Ocean said. “If you come to our show, you will have a great time. [There is] tons of energy, from us and the audience; it’s great.”
Ocean feels that TV/TV doesn’t have one audience and can appeal to more than just teenyboppers and New York hipsters.
“We have been doing really well with college students,” Ocean said.
“Our music appeals to people on many levels, so there is something there for everybody.”
TV/TV has been touring the country and came to St. Louis last week at Cicero’s Entertainment Plex, performing at gigs like at the Vans Warped Tour and the Its Almost Wintour Tour.
If you haven’t been to one of their concerts, chances are you’ve heard it on shows like “The Hills” and “The Gauntlet,”, as well as shows on the Sci Fi channel, or while playing EA Sport’s video game NHL ’09.
TV/TV has been named Broadcast Music, Inc.’s artist of the month and grabbed an Indie Artists Spotlight on Billboard.com.
For more information about the group, including songs, pictures, and tour dates, visit myspace.com/tvtv.TV/TV’s tour will bring them to a series of cities this month, including Baton Rouge and Los Angeles.
