biography

The Giraffes are a cult band from Brooklyn that has been leveling crowds with their signature mixture of heavy rock, punk, metal and surf since 1996. A well-earned reputation for mayhem has followed the band from the start. Guitarist Damien Paris took a slug in the shin in a White Castle parking lot by a drunken Fire Marshall with an itchy trigger finger. Singer Aaron Lazar died twice, suffering multiple Sudden Cardiac Death events; doctors gave him a 2% chance to live through the night. They put a defibrillator in his chest which has erroneously shocked him on stage. During a show at the Double Door in Chicago, Aaron took 700 volts to the heart 3 times in 30 seconds and still finished the set. Drummer Andrew Totolos was cursed by a witch and has yet to find a black walnut tree in which to carve a picture of his spell caster and drive a nail through her heart. Bassist Hannah Moorhead is a normal, well adjusted adult who’s played bass in more kick ass rock bands longer than you’ve had meaningful relationships.

Because of, or in spite of this; the Giraffes’ live shows are well characterized as menacing affairs. Combining fierce musicality and unbridled audience participation. Giraffes performances are events and have generated a dedicated fan base.

“A front row seat at a Giraffes show meant getting caught in a beer rainstorm, as the band and audience members alike went flying into the crowd with wild abandon. Beer and bottles of Jameson were passed. Aaron made a noose out of the mic cord, wrapped it around his neck and gave it to the crowd to choke him while he forced lyrics past his collapsing trachea. A Giraffes performance is a spectacle you will never forget” -Brooklyn Vegan

They’ve toured with Eagles of Death Metal and Local-H, when not headlining their own. The Giraffes have shared the stage with Interpol, Fishbone, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Radkey, the Strokes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Gogol Bordello and Blowfly. They’ve played many festivals including Amsterjam, Voodofest, Monolith, SXSW, and Bonnaroo. The Giraffes music can be played in video games like Guitar Hero and was featured in the 2017 Sundance Festival winner “I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore” starring Elijah wood.

The Giraffes were formed in 1996 by Damien Paris, Andrew Totolos, and bassist Tim Kent. The band cut its teeth playing in the early wave of the NYC underground and were fixtures in the scene. In 1998, they released their debut album Franksquilt (Apesauce Records), however it was not until singer Aaron Lazar joined in 2000 that the band found its voice. Helping You Help Yourself (Apesauce Records 2002), is a raw testament to the explosive energy of the foursome, blending Paris's ferocious riffage with the bellowing croons of Lazar with his tongue in cheek lyrics. It marked a period of activity where the band would stake its claim as the most unbridled and fun-loving Brooklyn live act. The band started touring nationally, growing their fan base and released four studio albums in rapid succession. Starting with the spaghetti western E.P.: A Gentleman Never Tells (Apesauce Records 2003), their self-titled album The Giraffes (Razor & Tie 2005), Pretty In Puke E.P. (Apesauce Records 2007) and the thunderous Prime Motivator (Crustacean Records 2008). The Giraffes were busier than ever with non stop touring and recording. They released a live concert album and DVD combo entitled The Giraffes: Show (Crustacean Records 2009). The following epic concept album titled Ruled (Crustacean records 2010) proved to be Lazars' swan song as the road took its toll. Lazar played his ‘final’ show with the Giraffes in February of 2011.

The Giraffes operated without Lazar by releasing an album of rarities and B-Sides: Farewell Fat Astronaut (Apesauce records 2012) and later the eclectic Tales Of The Black Whistle (Crustacean Records 2013), featuring the vocal talents of Brianna Wanlass and Kimberly Paige Valor.

2014 brought reunion concerts with Lazar back at the helm. Sold-out shows reunited fans from across the continent and, bolstered by their support, the Giraffes began developing new material. In 2015 the newly reconstituted band released its eighth full-length album entitled Usury (Silver Sleeve Records) to critical acclaim, supporting it with a handful of shows across north America. In 2018 the formidable Hannah Moorhead joined the lineup on bass guitar replacing Josh Taggart.

2019 is a big year for the Giraffes. They are releasing their latest record Flower of the Cosmos (Silver Sleeve Records). It started as a collection of sketches and ideas in early 2016. Originally intended to be a concept record of love songs, it was lyrically reimagined in the wake of recent political and climactic developments into something much darker. Recorded at the grammy winning Studio G in brooklyn by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, They Might be Giants, Mike Watt) and Francisco Botero (Highly Suspect, Adriana Luca) Flower of the Cosmos brings the weight and edge of Usury and combines it with the anthemic songwriting of Prime Motivator era Giraffes. A heavy agile record filled with fun songs about sad realities that never gets bogged down and rips in ways no other band has been able to manage. You’ll see.

this is the giraffes

Damien Paris - guitar

Damien was born and raised in New York City - in soho when it was still an artists enclave. He attended Laguardia school for the arts around the same time that the movie Kids was being filmed in and around that scene. Damien is an autodidact on guitar and as such he plays right-handed guitars left-handed, meaning the strings are inverted (with the low string at the bottom of the neck). Dick Dale and others also played this way and it helps his playing remain distinctive. He has won multiple Shred for Your Life contests, has played with numerous performers and on several recordings in addition to being the principal riff technician of the Giraffes. He is regarded as one of America’s premiere guitar heroes.

Andrew Totolos - Drums

Andrew discovered his love for music in the 9th grade. A hater of P.E., he refused to change into his gym uniform in high school and discovered another kid who did the same. His name was Pete who had bleached lighting bolts into his hair. When Andrew approached him, Pete asked, "Do you like music?" Andrew said, "yes." Do you know how to play drums?" Pete asked, "No, but I can try," Andrew answered. Pete said, "Good because my band The Hungry Fishermen has a gig tonight and you're the new drummer; just hit the bass drum and the snare one after the other as fast as you can." Andrew did it and was so pumped after the gig that he threw some other kid's drum kit into the audience and took off. It was then Andrew became addicted to drumming. Since then, Andrew has started and played in several bands. Among them were: Friends of Entropy (F.O.E), Ass Crack Dracula (AKA Skubml), Vas Deferens, The Mutorcs, The Invincible Unthinkables, MiMi Ott, and The Tarts. Upon finally meeting Damien Paris in 96, a bond (like one created in prison) was formed and The Giraffes were born. In order to keep his children fed and himself in clean underwear, Andrew also became a working actor which lead to hosting Tricked Out and Resto Rides on the DIY network, and placement in many commercials. He is a veteran voice-over artist who can be heard in commercials (Michelob, Fed Ex, Tostitos, NY Lotto), video games (Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Manhunt, etc.) audio-books, narration, political campaign ads and more.

hannah Moorhead - bass

Hannah Moorhead moved to New York City from Connecticut in 1992 to pursue a career in film and video. Among the many jobs on indie features and shorts, she prioritized two music themed TV shows during that time. Playing music was a hobby since she started piano as a young child but shortly after moving to New York she decided that playing had become a real passion over film and made bass guitar her focus. Moorhead was able to carve a career out of it for a while; joining numerous bands, touring internationally and recording as a member or hired player. The Giraffes shared a bill with a few of those bands, (most notably Epic Recording artist The Twenty Twos and later, The Netherlands) introducing Moorhead to their mayhem, gaining a devoted fan before gaining a devoted bandmate when she joined them in 2018.

aaron lazar - vocals

Born and raised in Youngstown Ohio, Lazar relocated to NYC to go to Art School in 1998. Upon graduation he promptly turned his back on the artworld and threw himself into the New York underground music scene that was beginning it’s early aughts renaissance. After introducing a friends project at CBGB's in a preacher-like persona Lazar was approached by Damien to join the Giraffes in 2000. Songs were written on the fly and shows commenced in a matter of months as the Giraffe sound solidified. In 2005 Lazar suffered two massive heart attacks and a seizure and after a week in the ICU he was released with an implanted defibrillator and a story to tell. Subsequently he has had 4 more Sudden Cardiac Death events but has yet to slow down at all. Know for his confrontational performance style that usually involves getting off of the stage and into the audience space Lazar also possess a unique vocal timbre and stage presence to spare.