The Giraffes - 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 re-imagined 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.