Bedtime for Toys
Encyclopedia
Bedtime for Toys is a multi-ethnic and multi-gender
dance rock band
from the Koreatown
area of Los Angeles
, CA.
called them "the hipsters The Black Eyed Peas
" Big Stereo Blog said "Bedtime for Toys feels like something Gwen Stefani
would be doing if she was actually interesting", It's The Money Shot blog said that the band "trot on a futuristic rock ann roll wonderland that hasn't been stepped on since the glory days of Prince and the Revolution
and The Denver Post
said, "If Heavy D and Deborah Harry
ever collaborated during their respective heydays, the result would have been something akin to Bedtime for Toys.” The band's name is also the name of a Stevie Wonder
Christmas song.
Marchelle Bradanini is the front woman of the group whose background in both politics
and partying influence her provocative lyrics. Toussaint Christophe plays keyboards
and Sammy JC plays guitar
. Together, Toussaint and Sammy produce the bands music and are collectively known as The Bash Brothers. The Bash Brothers have also remixed tracks by artists such as Nelly Furtado
, Kelis
, Wolfmother
, and Fat Joe
. Kenan Moore is the band's versatile drummer
and also the son of Greg "G-Mo" Moore, the guitar player of Earth, Wind, & Fire. Nashii Noramly, who plays bass, was born in Malaysia, raised in Scotland and was previously of the band F.O. Machete. Nashii is also related to bestselling fantasy author Glenda Larke. Bedtime for Toys also occasionally performs with a live video projection artist
, VJ Phi Phenom.
s on their own imprint, Cogito Records, Bedtime for Toys released a self-titled EP on the London
-based tastemaker label, Trash Aesthetics
, which also launched the careers of The Rakes
and Bloc Party
. Their following EP, entitled R!OT, features guest vocals from Har Mar Superstar
and includes bonus remixes by Le Tigre
, DJs Are Not Rock Stars, and Spank Rock
. The band has performed live with such artists as Diplo, Kid Sister
, Moving Units
, Har Mar Superstar
, Lady Sovereign
and Princess Superstar
. Their song, "Mona Lisa, Pt.2", interpolates the Tom Tom Club
song, 'Genius of Love', and was sanctioned by the original writers, Tina Weymouth
and Chris Franz of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads
.
Bedtime for Toys are currently working on material for a new EP, entitled "BFT iz Punk n' B", which will feature cover songs of R&B artists Bobby Brown
, Earth, Wind & Fire
, Sheila E.
, and Chaka Khan
. The band is recording at their home studio, Fresh Labs, and well as at Hangar 1018, an art gallery and warehouse, in the Downtown Los Angeles Toy District.
Magazine as one of the 2006 Top 25 Bands on MySpace
.
Link to new solo project by Marchelle Bradanini PONYBOY http://ponyboymusic.com/
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
dance rock band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from the Koreatown
Koreatown, Los Angeles, California
Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...
area of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CA.
Musical style and band members
URB Magazine described Bedtime for Toys as a "celestial hybrid of electro, hip hop, pop and metal". The NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
called them "the hipsters The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
" Big Stereo Blog said "Bedtime for Toys feels like something Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
would be doing if she was actually interesting", It's The Money Shot blog said that the band "trot on a futuristic rock ann roll wonderland that hasn't been stepped on since the glory days of Prince and the Revolution
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
said, "If Heavy D and Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
ever collaborated during their respective heydays, the result would have been something akin to Bedtime for Toys.” The band's name is also the name of a Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
Christmas song.
Marchelle Bradanini is the front woman of the group whose background in both politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and partying influence her provocative lyrics. Toussaint Christophe plays keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and Sammy JC plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Together, Toussaint and Sammy produce the bands music and are collectively known as The Bash Brothers. The Bash Brothers have also remixed tracks by artists such as Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
, Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, and Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
. Kenan Moore is the band's versatile drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and also the son of Greg "G-Mo" Moore, the guitar player of Earth, Wind, & Fire. Nashii Noramly, who plays bass, was born in Malaysia, raised in Scotland and was previously of the band F.O. Machete. Nashii is also related to bestselling fantasy author Glenda Larke. Bedtime for Toys also occasionally performs with a live video projection artist
VJ (video performance artist)
VJing is a broad designation for realtime visual performance. Characteristics of VJing are the creation or manipulation of imagery in realtime through technological mediation and for an audience, in synchronization to music. VJing often takes place at events such as concerts, nightclubs, music...
, VJ Phi Phenom.
Activity
After releasing several EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s on their own imprint, Cogito Records, Bedtime for Toys released a self-titled EP on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based tastemaker label, Trash Aesthetics
Trash Aesthetics
Trash Aesthetics is an independent record label founded in 2004 by Rob Fawkes and Claire Hewitson. Based in South London, it specialises in releasing limited-edition runs of singles by both local bands and international acts whose work is difficult to come by in the UK.TA701 was a 480 copy 7"...
, which also launched the careers of The Rakes
The Rakes
The Rakes were an English indie rock band from London. They split up in October 2009.-History:The Rakes formed in 2004. Since coming to fame in 2005, they were associated with the British post-punk/art rock scene, a genre shared by bands such as Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park, and The Futureheads...
and Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
. Their following EP, entitled R!OT, features guest vocals from Har Mar Superstar
Har Mar Superstar
Sean Matthew Tillmann , better known by his stage names of Har Mar Superstar and Sean Na Na, is an American singer.-Life and career:...
and includes bonus remixes by Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
, DJs Are Not Rock Stars, and Spank Rock
Spank Rock
Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :...
. The band has performed live with such artists as Diplo, Kid Sister
Kid Sister
Melisa Young better known by her stage name Kid Sister, is a rap artist based in Chicago, Illinois, well known for her single "Pro Nails", featuring Kanye West.-Background:Melisa Young was born July 3, 1980 in Markham, Illinois...
, Moving Units
Moving Units
Moving Units is a dance-punk band from Los Angeles, California.-History:The band was formed in 2001 by Chris Hathwell, Blake Miller, and Johan Boegli, when Hathwell's previous band, Festival of Dead Deer, broke up. They released their debut EP, Moving Units, on Three One G in early 2002...
, Har Mar Superstar
Har Mar Superstar
Sean Matthew Tillmann , better known by his stage names of Har Mar Superstar and Sean Na Na, is an American singer.-Life and career:...
, Lady Sovereign
Lady Sovereign
Louise Amanda Harman , better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is an English rapper & grime artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males...
and Princess Superstar
Princess Superstar
Princess Superstar is an American emcee and DJ.Her musical style, as she describes it, is flip-flop — a mixture of 'hip hop, electroclash and electronica'.-Background:...
. Their song, "Mona Lisa, Pt.2", interpolates the Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
song, 'Genius of Love', and was sanctioned by the original writers, Tina Weymouth
Tina Weymouth
Martina Michèle "Tina" Weymouth is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the New Wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club .-Profile:Weymouth is of French heritage on her mother's side. Weymouth was a cheerleader in high school...
and Chris Franz of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
.
Bedtime for Toys are currently working on material for a new EP, entitled "BFT iz Punk n' B", which will feature cover songs of R&B artists Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
, Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
, and Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
. The band is recording at their home studio, Fresh Labs, and well as at Hangar 1018, an art gallery and warehouse, in the Downtown Los Angeles Toy District.
Rolling Stone Award
On December 2006, Bedtime for Toys was selected by Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Magazine as one of the 2006 Top 25 Bands on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.
External references
- Official Website
- Official My Space
- Artist listing on Drowned In SoundDrowned in SoundDrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
Link to new solo project by Marchelle Bradanini PONYBOY http://ponyboymusic.com/