ANR point you to free tunes; photo by Peter Richardson
In Miami - a city that loves its music and knows how to party - Awesome New Republic is one of the best loved local bands. ANR, as they are also known, make danceable, indie-flavored rock that isn’t afraid to whip up high beats-per-minute dance grooves or put a grand spin on some synth-rock balladry a la Tears for Fears.
The city’s free weekly, “Miami New Times,” recently anointed ANR "Best Band" in their annual "Best Of" issue and the duo, comprised of Michael John Hancock (MJ) and Brian Robertson (B-Rob), have become part of the thriving art and indie movement in South Florida.
The two music school classmates began making music about five years ago and released their debut, “ANR So Far,” in 2005. This year, they decided to strut their stuff in a series of EPs and they’re giving them away. Both “Rational Geographic Volume 1,” which came out earlier this year and last week’s (July 21) “Rational Geographic Volume 2” can be had as free downloads on their web site. (You fill in your eddress, city and state and they send an email with a download link.) A third volume in the series is scheduled for October 27.
The pair’s summer got off to a lame start, literally, when Robertson missed a simple physical bet (he intended to jump from one dock to another) and broke his foot, forcing them to cancel some June tour dates. (The damage is on display in an x-ray of B-Rob’s foot on the band’s blog.) But ANR starts August on the right foot with a series of new dates:
Friday, August 7th - New York, NY @ Pianos
Saturday, August 8th - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival
Sunday, August 9th - Washington, DC @ DC9
Saturday, August 12th - Miami, FL @ Future Classic Festival
Tuesday, September 8th - West Palm Beach, FL @ Roxys
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