The Shondes

Originating from Park Slope in western Brooklyn, the four-piece indie rock outfit known as The Shondes (pronounced Shahn-duhs) crafts a singular blend that fuses 1990s queercore and riot grrrl energy with longstanding Jewish musical traditions and soaring, expressive vocals. Distortion, melody, feminism, and sociopolitical themes converge through their high-volume amplifiers, prompting parallels to Sleater-Kinney and similar groups. Guitarist/vocalist Ian Brannigan, violinist/vocalist Elijah Oberman, and bassist/vocalist Louisa Rachel Solomon first connected as students at Manhattan's New School, later encountering drummer/vocalist Temim Fruchter amid demonstrations against the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. The quartet officially coalesced as The Shondes in 2006, adopting a name drawn from the Yiddish term signifying shame or disgrace. Early emphasis fell on their live shows, which included appearances at Canada's North by Northeast festival and Olympia's Homo A Go Go in Washington, plus shared bills with Electrelane, Joe Lally of Fugazi, Erase Errata, and the Saints. Their self-released debut, The Red Sea, arrived in early January 2008 after sessions at Brooklyn's Studio G under the guidance of Pere Ubu's Tony Maimone. Guitarist Fureigh stepped in for Brannigan that November, after which My Dear One appeared in 2010.