The members of Bridges and Powerlines met in New York City in late 2005. Drawing heavily from a set of musical heroes that included Guided by Voices and the wistful Elephant Six Collective, they worked to set themselves apart in the crowded NYC music scene. Their debut EP met with critical acclaim, described as "a taught example of why [bridges and powerlines] should be added to your list of bands to watch." (IGN.com) The success of the EP attracted producer Chris Zane, who had helmed recent breakout records by Les Savy Fav, White Rabbits and Asobi Seksu. The band spent much of 2007 writing and recording while further developing their sound into equal parts nineties-styled indie-rock, psych-influenced harmony and analog synth intricacy. The band closed 2007 with a successful East Coast tour, a sold-out show at NYC's Mercury Lounge with Margot and the Nuclear So and So's and a showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon. They will release their new record "Ghost Types" on their own imprint Citybird Records in April of 2008.


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Mancie has progressed through several forms, first coming into being when singer/guitarist Andrea Montgomery was in high school and now solidifying into a rock trio who conveys both passion and expertise in the music they create. Andrea, inspired by her older sister's band and later musicians like PJ Harvey, Nirvana and The Pretenders, studied guitar and honed her craft at an early age. Her early version of Mancie, then in Boston, was nearly signed to a five-album record deal after only one show during high school and received lots of media attention, including the front page of the Boston Globe's arts section.

Mancie, in its current inception, took shape when Andrea met Mark Feldman in a practice space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in early 2009. The two musicians immediately found common ground, in music and in life, and Mancie naturally evolved into the trio it is today, refining the sound Andrea's been working on for years and allowing Mark's artistic sensibilities to infuse the songs with greater power and depth.

That connection resulted in a four-song, self-titled EP, which Mancie released in January of 2010 and the recent SAY SAY EP released in November 2010. These discs, which the band gives away for free, offers a glimpse of the group's cohesive, emotionally-driven rock sound, sort of like if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played AC/DC and Nirvana The music is immediate and engaging, beckoning the listener in and building a wall of sound around them.

The raw power of Mancie's music is most apparent at their shows, all of which they book themselves. Frustrated with playing shows that didn't generate a response, the band took matters into their own hands and formed Mancie Music Presents to book and promote their own gigs around New York. That take-charge attitude has landed them two residencies at Arlene's Grocery and shows all over Manhattan and Brooklyn in venues like Public Assembly, Matchless and CBGB's. The band's energized stage dynamic has drawn in slews of new fans, all of whom have been awed the amount of sound three people can generate.
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"Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians EP" releases 21 January 2012
"JERK!" (Music Video)

After failing miserably at art lessons at the age of 8, Stephie Coplan snapped her paint brush in half and promptly entered a third-grade life crisis. She was too young to buy a sportscar, so she asked her parents for a piano instead. By high school, she had won several classical competitions, performed at Disneyworld with her jazz band, and released a full length album of pop originals, produced at XM studios in her hometown of Washington DC.

But just playing piano wasn't enough for Coplan, who was the only kid in her high school who kept Tom Lehrer, Billy Joel, and Ben Folds Five on constant rotation. She had too much to say, and it wasn't long before her songwriting began attracting comparisons to Regina Spektor and Lily Allen, among others. Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne noticed similarities to his own music, commenting that Coplan seemed "destined for the same commercial purgatory as the rest of us 'smart' singer/songwriters."

Like a musical M&M;, Coplan's outer shell of crisp, colorful lyrics protects a sweet, gooey, melancholic center of rich, observational storytelling. Blending humor, poignancy, and one hell of a vocabulary, Coplan creates characters ranging from hipster snobs to wild-child hippies to sadistic flight attendants and effortlessly builds entire worlds around them - all within catchy, tunefully crafted pop songs.

After establishing a strong, supportive fan base in the Cambridge-Somerville music scene while attending Tufts University, she moved to New York City, where she formed Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians with bassist John Hebert and drummer Shane Considine. Very quicky, the witty trio has become known for their "fun to watch" (CAROLINE O'HARE, MTV) live shows, consistently packing rooms shoulder-to-shoulder on the Lower East Side.

Coplan's sailor mouth, Considine's aggressive drumming and Hebert's "fuzz-happy bass" (JAMES RICKMAN, BEACONPRESS.COM) dip the band's toes in punk waters, but the group prides themselves on their sunshine pop influences, including B.J. Thomas, the Beach Boys, and even infectious TV themes. In fact, the trio pays homage to their love of theme songs at live shows by covering "The Golden Girls," "Greatest American Hero," "Love Boat," and more.


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