Birth Rites are a four-man wrecking crew, echoing the rock ‘n’ roll fury of a young Cursive, technically proficient but not in an over-the-top way. Like some of our favorite mathy indie rock bands of yore, such as At the Drive In or Bear Vs. Shark, their four minute blasts of guitar driven power are nestled in a deep groove anchored by the rhythm section of bassist Jarrett Hothan and drummer Greg Markus. Jack Hennessy is the poet laureate of this band, a man caught up in the heat of the glorious, sweaty, screaming moment and yet one can’t help but understand that he has his eye on the big picture the whole time. Setu Vora is the foil to his bombast, always in a state of calm composure even when he’s behind his luchador mask.

Their debut album, All Success Stories, showcases many of the songs that the band has been playing live as they have risen to be one of Iowa City’s most popular bands in the past year. It shows their breadth of sonic palette, from the bitter ballad “Singing to Myself” to the aggressively catchy “Sleeping Fury.” Along the way, Birth Rites has opened for some amazing bands such as the Meat Puppets, Cursive, No Age, Titus Andronicus, and HEALTH, and the band that so many in Iowa City love finally has a living, breathing document that captures their furor. All Success Stories is available digitally worldwide.

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Beringia (The Thought)

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We Put the “Fun” In Funeral

For booking and promo, contact Todd: todd [at] missionfreak [dot] com

Birth Rites on Myspace