About Friendo

Friendo is a three-piece, guitar-driven band largely inspired by '90s experimental rock, '70s punk and '60s pop. Their songs range anywhere from breezy, effortless jams, to pulse-pounding post-punk outbursts. The multi-instrumentalist members love to mix harmony with noise, creating their own seasonal landscape. Michael (Women, Azeda Booth, Monkey) has been drumming since he was a child, playing in bands, and eventually wanted to explore the melodic side of music and songwriting by singing and playing on the guitar. Nicole (Puberty, Hunter-Gatherer, Topless Mongos), an avid music lover and collector, began to teach herself various instruments after being inspired by other musicians in her life. Henry (Beija Flor, Monkey), a polished bassist and guitarist, has taken on the role of drumming for the first time. The group has subsequently swapped roles from their respective instruments, becoming total amateurs creatively tapping into uncharted spaces. The band chose to self-release Cold Toads on a limited run of unmastered cassettes, providing the perfect format for their intangible sound. Cold Toads is a home-made recording project, using whatever they could get their hands on; tape decks, 4 tracks to cassette, hand held portable recorders and built-in computer mics. The sound that emerges is a soothing lo-fi odyssey that transcends time and will only get better with each listen. Friendo plans to release Cold Toads on a limited vinyl pressing with St. Ives Records in May of 2010 and follow-up immediately with a six-week North American tour.