A revolving New York City collective led by
Dave Derby,
Gramercy Arms display a diverse, breezy power pop-inspired indie rock center -- not unlike
Derby's most famous band,
the Dambuilders -- with a tendency to shift style from song to song. The initial lineup contained members of
Luna,
Guided by Voices, and Dead Air, while everyone from fellow ex-
Dambuilder Joan Wasser (aka
Joan as Police Woman) to
Lloyd Cole to comedian
Sarah Silverman have been known to add their talents.
Derby has intimated that the band will have a rotating membership. Swiping the name of a ten-story building in the band's home base of New York City,
Gramercy Arms released their first record on Reveal Records in 2008. Produced by
Derby with help from
Shudder to Think's
Nathan Larson, the record's crisp, hook-heavy pop earned near-universally positive reviews for the band, if not a wide following. ~ Jason Thurston