Since 2002, Makar has been mesmerizing New York audiences at such renowned clubs as Luna Lounge, CBGBs gallery, Knitting Factory, and Pianos. Their debut album, 99 Cent Dreams, garnered rave reviews from independentsonly.com*, who called Makar, “a musical genius worth telling people about” and the Windy City Times, who hailed them as “a breath of fresh air.” Their innovative, edgy release captured the attention of media across the country, including MTV 2, who featured the video for their irreverent tune, “I Hate My Job.” The effort landed them a record deal with Sizzleteen Records in 2005, and it seemed there was no stopping the brilliance of this part punk, part pop, and part poetic musical team.
Now, their second CD, Funeral Genius, has taken the press by storm. Called “essential” by Rust Magazine, Makar’s latest release earned them the title of Band of the Month for January 2012 on Ear to the Ground radio and a top 100 spot on The Deli Magazine’s Top 300 NYC Indie Bands/Guitar Pop for more than 24 months (after hitting the charts in May 2012) along with Vampire Weekend, Fun, MGMT and Santigold. They have also garnered impressive airplay across the United States, Canada and the UK, on such stations as WROM, CIUT 89.5 FM (Toronto), CKRL 89.1 (Quebec), Radio Alchemy, The Waiting Room (UK), Hub Radio, Radio Crystal Blue, WFDU-FM, WRSU-FM, and Insomnia Radio’s “Daily Dose.” They were also included on The NBTMusicRadio's Top 100 Tracks/Singles of 2012 and Top 100 Albums of 2012 and named Rust Magazine’s Critic’s Pick of 2012. They charted on the College Radio Charts in September 2012, and were featured at Couch by Couch West (CXCW) 2013 and 2014. Most recently, MAKAR's song Funeral Genius was played on WROM’s The Quinn Spinn on December 26, 2014 for their 2014 Guest Appreciation Edition and their song, I Wanna Know What I Don’t Know, were played in the UK on For Folks Sake, Burn FM on January 29, 2015. Named after the 15th century Scottish term for “poet,” this acoustic guitar and piano driven Indie-rock band more than lives up to its name. With her ethereal beauty and angelic voice, Andrea DeAngelis has a magnetic presence that makes her a joy to see and hear. With his deep, haunting vocals, Mark Purnell calls to mind a young John Cale. Featuring Mark Nilges on bass and the mighty, legendary NYC drummer Dawn McGrath, this latest effort shows the true depth of their range as they draw on their influences from Bjork to Bowie to Blondie. As Chris Dahlberg of Cosmo Gaming so astutely commented, "Makar is what happens when you cross the current Indie revolution with a tinge of folk rock.” From the title track, “Funeral Genius,” an upbeat, thoroughly addictive homage to 60s pop to the darker, psychedelic groove of “Bottle of Beauty,” the duo shows the full depth of both their playful and more introspective sides. The theme of Funeral Genius is, appropriately enough, about living in the present and not being overwhelmed by the self-doubt that can kill one’s spirit. As Makar muses, “A Funeral Genius is someone who is a genius at being negative, a Debbie Downer, an uber-pessimist, who obsessively looks at the negative side of things, is morbid thinking of death all the time thereby forgetting to live.” Recorded at the Seaside Lounge Recording Studios in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Funeral Genius was three years in the making and is their most innovative, thoughtful, and exciting release yet; it was well worth the wait. As Mark recalls, "We recorded the first 11 songs on the album in one day at Seaside out in Brooklyn getting the drums and bass down. “Devil in a Dream” was recorded in one day out at Andrea's parents’ house in Mendham, NJ on a handheld tape recorder with the lights turned low and the soul of Robert Johnson and his hell hounds on our trail."
Taking the best of Indie, Pop, and Folk and making them their own, Makar once again proves their reputation as one of the most unique acts on the New York scene. Look out for their third album, Fancy Hercules, to drop in the fall of 2015.