AIRSHIP ROCKETSHIP is:
Devin Smith - vocals
Rainer Davies - guitar
Patrick Hart - keyboards
Joe Rehmer - bass
Richard Hargett - drums

"Quickie-Bio" - AIRSHIP ROCKETSHIP: Sleazy, synthy, dancy prog-pop. Loves the Miami weather. Songs featured on CSI:NY, Visa commercials. Well-kempt.

"Long-Bio" - AIRSHIP ROCKETSHIP: Spawned from the ashes of cassette tapes.

Actually, Airship Rocketship is simply the former Miami band Cassette with a flashy new name. Faced with the tiresome prospect of defeating dozens of other bands named Cassette, these men simply found a name that no one else shared.

This is not the only new feature of the band. The first album under the moniker Airship Rocketship, "Avarice and Fear," pegged for release in 2009, finds more of the extraordinary songwriting of Devin Smith that won hearts on 2007's "Beautiful California" (Honor Roll/Atomisk) but with the complement of a full band. This isn't just any band, either - more weight has been given to technical wizardry and it shows. The band effortlessly weaves complex polyrhythms and harmonized solos worthy of the finer metal bands, but all within the palette of danceable indie pop. Special care has been taken with arrangements, and debuts of the new material in Miami clubs has, by all accounts, kept the hipsters dancing and the metalheads impressed.

Airship Rocketship was thrown a bit of a curveball in July of 2008 when their drummer, Richard Hargett, was diagnosed with brain cancer. Fortunately, after a few intense months, his tumor is gone and the band is back to recording and rehearsing. The band is now taking its time putting finishing touches on the album, beginning to play live a bit, and prepping for the album release in 2009.

FACTS.

• Airship Rocketship was once named Cassette.
• Cassette's debut album, Beautiful California, spent over a month on the CMJ top 200.
• Beautiful California was made by Devin Smith and released in a very small run on Atomisk Records in 2005, and was released nationwide by Honor Roll Music and Atomisk Records in 2007. It consists of 35 songs over 36 minutes.
• Airship Rocketship songs have been featured in CSI:NY and in Visa's commercials for the 2006 olympics.
• Airship Rocketship plays Gibson instruments.
• There are many bands named Cassette. Perhaps 50.
• Before the name Airship Rocketship was decided upon, a google search for "Airship Rocketship" yielded no results.
• Under the name Cassette, Airship Rocketship embarked on a tour of the eastern US which lasted nearly a month, traveling from Miami to New York City to Chicago and in between.
• The band managed to make money on the tour despite soaring gas prices and having a car-top carrier containing all of their personal items explode on I95 in North Carolina.
• A second tour in Spring '08 of the DRRTY SOUTH featured much less drama, but was similarly successful.
• The members of Airship Rocketship have all been part of a very close-knit community of musicians in Miami for over 5 years and have made a great deal of music together under many different names. Much of that music is released for free download on Devin and Patrick's label, Atomisk Records.
• All members of Airship Rocketship make a living as musicians. Devin and Patrick write and record music for TV, commercials and films, and Rainer, Joe and Richard are in-demand freelance musicians. This is fortunate, because none of these men proved to be good at holding down day jobs.

http://airshiprocketship.com | http://myspace.com/airshiprocketship

http://atomisk.com | http://honorrollmusic.com