Long Leads: Austinist Presents Little Joy at the Parish

Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti's side project is one of those ventures that doesn't benefit at all from constantly being referred to as a peripheral occurrence. Moretti's Little Joy, with Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, is the love child of the pair's fast friendship, which came to pass at a Portuguese festival in Lisbon a year ago. When Amarante returned to the states to begin recording with Devendra Banhart on Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, he met with Moretti during off hours and the two met Binki Shapiro, who encouraged them to collaborate. Eventually, the trio would get together late at night and take turns exploring pieces together. Within a couple of months, they were all shacked up in L.A. working on Little Joy (named for the cocktail lounge near the house) with Noah Georgeson, who had recorded Banhart’s album. Perhaps predictably, Moretti and Shapiro became lovers.

The sound is a smooth blend of '60s pop, Jamaican and Hawaiian vibes, and some Shapiro vocals / glockenspiel for good measure. In some ways, it's a perfect union between the Strokes and Los Hermanos, filtering traditional music through an art rock filter to great effect. We're very much looking forward to November 29, when the band will roll through Austin and play at the Parish with Dead Trees and True Widow (sounds like an ominous opening). Austinist is proud to present the show along with 101X's Next Big Thing, Beggars Group and C3. Stay tuned, we'll be giving tickets away closer to the date!

Little Joy [MySpace] [@ Beggars]