"It's kind of strange," notes Neil Luckett, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of tvfordogs, "We made this album as an epitaph to another band. Thinking it would be a real shame not to record all the material I'd written, we went ahead. My feeling was 'if nothing happens, well that's fine.' But when we heard the outcome, there was no turning back." From the ashes of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (the band, not the television program) arises the London-based tvfordogs. Featuring Andres Luengo on drums, bassist Mark Homer, and Sarah Freestone, the person who does bits and pieces (strings, percussion, extra guitar, etc.), Luckett forged ahead as unplanned. "The baptism of fire for me was transforming from a non-singer to a singer. It was a very fast process. Aside from the initial shock of hearing my voice in the play-back, the emotion was highly evident since I'd composed the songs and was able to sing from the heart. I was really feeling what I meant and it affected my guitar technique as well. And being 6 foot 6, I was aware of being exposed by just playing guitar." Though Heavy Denver arrives with the fervor of a live performance, Luckett explains these songs were literally recorded in the bedroom! There was no human interaction. But we've known each other for years and have been playing live quite a bit, so we could render our parts as if we were on stage knocking heads. With an old college friend, Rich Jarman, seeking experience behind the console and providing a much-appreciated objective set of ears, Luckett drew from a myriad of influences during the making of tvfordogs recorded bow. The progression from start to finish mirrors his own personal history. When I first started in music, I was into punk. Then I gradually learned various skills. Now I lecture in guitar at the University of London and compose string quartets. Among my favorite songwriters are the Beatles, of course, and XTC, the Posies, Eels, E, and, believe it or not, Stone Temple Pilots. You can hear all those elements in tvfordogs. In concert tvfordogs appears in various configurations. The four of us can opt for either electric or acoustic sets, with or without string accompaniment. It all depends on who is available at any given time. It keeps the band fresh. We never repeat ourselves. Leaving almost everything to chance, the band moniker and the album title were borne of impulse and facetious observation. The name 'tvfordogs' comes from a Brazilian musician I worked with. It's actually a euphemism for rotisseries in his country. When cooking a chicken, for example, scores of dogs would line up and stare at the cooker as if it were a TV screen. It struck me as a humorous image. And Heavy Denver is a reference to a BBC comedy show which spoofs a mythical rock band, Bad News, who were seeking a term to define their musical style. It's always interesting to see how many people notice the reference!" ******** "Trust me, you will not have a minute to daydream or become bored listening to tvfordogs. This CD is concrete proof that TV is for dogs and music is for humans." --MuzikMan, MusicDish "Heavy Denver is strongly reminiscent to the Foo Fighters' The Colour and the Shape. Since I think that particular album is one of the most dramatically underrated rock albums of the last several years, you can imagine I'm pretty pleased with what's coming out of my headphones right now." --John Scalzi, IndieCrit "Unlike most rock, which has all the depth of a one-trick pony, tvfordogs, like the best rock bands past and present, shifts gears and blends songs in a way that not only puts the individual songs in best relief, but takes the listener on a journey." --Mark Kirby, MusicDish