Artist description Think Foo Fighters crossed with Superchunk musically, with Seaweed-style vocals. Try to make sure to check out Bob Penn's other projects, Retriever, Coco B's, and Wagner. Also make sure to check out Adam Orth's new project, Roosevelt.

Music Style Alternative/Indie Rock/Emo/burnt...

Musical Influences 70s classic rock, 80s metal, 90s alternative, etc.

Similar Artists foo fighters, samiam, seaweed, knapsack, superchunk, rival schools, jealous sound, sunday's best, skiploader, buffalo tom, superdrag

Artist History Neighborly began, in theory and fact, as a collaboration. Pat Wilson (Weezer) and I were roommates, doing Rush covers and various other demos in the basement of a house we shared in Portland, Oregon. The basic notion was that there would be no set line-up and no set songwriters. Bob Pyle and his friend Wes also played with us, Pat on guitar and me on drums, and whoever was there was there, and that would be the "Neighborly" sound. Then Skiploader broke up, I moved back to California, and Neighborly became another Tom Ackerman fronted rock band. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This second incarnation of Neighborly had another high concept that quickly fell by the wayside: I would be the shortest member of Neighborly, and we would be sonically and visually confrontational. The name would be ironic and we would then try to start shit whenever possible. Of course, I then went on to assemble perhaps the nicest bunch of guys you could ever imagine (Bob Penn-Drums, Val Wolfe-Guitar, and Wes Davis-Bass) and that concept was history. This version of Neighborly continued on for about a year when Wes quit, followed by Val. Val leaving was entirely my fault, I was being a dick, thinking I knew all the answers regarding the record business (Skiploader had after all been on Geffen) and so I basically treated him like a jerk until he left. I've already apologized to him, but I'll say it again, sorry Val. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Next up, Adam Orth joined the band and Neighborly became a power-trio. Initially, he was going to temporarily play bass and help record some of our new songs (and help polish some old ones). But the practice room was alive with magic and the recording came out great and so he joined and Neighborly signed to Rubber Records. The Grass is Greener CD was completed, mixed by Mark Trombino, and Neighborly went to SxSW for our first road trip. The guys played great, but like the ass I am I got stoned beforehand and kind of sucked it up. We met the band Cinderleaf, shook some hands, saw some good shows, but generally left SxSW somewhat down. Furthermore, a discussion on the way home revealed what people really thought of the material and I felt a real sense of doom settle on the project. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In an effort to inject some new spirit into the band, Roger Marenelli joined the band on second guitar for a few months and some new songs were written, but I still felt pretty sad about the whole project. Then Sunday's Best asked me to be their fill-in drummer. Suddenly, I felt the joy of playing again. Neighborly was toast. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ All that took place back from Spring of 1996 through Fall of 1998. Then, early in 2000, the record was still not released as Rubber never did get the P & D deal they were hoping for and Shawn Schultz from SUNSEASKY asked to put it out. Huge thanks is owed to Tripp DuBois and Rob Gordon for giving up the record despite spending several thousand dollars in studio/mastering time and having Trombino mix it. Right before Shawn mastered the CD, I tracked one of the 2 unrecorded Neighborly songs ("I Concede the Point" - the other one became a Sunday's best song – "In Beats like Trains") with the help of Ian Moreno from Sunday's Best. Also included as a hidden track was a very old song entitled "Jarvik 7", which features Pat Wilson on drums and guitar, and several different versions of songs that seemed to have lost something in their reworking with Adam and Trombino. It is perhaps poetic justice that the end result of this somewhat strange, 4-year odyssey, is again a collaboration: "Grass is Greener" features 4 guitar players, 3 bassists, 3 drummers, 6 engineers, 4 singers, and 2 labels. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As for the future of Neighborly, they say "never say never," but my guess is that "Grass is Greener" is a posthumous Neighborly release. Bob is busy doing the Coco B's and Wagner, Adam has a new band called Roosevelt, and I'm pretty busy with Sunday's Best. Two of the biggest Neighborly fans though are Ian and James of Sunday's Best, and they've offered to learn the material whenever I want, so who knows what will happen. I just hope fans of Sunday's Best and/or Skiploader (or anyone else for that matter) enjoy these songs... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Again, huge thanks to Shawn Schultz, for without his tenacity and love of my dumb music, these songs might have never seen the light of day...

Group Members Tom Ackerman - vocals, guitar Adam Orth - bass, vocals, piano Bob Penn - drums, shakers, tambourine Wes Davis - bass guitar Val Wolfe - lead guitar

Instruments Marshal JMP 50 watt, Ampeg SVT Classic, Ludwig

Albums Grass Is Greener

Press Reviews SIGNAL DRENCH ONLINE Neighborly "Grass is Greener" (SUNSEASKY) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neighborly is the brainchild of Tom Ackerman, former lead singer and guitarist for the Portland, Oregon-based band, Skiploader, and current drummer for Sunday's Best. Tom also played drums on (and engineered a good portion of) the debut from former Knapsack frontman Blair Shehan's project, The Jealous Sound. Skiploader disbanded after two full-lengths and one EP, after which Tom attended Loyola University in an effort to improve his recording skills. Neighborly was created when Tom met up with some old friends who had followed his lead and ventured out to California. I had never heard of Tom Ackerman before, so I had no idea what to expect when I first put Grass Is Greener into my stereo. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The sound on Grass Is Greener is not far from Skiploader's efforts, with maybe a little more solid pop structure. This could stem from the fact that Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Boilermaker, Garden Variety, Drive Like Jehu), a studio wizard and friend of Ackerman's, mixed the album. As a result, the 10 songs that make up Grass Is Greener are quite intelligent and catchy. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Besides the help of Trombino, good songwriting can help too. Ackerman's lyrics hold your attention with their intelligence and sinceri ty. "The image was so stunning, you on the concrete running, with your pants down," Ackerman sings as he welcomes you to the album with the catchy "I Concede The Point." "Somewhere I'm drunk and toasting, soon to slip into fuzzy regret," he sings on "Spark And Flash," immediately gaining your sympathy. And he balances the downtrodden moments with more empowering lines like "Thought opportunity had knocked me off my feet? Here I stand still smiling, sparkling..." in "Cut To Chase." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The 10 songs that make up Grass Is Greener bounce from catchy pop to slightly more straight-ahead rock, keeping you on the fence about whether or not you like it. Then, when the eighth track, and perhaps the highlight of the album, "Vandalized," comes along, you start to lean a little more towards thinking you like it. Moments later, the album comes to a close with "Spark And Flash," and you hit play again, realizing you just heard a damn fine album, and you have to listen to it again. +++++++++++++++++++++OTHER REVIEWS+++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/apr-30-01/aag.html http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/4-01/4-2-01.shtml http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/37r38.html http://www.fungamemassive.com/reviews_n_audio.html http://www.actionattackhelicopter.com/current/contents/reviews/records/n.html http://www.invisibleyouth.com/old/n-s.htm

Additional Info http://www.sundaysbest.net

Location Los Angeles, CA - USA

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