Courtesy Tier Debuts New Video for the Song "Cold"

Brooklyn's Courtesy Tier debuted a video that was so good, I couldn't help but share.

Official Music Video for the song "Cold" by Courtesy Tier From the Holy Hot Fire EP 

Recorded and Produced by Jeff Berner at Galuminum Foil Studios in Brooklyn, NY
Available here: Courtesy Tier
Courtesy Tier is;  Omer Leibovitz - guitar/vocals Layton Weedeman - drums/vocals

Directed by - Cameron Zonfrilli & John Welsh III
Produced by - Cory Choy & Silver Sound http://silversound.us/
AD/Producer - Reed Adler
Editor - Adam Abada
Colorist - Vladimir Kucherov
Director of Photographer - Andres Cardona

Production Assistant - Evan Zonfrilli
Production Company - Parlay Films

Gaffer - Terra Gorman
Grip - Brian Patierno
Art/Props/Swing - Danielle Pruden
Art/Swing - Peter Dodenhoff
Hair & Makeup - Sabrina De La Torre
Playback/Swing - Louis Gordon & Alex Portilla

Filmed at Parlay Studios http://www.parlaystudios.com/

The Courtesy Tier  Official

On the Wheels of Steel with DJ Laytonic

I've always been interested in the art of spinning records. Turntable science, mixing, the flow of hands from record to record and of course, the unique sampling I always found joy in. The ability to, not only move the crowd, but to control it's movement. My early childhood included an education from some of the very best. Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Jam Master Jay, Erik B. and Terminator X too name just a few. As I got older my interest in DJing grew and though I did my share of DJing in the CD format. It never came close to the joy and authenticity of putting the needle to the record and exploring the grooves on the vinyl. I hope that talking to some of my favorite current DJ's will bring me closer to that. Thanks Layton, James Damion

James: How did you get into DJing?

Layton: I've always wanted to DJ since I was a kid.
I grew up listening to a lot of cassette tapes my older cousin would give me when he wasn't using them anymore. Most of the tapes were from LL Cool J, Run DMC, and
the Beastie Boys. This would be my intro to hiphop music. From there I got more in tune to other artists like A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, De La Soul, and Mos Def. I always had a love for hiphop and hiphop culture since I was a kid, but was only a fan and avid listener.

Recently I moved to Coney Island, away from most of the people I know that live in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. It's a lot less expensive and allows me to focus on my music more intimately. This time away from the circus of non-stop nightlife and music events gave me time to get back to things I always wanted to do. So I went out and bought a cheap set of turntables and a mixer and borrowed a lot of vinyl from my Dad's collection. Within a few weeks I piled up on all my favorite hip-hip singles from growing up and stuff I'd heard over the years. Exploring parts of New York City for record shops and building up a higher score on eBay, I soon became a vinyl junkie.

James: What was the learning process like?

Layton: You'd be surprised how much information is out there online. Even though I grew up watching a lot of DJing from music videos and DJ battles, I just tried to figure it out on my own. I've found a ton of videos on YouTube that have helped me setup my turntables correctly and learned to do a few mixes. I'm a big fan of Electronic and Techno DJ's. I watch and listen to a lot of guys like Jamie XX, Actress, Caribou, and Lone. These guys do a lot of blending and smooth transitions between songs so there's never a gap in the music. Like a stream of consciousness or a continual thought. This technique is something I try to incorporate into spinning hiphop instrumentals.


James: Tell me a little about Laytonic and what you do/offer. What makes you stand out / stand apart? Is there a specific genre or music style you focus on?

Layton: Laytonic is a nickname that stuck with me from college and now it's a way for me to explore the elements that make up hip-hop music. I focus a lot on the production that was coming out in the 90's. Producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Q-Tip are some of my heroes. Part of me feels like not enough people really embrace their music. So I started collecting all my favorite cuts on vinyl and made sure the singles I bought had instrumentals. There's a lot of jazzy and rhythmic beats made by these amazing producers and I wanted to really create that vibe as a DJ. Even though a lot of the stuff I play is from the 90's, to me it has such a classic feel that it can't feel dated. Aside from the hiphop instrumentals I play, I also spin a good amount of R&B/Soul records from the 80's like Sade, Anita Baker, and Michael Jackson.

James: Where do you spin?

Layton: You can see me spinning in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Right now I'm working on a special event at Pianos Sunday April 7th during brunch. It's gonna be real chill and a perfect way to relax after a weekend of partying.

James: You grew up in the age of compact discs and are currently in an age of digital downloads. How did you originally get into vinyl.

Layton: One day a good friend of mine was explaining to me the process of digital media vs. analog. He told me about binary code and how digital media is comprised of a series of 1's and 0's to make up the code. Even though this code is minute and too small for the average person to hear a difference, the binary code is something our brains as listeners has to compute and interpret, whereas when we listen to an analog sound like vinyl, there is no binary code. The sound waves move out of the speakers as air and our eardrums are being stimulated by the air. So its a more natural way of listening. Have you ever tried to turn up your favorite song on an MP3? It can be pretty painful especially if you're wearing headphones. This could be my imagination, but there are times when I feel like I can turn the volume up pretty high when listening to vinyl and only want more. Like Dilla said
"Turn It Up!" A Little Louder!".

James: You recently travelled to Philly for Dilla Day. What was your introduction to his music?
Did you come back with anything particularly special or unique from that trip?

Layton: This past February was Dilla month. My all time favorite and hands down best producer of all time is J Dilla aka Jay Dee. He's been credited for creating Neo-Soul and gained a lot of attention for the Detroit music scene. The production he's done for groups like
A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Erykah Badu, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Madlib, and many more would not be who they are today if it wasn't for J Dilla. I first got exposed to his beats back in 1996 when I first heard
"Stakes Is High" by
De La Soul. I wasn't even a big De La fan at the time, but that beat was so compelling I had to have a copy. From there I started hearing his name on other amazing beats from Tribe, Busta Rhymes, and Janet Jackson. He soon became a household name for me and I wanted everything he put his mark on.

During my first year in college is when I first heard J Dilla's own group called Slum Village. He did all the beats for their first 2 albums and did his own emceeing for the first time. It was some of the greatest music I've ever heard. To this day I still listen to those beats and play some at my shows. Just a few years later from hearing that first Slum stuff I found out that he passed away from Lupus and rare blood complications that he'd been struggling with for years. He was born on February 7, 1974 and died on February 10, 2006. Since his death, fans from all over the world have embraced his legacy and have celebrated his life and music during the month of February. Now almost ever major city has an event in his name. This year I ventured down to where I grew up in Philly and attended Dilladelphia.
The place was packed with Dilla heads and there were performances and artwork shared that night in honor of him. The J Dilla Foundation was there as well and they have some of the best J Dilla merch where proceeds go to J Dilla's estate (his hospital bills are still being paid off). So I bought a couple t-shirts and a 7" single for my collection.

James: What's your vinyl collection made up of? What are the prized possessions?

Layton: All styles. I enjoy collecting a good amount of R&B/soul records from the Motown era. Artists like The Spinners, The Stylistics, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross can be found in my collection as well as rare and hard to find Hiphop singles like the underground hit
"Inner City Blues" by Rezidue (a New York artist featured on DJ Premier's NY Reality Check 101 Mixtape). A big supporter of Stones Throw, I own several of their releases including Jaylib, Madvillian,
Karriem Riggins,
Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Homeboy Sandman, all on vinyl. Through hiphop I got introduced to a lot of electronic music. I believe there's a time and place for all music. Listening to artists like Lukid or Lone really set a certain mood that can be atmospheric and up-beat. I also enjoy staying up to date with current trends in indie/alternative rock like Toro Y Moi and Atoms For Peace.
And I can't forget my college roots in jazz with my favorite Blue Note releases like
Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue", Grant Green "Street Of Dreams", and Lee Morgan
"The Sidewinder".

One of my prized possessions is a vinyl record by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery.
This was a record owned by Dilla. I found out that his mother Maureen Yancey was starting to sell a portion of his record collection to fans through eBay. Each record mailed out included a certificate of authenticity and a letter signed by Ma Dukes herself. Even though Dilla might not of used this record for one of his beats, it's still feels amazing to own something that belonged to him.

Laytonic  Check out Laytonic Here

Brooklyn's Courtesy Tier Offers "Something Better"

Brooklyn's Courtesy Tier have a new track up on their Bandcamp. It was issued December 26th 2012 and is available in numerous formats at a "Name Your Price" offer. "Something Better" was Recorded and Mixed by Ben Rice at DeGraw Sound in Brooklyn, NYand Mastered by Alan Douches at West Side Sound. Just check the link below.

Something Better

Talking with Omer Leibovitz of The Courtesy Tier

James: I keep looking back to the "Brick City Sound  Riot Festival" and the first time I saw the band  perform live. Though there were a over abundance of excellent performances, the Courtesy Tier offered a lot of interesting twists and turns. Can you give me a little background on the band? How you met and how you evolved?

Omer: Layton and I met in Boston around 2001.  We had both been Jersey boys Layton from south jersey growing up on a diet of grunge and Hip Hop. I grew up in North Jersey on more of a Punk Rock and Metal diet, but we both also loved the usual classics such as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan etc...

We were both freshmen attending Berklee college of music. We met in the dorms, naturally connecting on important issues such as pot consumption, psychedelics and music, we had decided it would be great to do some messing around.  At that time Layton had already been attending Berklee for a semester longer and when we would hang out he and his roommate would start exposing me to a whole lot of Jazz music they were studying: Coltrane, Elvin Jones (which became one of Layton's biggest influences), Grant Green (which became one of my greatest guitar influences).

To make this long story a bit shorter, we spent about 5 years playing in a 7 piece experimental rock band: Drums, bass, Keyboards, two guitars, and two saxophones. Touring around, playing festivals and such, until getting along became difficult, and truth be told once the drugs wore off a bit neither Layton and I wanted to experiment so freely with our music anymore.  So we broke up and started a 3 piece instrumental band called The Courtesy Tier and moved to NYC.  When Layton and I realized that we had wanted to get back to our rock roots and could not see eye to eye with our Bass player, he decided to go his own way and Layton and I decided we were gonna learn how to sing and move forward... Here we are now.

Originally Courtesy Tier was actually Courtesy Tear which was one of those joke sayings used by us and our friends at the time, referring to something crass we should not get in to.  We connected with what the name meant to us.

To Layton and I playing music is not about us it's really about the people we are interacting with.  We have always discussed how important it is to us that our live shows would not be about people coming to see us, but rather us coming to entertain and interact with people.  We were craving that authenticity we got from our Jersey VFW days.  When you felt like these bands you loved were on your team. And we wanted to get back to that, we didn't want to be another band doing anything for a record deal or money. Feeling like we were exploiting people who would come see us by charging as much as we could, or guilting them in to showing up just because some guy that might book us will be there and its all about impressing him.

Courtesy Tier, we connected with it. we wanted it to remind us to move slowly and make art that might actually better someones day, or make them happy or get them dancing.

James: How long did it take before you found your voice and felt that you could make things work/gel as a duo?

Omer: It's been about 3 years as a duo, and we are just starting to feel a bit closer to gelling the way we would like.

James: Did the sound and direction of the band change as the lineup changed?

Omer: Yes the sound has changed drastically, this is the most honest we have dared to be.

James: You mentioned how drugs were a big influence early on in the band. When did it stop working for you?

Omer: I don't know that they were a big influence, but they were around and I dont think they ever worked for any of us, I think they slowed us down.

James: Was it difficult at first to write and create without that influence?

Omer: No it was a very natural transition towards focusing more on achieving a musical vision verses before when we would be more on the instant gratification of the playing experience.

James: Though you come from the Jazz and Classic Rock background I can't help but feel a Alt Country vibe in a lot of your songs?

Layton: Absolutely Omer grew up listening to a lot of punk rock, but also loves country and Folk: Towns Van Zandt, Bob Dylan,

James: The song "Fall Asleep" from Holy Hot Fire had an immediate impact on me. I often found myself waking up with the songs rhythm in my head. I was curious about its inspiration and recording.

Omer: The basic song Layton and I wrote on the spot while jamming around, the words are a story of growing up, learning to accept that life is just a series of phases. People come and go ushering you from one world to the next, those who stick around are usually still teaching you.

James: The song "Cold" originally appeared on "Map and Marker" . What led to your decision to re-record it for "Holy Hot Fire"?

Omer: We re-recorded "Cold" because we really love playing that song. In the two years we've been playing it the composition has just kept developing, shifting and getting more involved. So we wanted to capture the new version the way we play it live.

James: Have you had the chance to tour in support of  "Holy Hot Fire"?

Omer: Not as much as we would like. We are going down south during March and hit up SXSW for a few shows.

James: I've seen you perform live a couple of times and have been very impressed by both performances. I've also noticed a big difference in your personalities on stage. While Layton is constantly smiling and looking as if he's having the time of his life. You seem a lot more subdued and focused. I might even go as far as saying possessed. How would you describe your personalities both on stage and off?

Omer: Yeah I don't think its a conscious thing, just kind of happens.  Layton has always been pretty laid back, and I have always been really afraid of singing and nervous in general so that might shine through a bit.

James: I understand you’re in the midst of writing new material. Can we expect another release soon?

Omer: Yeah, we are hoping by spring.

James: What are your goals with The Courtesy Tier? Where do you see yourselves going as both songwriters, musicians and as a band?

Omer: Creatively we are always pushing ourselves to stay inspired. For the next record we are working to try and satisfy our love for electronic elements in music, and loop based writing.

James: How do Omer and Layton measure success as a band?

Omer: Most importantly we want to like what we hear back. We also never let it get boring, we love to constantly push each other away from getting too comfortable and we do measure success through those small victories.

The Courtesy Tier  Band Site

The Courtesy Tier - Rescue Video

Check out the new video "Rescue" from The Courtesy Tier. Their EP "Holy Hot Fire" made our list of "The Best of 2011" and I did a recent show review covering the bands record releases party at Pianos in NYC. James Damion

The Courtesy Tier

Courtesy Tier's Record Release show at Pianos.

On Thursday night I managed to will myself off the couch and head down to the
Lower East Side in order to show my support to a band who was celebrating the official release of their new EP
"Holy Hot Fire". If you've seen my recent review you'll know that it's been on in heavy rotation at the United by bed and optional breakfast. As I pulled in to a spot just across from Pianos
I entertained the idea of grabbing a pastrami at Katz's before running in. However, the thought of entering Pianos smelling like a Pastrami suit in such hard economic times seemed risky.

As I made my way past the bar and headed towards the back of the club I couldn't believe it had been a few years since I'd attended a show. I'm pretty sure it was Beat The Devil.
As I made my way towards the front I couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth about the crowd. A lot of friends and family had shown up to see the band celebrate their release.

It was a good vibe to say the least. As Omer and Layton took the stage I couldn't help but recall the first time I saw the band back in September. It was a three day music festival with over forty bands playing their hearts out. The fact that they stood out amongst the enormous amount of talent there. 

The bands sound feels perfect in a small intimate setting with songs that have a rolling troubadour vibe often evoking imagery and emotion.
Think Tom Waits on a whiskey and chaw driven folky blues rampage. Omer looms as an ominous presence during songs. Perhaps channeling demons who are not quite ready for Happy Hour. Raising his brow after each song to interact and humbly thank the crowd. The bands drummer Layton is another story all together. Often smiling and taking not of familiar faces in the crowd.
At one point the amazingly talented Jessi Robertson joined the band on stage to sing "Standing Near" which is one of the tracks from "Holy Hot Fire's" EP.

Needless to say it was a good night worth missing the season finale of Burn Notice for.
Due to a rumbling in my stomach I sped off to the nearest greasy spoon for a late night meal and headed home to my better half. Check out the bands tunes and make you way out to see them live. James Damion


The Courtesy Tier
Jessi Robertson

Courtesy Tier - Holy Hot Fire

As the end of the year approaches I've been treated to a handful of releases that I would easily classify as the musical peaks of my 2011. "Holy Hot Fire" just might be the most surprising of the mix. Brooklyn's Courtesy Tier has existed in different forms over the last seven years or so but finally found a comfortable niche' working as a duo which features
Omer Leibovitz on guitar and Layton Weedeman on drums.
The EP grabs you from the very start with "Fall Asleep".
A song so addictive I found myself singing along long before I knew the actual lyrics. The songs  Alt-Country vibe is beautifully haunting, setting the tone for the emotional roller-coaster that is "Holy Hot Fire". Uplifting and warm at times, dark and emotionally crushing at others. Despite being a two piece Omer and Layton deliver a full sound that comes together perfectly. While "Fall Asleep", "Standing Near", "Friend" and "Calling Out" all share similar qualities and a somewhat haunting kinship, "Cold" stands as a rousing, frantic offering that gives the record a unique energy. Overall, the record is a perfect blend of Rock, The Blues and a quirky Alt-Country vibe. I'd highly recommend this to anyone with ears. James Damion


Buy it Here