Rarely photographed without multi-colored leather hi tops, turquoise or pink T-shirts, and skinny jeans, the two members of the Carps wear their hipster cred on their sleeves while making a full and unique blend of R&B and stripped-down indie rock -- as a two-piece, no less. Neil White became friends with Jahmel Tonge at the university in Scarborough, Toronto, and the two started creating music as a free-spirited pastime to fill the hours between skateboarding and golfing. Melding influences from the opposite ends of the musical spectrum (Tonge grew up on Motown while White listened to psychedelic rock and punk), the duo started jamming and playing clubs around the city. With a soulful Terence Trent D'Arby-esque voice, Tonge took to the drum stool vocalizing about urban strife and the debauchery of hipsters, while White added to the meat of the sound with dirty, distorted bass tones.
© 2009
