Video shot and edited by Paul Giret. Audio recorded by Alan Sanderson. Produced by Myles Crawley.

By Myles Crawley
One of the many things that I absolutely love about working with Project Rhythm Seed is the free music. We receive new CD’s and album downloads quite regularly from the many PR/publicity firms that we work with. So many that quite honestly there are times when CD’s pile up for a bit before getting opened and listened to. In the same such manner I recently became aware of a new band from New York called The Dig. I received their new CD, Electric Toys, in a stack with about 10 others. It took me about a week to get down to listening to them, but oh what a pleasant surprise for me when I finally did.

“Carry Me Home” is the first track on Electric Toys. It opens up with piano, before the drums, guitar and synth come in on this great groove. Singer/ bassist, Emile Mosseri, begins singing the verse and from the first listen I know I like this song. When the chorus kicks in it becomes love at first listen. “Carry Me Home” is a great track and it immediately perked my ears. The next song, a rhythmic piece with a quirky lyric called “Two Sisters in Love, sung by guitarist David Baldwin, chugs along like a moving train with a heavy guitar riff anchoring the chorus. Another great song!

Okay, so I’m thinking that this can’t last. Track three starts. It’s a song called “You’re Already Gone”. Back to Mosseri singing. He and Baldwin switch back and forth seamlessly – I didn’t even realize there were two main singers until I saw them play. This song is even better than the first two. By this point it was clear to me that The Dig know how to write hit songs. The sweeping synth used by keyboardist Erich Eiser adds a layer of infectiousness to The Dig’s sound that really works. It rides effortlessly on top of the rhythms played by drummer Jamie Alegre and weaves the band’s sound together, creating a signature that is undeniable.

The rest of the album is just as good. “Penitentiary” and “Feel Like Somebody Else” are exquisite. Believe it or not, this album is self-released. Don’t ask me why. I would think the labels would be lining up to sign these guys. It makes no difference though. This is a fabulous piece of work. After listening to the entire album a few hundred times, I contacted their PR company and asked if the band would be interested in videotaping an interview and acoustic performance. To my delight, they said yes.

We got together a couple of weeks later when the band was in San Diego playing House of Blues. Across the street from HOB there is a great little Irish pub called Stout. The owner Mark Pendergrast, was kind enough to let us use an upstairs area. We recorded an interview and three acoustic songs with The Dig, the first of which, along with the interview, we will share with you today. We hope you enjoy. Part 2 will be up next week, so stay tuned. The Dig’s album, Electric Toys, is available here. Buy it. You won’t regret it.