Music Nation is a Music Video Competition for Independent Artists

Peter Block and Caleb Sherman grew up just blocks apart on New York City’s upper east side, but never met each other until 2003 when their musical worlds collided. Finding they resonated as songwriting partners, together they created the acoustic quartet Porter Block. Suburban Sprawl is their first full length effort, thirteen tracks spotlighting Porter Block’s infectious indie pop smarts. Laced with stacked vocal harmonies amid acoustic arrangements (mandolin, Dobro slide guitar and stand up bass), Porter Block's songwriting owes much to a previous generations of talented tunesmiths, the kind of hummable melodies and hook-laden lines which seem to stay with you... Suburban Sprawl’s tracklisting goes through a song cycle of sorts, recalling the simple instrumentation and production style of the Warner/Reprise and Asylum records made in and around California in the early to mid 1970’s. There is little on Suburban Sprawl in terms of electronic beats or modern keyboard noodling; most songs use simple percussion and tambourine as a back beat, yet that certainly doesn’t prevent Porter Block from swinging on the upbeat pop songs. Peter Block grew up in a musical house – his mother was a Chamber music graduate in piano – and his initial venture into music was contributing musical shorts for advertisements and films, eventually forming his first band, Tripasaurus vs Blockhead in 2003. More recently, he collaborated with ADM from the Lordz of Brooklyn, and Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips of LUNA. Caleb Sherman made his band's first record with legendary producer Bernard Edwards. He then went on to lend his production talents to artists in Nashville to New York. (Her and Kings County, The New Black) Suburban Sprawl has generated early comparisons ranging from Fountains of Wayne to Crowded House, but Block counters the influences are from an earlier era, “there's the typical Beatles & Beach Boys infatuation... but also power pop type song writing taking cues from the likes of Big Star and Badfinger” Porter Block was recently asked to take part in the indie-rock compilation "Guilt By Association" alongside Devendra Barnhart, Mooney Suzuki, Jim O'Rourke, and Superchunk, among others, scheduled for release spring of 2007. "Porter Block may be the missing link between folk and rock. The New York City-based band's driving beats and catchy choruses are what rock 'n' roll is all about, but their insightful lyrics and skill on acoustic and slide guitar allude to a more sensitive side." -- Performing Songwriter, September/October 2007