RACCOON FIGHTER

Hailing from the borough of Queens, Raccoon Fighter have been keeping rock & roll alive in the NYC since 2009. Friends since grade school, Sean Gavigan (vox/guitar) and Zac Ciancaglini (drums) have been playing in bands together for over a decade. Originally from small farm town - Vineland, NJ, the duo came up in Philadelphia and relocated to New York in 2008 to work in recording studios and start a new band. They played their first show at the late/great Glasslands in the summer of 2009 where they met Gabe Wilhelm (vox/bass) - also a Vineland native - who had relocated to do much the same in 2005. Wilhelm (who was previously in Ryan Adams band The Cardinals during the making of Easy Tiger) joined on bass and instantly became a permanent fixture and collaborative songwriter. Collectively combined, they’ve had the pleasure of working in the studio with Blonde Redhead, Real Estate, Willie Nelson, Minnie Driver and Warren Haynes to name a few. Their experience and versatility is apparent in the upcoming release Hover Craft, set to arrive August 26 on PaperCup Music - a perfect blend of polished punk, psychedelia and lo-fi, fuzzy, garage bliss.

Since forming in 2009 they've built a solid fan base touring throughout North America with a staggering energy and out of control live show. They’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of X Ambassadors, Joywave, Das Racist, Sunflower Bean, Jukebox The Ghost, Spirit Family Reunion, Ex Cops, Ski Beatz and The London Souls among many other local greats. The end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 brought the band good fortune as they landed a few TV placements, including two songs on the Showtime series ‘Shameless’, beginning with the season premiere and multiple MTV spots. Their last EP, Spiral Flag, produced and recorded by the band on 4-track cassette, and released on cassette, charted on the CMJ chart at #18. The record, in the words of the Weekly Alibi, “comes off like a brawl between The Beatles’ “White Album” and T Rex' The Slider all the while putting their own modern twist on things, creating a sound that’s both timeless and feels particularly of-the-moment”.

Hailed as "Masters of the short-form album" by Popmatters, their upcoming release Hover Craft continues on this path and raises the bar for what's to come. Recorded at Strangeweather by comrade Rich Crescenti and mixed at Russell Street Recording by longtime confidant Alex Lipsen (Nada Surf, Phosphorescent, Okkervil River).