Album Notes

"NYCSmoke is distinguished by its combination of straight-ahead Rock Instrumentation and smarter than usual lyrics. Statland proves to be an astute observer of society and humanity."
--Billboard Magazine

"There isn't a better or more underrated rock band representing the Lower East Side right now than New York City Smoke. Ryan Adams wishes he could be Howie Statland"
--IRT Magazine

"The lyrics move across the guitars like snapshots of big city life, sometimes slipping into the shallowness of the gutters, sometimes flying between the skyscrapers, but always very street-tied and filling out the urban ache with raw honesty and tight rhythms."
--The Big Takeover

New York City Smoke has shared the bill with such acts as Interpol, The Bravery, JET, Franz Ferdinand, New York Dolls, and They Might Be Giants. Statland formed NYCSmoke in the aftermath of several years with Thin Lizard Dawn, the dynamic power-pop four-piece with two critically acclaimed releases on RCA Records. Statland also wrote, directed and scored the widely screened independent indie films Low Flame and NYCAria. He has also written movie scores for directors such as Ralph Steiner, and collaborated with composer Philip Glass.

"Permission to Get Down" is NYCSmoke's 5th independent release.