bio
From the heartland of America to the underbelly of Berlin. Foolhardy transcends international and musical boundaries. Founded by Michael Hardy and taken under the wing of producer Guy Sternberg in 2003, the group remains faithful to the indie pop traditions of melodic sensibility and poignant introspection.
Drawing influences from the Smiths and Stone Roses to the Flaming Lips and Nada Surf, the cross-pollination of FM rock and euro-shoegazing on this debut effort is packed with catchy tunes and darkly beautiful imagery.
The release of Foolhardy was quickly affirmed when Hamlet allegory "Where's your daddy?" placed No. 5 in Broadjam.com's Presidential Debate Jam '04. Shortly thereafter the ode to Berlin nightlife "White Trash Rain" was selected as a Top 5 finisher in the Midwest Song Contest. Recently, the mesmerizing ballad "Gravity" has been named a finalist in the 2005 Free Fall Songwriting Contest sponsored by Musicians Resource. And the album harbors even more undiscovered treasures. Arts magazine Little Village writes, "The music has a surface sheen of polite conventionality, but something dark and sad roils underneath."
Foolhardy is a truly international effort with a global cast of characters. The driving force behind the project is Michael Hardy. A childhood in suburban Oklahoma found him peering across the Atlantic for inspiration. After college, Hardy left for Europe with a backpack and a guitar - and a thirst for adventure. After a stint transversing the continent, he settled in Berlin for an extended stay. There he leapt into the music scene as a DJ and guitar sideman. A familiar face at the infamous White Trash Fast Food in Berlin-Mitte, Hardy befriended producer and engineer Guy Sternberg, who encouraged him to lay down tracks at Low Swing Studios.
The effort was soon joined by Berlin vocalist Sandy Koeckeritz, recognizable to German music fans as a member of Nena's touring band. Drummer Snorre Schwarz of Di Grine Kuzine lent his extraordinary rhythmic talents. And Maxmilian Hecker's favorite bassist Norman Nitzsche provided the low end.
The result is a work of melodic gratification woven together by sentimental poetics. The music finds its heart in the eighties and its inspiration in the works of Shakespeare, Blake, and T.S. Eliot. The debut Foolhardy album is a soundtrack for life in a gray, European metropolis.