RethinkPopMusic – CMJ Night 2 feat Courtesy Tier, November 11, 2011

“Wielding only a guitar and drums, Omer Leibovitz & Layton Weedeman proved excellent musicians require very little to produce complex and appealing genre-crossing music.”

QRO Magazine – Album Review (The Resolution), September 7, 2011

“Brooklyn’s Courtesy Tier bring an alt country crush of feelings on The Resolution.”

QRO Magazine – Concert Review (Bushwick Walkabout), August 26, 2011

“…another major find/surprise, The Courtesy Tier. If you’d heard them on record on their recently released The Resolution, you would have no idea that they were only a guitar-and-drums duo…”

Best Live Acts of Winter/Spring – Countdown!

Knocks From The Underground, July 11, 2011
“Omer’s playing is a full-throttle electrified jazz, structured with the straights of the blues. It kills. If Brooklyn were into guitar solos, he would be king.”

Northside Music Festival: Play-by-Play Coverage

blaqbook – Aaron Miguel Santos, June 16, 2011
“Beginning the evening were The Courtesy Tier, a two-piece from Brooklyn. While I feel like there have been two pieces popping up all over the place lately, I’d been hearing about The Courtesy Tier for sometime. Just ask my compatriot Ting Ting Guan, she’ll gush for hours about them. Anyway, for once the hype matched up to the bands performance.

Decidedly groove oriented, The Courtesy Tier could best be described as a rock and roll band that loves R&B, except with a much different execution. The band rose higher than just being blues rock, they played blues rock that makes you want to shake, rattle, and roll. Adding to the band’s energy was the tight interplay between both members, both members of the band played off one another really well to the point where almost everyone in the audience was moving by the end of their set.”

The Courtesy Tier release debut album “The Resolution” at Pianos on May 26

The Deli NYC – Meijin Bruttomesso, May 25, 2011
“The Courtesy Tier, Brooklyn-based duo and experts in the multiplication of sound, have completed their full length record, “The Resolution.” Sauntering beats and freewheeling vocal/guitar melodies of “Standing Near” introduce the bight but haunting nature of the album. A rush of distortion, recurring arpeggios, and syncopated percussion on “Rescue” transition into “Peaches” which steers “The Resolution” into a harder direction, while “Alright Mama” decelerates the record into a beautifully crafted, poignant lullaby. Light drums proceed into guitars that alternate between ringing and grungy on “Morning Run”. “Hey Bee” commences with vibrant vocals that are joined unexpectedly by sultry riffs and heavy-hitting backbeats. Howling and echoing “Calling Out” fades into the final track, “Home,” which rounds out the record, returning to the peacefully melancholy mood. “The Resolution” is a masterfully made album that balances bluesy, balladic, and buoyant. Come out and celebrate the release of “The Resolution” on May 26 at Pianos.”

Show Review: Pianos | Monuments, Courtesy Tier, The Yes Way, The Prigs

blaqbook – Ting Ting Guan, May 31 2011
“…Courtesy Tier is a two piece group, but you wouldn’t know it from watching them play, their sound is huge and full. The Courtesy Tier had catchy beats that undoubtedly got my booty shaking. Damn, I was impressed. Not many two piece groups get my attention but, these guys were amazing.”

The Courtesy Tier: October 21, 2010 NYCTaper CMJ Day Party – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

nyctaper
“I was introduced to The Courtesy Tier through our friends at Backyard Brunch Sessions, so while I knew they wrote excellent songs, I didn’t realize how hard they could actually rock. The duo of Omer Liebovitz on vocals and guitar and Layton Weedeman on drums and backing vox plays heavy, 70s-inspired rock that, even at 1:30 in the afternoon, had the power get people out of their seats. We could not have asked for a better act to kick off the NYCTaper Unofficial CMJ Day Party – guys with great attitudes, stellar music and an obvious love of what they do. Each of the four songs in this short set is a standout, perhaps none moreso than the closer, “Cold,” which the band also did an acoustic version of during their Backyard Brunch set. The band should be introducing their first full-length record to the world soon. We recommend you give it a listen, along with the singles and EPs available for sale at their website.”

Best of NYC #34: The Courtesy Tier, live on Bedford Ave, 6.21

The Deli NYC
“The powerful sound and bluesy harmonies that lace each track on The Courtesy Tier’s latest EP, “Map and Marker”, simply attest the to the fact that when it comes to music, less really can be more. The Brooklyn-based duo consisting of Omer on guitar and vocals, and Layton on drums and vocals, channels the raw, magnetic vibe of Jimmy Hendrix capped off with bluesy confidence and an electric energy that feels contagious at first listen. Uncontrived lyrics blend with catchy rhythms, giving listeners just enough rock to stimulate the body and words that will speak to an assortment of ages and tastes. It’s no surprise the satisfying melodies of The Courtesy Tier has them climbing quickly and seamlessly to the top of the Brooklyn music food chain. The Courtesy Tier will play Make Music New York on Bedford Ave (Williamsburg) on Monday June 21.” – CM

The Courtesy Tier @ Mercury Lounge

Ross Edwards, Knocks From The Underground
“They took the stage, the duo, be-flanneled and hairy, singer and guitarist Omer Leibovitz’s worn features circling, bird-like, in front of the microphone, while Layton Weedeman saddled up next to him, nestled by a drumset. Mercury Lounge’s audience filtered in punctually. Though cold as shit and rainy outside, inside was warm and cozy with fans and friends savoring the raw flavor of blues-burnt rock.

You know them, you love them, because The Courtesy Tier are seasoned performers and musicians, and play together like a no-frills dynamic duo, neither member pushing for the prominent role. Pretty much constant playing is required by both for their rocking symbiosis – Omer provides the thrashy guitars and punk-blues vocals, and Layton the clicking, splashing foundation of drums and vocal harmonies. The vibe was all the more welcoming as the Courtesy Tier sounds pretty mature, because they don’t treat the audience like idiots. They are comfortable presenting their own thing, fine with being themselves onstage, not relying on patronizing shock value or cutesy bullshit.

The set was songs on the short side, lyrics as honest and forthright as their instrumental playing: “I need a friend…I need a friend…I need a friend to show me how to live again.” They capture simple, serious, important feelings that none of us pay particular attention to, and preserve them in concise songs that just get the point across. But they’re not downers either, as each song has a Hendrix-like heaviness and an old school blues influence (often with unison guitar and vocal lines), played with smashing precision. They’re playing at Don Pedros on Feb. 6th in Brooklyn, recommended!”

The Courtesy Tier plays The Delancey on June 6

Nicholas Palumbo, The Deli Magazine
“There are many great duos in music today: The White Stripes, Matt & Kim, Tegan & Sara. Very soon, we will be able to add The Courtesy Tier to the ongoing list of duos making an impact. With hints and traces of Explosions in the Sky and The Von Bondies, The Courtesy Tier has the perfect combination of alt rock and blues running through their bloodstream and spends no time shoving it in your face like wedding cake. “Map and a Marker” is a their debut EP, check the guys out at The Delancey on June 6.” – Nicholas Palumbo

Open Contest Result: INDIE ROCK + ELECTRO ROCK: The Courtesy Tier

The Deli Magazine
Categories: Indie Rock + Electro Rock
Region: NYC + NJ + Long Island
Jurors: Deli Ryan, Chicago and Philadelphia Editors

NOMINATED FOR NEXT PHASE
1. The Courtesy Tier – 8
2. Anamanaguchi – 7.5
2. Streetlab – 7.5
2. Zambri – 7.5

The Courtesy Tier – Map and a Marker

Eric Dennis, Spectrum Culture
“In this current indie landscape where countless bands seem intent on churning out inaccessible albums in the name of experimentation, The Courtesy Tier’s straightforward blues/garage rock hybrid sounds out of place. Of course there are still plenty of indie bands who understand that muddying the water just to make it look deep doesn’t always work, and that sometimes lyrical and musical directness and a lack of bullshit frills is the best approach. Still – to these aging 31-year old ears at least – too often modern albums fail because they try to accomplish too much, with too many studio tricks, synths, layers, reverbs, bells, whistles, cocks and weenies thrown into the mix. If I sound like a Luddite, so be it, but it’s hard to argue that such studio and software program excesses haven’t hindered more albums than they’ve helped.

Although it won’t spawn any new musical genres, The Courtesy Tier’s Map and a Marker succeeds because of its direct and organic approach. Its five songs pulse with ringing guitars, insistent drums, soaring lead vocals and occasional background harmonies. A Brooklyn-based duo consisting of Omer Leibovitz (guitar/vocals) and Layton Weedeman (drums/vocals), the band approaches each track quite similarly, reducing the songs to their most basic elements. From opener Buddy Casey to closer While I’m Gone, the songs’ momentum never really lets up. There are few wasted notes and no extraneous filler here; even the sometimes-lengthy instrumental breaks found on most songs (especially Friend) do not sound overindulgent in the least.

The mix is likewise punchy and vibrant; in a welcome break from the incoherent sludge that too often comes across this reviewer’s ears, the vocals are up front and entirely audible. Leibovitz’s voice is strong and fits in nicely with the songs’ arrangements, avoiding those ticks and histrionics that tend to invite parody and well-deserved derision from indie fans. While not remarkable, the lyrics avoid gut-wrenching poetics and are solid enough, with Cold heavy with fatalistic undertones and While I’m Gone ambiguous in its narrator’s intentions (why does the narrator keep advising someone to not leave the porch light on?). Map and a Marker sounds labored over and crafted but not excessively so; the duo’s instrumental proficiency is apparent throughout but never makes the songs feel clinical or predictable.

At a shade over 20 minutes, Map and a Marker is brief, but as an EP it offers a great introduction to The Courtesy Tier. Though the duo’s style is not revolutionary and other bands mine similar musical territory – I can already see the inevitable comparisons to The Black Keys – the songs here are both unpretentious and uniformly excellent, with an economy of playing that bypasses fluff in favor of substance. While there’s always pause for praising a band too much based only on an EP, Map and a Marker shows a band playing to its strengths and foregoing those studio embellishments in favor of something immediate and direct.”

by Eric Dennis

From The Editor’s Desk

Jim Testa, Jersey Beat 2008
“Remember when the White Stripes were a novelty? Now the idea of a two-person band in indie-rock is commonplace; add to the list The Courtesy Tier – Omer Leibovitz (guitar/vocals) and Layton Weedeman (drums/vocals,) who infuse this 5-song EP with a finely honed sense of dread. There’s something almost creepy in the droning vocals and frenetic tempos, a nuanced sense of urban menace that helps the stripped-down arrangements hold your interest. Melding basic blues tropes with sinuous, deceptively intricate world-beat rhythms, the clarity and focus of these five songs parlay the adage “less is more” into a beguiling introduction to a band I’ll be listening for in the future.”

NY Band Briefs

Sam Houghton, Knocks From The Underground
“Courtesy Tier is another band using the Indie train to bring us back to the blues. Like the Black Keys and White Stripes and a couple others, Courtesy Tier pounds off with the drum and guitar duo trick. With only three mics and a room not larger than a closet, the two recorded their first album last summer, Map and Maker. The result shows us a band with some heavy noise and grunge. Guitarist Omer Leibovitz keeps his melodies simple but poignant and sharp, speeding up old John Lee Hooker riffs. His guitar has a definite edge and oomph to it. He uses a similar technique to the old blues greats, before electric basses were invented, keeping a thick rhythm with the lower strings and ripping out treble with the higher strings. Drummer Layton Weedeman compares with Stone Temple Pilots’ drummer, Eric Kretz: really loud, but clear and crashing drum lines. He’s radical, smashing with might. Their strength is definitely in their instrumentals, not jams or solos but extended rock outs where the hair and sweat flows and the high-flying noise expands and claims the environment. Songs like “Friend” may border on head-banging, making them an easy target for The Trash Bar, but where some heavy metal bands melt and fade into silliness, Courtesy Tier remains a more soulful, heavy blues band. A great song to check out is “Buddy Casey,” one of their more psychedelic numbers. It’s slower, but has a definite rebelliousness and drive to it. It’s the sound of an army of vigil antis lurking in the shadows, dwelling in their desire for some sort of vengeance. Courtesy Tier is a reminder that good things happen when you stick to the roots.”

Silver Sound Band Battle @ Public Assembly 8.12.09

Veronica Thew, Jezebel Music
“The band’s spotless performance is attributable to the fact that guitarist, Omer Leibovitz, and drummer, Layton Weedeman, have been playing together for over seven years. The result is reminiscent of Cold War Kids’ music – a hard but energizing kind of rock that is only possible with the aid of true talent. Fittingly, the band closed with “Cold,” a fast-licking number that demanded from both band members a dexterity that bordered on virtuosity.”

The Courtesy Tier at Pianos

Meg Wilhoite, kleineKultur – NYCKultur
“We’ll play better for you if you show that you like us,” promised the frontman of Brooklyn’s The Courtesy Tier last Sunday night, from the Showroom stage at Pianos. He must have been satisfied by the audience’s response, as the cohesive guitar/drum duo gave their all throughout their vigorous eight-song set. Loud and gritty, and sounding something along the lines of The Black Keys on overdrive, The Courtesy Tier’s music was bluesy-rock mixed with a dash of chaos. The final song in particular seemed to form out of the turbulent ether, with an extended intro featuring soft mallets on cymbals and guitar din. Live looping and a darker, sparser sound set the third song apart from the others, while the fourth song featured a rare repeating melodic pattern in the guitar, turning the song into a kind of indie ballad.

Frenetic and intense, The Courtesy Tier rise.