Chad Browne-Springer, a 24-year-old musician from East Hartford, was already performing solo shows around Connecticut when guitarist Mark Lyon approached him about starting a band.
A few lineup changes later (and only a couple of days after losing its drummer), Phat A$tronaut recorded “The Fifth Dimension,” its debut LP, with engineer Tim Walsh at Bridgeport’s Gold Coast Recorders. The album mixes R&B, funk and soul with psychedelic rock, Caribbean rhythms, hip-hop and disco.
Now a well-established, exciting live act, Phat A$tronaut has developed a strong visual component to the music, including a video for the single “Puppy Love” (shot by Browne-Springer) and a recent entry into NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. The band opens for M.A.K.U. Soundsystem at Cafe Nine in New Haven on April 21.
Browne-Springer sat down with Courant music writer Mike Hamad in the podcast above to listen to tracks from “The Fifth Dimension” and “Love’s Letter,” a new solo album. Studio tracks include “Something About You” (00:00), “I Wanna Know Pt. 1” (04:46), “Greene Eyes” (07:14), “¡POPSTAR!” (14:04), “Puppy Love” (19:01) and “I Wanna Know Pt. 2” (27:10). Stream and purchase Phat A$tronaut’s music at phatastro.bandcamp.com.
PHAT A$TRONAUT opens for M.A.K.U. Soundsystem at Cafe Nine in New Haven on April 21 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12. cafenine.com
Press Play is a column by music writer Michael Hamad exploring the underground musicians of Connecticut. If you have new music to share, send it to him at mhamad@courant.com.
