Nobody puts Tiny Masters Of Today in a corner

By Jamie Gadette
Published: June 16th, 2009 | 7:00am

It’s strange how much spite and skepticism Tiny Masters Of Today tend to attract. The Brooklyn-based trio is often criticized not simply for the music it makes, but the age at which the members crafted their two full-length albums. Founded by siblings Ada and Ivan (no last names needed) when the two were 8 and 10-years-old, respectively, TMOT quickly secured a level of popularity that bands who are decades their senior have yet to achieve — a feat that understandably breeds a fair amount of resentment among elder statesmen still struggling to “make it.”

But to write off Ada and Ivan as entitled brats is to discount the truly original sounds they dreamed up in their bedrooms between homework assignments and gigs opening for Art Brut. Ada, a near veteran now at 13, takes “awesomely bad” reviews with a grain of salt. “I just kind of ignore it unless it’s thoughtful,” she says, adding that critics might sing a different tune if TMOT were in their twenties. “People make these comments like, ‘Really, you shouldn’t be doing this because you’re young — leave it to people who try harder.’”

TMOT try plenty hard, though, and the proof is all over Skeletons, their sophomore release on Mute Records. An electronically organic punk pastiche of free-spirited transmissions that, while mostly fun and games, offers moments of serious social commentary — as on the nanny-nanny industry rip, “Pop Chart” — “It’s all about the money!” they shout over cowbell and choppy guitar. It’s not complicated, and it’s not the Ramones, but it’s a refreshing antidote to the formulaic schlock that keeps Miley Cyrus in business.

Ada and Ivan wrote and recorded Skeletons using their wits and GarageBand — a departure from the collaboration-heavy Bang Bang Boom Cake (Mute Records), with original drummer Russell Simins (The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), Karen O, Gibby Haynes, and Fred Schneider in the mix. Equipped with newfound confidence and skill, TMOT recruited fellow teen Jackson Pollis to keep time and entered the studio to record Skeletons. Ivan composed the music, and Ada penned the lyrics on a tight deadline, bouncing words off time signatures and opening books for inspiration. She jotted down lines, keeping in mind deep thoughts by Belle and Sebastian or, most recently, the Velvet Underground.

When asked if she sees herself as a musical role model, Ada states that she really doesn’t — though she considers it her duty to encourage an end to illegal downloading. “Being in a band, you realize how hard it is to sell albums when people are just going to LimeWire,” she says, adding that she and Ivan have always preferred records and CDs to MP3s. “I started out listening to CDs — listening to whole albums, deciding what songs I liked, and then realizing that they all worked together. It’s kind of hard to convince people because there are so few record stores in New York, and a lot of my friends can’t go into the city by themselves. Most of my friends are not even 13.”

Neither will she cave under pressure to be “the gorgeous frontwoman,” instead following the example set by groups like Sonic Youth who “don’t care about what they are supposed to be like.” Ada compares certain pop stars to Barbie, “Beach Barbie or Rocker Barbie — they are exactly the same,” and notes that, while times are changing, some people will always gravitate toward Disney-sponsored ear candy. On the flip side, organizations like Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls, which she attended last summer, offer an alternative to the next generation of artists.

Her parents, suffice it to say, are incredibly open-minded. “They never told me it was wrong to listen to something,” Ada says. She and Ivan grew up on a steady diet of music, from jazz to world music, punk, and classic rock. The freedom to first absorb and then produce any number of sounds informs their eclectic and easygoing aesthetic. Absent is the pressure to succeed financially, or accomplish longstanding dreams. In fact, Ada is fairly upfront about bowing out should the going get rough.

“I’m not in it to be famous,” she says. “I do it because it’s fun. If it stops being what I want to do, I’m not going to make myself do it.”

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