My Favorite are an indie popband formed in Long Island, New York in 1991, later of Brooklyn and Queens. After releasing two full-length albums, the original band split in 2005, but reformed in 2014.
Formation and original era
My Favorite formed in Long Island in 1991, and eventually migrated to the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The "classic" lineup consisted of founder and principal songwriter Michael Grace Jr., vocalist Andrea Vaughn, guitarist Darren Amadio, bassist Gil Abad and drummer Todd "Todbot" Karasik. An even earlier incarnation featured Amadio on bass and current Roots member Captain Kirk Douglas on guitar. Their main influences included the Smiths, David Bowie, New Order and various singles from influential labels like Factory, Rough Trade, Cherry Red and Sarah. In negotiating these influences and impulses, they were contemporaries of Magnetic Fields and Belle and Sebastian, two bands they performed alongside in New York. The band released two full-length albums, and several EPs and limited-edition, vinyl-only singles. They also made two music videos. Late in their original career, My Favorite found popularity in Sweden, where they were the focus of a feature on that country's national Sveriges Radio. They performed at three influential festivals and had many smaller, but enthusiastically received performances in cities like Gothenburg and Stockholm.
Reception
My Favorite were frequently discussed in the indie music press of the time in the context of new wave retroism, but were more accurately thought of in the tradition of romantic, lyric-driven post-rock and roll melancholia, strands of which originated with artists like the Velvet Underground and certain glam rock artists before reaching their apex in the post-punk period. They were featured in the Village Voice, New York Post, Daily News and Alternative Press, and were interviewed on indie programs such as New York Noise.
In 2006, the remaining five members of My Favorite joined forces with vocalists Lisa Ronson and Erin Dermody to form a new band called the Secret History. Karasik also played for New York post-punk band Bell Hollow from 2006 until their 2008 split, and appeared on their 2007 album Foxgloves. Vaughn recorded vocals for the French band Bagatelle's debut EP, Rendez-Vous Transatlantique, which was released in 2013 by La Nageuse Records. In 2014, Vaughn, Amadio and Karasik reunited to form the Chandler Estate with long-time friends and collaborators Tara Emelye Needham and Bryce Edwards. In 2015, they played their first show at the NYC Popfest and released four-song EP Infrastructure on Jigsaw Records.
Reformation
In 2014, Grace reassembled My Favorite to perform at the NYC Popfest. On October 7, 2014, they released their first new single in 10 years, "Second Empire"/"Dance With a Stranger", on London's Where It's At Is Where You Are label. The current incarnation, relying more heavily on drum machines and sequencers, includes Grace, Abad and Brondo, with Jaime Babic and Joseph Babic replacing Vaughn and Amadio, respectively.
