Standing on the Corner (band)

Standing On The Corner
Gio Escobar (right) and Jasper Marsalis (left) performing with Standing On The Corner in 2018.
Background information
Also known as	Standing on the Corner Art Ensemble SOTC Children of the Corner (2014–2016)
Origin	Crown Heights, Brooklyn, U.S.
Genres	Avant-garde experimental jazz alternative hip hop hypnagogic pop (early)
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Creative Mysteries Arts XL
Members	Gio Escobar Jack Nolan Lila Ramani Nate Cox Syl Dubenion Savannah Harris Buz
Past members	Caleb Giles Jasper Marsalis Tomin Perea-Chamblee
Website	standingonthecorner.com

Standing on the Corner is an American avant-garde music collective led by Gio Escobar. Emerging from the New York underground art and music scene, they have been referred to as a post-genre band and praised for their use and blends of different sounds. ^[1]

History

In 2014, Gio Escobar and Jack Nolan formed a guitar-based live group called Children of the Corner; the name was an homage to Harlem rap collective Children of the Corn. This project later evolved into Standing on the Corner. Escobar and Nolan wrote several tape machine-recorded songs that were not initially intended for release. ^[2] Later Escobar brought some of those same demos he was working on to producer Jasper Marsalis, who helped produce them. ^[3] Work on those songs resulted in the band's 2016 self-titled debut. ^[2]

In 2017, Standing on the Corner released their second album Red Burns . ^[2] Soon after the release of Red Burns, Marsalis left the group. ^[4] In 2019, they contributed to Solange's album When I Get Home, with production and writing credits on the songs "S McGregor (interlude)", "Can I Hold the Mic (interlude)", "Down With the Clique", "Nothing Without Intention (interlude)", "Exit Scott (interlude)", and "Not Screwed! (interlude)". ^[5] After their contributions to Solange's project, multi-instrumentalist Caleb Giles announced he was leaving the group on good terms to focus on his solo rap career.

Standing on the Corner earned production credits on Danny Brown's 2019 album uknowhatimsayin¿ for the track "Shine". ^[6] On May 11, 2020, they released the video for their single "Angel", starring Melvin Van Peebles. ^[7] Peebles is a major influence for their catalog, with the group having sampled him multiple times, implementing spoken word passages into their record in a similar vein to Peebles' own albums. ^[8]

In 2023, Standing on the Corner debuted the Taino Needle Science Drone Acupuncture Program, at Performance Space New York. The program ran from February 1 to June 30. ^[9]

Members

Current members

• Gio Escobar (born Giovanni Cortez) - vocals, production, guitar, bass (2014–present)
• Jack Nolan - guitar, bass (2014–present)
• Standing on the Corner Art Ensemble (2019–present)
  • Nate Cox
  • Syl Dubenion
  • Savannah Harris
  • Buz
  • Clerida Eltimé

Past members

• Caleb Giles - vocals, production, saxophone (2015–2019)
• Jasper Marsalis - production (2016–2017)
• Oluwaseun Odubiro - bass, production (2017–2020)
• Tomin Perea-Chamblee - cornet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet (2018-2020)

Discography

Studio albums

• Standing on the Corner (2016)
• Red Burns (2017)

Extended plays

• G-E-T-O-U-T!! The Ghetto (2020)
• Baby (2025)

Livestreamed albums

• Afroprojection #1: The Atmosphere Phased at 120º and Went Blank When the Universe Collapsed: A Piece on Black Psychiatry and Alternate Dimensions (2018) ^[10]

Live recordings

• SOTC Double Bass Ensemble 4/24/19 (2019)
• SOTC Art Ensemble 4/27/19 (2019)

for Taino Needle Science

• Feel No Pain: Taino Needle Science (2023)
• Health Is NOT Mysterious: Sounds from the Taino Needle Science (2023)
• Music 4 Drone Acupuncture (2023)

Other credits

Medslaus - Poorboy (2017)

• Guest vocals, production and songwriting on "Wontbleedme!" with Jasper Marsalis

MIKE - May God Bless Your Hustle (2017)

• Production on "Greed"

Caleb Giles - There Will Be Rain (2018)

• Guest vocals, production and songwriting on "The Flood" and "Wondering" with Jasper Marsalis

MIKE - Black Soap (2018)

• Instrumentation on all tracks

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (2018)

• Mixing and engineering on all tracks with Earl Sweatshirt
• Guest vocals and songwriting on "Ontheway!"
• Bass guitar on "Ontheway!" and "Riot!"

Solange - When I Get Home (2019)

• Production and songwriting on "S McGregor (Interlude)", "Down With the Clique", "Nothing Without Intention (Interlude)", "Exit Scott (Interlude)", and "Not Screwed! (Interlude)" with various others
• Guest vocals on "Not Screwed! (Interlude)"

Danny Brown - U Know What I'm Sayin? (2019)

• Production and songwriting on "Shine" with Paul White and Jasper Marsalis

References

1. "Meet Standing on the Corner, the Post-Genre Crew Whose Music Speaks a Secret Language". Pitchfork. January 19, 2018.
2. "How Standing On The Corner created a visceral snapshot of New York life". The FADER.
3. "Meet Standing on the Corner, the Post-Genre Crew Whose Music Speaks a Secret Language". Pitchfork. January 19, 2018.
4. "Rap Monthly: Slauson Malone Smiles at the Past, Plus Rico Nasty, Kevin Abstract, and More". Spin. May 24, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
5. "Solange (2) - When I Get Home". Discogs. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
6. "Danny Brown (2) - uknowhatimsayin¿". Discogs. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
7. ""Angel" by Standing on the Corner". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
8. "Meet Standing on the Corner, the Post-Genre Crew Whose Music Speaks a Secret Language". Pitchfork. January 19, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
9. "Taíno Needle Science Institute: Electric Works Laboratory | Performance Space New York". April 17, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
10. "Standing on the Corner's Afroprojection #1 features contributions from Solange, Earl Sweatshirt, and Terence Nance".