Piñataland

Piñataland
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, USA
Genres	alternative rock chamber rock, gypsy rock
Years active	1998–present
Members	David Wechsler, Doug Stone, and a rotating cast of other musicians.
Website	http://music.pinataland.com/

Piñataland is a Brooklyn-based musical group created by David Wechsler and Doug Stone. Their songs are often about obscure historical events and people, including:

• The pygmy Ota Benga ("Ota Benga's Name")
• The painter John Banvard ("The Ballad of John Banvard")
• The daredevil Sam Patch ("The Fall of Sam Patch")
• The elephant Topsy ("Coney Island Funeral")
• The spiritualist John Murray Spear ("Dream of the New Mary")
• The journalist William Cobbett's efforts to rebury Thomas Paine ("American Man")
• Edward Leedskalnin's Coral Castle ("Latvian Bride")
• The Inuit Minik Wallace ("If Ice Were Warm")

Pinataland have often performed at historical sites such as the Old Stone House (Brooklyn), the Cobble Hill Tunnel, and Green-Wood Cemetery. They have also covered historical tunes, such as President John Quincy Adams' campaign song "Little Know Ye Who's Comin'".

Discography

• Piñataland - EP (1997)
• Songs from Konijn Kok - EP (1999)
• Songs for the Forgotten Future Volume 1 (2003)
• Songs for the Forgotten Future Volume 2 (2008)
• Hymns for the Dreadful Night (2011)

External links

• Official website
• Pinataland on Allmusic
• Pinataland: Musical History, National Public Radio
• Pinataland article in New York Observer
• Pinataland: Best dark old-weird-history orchestrette, Pinataland in Village Voice's Best of 2004