Here's a list of my favorite bands. They're such a genius! They made the coolest songs I've ever heard! Amazing! They're all amazing!!!! I love you, I love you, I love you guys!!!!!
Thousand hugs and kisses*
Paramore is an American pop-punk band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Josh Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis, drummer Zac Farro, and rhythm guitarist Taylor York.
The group released their debut album All We Know Is Falling in 2005, and their second album, Riot! in 2007, which was certified Platinum in the US and Gold in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. Brand New Eyes, Paramore's third album, was released on September 29, 2009. Brand New Eyes is the band's highest charting album to date.
2002–2004: Formation
In 2002, at age 13, vocalist Hayley Williams moved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi to Franklin, Tennessee where she met brothers Josh Farro and Zac Farro while she was attending a private school.[3][4] Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning.[5] Prior to forming Paramore, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a funk cover band called The Factory, while Josh and Zac Farro had practiced together after school.[3][6] The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them.[7] Williams said of the guys when she first met them, "They were the first people I met who were as passionate about music as I was."[8] The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar) and Hayley Williams (lead vocals) in 2004,[9] with the later addition of Williams' neighbor[3] Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar). When Davis showed up, he was stunned to find out the drummer was only twelve years old. He admitted "I had very, very, very, little faith in everyone in the band because of their age. I remember thinking, 'This is not going to work because this kid is way too young,' but that first day of practice was amazing. I knew we were on to something."[8] According to Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players.[10] Once the group learned the meaning of the homophone "paramour" ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the Paramore spelling.[7]Williams was originally signed to Atlantic Records as a solo artist in 2003.[11] She had been introduced to Atlantic A&R Tom Storms through Kent Marcus and Jim Zumwalt, lawyers of managers Dave Steunebrink and Richard Williams, and then eventually signed to Atlantic by Jason Flom. Steunebrink and Richard Williams had originally discovered and signed her to a production deal that was later bought out by Atlantic. The original plan of the label was to turn her into a pop singer, but Williams resisted, saying that she wanted to play alternative rock music and wanted a band behind her. In an interview with HitQuarters the band's A&R at Atlantic, Steve Robertson, said, "She wanted to make sure that we didn’t look at her as some straight to Top 40 pop princess. She wanted to make sure that she and her band got the chance to show what they can do as a rock band writing their own songs."[12] Label president Julie Greenwald and the label staff decided to go with her wishes. The original management team for the band was Dave Steunebrink, Creed manager Jeff Hanson, and Hanson's assistant Mark Mercado.[11]
Paramore were originally supposed to come out on Atlantic Records but the label's marketing department decided it would be better for the image of the band to not have them attached to a major label. They instead released their music through a cooler niche label in Fueled by Ramen.[11] Head of Warner Music Group, Lyor Cohen had already identified Fueled by Ramen as a label they should partner with and it was decided the rock label would make an ideal match for Paramore.[12] According to Robertson, when the band were presented to Fueled by Ramen's CEO John Janick, "he got the vision of the band immediately."[12] Janick went to a Taste of Chaos performance in Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. In April 2005, after a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to Atlantic Records and Fueled By Ramen.[12][13]
The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album. In 2004, they were a featured band in Purple Door. At this time, they were touring the southeast, usually being driven by Williams' parents. She commented that "Back then, I guess we were all thinking, after school we'll go to the house and practice. It was what we loved to do for fun, and still do! I don't think any of us really knew this would turn out to be what it's become."
2005–2006: All We Know Is Falling
Main article: All We Know Is Falling
Paramore traveled back to Orlando, Florida, but shortly after arriving, Jeremy Davis left the band, citing personal reasons. The remaining four members of Paramore continued with the album, writing "All We Know" about his departure, and later deciding to base All We Know Is Falling around the concept. The album artwork also reflected Paramore's grief as Hayley Williams explains, "The couch on the cover of All We Know is Falling with no one there and the shadow walking away; it's all about Jeremy leaving us and us feeling like there's an empty space."[13] Recording took three weeks, and promotional material for the album only featured the four remaining members.Before touring, the band added John Hembree (bass guitar) to their line up to replace Jeremy Davis.[14] During that summer, Paramore was featured on the Shira Girl stage of the 2005 Warped Tour.[13] After being asked by the band, Jeremy Davis returned to Paramore after five months apart, replacing Hembree.[15] All We Know Is Falling was released on July 24, 2005, and reached #30 on the Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Paramore released "Pressure" as its first single, with a video directed by Shane Drake, but the song had failed to place in the charts. The video featured the band performing in a warehouse, eventually getting sprayed with water sprinklers as the storyline of a conflicted couple occurs. In July, "Emergency" was released as the second single, the video again reuniting the band with director Shane Drake and featuring Hunter Lamb (rhythm guitar), who replaced Jason Bynum.[4] The video for "Emergency" showcased Paramore in another performance, this time fixing the members bloody costumes. The third single, "All We Know", was released with limited airtime, with the video consisting of a collection of live performances and backstage footage.
In January 2006, the band took part in the Winter Go West tour where they played alongside Seattle bands Amber Pacific and The Lashes. In February, Hayley Williams was featured on "Keep Dreaming Upside Down" by October Fall.[16] In spring of 2006, Paramore was an opening act on headlining tours for both Bayside and soon afterwards, The Rocket Summer. They toured the United Kingdom from October 5 to October 15, 2006, where they ended in London at The Mean Fiddler. The band then covered Foo Fighters' "My Hero" for the Sound of Superman soundtrack which was released on June 26, 2006.[17]
During the summer of 2006, Paramore played a portion of Warped Tour, primarily on the Volcom and Hurley Stages, and their first night on the Main Stage was at a date in their hometown of Nashville. Paramore's first United States headlining tour began on August 2, 2006 to a sold-out audience[18] with support from This Providence, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Hit the Lights with the final show in Nashville. That year they were voted "Best New Band", and Hayley Williams was voted as #2 "Sexiest Female", by readers of the British magazine Kerrang!.[19]
In 2007, Hunter Lamb left the group to get married, and Paramore continued onward as a quartet.[4] Paramore was then named by British magazine NME as one of ten bands to watch out for in their "New Noise 2007" feature.[19] In January, the band played an acoustic set for the grand opening of a Warped Tour exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[20] and the dress Hayley Williams wore in the video for "Emergency" was also put on display in the exhibit.[21]
Paramore was featured in Kerrang! magazine once more, however, Hayley Williams believed the article was an untrue portrayal of the band, particularly because it focused on her as the main component. Afterwards, Williams addressed the issue in the band's LiveJournal, with a post saying, "we could’ve done without a cover piece. sorry, if it offends anyone at Kerrang! but i don’t think there was one bit of truth in that article."[22] In April, Hayley Williams' vocals were featured in "Then Came To Kill" by The Chariot.[23] They headlined a tour in early 2007 with This Providence, The Almost and Love Arcade.
2007–2008: Riot! and other projects
Paramore began recording their second album, Riot! in January 2007, ending production in March without rhythm guitarist Hunter Lamb (who left the band early in 2007 after getting married);[4] without Lamb, lead guitarist Josh Farro was required to play both guitar parts on the album.[24] Taylor York, who had been in a band with the Farro brothers before the two met Hayley Williams, joined as a replacement for Lamb.[18] After being courted by producers Neal Avron and Howard Benson,[25] Paramore opted to record Riot! with New Jersey producer David Bendeth (Your Vegas, Breaking Benjamin), releasing the album on June 12, 2007. Riot! entered the Billboard 200 at number 20, the UK charts at number 24, and sold 44,000 its first week in the United States.[18]The name Riot! had been chosen because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion", and it was a word that "summed it all up".[25] The first single from the album, released June 21, 2007, "Misery Business", is, according to Williams, "more honest than anything I've ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically."[26]
Summer of 2007 saw Paramore participating on their third Warped Tour and posting journals of their experiences on yourhereblog for MTV. In June they were declared by Rolling Stone as "Ones to Watch".[27] Paramore made their live television debut on Fuse Networks daily show, The Sauce. The second single from Riot!, "Hallelujah", was released on July 30, 2007, and is only available online and on UK television. The video, much like "All We Know", features backstage footage and live performances.
In August 2007, Paramore had been featured in television spots on MTV, performing acoustic versions of their songs or acting in short accompaniments to MTV program commercials. As "MTV Artists of the Week", the band filmed the faux camping themed spots in Queens, New York, all written and directed by Evan Silver and Gina Fortunato.[28] MTV.com also has a collection of short videos with the band to promote Riot! as well. For weeks in August 2007, the "Misery Business" video was the number one streamed video at MTV.com.[29] On October 8, Paramore played "Misery Business" live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a booking made possible due to the friendship struck between the band and Max Weinberg during the 2007 Warped Tour.[30] In August, Paramore participated in New Found Glory's music video for their cover of Sixpence None the Richer's song "Kiss Me".
On October 11, 2007, the music video for "Crushcrushcrush" debuted on the United States television as the next single from Riot!. The video for "Crushcrushcrush" featured the band playing a performance in a barren desert, being spied upon, and later destroying their equipment. The single was released in the United States on November 19 and made available in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2007.[31] Hayley Williams recorded guest vocals for the tracks "The Church Channel" and "Plea" for the Say Anything concept album In Defense of the Genre released on October 23, 2007.[32] The group performed live, acoustic style in Boston on November 29, 2007 for FNX radio. On December 31, 2007, Paramore performed on the MTV New Year's Eve program which ran from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
The band toured with Jimmy Eat World in the United States in April and May 2008. The band headlined the Give It A Name festival in the United Kingdom on May 10 and May 11, 2008. Also the band performed on the In New Music We Trust Stage at Radio 1's One Big Weekend in Mote Park, Kent on May 10, 2008. Paramore played their first Ireland show at the RDS in Dublin on June 2, 2008, followed by the 2008 Vans Warped Tour from July 1–6.
On MTV's TRL, May 7, 2008, lead singer Hayley Williams said that the band was working on a new album and that it would hopefully be released by next summer. Hayley Williams says she and the band have been practicing the new songs during the sound checks on tour.[citation needed] In an Alternative Press cover story, Zac Farro speculated on a forthcoming album, saying that it would sound like bands Mew, Thrice, and Arcade Fire.[3]
On May 19, 2008, Paramore announced on their website that they will be going on tour again, the tour being named "The Final Riot!", starting July 25 and ending September 1. On this tour, the band performed part of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".[38] On September 2, 2008, Paramore released a collaboration hoodie along with Hurley Clothing based on the album Riot!. All proceeds went to the Love146 foundation.[39]
Paramore's song "Decode" was the lead single for the novel-based Twilight film. Another song called "I Caught Myself"[40] is also featured on the film's soundtrack. "Decode" was released on October 1, 2008 on the Paramore Fan Club site as well as Stephenie Meyer's website.[41][42] The band began shooting the video October 13 and it premiered on November 3. Hot Topic hosted listening parties for the soundtrack on October 24, 2008, and the album was released on November 4, 2008. Borders released an exclusive version of the soundtrack that features an acoustic version of "Decode."
The band released a live album named The Final Riot! on November 25, 2008. The album includes a bonus DVD with a full concert recorded in Chicago, as well as a behind the scenes documentary. As of the 9 of April 2009, The Final Riot! is certified gold in the United States.
2009–present: Brand New Eyes and touring
In January 2009, Josh Farro spoke about the band's upcoming third studio album. Talking to Kerrang!, Farro said: "We're gonna try to [record] it in Nashville. I think writing the album there will inspire us, and then if we record there too it'll be a lot easier since we can sleep in our beds at night rather than in hotels like the other 300 days out of the year! We're not sure who's going to produce the record yet. We did "Decode" with [producer] Rob Cavallo, which was a good experience, but we're looking around and don't want to make any decisions until we have a lot of songs and we know what we're looking for. We really enjoy our live sound and we want a producer who can really capture that."[43]On January 21, 2009, it was announced that Paramore will be the special guest with Bedouin Soundclash, The Sounds and Janelle Monae at the No Doubt Summer Tour 2009, starting in May 2009 in outdoor amphitheaters and arenas across the US and Canada.[44]
Paramore wrote and completed their newest record Brand New Eyes in early 2009. The first single off of the album was "Ignorance" and was released July 7, 2009. The official music video for "Ignorance" aired on all MTV platforms, networks, and websites on August 13, 2009. Paramore, along with Paper Route and The Swellers, toured in support of Brand New Eyes in the fall of 2009.[45] Some tour dates were postponed due to Hayley Williams becoming infected with laryngitis.[46]
Paramore recorded a performance for MTV Unplugged.[47]
On November 23, 2009, the band released "Brick By Boring Brick" as the 2nd single from Brand New Eyes.[48] The video debuted on the band's website.[48] "The Only Exception" followed on January 14, 2010.[49] Paramore announced that the band's next single would be "Careful".[50]
Paramore then played a sold out 15-date European tour with You Me At Six, Paper Route and Now Now Every Children.[51] Their stadium tour culminated at London's Wembley Arena, to an audience of 12,500.[52] The band performed in 2010 in the Australian Soundwave Festival along with bands such as Faith No More, Placebo, You Me at Six, All Time Low, Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday. Shortly before the tour, lead guitarist Josh Farro announced via the band's LiveJournal that he is engaged and stayed behind to plan his wedding. Justin York, brother of Taylor York, filled in for him on the tour.[53] The band, with Farro returned, embarked on a spring tour of the U.S. in late April.[54] Paramore will be supporting Green Day on selected dates of their Stadium tour, in Dublin and Paris.[55]
In April 2010, the band announced that they would be headlining the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. Currently, there are 31 U.S. dates confirmed and the venues range from medium to large capacity. This will be the largest tour that the band has ever headlined. Opening acts include Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory, and Kadawatha. The tour began on July 23 in Raleigh, NC and closed on September 19 in Anaheim, CA.[56] In May 2010, the band announced a short UK tour for November 2010.[57]
Paramore appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.[58]
Musical style and influences
Paramore's music has generally been regarded as "emo"[59][60] and "pop punk".[61] Joshua Martin had written after an interview with Hayley Williams, "The band isn't just a short pop-punk girl with red hair and a spunky attitude. Their music is like them, it's aged differently. It's sped up, and slowed down. It's emo without being whiny, or bratty. Almost a very literal anti-Avril Lavigne."[6] Alternative Press magazine had commented that the band was "young sounding", while consistently being "honest."[62] Paramore's first album All We Know is Falling had an arguably more "formulaic pop-punk" sound that was "delivered particularly well"[63] and the combination of the two had created a "refined rock infused pop/punk album."[64] The band's second release, Riot! was said to explore a 'diverse range of styles," however, not straying far from "their signature sound."[63]Alternative Press and various other reviewers have noted that the band's stage performances have helped boost them to larger fame. Alternative Press states that Williams "has more charisma than singers twice her age, and her band aren't far behind in their chops, either."[65] Singer-songwriter John Mayer had praised Williams' voice in a blog in October 2007, calling her "The great orange hope"; "orange" in reference to her hair color.[66] Due to the female fronted aspect of the band, Paramore has gained comparisons to Kelly Clarkson and the aforementioned Avril Lavigne, to which one reviewer said was "sorely unfounded."[67][68] Reviewer Jonathan Bradley noted that "Paramore attacks its music with infectious enthusiasm." However, he also explained that "there isn't a whole lot of difference between Riot! and the songs from Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne."[69] A reviewer at NME had likened Paramore's sound to that of "No Doubt (stripped of all the ska bollocks)" and "Kelly Clarkson's wildest dreams."[70] Hayley Williams has gone on to comment about the female aspect of the band saying that Paramore is not "this girl-fronted band" and it makes "music for people to enjoy music, not so people can talk about my sexuality."[25]
Paramore has expressed appreciation for Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, MewithoutYou, and Sunny Day Real Estate,[71] as well as Thrice and New Found Glory;[72] Hayley Williams citing her personal influences as Robert Smith of The Cure and Etta James.[73] Williams also explained that bands such as U2, "who are massive, and do whatever they want, write whatever they want and they stand for something," Jimmy Eat World, "who I don’t think ever disappoint their fans," and No Doubt, who "have done amazing things," act as a pattern for the path in which Paramore would like to take their career.[71]
In an interview with the BBC, Josh Farro stated "Our faith is very important to us. It's obviously going to come out in our music because if someone believes something, then their world view is going to come out in anything they do. But we're not out here to preach to kids, we're out here because we love music."[74]
Copeland was an indie rock band, originally formed in 2001 by singer Aaron Marsh (who also plays the guitar, mellotron, organ, and piano) with his friend, bassist and backup singer James Likeness, in the city of Lakeland, Florida.
History
Aaron Marsh attended a performing arts high school, Harrison Arts Center. Bryan Laurenson, guitarist, and Jonathan Bucklew, drummer (who took the place of Rusty, ex-drummer of Copeland and drummer on 'Beneath Medicine Tree'), gave the band an original sound. In 2002, they signed a record deal with independent label The Militia Group and released their debut album, 'Beneath Medicine Tree', a year later. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 they performed at the annual Cornerstone Florida Festival in Orlando, Florida. 'In Motion', Copeland's second full length CD, was released on March 22, 2005—it was produced by Matt Goldman and Aaron Marsh, and mixed by Ken Andrews. The early copies of In Motion that were issued included a four-song acoustic ep (a compilation of lo-fi versions of songs from 'In Motion' itself), as well as 'Beneath Medicine Tree'.2006 to 2008
Columbia Records announced their signing of Copeland in a press release dated November 14, 2006.[1]Beneath Medicine Tree features a heavy medical theme. Aaron Marsh admits that the lyrics in this album were inspired by the hospitalization of his girlfriend and the death of his grandmother. The album booklet includes photographs by then-bassist James Likeness of hospital scenes.[2] Marsh cites that, "With Beneath Medicine Tree, I wanted to make a record that moves people," while "With In Motion, I wanted to make a record that makes people move."[3]
Lead singer Aaron Marsh has also been featured with other bands such as Underoath on their album They're Only Chasing Safety, Anberlin on their album Cities and Lydia on their album Illuminate.
On July 18, 2007 James made public his decision to no longer be a part of Copeland. He cited pursuing a career as a graphic designer (a field in which he has a college degree) as a chief reason in his decision to leave the band.[4]
As of September 6, 2007, Copeland announced that they had officially split ways with Columbia Records.
About a year after ESR they released a B-side album entitled Dressed Up & In Line. It was released on November 20, 2007 and is composed of B-sides, remixes, and a few new songs as well.
Although stated by some to be a Christian band, Aaron Marsh has said that they are not. [5]"I think that's kind of a defective term," Marsh says. "It's not our nature to have religious connotations. We are not a ministry band. We have some people in the band that are Christian, but that is not the focus of our band" and [6]"We have no agenda in our band other than art." Copeland are signed with Tooth & Nail Records, which signs almost exclusively with Christian bands.
2009 to disbanding
On October 29, 2009, Copeland released an official statement that after a farewell tour in the spring, they would be ending Copeland. They made it clear that it was not a bitter break up, they had just run their course as Copeland. They did say that there could possibly be one last studio album, but the spring tour would be their last.[7] As part of their final tour, the band toured Asia, including countries such as Singapore and Indonesia.Their albums :
- Beneath Medicine Tree (March 25, 2003)
- In Motion (March 22, 2005)
- Eat, Sleep, Repeat (October 31, 2006)
- Dressed Up & In Line (November 20, 2007)
- You Are My Sunshine (October 14, 2008)
Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006. Whilst their music may be classified as indie and on occasion (like on And the Glass Handed Kites) progressive rock, they sometimes humorously refer to it themselves as "pretentious art rock". The band's guitarist Bo Madsen refers to the band as "the world's only indie stadium band".
| Genres | Progressive Rock Alternative rock Indie rock Shoegazing Post-rock Dream pop Experimental rock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years active | 1994–present | ||||
| Labels | Exlibris Musik, Evil Office, Sony BMG, Sony Music Entertainment | ||||
| Associated acts | Apparatjik | ||||
| Website | mewsite.com |
History
Formed in 1994 in Hellerup, an upper-class suburb of Copenhagen, they had a profound impact on the Danish indie scene, emerging alongside the likes of Carpark North, Swan Lee and Saybia, amongst others, in 2003. At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew won the awards for "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year".Their first major commercial success came with Frengers, released in 2003, described as "a work of quiet brilliance, aiming for the epic without straying into the bombastic, offering cerebral arrangements while keeping things accessible."[1] The album was well received. After a European tour supporting R.E.M. they began to attract wider attention. Their next album And the Glass Handed Kites was released in Denmark on 19 September 2005, in the United Kingdom and rest of Europe on 26 September, and in the United States on 25 July 2006. The album received critical acclaim, with Mew described as making "dreamy thunderstorm pop".[2] They were MTV Asia "Buzz-Worthy" as of January, 2006, and at the DMA06 (Danish Music Awards) they took home 4 statuettes.
On 11 April 2006, Wohlert left the band to spend more time with his girlfriend, Pernille Rosendahl from the now dissolved band Swan Lee, who was to give birth to their baby boy in May 2006. The two would later go on to form a duo, The Storm.
The band tours with Nick Watts (formerly of UK indie band Headswim) as their keyboardist, and Bastian Juel (who used to act as a studio and live bassist for Swan Lee and also played bass on Tina Dico's EP Far) recently joined them as their live bassist. However, he is not an official replacement for Johan and the band has said they will return to the studio with just the three original members.
The band finished touring for And the Glass Handed Kites in the summer of 2007. They returned to Brooklyn, New York in May 2008 in order to begin recording their next record, and tapped Rich Costey (who produced their breakthrough album, Frengers) once again as producer.
The band's fifth album No More Stories / Are Told Today / I'm Sorry / They Washed Away // No More Stories / The World Is Grey / I'm Tired / Let's Wash Away was released on August 17, 2009 in Scandinavia, August 24 in the UK, and August 25 in the US[3].
In 2009, the band supported Nine Inch Nails for various tour dates across Europe.
On October 25, 2010, Mew released their first compilation album entitled, Eggs Are Funny, which featured 14 songs from previous albums as well as one new song, "Do You Love It?". The track list was compiled of what Mew consider to be their "best work".
Their albums :
| 1997 | A Triumph for Man
| |||||||
| 2000 | Half the World Is Watching Me
| |||||||
| 2003 | Frengers | |||||||
| 2005 | And The Glass Handed Kites
| |||||||
| 2009 | No More Stories...
|
Arctic Monkeys is an English Alternative rock band.[1][2][3] Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook (lead guitar), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals) and John Ashton as a touring member (keyboard, guitar, backing vocals). Former members include Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Glyn Jones (lead vocals, guitar).
Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, released in early 2006, became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history, surpassing Kula Shaker's K and remains the fastest-selling debut album for a band in the UK.[4] Since then the band have released two more albums: Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007) and Humbug (2009). The band is currently in the studio, recording their fourth album, expected to be released in 2011.
Arctic Monkeys are heralded as one of the first acts to come to the public attention via the Internet (fan-based sites rather than from the band), with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed.
History
Formation and early years (2001-2003)
In 2001, neighbours Alex Turner and Jamie Cook learned how to play the guitar. Later, after the two boys received guitars as Christmas presents,[6] they formed a band with Turner's schoolmates Andy Nicholson, Macauley Pritchard and Matt Helders.[7] Nicholson already played bass guitar, so Helders ended up playing drums — "that was all that were left... they all had guitars so I bought a kit after a bit."[6] According to an interview with Blender magazine, Turner was not the original singer of the band,[8] but instead, Glyn Jones, another attendee of Stocksbridge High School, used to be the frontman. Jones said that he and Turner "were bored [after our GCSE exams] so we started writing a song about a geek in our year...", and that he left the band because he "did not have the dedication to take it any further... to me we were just a gang of kids messing around because we were bored."[9] Although reports suggested they named themselves after Helders' uncle's (or even father's) band, Helders later admitted that "so many people asking us that in the UK, so we just started making stories up",[10] and that he just didn't have the heart to tell the original reporter he'd been lying.[6]They began rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend,[11] and played their first gig on 13 June 2003 at The Grapes in Sheffield city-centre.[12]
After a few performances in 2003 the band began to record demos at 2fly studios in Sheffield, 17 songs were demoed in all and the collection now known as 'Beneath the Boardwalk' and burn them into CDs to give away at gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. The name 'Beneath the Boardwalk" originated when the first batch of demos were sent around. The first sender, wanting to classify the demos, named them after where he received them, the Boardwalk. Slowly as more demos were spread, they were all classified under this name. This has led to many people falsely believing that 'Beneath the Boardwalk" was an early album, or that the early demos were all released under this heading. The group did not mind the distribution, saying "we never made those demos to make money or anything. We were giving them away free anyway — that was a better way for people to hear them. And it made the gigs better, because people knew the words and came and sang along.",[10] admitting that they did not even know how to get their songs onto the Internet.[10] When asked about the popularity of the band's MySpace site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the band said that they were unaware what it was, and that the site had originally been created by their fans. "[When we went number one in England] we were on the news and radio about how MySpace has helped us. But that's just the perfect example of someone who doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about. We actually had no idea what it was."[10]
Record deals (2004-2005)
They began to grow in popularity across the north of England,[13] receiving attention from BBC Radio and the British tabloid press. A local amateur photographer, Mark Bull, filmed the band's performances and made the music video to "Fake Tales of San Francisco", releasing it on his website,[10] alongside the contents of Beneath the Boardwalk — a collection of the band's songs which he named after a local music venue. In May 2005, Arctic Monkeys released their first single, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, featuring the songs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the Rubble". This release was limited to 500 CDs and 1000 7" records, but was also available to download from the iTunes Music Store. Soon after, the band played at the Carling Stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals, reserved for less known or unsigned bands. Their appearance was hyped by much of the music press and the band was watched by an unusually large crowd. The critically-acclaimed[14] performance included spontaneous singalongs of tracks that were only available as demos on the Internet.The band refused to change their songs to suit the industry and resisted signing to a record label — "Before the hysteria started, the labels would say, 'I like you, but I'm not sure about this bit, and that song could do with this changing...' We never listened."[12] Their cynicism towards the industry was such that record company scouts were refused guaranteed guest list entry for their gigs, a move described by MTV Australia as "We've got this far without them — why should we let them in?".[15] The success of the strategy was illustrated with a series of sell-out gigs across the UK and Ireland.
Eventually, they signed to Domino in June 2005. The band said they were attracted to the "DIY ethic" of Domino owner Laurence Bell, who ran the label from his flat and only signed bands that he liked personally.[16] The UK's Daily Star reported that this was followed in October by a £1 million publishing deal with EMI and a £725,000 contract with Epic Records for the United States.[17] Arctic Monkeys denied this on their website, dubbing the newspaper "The Daily Stir". However, Domino have licensed the Australian and New Zealand publishing rights to EMI and the Japanese rights to independent label Hostess.[13]
Their first single with Domino, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", was released on 17 October 2005 and went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, beating Sugababes and Robbie Williams. Four months later, they made their first appearance on the cover of NME. Their second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" (previously titled "Scummy"), released on 16 January 2006, also went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 38,922 copies and taking over that position from Shayne Ward. The band's success without marketing or advertising led some to suggest that it could signal a change in how new bands achieve recognition.[5]
Whatever People Say I Am... and Nicholson departure (2006)
The band finished recording their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire in September 2005. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week.[18] This smashed the previous record of 306,631 copies held by Popstars by Hear’Say, and sold more copies on its first day alone — 118,501 — than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined.[19]The record was released a month later in the U.S. and entered at #24 on the Billboard album chart after it sold 34,000 units in its first week, making it the second fastest selling for a debut indie rock album in America.[20] However, U.S. sales for the first year did not match those of the first week in the UK for the album. US critics were more reserved about the band than their UK counterparts, and appeared unwilling to be drawn into the possibility of "yet another example of the UK's press over-hyping new bands".[21] However, the band's June 2006 tour of North America received critical acclaim at each stop[22][23][24] — the hype surrounding them "proven to exist for good reason".[25] Meanwhile, the UK's NME magazine declared the band's debut album the "5th greatest British album of all time".[26] They also equalled the record of The Strokes and Oasis at the 2006 NME Awards, winning three fan-voted awards for Best British Band, Best New Band and Best Track for "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".
Arctic Monkeys wasted no time in recording new material, and released a five-track EP on 24 April 2006, entitled Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?. Due to its length, the EP was ineligible to chart as a UK single or album. Furthermore, the record's graphic language has resulted in significantly less radio airplay than previous records, although this was not a reported concern according to an insider — "since they made their name on the Internet... they don't care if they don't get radio play".[27]
Soon after the release of the EP in the UK, the band announced that Andy Nicholson would not take part in the band's forthcoming North America tour due to fatigue from "an intensive period of touring".[28] On returning to the UK, Nicholson confirmed that he would leave Arctic Monkeys and start his own project. He also said that he couldn't deal with the band's fame and the success over the previous six months. In a statement on their official website, the band said: "We are sad to tell everyone that Andy is no longer with the band", also confirmed that Nick O'Malley — former bassist with The Dodgems who had drafted in as temporary bassist for the tour — would continue as bassist for the rest of their summer tour schedule.[29] Shortly after, Nick O'Malley was confirmed as the formal replacement for Nicholson.
Arctic Monkeys' first release without Nicholson, the single "Leave Before the Lights Come On", came on 14 August 2006. Turner said that the song was one of the last songs he wrote before their rise to fame, and suggested that "it feels very much like it could be on the album".[30] Peaking at #4 in the UK, the single became the band's first failure to reach #1. The band was re-united at the Leeds Festival when Nicholson met up with his former band mates and his replacement bassist, O'Malley.[31] Only the original band members, minus Nicholson, were present at the award ceremony when Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not won the 2006 Mercury Prize two weeks later.[32]
Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)
The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, was released on 23 April 2007, a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm". Turner described the songs as "very different from last time", adding that the sound of some tracks are "a bit full-on - a bit like "From the Ritz to the Rubble", "The View from the Afternoon", that sort of thing."[33] A secret gig played at Sheffield's Leadmill on 10 February 2007, debuted seven new songs (six from Favourite Worst Nightmare and one other).[34] Early reviews of the release were positive, and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud."[35]Meanwhile, the band continued to pick up awards from around the world, namely the 'Best New Artist in the United States' at the PLUG Independent Music Awards, the "Album of the Year" awards in Japan, Ireland and the US, awards for "Best Album" and "Best Music DVD" at the 2007 NME Awards.[36] They ended the year by clinching the "Best British Band" and "Best British Album" at the 2008 BRIT Awards. For the second year in a row, the band were nominated for the annual Mercury Prize, although they failed to match their feat of 2006 after the award went to Klaxons' Myths of the Near Future.
On 29 April 2007, the day Favourite Worst Nightmare charted at #1 in the UK Albums Chart, all 12 tracks from the album charted in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. On 27 April 2007 they had a total of 18 tracks in the Top 200. "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "505" charted in the Top 75, at #60 and #74 respectively.
The third single from Favourite Worst Nightmare, "Teddy Picker", was released on 3 December 2007. It charted at #20 and remained only one week in the top 40 staying in this position, making it the lowest charting single for the band so far. Prior to this release the band released an extremely limited number of 250 vinyl under the pseudonym Death Ramps containing two of the b-sides from the "Teddy Picker" single.
Arctic Monkeys headlined the Glastonbury Festival on 22 June 2007, the highlights of which were aired on BBC2. During their headline act, the band performed with Dizzee Rascal and covered Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever".[37] The band also played a large gig at Dublin's Malahide Castle on 16 June 2007, with a second date added the following day.[38] The band was also slated to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September 2007. Other European festivals include Rock Werchter in 2007. The band played two shows at Cardiff International Arena on 19 June and 20 June 2007 supported by local friends of the band, Reverend and the Makers. They also played two London gigs at Alexandra Palace on the 8 and 9 December 2007.
Humbug (2008-2010)
The band recorded a total of 24 songs; 12 in the Rancho De La Luna recording sessions with Josh Homme in early Autumn, 2008, and 12 in the New York sessions with James Ford in Spring, 2009, following their January tour of New Zealand and Australia. During this tour, lead single Crying Lightning, along with Humbug songs "Pretty Visitors", "Dangerous Animals", and "Potion Approaching" (then known as "Go-Kart"), was debuted live. It was later revealed by Matt Helders in a video diary that the album would consist of 14 tracks and that Alex Turner would stay in New York to oversee the mixing of the material.[39] However, the final tracklisting, revealed on 1 June 2009, listed only 10.[40]In a preview article on ClashMusic.com, writer Simon Harper claimed that the band had "completely defied any expectations or presumptions to explore the depths they can reach when stepping foot outside their accepted styles", and that "Turner is his usual eloquent self, but has definitely graduated into an incomparable writer whose themes twist and turn through stories and allegories so potent and profound it actually leaves one breathless".[41] On the same site, Alex Turner revealed that the band had listened to Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing the new album, the title of the which would be Humbug.[42] As announced on the Arctic Monkeys website the first single was "Crying Lightning", released on 6 July, digitally through iTunes and also received its first radio premiere on the same day. On 12 July 2009, the single "Crying Lightning" debuted at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the UK Indie Chart. The second single, "Cornerstone", was released on 16 November 2009 to much critical acclaim, but failed to replicate the same success that every prior Arctic Monkeys single had, reaching a peak at position 94 on the UK singles chart.[43] It was announced in February 2010 that the 3rd single to be taken from Humbug would be "My Propeller", released on 22 March, shortly before a one off UK show at the Royal Albert Hall in support on the Teenage Cancer Trust on 27 March.
Arctic Monkeys embarked on the first leg of the worldwide Humbug Tour in January 2009 and went on to headline 2009's Reading and Leeds Festivals. During this performance, they played a number of songs from Humbug, plus older tracks. They also did a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's Song 'Red Right Hand' They were also the headline act on the first night of 2009's Exit festival in Serbia. In North America, where they have less of a following, they played abridged sets at Montreal's Osheaga Festival, as well as New Jersey's All Points West Music and Arts Festival. The tour finished on 22 April 2010 in Mexico.
Fourth studio album (2010-present)
Drummer Matt Helders explained in an interview that "We've said we'll stop touring this album (Humbug) and we're eager to start working on new stuff again, not have time off again". He added that though the group were keen to work with Josh Homme again as a producer, he was unsure whether both of them would be free at the same time. Alex Turner said on the same interview: "We haven't tied our shoelaces yet, so it's hard to say [what it would sound like] there's a few things we've been playing around together and we've spoke about how we might go about it".[44]Later that year, when asked about the new album, Helders stated: "We're going to start working at the end of this month. Not recording or anything, just getting together to see what it's like being in the band again". Besides, the drummer explained that "There isn't anything left apart from the stuff left over from 'Humbug', we did quite a lot for that".[45]
Criticism and controversy
Former Depeche Mode keyboardist Alan Wilder, describing the state of the music industry in an article for Side-Line magazine, used the Arctic Monkeys as an example in his criticism of the use of dynamic range compression in modern recording techniques, calling the song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", "a bombardment of the most unsubtle, one-dimensional noise".[46]The release of the EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys just three months after their record-breaking debut album has been criticised by some, who have seen it as "money-grabbing" and "cashing in on their success".[47] The band countered that they regularly release new music not to make money, but to avoid the "boredom" of "spending three years touring on one album".[48]
The cover sleeve of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, showing Chris McClure, a friend of the band, smoking a cigarette, was criticised by the head of the NHS in Scotland for "reinforcing the idea that smoking is OK".[49] The image on the CD itself is a shot of an ashtray full of cigarettes. The band's product manager denied the accusation, and suggested the opposite — "You can see from the image smoking is not doing him the world of good".[49]
Band members
- Alex Turner – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (2002–Present)
- Jamie Cook – lead guitar (2002–Present)
- Matt Helders – drums, percussion, vocals (2002–Present)
- Nick O'Malley – bass guitar, vocals (2006–Present)
Protest the Hero is a Canadian heavy metal band from Whitby, Ontario.[1] Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band line-up has remained the same since their formation in 1999. [2] The band changed their name to Protest The Hero shortly before releasing their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002. In 2005, the band released their first full-length album, Kezia, on the indie label Underground Operations. On January 23, 2006, the band officially signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia's United States release. Kezia was released in the US on April 4, 2006. Their second full-length album, Fortress was officially released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008.[3]. The band is currently in the studio recording their 3rd full-length release, due out early 2011.
Members
- Rody Walker – lead vocals
- Luke Hoskin - lead guitar, backing vocals, piano
- Tim Millar – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, piano
- Arif Mirabdolbaghi – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Moe Carlson – drums
Biography
The first music that Protest the Hero recorded was their Search for the Truth 7" vinyl containing two songs; "Silent Genocide" and "Is Anybody There?". Luke Hoskin stated on his Formspring page that Search for the Truth was recorded when they were 13 years old.[1] The day that the band members finished their senior finals, they went on a three-week tour from Toronto to Halifax called "Rock the Vote" in order to gain recognition, as well as raise awareness for the upcoming Canadian election.[4] Protest the Hero's popularity is slowly expanding outside of metal scenes in and around the cities and towns they have performed in. Now teamed up with Vagrant Records for distributional services, Protest the Hero hopes to become popular over most of Canada and, with their recent signing to Vagrant Records, the United States as well. In 2004 they won the Canadian Independent Music Award for Favourite Metal Artist/Group, beating out better-known Alexisonfire.[5] They were nominated for the 2006 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards' Favourite Metal Artist/Group, which Kataklysm won in March of that year. Also in 2006, the band was nominated for the CASBY Award.[1] In addition, members of the band appeared in a televised commercial for the instrument store, Long & Mcquade. Bassist Arif was also featured in the Closet Monster music video "Mamma Anti-Facisto (Never Surrender)"; he can be seen to the left of London Spicoluk during the main group scenes.A music video for their song "These Colours Don't Run", from the album A Calculated Use of Sound, was released in 2003. The video begins with the band discussing the meaning of the song and features the band playing the song live at numerous locations in Toronto, Ontario, with the album music dubbed over the actual live recording. At each location, the band would hand out lyrics to passers-by and encourage them to listen or sing along. The band has also released videos for the songs "The Divine Suicide of K.", "Blindfolds Aside", and "Heretics and Killers" from Kezia, and for "Bloodmeat","Palms Read", "Spoils" , "Sequoia Throne" and "Limb from Limb" from Fortress. The video for "Heretics and Killers" received airplay on MTV2 and FUSE, partially because of the interesting premise of the video: the band play the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz who work odd jobs after The Wicked Witch is killed. At the 2009 Golden God Awards, Protest the Hero won best Viral Video.[6] The video features Rody, Luke, and Tim doing a dance on the side of a road when their van broke down. [Link]
Protest The Hero played Fortress from start to finish from November 20th to December 23rd. This stretch marked the last of the band's shows for a while as they will take the first part of 2010 to work on their new album. Walker has stated in a public video chat that the new album will feature a more progressive sound. Protest the Hero are anticipating beginning to record their third studio album in August 2010.[7]
The Band officially began the recording process on August 30, 2010. Walker stated on his twitter page on that day: "it has begun" [8] and also on his Facebook page on the 31st that "It is underway", both in reference to the band's next full length album recording. [9]
Protest the Hero live
They have performed and toured with many well-known acts, including Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Alexisonfire, Bullet For My Valentine, Against Me!, Between the Buried and Me and many others. From September 2005 until the beginning of June, 2006, Protest the Hero toured across Canada, the United States, and Great Britain in support of Kezia with bands such as Death by Stereo, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, The Fall of Troy, The Bled, and DragonForce. The band took part in the Vans Warped Tour during the Summer of 2006. Following this, Protest the Hero toured with Avenged Sevenfold and 3 Inches of Blood until October 2006 when they began "The Crusade" tour with Trivium, The Sword, and Cellador, taking them across Canada and the United States. In November 2006, Protest the Hero toured with Welsh metal band Bullet for My Valentine and As I Lay Dying. Beginning in the middle of December 2006, Protest The Hero embarked on a cross-Ontario tour, named the Bring Out Your Shred tour, with I Hate Sally and The Human Abstract. This tour was the first in which Kezia was played in its entirety. In late May/early June they co-headlined the Tour and Loathing 2007 Tour with co-headliners All That Remains, Blessthefall, Threat Signal and The Holly Springs Disaster.In September 2006, guitarist Luke Hoskin was detained at the Vancouver–US border for possessing a bag with less than 0.2 grams of marijuana, preventing him from continuing on their tour with Trivium and The Sword.[10] In his place the band got Marco Bressette from the Canadian rock band Hypodust from September until November 2006.
On January 28, 2008, the band began a tour through Canada with A Day to Remember, Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, and illScarlett. In April they toured with Chiodos before joining Warped Tour 2008. The band was on tour with Unearth, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy after Warped Tour in the United States; and then will be on a European tour with Unearth, Parkway Drive, Despised Icon, Architects (British band), Whitechapel, and Carnifex.
In January 2009 the band toured with As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, The Human Abstract, and Mychildren Mybride. Then they started a European Tour with The Human Abstract and The Chariot.
In April 2009, Protest the Hero headlined the Heads Will Roll tour in the US with Misery Signals, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Fall From Grace, and Scale the Summit.
From September 8-17, 2009, Protest the Hero supported In Flames and Killswitch Engage with Between the Buried and Me.[11]
On November 21, 2009, in Hamilton, Ontario, the band performed their album Fortress in its entirety for the first time. On November 26, 2009, they played in Halifax and on the 27th in Newfoundland, the only two eastern Canada tour dates for the year.
Protest the Hero were also the third band announced to be playing at Australia's Soundwave Festival in February/March of 2011.
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. Only two of the founding members are still a part of the lineup: lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Pierre and lead guitarist and backing vocalist Joshua Cain. The band also includes keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, with drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist Tony Thaxton.[11] Motion City Soundtrack has released four studio albums and sold almost 600,000 records throughout their career, including over half a million in the United States alone.[12][13]
Motion City Soundtrack's first release was a 7" single, "Promenade/Carolina", in 1999. The following year they released their debut EP, Kids for America, and then a second, Back to the Beat. They released debut album I Am the Movie twice, in 2002. Their first five releases were all self-released with the aid of a small record label. Backed up by their constant touring it fashioned them a fast growing fan base, and a signing with Epitaph Records.
After spending their first five years finding the right lineup, the Epitaph re-issue of I Am the Movie in 2003 was the band's big break. First major single "The Future Freaks Me Out" arrived with live and television success, but failed in radio airplay and the charts. 2003 and 2004 brought three Split EPs alongside Schatzi, Limbeck and Matchbook Romance. The second album, Commit This to Memory, has been their most successful album to date, selling 285,000+ records and peaking at number two on the Independent Albums chart.[14] It featured the single, "Everything Is Alright", which also found success on the likes of MTV, but also fell short in radio airplay and the charts.
The band released their third full-length album Even if It Kills Me in 2007. The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Independent Albums chart.[14] It produced singles "Broken Heart", "This Is for Real" and "It Had to Be You", which all received television airplay. Motion City Soundtrack released a fourth album entitled My Dinosaur Life in January 2010, which debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. It is their first album released on Columbia, a major record label.
History
Formation and early history
The formation of Motion City Soundtrack was made possible after the separation of two local bands. Joshua Cain of Saddest Girl Story recruited Justin Pierre from Slide Coaster, instigating the formation of Motion City Soundtrack in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1997.[15][16] The band's first lineup included only two of the current members, guitarist Cain and vocalist Pierre. It also contained guitarist Joe Skinner who didn't last until the end of the year, and later, drummer Andrew Whitney.[15] According to Cain, they soon realized that there "wasn't really anywhere to play [shows] in Minneapolis", and that they would have to "tour all the time" to get the name out there.[17] The name Motion City Soundtrack was thought up by Josh Cain's brother, Brian, who Josh says "made up a name for something he was goofing around with, just as an idea, and I asked if we could use it", and they did.[16]In January 1998 Motion City Soundtrack played their first live show, and throughout 1998 they played local shows and had numerous lineup changes. Andrew Gruhn joined the band briefly on the moog synthesizer, Whitney departed, and Austin Lindstrom took over the bass position, with Joel Habedank, formerly of Sadie Foster and the Fuck Yeahs, on drums.[15] Later in 1998, Gruhn departed,[15] leaving Cain and Pierre to share the moog duties and the band as a four piece, to record with Randy Duerr at Wigged Out. These recordings would later turn out to be their 7" vinyl release, "Promenade / Carolina",[18] marking the official formation of the band in 1999.[12][19]
In the early 2000s the band did more chopping and changing of their lineup, with the inclusion and then departure of short-lived bassist, Matthew Potocnik,[15] it also saw the exclusions of drummer Joel Habedank as well as bassist Lindstrom, after his second stint.[15] In mid-2000, Motion City Soundtrack released their first CD EP, entitled Kids for America. It was self-produced, recorded by Sound in Motion and co-released with Modern Radio Records, coinciding with their tour alongside local band, AMP 176.[18] The first EP was closely followed by Back to the Beat, which also self-produced and later notably reviewed by music website Punk News in April 2001, one of the band's first official reviews.[20]
2002 saw the formation of Motion City Soundtrack's lineup as it is today. The departures of drummer Sidney Burgdorf and Austin Lindstrom prompted the additions of two former members of Richmond, Virginia-based band Submerge,[19] drummer Tony Thaxton, and months later bassist Matt Taylor.[15] Thaxton initially took about a year to convince to join the band.[17] Jesse Johnson, who worked with Cain at a Pizza shop in Minneapolis was the last current day member to join the band. He joined just three weeks before the recording of their first album and in this time, learned to play the moog synthesizer without any prior experience.[15][19
I Am the Movie
Main article: I Am the Movie
In mid-2002 Motion City Soundtrack twice self-released their debut album, I Am the Movie. It would later become the basis for their first full-length studio album, of the same name.[18] The album was originally produced by Ed Rose, who had previously worked with The Get Up Kids, Emery, Ultimate Fakebook and The Anniversary.[21] It was recorded at Red House Studios in Walnut Creek, California, with Punk News describing the production as "nothing short of stellar".[22] I Am the Movie was unusually released originally in the form of a five and a half inch floppy disc and sleeve.[22]Motion City Soundtrack released the album a third time through Epitaph Records in June 2003. It was partially re-recorded, with the bass guitar parts being redone by new bassist Matt Taylor, for legal reasons.[23]
Backed by the success of their first album, Motion City Soundtrack toured for quite some time and in 2003 released the third track on I Am the Movie, "The Future Freaks Me Out", as their first single, which became a modest hit. According to the band's official website, the song's success was surprising, as the band "wrote the song in mere hours and it almost didn't even make it onto their debut."[24] A second single was released later that year, "My Favorite Accident".
Commit This to Memory
Main article: Commit This to Memory
Motion City Soundtrack's second album was recorded in Los Angeles in fall 2004, and was produced by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 fame. The song "Hangman" also featured Mark's vocals.The title, Commit This to Memory, was chosen early in the album's production, and is taken from a lyric in one of the album's songs, "Hangman". Production work on Commit This to Memory was finished in early 2005, and the album's winter theme (with two songs reflecting on New Year's Day) contrasted heavily with its expected June release.
The album was leaked to file sharing websites within a day of the final mastering and months before its official release,[17] [25] whilst the band took part in the first ever Epitaph Tour in February and March 2005. Epitaph placed computer arresting software on the official release of Commit This to Memory to resist any further damages due to piracy.
On June 20, 2006, the band released a special Deluxe Edition of the album, it included an extra track "Invisible Monsters", a DVD with three hours of footage containing a documentary, a live show and five of their music videos, including a video for the song "L.G. FUAD", which was made especially for the re-issue. The live concert was shot at the 7th Street Entry show in their hometown of Minneapolis.[26]
The album's first single, "Everything Is Alright" featuring Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Mark Hoppus and members of Limbeck, found significant radio play and appeared on several compilations. The song's video has appeared on MTV and Fuse channel, and has also appeared on the Saint's Row soundtrack. The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2006 comedy movie Accepted. "Everything Is Alright" also appeared in the soundtracks for The Bad News Bears and the video game "MLB 06: The Show". The band's second video was "Hold Me Down".
Even if It Kills Me
Main article: Even if It Kills Me
In January 2007, MCS was announced as having one of the most anticipated upcoming albums of 2007; they were featured on the issue #222 front cover of music magazine Alternative Press, in the Most Anticipated Albums of 2007 edition.[27]The band recorded their third studio album with two different sets of record producers at separate times. Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains of Wayne) and Eli Janney (of Girls Against Boys) were responsible for seven of the final tracks on the record, and former frontman of The Cars, Ric Ocasek, for the other five.[25] The two separate recording sessions created a concern over whether the album would hold a consistent vibe, drummer Tony Thaxton stating "[It's] something we definitely worried about. Our solution that we set was that it had to be all mixed by one guy", the band hired one "big name" audio engineer, Tom Lord-Alge, to mix eleven of the tracks, the exception being "The Conversation", as it was only piano and vocals.[25]
In anticipation of the upcoming album, the band released a series of 'webisodes' (video blogs) in early 2007. A collaboration between vocalist Pierre and bassist Taylor was captured on camera and consequently, viewers saw the birth of the song "The Conversation", track seven on the album.[17] The webisodes were released through a specially made website for the album, titled EvenIfItKillsMe.tv, with the videos being created by the brother of Joshua Cain, Jesse. The six videos also included clips of songs from the then upcoming album.[28]
After the disastrous circumstances surrounding the leak of their previous album, the band took precautions prior to the release of their third album in 2007. Advanced copies were handed out to marketers and reviewers with a warning, or as Joshua Cain described it, "a threatening letter". Alternatively, Motion City Soundtrack invited the relevant parties to a Nike ID Studio to listen to the third album.[17]
The album proved to be the band's most successful both commercially and critically. It received positive reviews from numerous sources, with British magazine Kerrang and music website Rock Louder both giving it four out of five stars,[7] as well as Absolute Punk awarding it a commendable 83%.[9] Even if It Kills Me topped the Independent Albums charts at number one, as well as reaching number 16 on the Billboard 200, selling around 33,000 albums in its first week.[14][29]
Eight months after the initial release of their third album, MCS released a five track Acoustic EP featuring acoustic versions of songs from Even if It Kills Me. The songs were released exclusively on May 6, 2008, through the iTunes Music Store, as part of a bonus bundle package of Even if It Kills Me.
Recent news and My Dinosaur Life
In June 2008, Joshua Cain and Justin Pierre announced several times throughout a podcast with Alternative Press that they would be moving from Epitaph to Columbia Records, a subsidiary to major label Sony BMG.[12][30] This was confirmed whilst the band was on Warped Tour in August 2008, with Cain also saying that they would be writing a new album from October to December, before recording.[31] Towards the end of 2008, the band released a music video for the acoustic version of "Fell in Love Without You" (from the Even if It Kills Me Acoustic EP), after it had been heard on an episode of Gossip Girl. The song "This Is For Real" was used in the trailer for the movie 17 Again and "It Had To Be You" in the trailer for Hotel For Dogs.Motion City Soundtrack's major label debut with Columbia will be produced by Blink-182 member Mark Hoppus. Hoppus worked with the band for their second album, Commit This to Memory, of which Hoppus said, "I think that 'Memory' is a really great record... For me, it encapsulates what Motion City Soundtrack is and can do. Now they want to make a record that's along those lines but pushes it even further."[32] He says the album will incorporate a heavier, more experimental side of the group. "There's an edge on this record that I'm really excited about getting into," he said. "But it still has all the catchiness of everything that I personally love about Motion City Soundtrack. As a fan, it's really exciting to get to work with them again and help them flesh out this new vision of themselves."[32] Motion City Soundtrack played the first two shows of the blink-182 tour in Las Vegas on July 23 and 24.
The band completed the recording of their upcoming fourth studio album on June 28, 2009.[33] Whilst on tour with Blink-182, Motion City Soundtrack did an interview for MTV with Mark Hoppus, in which it was revealed that the band's fourth album will be titled My Dinosaur Life.[34]
In October 2009, the band released the first song from their upcoming album, "Disappear", as a free download on their website[35]; the music video for "Disappear" was released November 19, 2009. The band played a special show in Minneapolis on October 30, then toured briefly with Weezer in early December. The band played a three-night engagement at Lincoln Hall in Chicago from December 18–20, playing one of their three albums beginning-to-end each night.[36] My Dinosaur Life was released worldwide January 19, 2010[37] to even stronger reviews than their previous album.[38]
They have also confirmed that they will be playing at Reading and Leeds festivals in 2010 on the Main Stage.[39] The band have announced that they will be headed to Brazil for the first time ever in 2011.
Musical style and influences
Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain formed the band with shared inspiration from Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbox, The Flaming Lips, and Superchunk.[3] They have since been noted as being influenced by Braid and The Rentals,[40] "early 90s rock",[16] Elvis Costello, Pixies, 80s music, dance music and Ben Folds.[41]The band's musical style is widely recognizable by its unique blend of pop punk with the moog synthesizer. They have been widely attributed to a number of different genres, including pop rock,[3] indie rock,[1] punk revival and the usual reference of pop punk.[3][42] They have been said to display "more pop than any other genre" which mix in "alternative-based, acoustic songs" to "switch up the successful flavor that gained them notoriety."[43] The band has been described as being "too diverse to fit into just one particular genre," with Pierre replying by suggesting the band could fit into "Scrabble rock. Not Fraggle rock. You know the game Scrabble, where you’ve got to come up with the big words and you get the most points," he was referring to the lyrical content of the songs, where he admits he must sometimes use a dictionary to "fact-check".[44]
Their debut album, I Am the Movie has been described as having a "distinctly unified and identifiable style."[41] An article by The News Record's Jeff Miller in 2004 said, "inspirations for the band's style range from Elvis Costello to Huey Lewis, but it is more appropriately described as a fusion of Jimmy Eat World and The Get Up Kids, enough high-energy to classify under punk, contrasted with enough emo lyrics to fill up a LiveJournal." Motion City Soundtrack's "synth-pop-punk" style has been brought upon by "lyrics and guitar lines that are purposefully designed to get stuck in your head, all perpetuated by the catchiness of Johnson's keyboards."[1]
The band's third studio album, Even if It Kills Me, came with more of a pop sound than the previous two.[45] Jesse Johnson has said the band had the opportunity to add "elements such as strings onto the latest record."[46] The Daily Cardinal said that the "album is true to the band’s fast-paced punk roots while remaining firmly anchored in catchy bubblegum pop melodies," demonstrating the band's "maturing style" while "the pop-punchers play it safe and stick to what they know best."[47]
Members
Current
- Justin Pierre – lead vocals, guitar (1997–present)
- Joshua Cain – guitar, backing vocals (1997–present)
- Jesse Johnson – moog synthesizer, keyboard (2002–present)
- Matthew Taylor – bass guitar, piano, backing vocals (2002–present)
- Tony Thaxton – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2002–present)
Former
- Joe Skinner – guitar (1997)
- Andrew Gruhn – moog synthesizer (1998)
- Kevin Sheeler - lead harmonica (1999-2003)
- Austin Lindstrom – bass (1998–2000, 2001–2002)
- Jose Sanchez - rhythm guitar (1997–2003)
- Andrew Whitney – drums, percussion (1997–1998)
- Joel Habedank – drums, percussion (1998–2000)
- Matthew Potocnik – bass (2000–2001)
- Sidney Burgdorf – drums, percussion (2001)
Studio albums
- 2003: I Am the Movie
- 2005: Commit This to Memory
- 2007: Even if It Kills Me
- 2010: My Dinosaur Life
[ Source : http://www.wikipedia.org/ ]
