The Silver Sun Pickups

Image courtesy of Travel DK

In my previous post I mentioned that Silverlake was the Meca of Indie music. As of right now there is no question about that. The amount of bands coming out of Silverlake and the general vibe of the city would confirm that without a shadow of a doubt. In my opinion I think there are several cities that contribute to the Indie scene. One city in particular is Seattle, home of grunge, Starbucks, Microsoft, and the almighty SubPop. I was fortunate enough to grow up about 5 minutes from downtown, in the University district of Seattle. The city itself is a plethora of different scenes and cultures, and if your not a native, you simply write the city off as being too rainy and trying to manage in a post grunge music scene.

This is quite the contrary to what the stereotype would have everyone believe. Seattle is a city full of music, and would arguably be called the birthplace of Indie Pop. When walking the streets of Seattle it’s easy to find someone who would seem offbeat and doesn’t quiet mesh with the surrounding city. When you take a step back you realize that is what the city is made of, there is a wide variety of people who don’t really fall into one category, but somehow find balance and harmony with everyone around them. The city is Home to Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Postal Service, Gatsbys American Dream, and The Blood Brothers, just to name a few. My own personal experiences have taken me to the famous Showbox, all the way to The Basement, a tiny little club no bigger, then well, a basement. From these experiences I have heard and met some amazing bands that make up Seattle’s Indie scene.

The Postal Service may be the most well known Indie Pop bands, but certainly not the only ones. If you pick up The Stranger you will find a local band calendar full of Indie Pop bands, just waiting to tickle your senses with Pop ditties that will make you tap your toes and want to go out and buy a Breeders album. One band that made my Indie pop meter go haywire was a band called Shake Some Action! The band came out of the ashes of The Jeunes, and consists of James Hall, David Bos, Garry Miller, and Chris Campbell. There name comes from a Flamin Groovies album released in the late 70’s and the sound is not to far off. There music is not a deep dive into introspective listening, but rather a happy bit of Indie Pop that is easy to grove to. There live show is exciting as well as a good time for anyone who attends.

One band that is worth of a mention is Dolour the brain child of Shane Tutmarc. Dolour first came to the surface in 97 as a full group of guys and not one man. Eventually the others disbanded and the name and sound was left on the shoulders of Tutmarc. The result was a pop sound that turned Seattle on it’s ear, and had the entire world trying to copy it. It should come as no surprise that the city has facilitated some of the greatest artists of our generation, and encourages anyone who goes there to think outside the box. The artists from Seattle know that they are not from L.A., and the scene in the Northwest is far removed from everything else that is going on in the world. True it’s not sunny like California, or as trendy as the East coast, but it has it’s own flavor and take on the world. And the local Indie scene knows that.

There is no denying that Seattle does not turn their back on the Indie scene. With every year a new group of kids are added to the fray, and none are taken out of the mix. It could be said that Seattle is building up to explode again, and make Indie Pop our generations Grunge. The city and the scene need no validation from the rest of the country. They are happy with what they are doing, and rather then follow the trend, would like to create one on there own. We can thank Nirvana for opening up the doors to Seattle, but being a one trick pony is not the city’s bag, or will it be its claim to fame. One thing that is for sure is that be it Indie Pop or not, the scene and music will stand the test of time, and make the next generation in Seattle and the rest of the world stand back and pay there respects to a scene that paved the way.

MTV has just announced that Silversun Pickups are this week’s choice for “Artist of the Week” on MTV. The artist of the week spots include short videos spots during the ending credits for shows as well as short music video clips in between commercial spots. The 17 short video spots that are currently running are the band at a special Silversun sleepover. The videos contain the band having a “don’t fall asleep first competition”, as well as building a cookie shrine for Jared Leto. The ads have everything you would expect at a sleepover which includes a round of light as a feather still as a board with Nikki Monninger, TPing Carson Dailys house, and even pulling out the Ouija board. The spots would not be complete without a sing along and a poolside performance by the band. The ads will run for the rest of the week and will end on Saturday November 10th.

This is another milestone for SSPU, and MTV2, the sister channel of MTV, has just added “Well Thought Out Twinkles” to there regular rotation. The band will be heading over seas with the Kaiser Chiefs for a short European tour and then heading back to the states to finish out the year. You can check out the videos at MTV and preview the Lumber Vs. Slumber video here.

Our neighbors across the pond have contributed allot to every wave of music that has come to America, in some respects even creating some in the process. This same idea applies to bands and there early counterparts. One of several bands that is taking a page from there earlier contemporaries is The Young Knives. They are a band of Three quirky English gents who hail from Ashby-de-la-Zouch North West Leicestershire, say that 3 times fast. There music is a blend of post-punk revival and Indie rock. The band formed in early 1998 with brothers Thomas “The House of Lords” and Henry Dartnall, and friend Oliver Askew. The band originally started out playing, as they quoted, bad funk and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin covers. Originally the band was formed under the name “Simple Pastoral Existence”, but soon there after moved to Oxford and changed there name to “Pony Club”.

After just a few months, the band changed their name once more to it’s current name The Young Knives. In October of 2002 the band released its first EP, The Young Knives Are Dead. Though the album did not chart, it created a buzz around England, and effectively started back up the Indie Pop movement which was dormant for a number of years. In that next year the band released a four song “mini-album” called Rollerskater through local Indie label Shifty Disco Records. On the heals of the Rollerskater EP the band toured in support of the album as well as opened for many bands touring through England including Hot Hot Heat and fellow country man The Futureheads. In mid 2005 the band moved too Transgressive records, and released the very successful Junky Music Make My Heart Beat Faster EP. Not much touring was done for the album due to the fact that the band was writing and preparing material for there first full length album.

Voice of Animals and Man, was released in August, and was the first time the band started to see international recognition. The second track off the album, “The Decision” was there first American single and even spawned a music video, which received heavy rotation on MTV2 and British and Euro MTV. Two months later the band released their second single “Here Comes the Rumour Mill”, which was their first charting single, and peeked at #36 on the UK’s top 100. This was followed by a UK and American tour. The band ran into a mishap when trying to get into the country and had to delay there America tour by almost a month. When they were granted a vacation visa, they played a hand full of dates in California and grabbed a spot on the 2006 South By South West Music Festival in Texas. After there return to the UK the band played, what they hailed, as there “biggest gig ever” at the famed London Astoria.

At the beginning of 2007 the band was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and announced that they were going back into the studio to record their second album. The band headed to Scotland to record, and again chose Andy Gill to produce there album. The album as of yet is un-named, but the band has stated that the single would be called “Terra Firma” On October 29th the single was released and debuted at #43 on the UK’s top 100. The Album is scheduled to be released on March 3rd 2008, and is the second Full Length Album from the band. There is no word if there will be an American tour in support of the Album, but I wouldn’t put it past the trio in tweed.

It was Saturday morning and I was sitting at home listening to music, in what I like to call the “thinking couch”. It was a windy afternoon, and as usual I had my computer set to random play. For some odd reason the set lease was jumping between The Strokes Room on Fire and The Cure. I’m not sure why this was happening, but I took it for what it was, and wasn’t in a rush to change it any time soon. After 30 or so minutes the music cut out and there was a piano break. I though maybe I had accidentally added some of my classical pieces to my play list. Then a voice kicked in that made me do a double take at my computer. It was a song that I last sampled back in September of last year. It was Castledoor, and the song was “Growing us a Garden”.

A rush of excitement hit me. I realized that when I first got my hands on Follow The Dove I didn’t put it down for almost a month, and it was part of my nightly mix as well. But after the magic of the album faded, I moved on and archived it in my hard drive. I figured I would give it another spin at a later date. But I didn’t think it would be a year before I listened to it again. I hopped to my computer and played Follow The Dove from front to back about 3 times. This time around I really was stopped dead in my tracks about how good the album really was. I felt I had missed out on an amazing piece of music for a year, and began to question why I had originally shelved it.

The EP is a nice little romp through Indie Pop gold, and takes a bit of a short cut through something that can be best described as a track from a Tim Burton movie. “Burn the Maps” reminded me of walking through the park at night. You feel reassured but scared at the same time. “The Birds And The Fleas” is a subtle track that winds through vocal harmonies and almost touches the realm of the Beatles Circa The White Album. It’s rare that I run into an EP that I can listen from front to back, but Follow The Dove accomplishes this with great leaps and bounds. Your without a doubt left wanting more after you listen to this album. The only downside being that it’s not a full release, and getting your hands on a copy is next to impossible. After checking the bands Myspace, I found out that it is pack in print and available to buy through there Myspace page, and iTunes.

Today I got this little gem in my mailbox from The International Music Feed. This is an update on how the band has been doing since there rise from early last year. It even features the bands opinion on there two music videos. Enjoy…

Silversun Pickups: Artist Feed #2

-Ty

It has just been announced that SilverSun Pickups will be playing “How The Edge Stole Christmas” 2007. This event is thrown every year by KEDJ Radio in Scottsdale Arizona. The show will also feature, Serj Tankian of System Of A Down fame, Angels & Airwaves, and Against me! The show will take place At the Mesa Amphitheatre on Thursday December 6th. The tickets can be purchased here. Or by calling the Marquee Theatre Box office in Tempe at 480-829-0607. This is an all ages show and is exspected to sell out. Don’t miss this chance to see SSPU live, and at an amazing venue.

The Single “Well Thought Out Twinkles” is the second single from there full-length album “CARNAVAS”. The single has been on the charts for 13 weeks and has been ascending the carts ever since. They are up two positions up from last week where there single was number 20. Call your local modern rock stations and request “Well Thought Out Twinkles”, and make them number 1!!

After almost a year of strait touring, and non stop promotion for there Album Carnavas, SSPU are welcomed back home to a sold out home crowd at the Wiltern Theater. By now it’s no surprise that big crowds are to be expected for a band that once played only local bars in SilverLake and the surrounding L.A. area. On Saturday there was no bigger night for the Gentleman and lady that make SSPU. The crowd was mixed with people who were no strangers to the local Indie scene, as well as a few new faces to round out the audience. The feeling in the air was harmonious, and truly felt like soldiers coming home from war. The night started out with The Happy Hallows and Midnight Movies. Both of their sets were no more then 30 minutes long and really fit well with the mood of the night.

As SSPU took the stage, Brian greeted the crowd, and his usual reserved persona was replaced with a confident, almost swagger like presence. When the first note was played from “Melatonin” the room echoed the signature sound of SSUP and recalled the days of Velvet Revolver and You Made Me Realise By My Bloody Valentine. As the night bonced along the band played almost every track from Carnavas including there new single “Well Thought Out Twinkles” and “LazyEye”, which featured a sit in on guitar by Snow Patrol’s Paul Wilson. Doted throughout there performance was a few muddy moments and even starting a song over, but the band recovered well and was able to finish there set on a high note.

When they returned for a encore the crowd seemed more energetic then when the band took the stage the first time. The Four song encore consisted of songs from there first EP Pikul, and the night ended with The Movies Cover “Creation Lake”. It was a fitting end to a night that seemed to come full circle in allot of ways. The band that spent 6 years cutting there teeth in small bars and venues locally, now comes back home bigger then ever, but still humble and embracing to the place that birthed them.

When I think about Miami the last thing that is on my mind is a guy who looks better suited in the deep south (circa 1932) then in an area that is known for it’s beaches, culture, and let’s not forget Miami Vice. The one man band that makes up Iron & Wine is Sam Beam. With the release of his new album The Shepherd’s Dog, and the recent performance on the Late Show with David Letterman, this Indie-folk artist is getting attention with one lightly well timed song at a time. Born and Raised mostly in South Carolina, Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) has been releasing music under the Sub Pop label since early 2002. Iron & Wine’s music is best described as a mix of folk, with respect to Simon and Garfunkel, and bluegrass all held together with almost a whisper like deliverance of lyrics.

Upon first listen, Iron & Wine’s music comes off as one mans first hand account of his journey through life. A theme not so uncommon, but when delivered, he is able to breath life into it. Before he was known as Iron & Wine, Sam Beam was a normal guy with a young family and was making a living as a film professor at the University of Miami. He only treated music as a hobby and didn’t really consider making much out of it. He went the way of “tape trading” to get his music out in the local Miami area. It wasn’t until he Caught the attention of Sub Pop’s label head that Iron & Wine moved from a local favorite to underground phenomenon. He then submitted two disks which would become his first release on Sub Pop, The Creek Drank The Cradle. It wasn’t soon after that he did a cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” on there yet to be released album Give Up.

A little under a year later he released The Sea And The Rhythm EP, which was is the same style of the creek, and consisted of tracks all done in Sam’s home studio in Miami. While he did a handful of dates in support for this album, he was busy writing his second full length release. His second full length release Our Endless Numbered Days, was considered by most to be a drastic change due to the fact that it was recorded at Engine studios in Chicago and was backed by a full band. While the sound was different from his previous releases, it showcased Iron & Wine’s ability to adapt and write an album that was different but still be familiar at the same time. It was with this release that Iron & Wine got a huge surge of recognition when his cover of “Such Great Heights” was featured on the Soundtrack to Garden State, as well as a run of advertisements for various companies.

In Early 2005 Iron & Wine released the Woman King EP, which was much in the same in same style as Our Endless Numbered Days, and featured more polished studio tracks. The EP was heavily debated as having religious undertones and a darker approach then his previously releases. That same year Iron and Wine collaborated with Tucson based Calexico to release In The Reins EP. The album was a mix of folk and alt-rock, and featured the signature Southwestern sound, which is a mix of tradition Mexican music and new rock. The album topped out at 135 on the Billboards top 200. Much of the music released after that were singles, some featuring his sister Sarah Beam on backing vocals, the most prominent being “Faded From The Winter”.

On deck in 2007 was another full release for Iron & Wine called The Shepherd’s Dog. The album was far removed from both Beam’s traditional musical style as well as lyrical content. In its entirety, the album played more like an atmospheric piece with a voice that is more timid and unsure then in previous releases, but serves to leave more of a chilling impression then the warm bodied content we have come to expect. There is no doubt that Iron & Wine(Sam Beam) is transforming his content to fit his ever changing style. If there is one thing to be said about him, it’s that he cannot be written off as a one trick Indie-folk artist. With every new EP and release we get another side of Sam, which makes us think what could be up his sleeve next. For those who miss his stripped down style that echo’s American gothic compositions, it can be said that he has not limited himself to one style and has taken the route of musical exploration, rather then topping out in one set style.

Image Provided by Answer.com

When we think of all the waves of music we can no doubt pinpoint what part of the country or world it is associated with. During the late 60’s their was the British invasion which turned out, arguable, some of the greatest acts in the last 50 years. In the early 90’s there was the Grunge movement, which many critics dubbed “Seattle Rock” and effectively ended the glam era. When we turn our eyes to L.A. there is no disputing that the area has turned out some great acts as well as spawned a few musical scenes in the process. Most notably the hair metal scene or glam era. Not to say that it didn’t have it’s up’s, but really most everyone associated with that scene either doesn’t remember what happened or would like to forget altogether.

One thing that is certain is that these scenes were created, exploded, and died. One result is a new medium in which artists can create new sub genres and take from what was, for a period of time, a new wave of music. When you descend upon the city of Silverlake California, you don’t notice much of a difference from the rest of the up scale areas of Los Angeles. Just like the rest of the L.A. there are a handful of shops and stores dotting the scenery that have survived the on slot of major businesses moving in, and the occasional Richard Neutra designed home, which looks more like a child inspired fort, then a breakthrough in Modernism architecture. If you didn’t take a little bit of time to stop and smell the rose, the city would be no more then a blip on the radar. What can be said for this city is that fact that it has been turning out some of California’s most brilliant artists for the last 20 years.

To describe it as just a place where the California Indie scene was birthed, and will eventually die, would sell the city short. It does, in its own respect have a separation from North Hollywood and the “L.A. scene” but still shares the same area code with it’s larger counterpart. Locals describe it as a place that has its own off beat sensibility, and really facilitates the Indie music scene. While I was there I got the sense that it was a bit calmer and more low key then the valley, just 20 miles from where I was standing. And when I strolled into The Kitchen, a local sit down, I was instantly transported to the East Village in New York. The motive consisted of deep colors older wooden tables and walls mad of broken brick. The only noticeable difference being that across the room from me was a man in a business suit.

After I was done eating I chatted up some locals and got a real good idea of why so many artists call Silverlake home. From what I was told, It’s a part of the city that at one point fell victim to allot of crime and was considered to be poor in what was relatively an upscale part of L.A. There was always that sense of poverty and struggle, but at the same time the city had an up beat and great side to it. It was almost completely removed from what the world saw L.A. as, and because of that it created its own scene and vibe. It was still California, and that would never change, but it stood on its own. The more time I spend in the city the more I understood how artists like Rilo Kiley, and Moving Units really fit well with what the city had showed me. I felt bad that after the success of SilverSun Pickups and their counterparts, that Silverlake would soon be the next Seattle or new “L.A. scene”. My only reassurance came in the form of a local saying “were all not really in any rush to get out of here”.

Posted are the dates for a few upcoming shows in the states, and then to Europe. It has not been confirmed whither SSUP will take a break after they return home, but there have been no other confirmed dates after the December 2nd show.

HEADLINE DATES
Oct 19, The Fillmore / San Francisco, CA
Oct 20, The Willtern Theater / Los Angeles, CA
Oct 22, Starlite Room / Edmonton, Canada

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES WITH KAISER CHIEFS
Oct 29, Zenith / Munich, Germany
Oct 30, Eulachhalle / Winterthur, Switwerland
Oct 31, Stadthalle / Vienna, Austria
Nov 2, Stadthalle / Offenbach, Germany
Nov 4, Columbiahalle / Berlin, Germany
Nov 5, Palladium / Cologne, Germany
Nov 8, KB Halle / Copenhagen, Denmark
Nov 9, Sentrum / Oslo, Norway
Nov 10, Arenen / Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 12, Pier 2 / Bremen, Germany
Nov 14, Heineken Music Hall / Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 15, Heineken Music Hall / Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 16, Arena / Antwerp, Belgium

PARIS HEADLINE DATE
November 17, Nouveau Casino / Paris, France

US TOUR DATES
Nov 29, Y101 Snowball @ Toad’s Place / Richmond, VA
Dec 1, 103.1 Bake Sale @ Sound Advice Amphitheater / West Palm Beach, FL
Dec 2, 97X Next Big Thing 7 @ Ford Amphitheatre / Tampa, FL

Hello and welcome to the new blog dedicated to the SilverSun Pickups and everything Indie Rock. In this blog I will cover everything involving the SilverSun Pickups as well as bands that are in the same genera and style. So without further hesitation here is my first entry about the SilverSun Pickups.

If you have ever been to California you know that it has a reputation for leading the country in trends. If it’s hot in California right now, you know the rest of the country is trying to catch up with it. This theory especially holds true to music. In the early 80’s it was Glam and hair metal, in the late 80’s early 90’s it was West Coast gangster rap, and in the later part of the 90’s and early 2000’s it was Rap and Nu-metal. It seemed that during these times everyone was trying to follow what was coming out of California but was not quite hitting the mark. Allot of critics felt that in order to really capture the California sound you had to be from the Golden state. This statement seemed to echo across the country and many bands starting branching out on there own and representing where they came from.

Bands like The Strokes and The Hives brought a retro feel to there music and were hailed for bringing back rock to the mainstream. All the while, California was turning out pop influenced bands that really didn’t make you feel any one way, and were, by in large, void of much substance. Once the pop rock and punk had started to fade in the later part of 2004, California was due for another wave of music. Within the underground music scene of California there was a flurry of bands that were starting to grab the attention of music goers who were hungry for something new. Up until that point Indie rock had a strong following, but really was more reserved for the underground crowd.

At any given time of the week you can find a club within the L.A. area that is hosting a variety of shows and acts. This is where SilverSun Pickups began to cut their teeth. Obtaining their name from a local Liquor and convenience store in the viciously trendy Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, it should come as no surprise that they were in the right place for there brand of rock. Sharing the neighborhood with such artists as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eels, Rooney, and Beck, who has achieved the status of Indie God in his own right. SilverSun did have big shoes to fill, and from the beginning was walking in the shadows of some of Southern California’s most well recognized and respected artists. Playing the L.A. club scene, it wasn’t until 5 years after there formation “sspu” decided that it was time to cut a proper EP. This revelation came about after Brian Aubert, the lead singer, was given a bootleg of one of their shows. He said that the quality was so bad that he didn’t want anyone to hear it.

In 2005 the Album Pikul was released through Dangerbird Records, a small label featuring Alternative and Indie acts from around the world. It was this EP that would help the band establish themselves further in the Indie rock scene of L.A., but would also push their exposure to the rest of the country. Shortly after there EP release they began to tour the country. The buzz that only extended to East L.A. was now beginning to grow very fast, their song “Comeback Kid” was getting play on College radio and even some larger market radio stations were beginning to play their music. By the close of 2005 the band had been touring and writing for almost 9 months. When they returned to L.A. they headed for the studio, and split their time between going out on the road for a week at a time and recording.

Within a few month the band was done recording and headed back out on the road. By late June the album was mixed and ready to pressed, and on July 25th 2006, the album titled Carnavas was released. In support of the album “sspu” began to tour the United States. The album was slow to sell but a hectic touring schedule ensured that the band would get the exposure they needed to boost the status of the album. In early December of that year the band was asked to co-headline a three week long tour with Australian band Wolfmother. In the first part of the new year that band played a few shows scattered about the country. In March they toured with OK Go and Snow Patrol on their U.S. spring tour, and in April played a slot at the Coachella festival in Indio California.

Almost a year after the release of Carnavas the band has started to see greater success with their first single “Lazy Eye” reaching number 5 on the modern rock charts and their album being released in the UK on May 28th, 2007, it’s safe to say this Indie act is starting to get a taste of the mainstream.

So for everything SilverSun and Indie rock check it out here.