News from 2/2016

NEWS : THU, FEB 25, 2016 at 10:00 AM

Listen: Mike and the Melvins Share “Limited Teeth” via Dangerous Minds

Mike and The Melvins have shared “Limited Teeth,” a new track from Three Men and a Baby, their long awaited, forthcoming album.

Dangerous Minds had this to say of the track: “Completely badass…If you’re in for this sort of thing (and since you’re still reading, I think it’s fair to assume that skillet-meets-face sludge rock is more or less your zone), the album was worth the wait (see premiere February 25th)”

Mike and The Melvins is a collaboration between Mike Kunka (godheadSilo, Enemymine) and the Melvins. 


The group will release Three Men and a Baby on CD/LP/DL/CASS on April 1, 2016 worldwide through Sub Pop. The 12-song album features the highlights “Chicken ‘n’ Dump” and “Limited Teeth.” Most of Three Men and a Baby was recorded in 1999 at Louder Studios by Tim Green (The Fucking Champs), and it was finished in 2015 at Sound of Sirens by Toshi Kasai.

Three Men and a Baby is now available for preorder through the Sub Pop Mega MartGoogle Play, iTunesAmazon, and Bandcamp. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited Loser edition, housed in a custom dust sleeve and on white vinyl (while supplies last), AND there’s a new T-shirt available for your bundling pleasure.


About Mike and The Melvins:

Three Men and a Baby is the new album by Mike and the Melvins. It was supposed to come out sixteen years ago.

These are the facts we can be sure of: in 1998, around the time his band godheadSilo went on hiatus, bassist/vocalist Mike Kunka busied himself by tagging along on a tour with his friends the Melvins. Somewhere along the way, Mike and the Melvins – King Buzzo (guitar/bass/vocals), Dale Crover (drums/vocals), and Kevin Rutmanis (bass/vocals), at the time – decided to make a record together, and gave the project the imaginative moniker Mike and the Melvins. Sub Pop, ever on the hunt for music’s Next Big Thing, enthusiastically agreed to fund and release the super-group’s debut, and recording commenced sometime in 1999.

It’s at this point that things get hazy. Apparently, one or more of the following happened:

  • Some “junior-high level bullshit.”
  •  A house was built, a barn was raised, children were born.
  • Typical record-label skullduggery.
  • A scorching case of whooping cough.
  • Surgery. Lots of surgery.
  • Shocking and poorly-timed gear theft.
  • Some other stuff, probably, or maybe not.

Whatever the reasons, the incomplete recording languished on a shelf from 1999 until 2015, when, much to everyone’s surprise, the involved parties reconvened, finished the damn thing, and delivered it post-haste to Sub Pop International Headquarters, where it was promptly scheduled for the coveted April 1st, 2016 release date. What a story, right?

So, about the record: It’s real good! Mike’s signature bass crunch and vocals are all over it, and the Melvins are in fine form. It has everything from hefty noise-rock churn to a Public Image Ltd. song to cough-syrup blues to deconstructed black metal. Neither Melvins nor godheadSilo fans will be disappointed, nor will detractors of either; to paraphrase Mike, if you don’t like it, it probably wasn’t meant for you (read more at Sub Pop).


Three Men and a Baby

Tracklisting

1. Chicken ‘n’ Dump
2. Limited Teeth

3. Bummer Conversation
4. Annalisa
5. A Dead Pile of Worthless Junk
6. Read the Label (It’s Chili)
7. Dead Canaries
8. Pound the Giants
9. A Friend in Need is a Friend You Don’t Need
10. Lifestyle Hammer
11. Gravel
12. Art School Fight Song


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : TUE, FEB 2, 2016 at 7:00 AM

Cullen Omori shares “Sour Silk” a new track from ‘New Misery’ (out March 18)

Sour Silk” is the newest standout track from New Misery, Cullen Omori’s forthcoming Sub Pop debut coming out on March 18th.

Stereogum had this to say of the track, “Though Omori’s vocals prevail in the forefront of this single, perhaps its most impressive aspect is a backdrop where every component is defined yet bleeds into each other seamlessly. Throughout the entire song, a number of ever-varying guitar parts pan across the plain of his composition, each with its own unique but cohesive sound. Omori constantly adds and subtracts sounds, maintaining his hook without allowing it to go stale. And as soon as you think you’ve pegged his song as smooth and almost psychedelic, Omori adds crunchier, rock-inspired guitar tones plus a goddamn trumpet.

“Remember the scene in Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off where Eddie pretty much combines his entire kitchen in a blender and ends up with a purple sauce that’s somehow delicious? “Sour Silk” is the combination of sounds you weren’t sure could be mixed, blended into a song that sounds both effortless and endlessly faceted (see premiere Tuesday, February 2nd).”


Omori began working on solo material in early 2014 which has now fully materialized as New Misery, a collection of 11 songs building upon his own musical past while reaching towards the future of what guitar rock could be. His songs marry dark yet blissful pop with vocal melodies and hooks that are at once immediate yet demand to be heard again and again.

Omori’s previously announced 4-week spring tour in support of New Misery starts March 24th in Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall and currently ends April 24th in Toronto, ON at the Horseshoe Tavern. Preceding the tour is a string of midwestern dates this week, beginning February 3rd in Indianapolis at The Hi Fi through February 5th in Champaign, IL at The Accord. Additionally, Cullen will appear at the 2016 edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas. (See dates below.)


[Photo Credit:  Alexa Lopez]

More on Cullen Omori:

“I had this overwhelming feeling that perhaps the apex of my life both as a musician and as an individual would be relegated to five years in my late teens/early 20s,” says Cullen Omori, who was launched into the music industry when the Smith Westerns, who started in high school in Chicago, became fast-rising indie stars. “This fear really forced me to work hard as to not see the Smith Westerns as an end but as a point along a bigger trajectory.”

While New Misery grew out of a difficult personal and professional time for Omori, he says the title reflects “not so much the distress that comes with failure, but the troubles and complexities that come with any type of success. No matter what you get you’re going to want more, you’re going to want something different. That’s the catch.”

The title track is a dreamy, resonant reflection on these feelings, but is also a guidepost for Omori’s musical evolution. “The song starts slow and then builds with two solos,” he says. “There’s the guitar solo which is very much a Smith Westerns thing. The next solo is on the keyboard, which is a shift to a lot of what I’m trying to do.” Synths play a much larger role in Omori’s new music than in the Smith Westerns’ guitar-fueled rock, as do a wide range of influences including Roxy Music, INXS, Spiritualized, Wilco, Garbage, Hall & Oates, Kate Bush, U2, and Sparks. There’s also a more deliberate pop streak, inspired by the top-40 radio that would play while Omori worked at a medical supply company cleaning stretchers and wheelchairs.

“There is so much dirt in hospitals and fuzz and lint and dried blood on these things. We’d clean them down, which in a way is kind of therapeutic, and listen to the radio. Then we’d go back to Adam’s (Adam Gil, current live band member) house and record demos for what was to become the skeleton of New Misery. I can’t  sit down and say I’m going to write a Sam Smith or an Adele song or whatever. The closest I can get to that is making like this weird hybrid of what I think is a pop song.” The strongest example of this is the new wave-tinged single “Cinnamon,” which Omori describes as “dark pop–it’s poppy, it’s fast, but it also has all the colors and tones that are kind of dark. It’s self-deprecating, which was kind of where I was at emotionally. That, you know, I could have this poppy song or whatever but I don’t think I’m a pop star. I’m closer to thinking I’m a piece of shit than I am a pop star (read more at Sub Pop).


New Misery will be available worldwide on CD / LP / DL/ CASS through Sub Pop Records on March 18th, and is now available for pre-order through Sub Pop Mega MartiTunesGoogle PlayAmazon and Bandcamp. LP pre-orders though megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on clear vinyl with black, white and gold swirls (while supplies last).

The album was recorded by Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Fucked Up, and Vampire Weekend) at the now defunct Treefort Studios, and was mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, HAIM, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, and Bjork) at The Lodge.


What people are saying about Cullen Omori:

“Shimmering beauty” [“Cinnamon”/ “New Music of the Day”] - NME
 
“It’s bittersweet, blissful pop 
with an ’80s hue - vocal melodies and hooks that are at once immediate yet demand to be heard again and again. Job well done, Cullen.” [“Cinnamon”] - The 405
 
“Led by dreamy, glimmering guitars, it takes Smith Westerns’ knack for a poppy hook to the next level.” [“Cinnamon”] -Consequence of Sound



Tour Dates

Feb. 03 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi-Fi
Feb. 04 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
Feb. 05 - Champaign, IL - The Accord
Mar. 14 - Columbia, MO - Rose Music Hall
Mar. 15 - Norman, OK - Opolis
Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 18 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 19- Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 20 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 24 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Mar. 25 - Madison, WI - High Noon
Mar. 26 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
Mar. 28 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
Mar. 29 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Mar. 30 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
Apr. 01 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
Apr. 02 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
Apr. 03 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
Apr. 05 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Apr. 07 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
Apr. 08 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
Apr. 11 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Jr
Apr. 12 - Dallas, TX - Prophet Bar
Apr. 13 - Houston, TX - Raven Tower
Apr. 15 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
Apr. 16 - Nashville, TN - High Watt
Apr. 17 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
Apr. 18 - DC, Washington - DC9
Apr. 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
Apr. 21 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
Apr. 22 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Apr. 23 - Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
Apr. 24 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern

For ticket links, click over here.


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : FRI, FEB 26, 2016 at 9:30 AM

Sub Pop and Alaska Airlines: Together At Last!

From the altogether official press release, courtesy of our new friends at Alaska Airlines

- - - - -

Twitter exchange sparks new in-flight partnership with Sub Pop Records

BY KEEGAN PROSSER for Alaska Airlines

Looking for something fresh and exciting to do during your next flight? Then Alaska has some good news for you. Beginning this month, the airline is partnering with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records to bring some of the label’s best music onboard – for free. 

Launched with Beach House’s latest album Thank Your Lucky Stars on February 1, the new program offers fliers the chance to listen to one complimentary featured Sub Pop title per month on Alaska Beyond Entertainment, Alaska’s direct-to-your-device inflight entertainment service, and two albums per quarter on the rentable tablets. 


“We didn’t have inflight entertainment on most of our flights until about a year and a half ago,” says David Scotland, manager of inflight entertainment and connectivity for the airline, adding that one of Alaska’s priorities is to ensure that customers aren’t receiving “plain vanilla anything” aboard its flights. “We have our own unique way of designing every experience of travel – from locally sourced food to space-enhancing seats and now music,” he continues, noting that the record label takes a similar approach in curating its artists. “And Sub Pop is a way for us to do that in the music and entertainment space.”


The partnership itself came about when a former Sub Pop employee was on an Alaska flight and tweeted to ask why the two companies weren’t working together. Soon after, the Twitter conversation turned into a real plan of action.

“There’s definitely a big appeal for doing something specifically with Alaska,” notes Chris Jacobs, General Manager of Sub Pop Records. “Because Sub Pop is so overtly and proudly associated with the region, and so is Alaska, it makes sense.” According to Jacobs, albums selected for the streaming and tablet platforms are based on timeliness and appeal to a variety of listeners, with March’s featured album set to be Shearwater’s latest release Jet Plane and Oxbow. “The music we put out can range pretty widely, from relatively accessible to relatively not,” Jacobs says of the label. “So we are trying to focus on bands at the more accessible end.”


In that spirit, Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiberg sees the inflight entertainment platform as a great way to gain new fans. “My hope is that the record feels accessible and friendly on first listen but has enough depth and detail that you’ll want to play it again,” he explains of the project, which pairs dreamy indie rock with punchy ‘80s synths. “We spent many weeks laboring over the texture and colors of the sounds.” He also sees it as a great alternative for his music to be consumed. “I’m just glad for the chance to reach people who might never hear our music otherwise.”


And fellow Sub Pop artist Cullen Omori, whose solo debut New Misery will be featured on Alaska flights in April, shares the sentiment. “There’s no better audience,” says the former Smith Westerns vocalist, whose collection of genre-bending pop rock cuts hits stores March 18. “You have a captive audience that’s stuck on a plane for X amount of hours. And so, there’s no better time to pitch them some music to listen to.”


As Scotland points out, teaming up with local brands such as Sub Pop, the Seattle International Film Festival, fashion designer Luly Yang and Tom Douglas restaurants enables Alaska to deepen the relationship it’s built with core customers and provide them with a piece of home. “One of the things that our customers from the Seattle area tell us very often is that they feel like they’re already home when they get on the plane, and there’s a comfort there.” But it also leaves a lasting impression with customers who may be flying in the region for the first time. “There is something cool and unique about the PNW,” he continues. “We do march to the beat of our own drum. We’re not like the rest of the country. And being an airline, we get to introduce a lot of people to some of the best parts of the Pacific Northwest.”

- - - - -

Guest Writer Keegan Prosser is a full-time pop culture junkie and part-time freelance music journalist who is based in Seattle and has contributed to Seattle Weekly and RollingStone.com. When she’s not writing about Justin Bieber for radio prep service ReelWorld.com, Keegan flies Alaska to cities with good food, great people and exceptional live music.

[Originally published February 26th on alaskaair.com]


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : TUE, FEB 23, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Arbor Labor Union to Release ‘I Hear You’ May 13th; Hear “Radiant Mountain Road” (via Noisey)

Arbor Labor Union (fka Pinecones) will release I Hear You worldwide on May 13th through Sub Pop. The album featuring highlights “Radiant Mountain Road” and “Volume Peaks,” was produced and recorded by Randall Dunn and Arbor Labor Union in the fall of 2015 at Avast Studio in Seattle, WA and mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering. (Tracklisting below.)
 
Noisey had this to say about “Radiant Mountain Road”: 
“It’s a chugging, ballsy rock squall, with a pinch of psych and a smidge of QOTSA, that’ll stomp its way straight into your heart. The bass and drums at the top may make you want to break stuff. This can be a good thing. Elsewhere singer Bo Orr’s tone is simultaneously powerful and sexily insouciant.”  (see track premiere February 23rd).”


Arbor Labor Union have scheduled performances from March 16th-20th in Austin, TX for SXSW. Preceding the festival, the band have scheduled a show on March 15th in Birmingham, AL at the Syndicate (with Lazyeyes). Additional tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.



Arbor Labor Union’s I Hear You will be available on CD/LP/DL/CASS and is now up for preorder via Sub Pop Mega Mart,  iTunesAmazonGoogle PlayBandcamp and independent retail stores near you. As is the custom, LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on pink vinyl while supplies last.

Tracklisting:

1. Mr. Birdsong
2. Hello Transmission
3. Radiant Mountain Road
4. I Am You
5. Volume Peaks
6. Babel
7. Belief’d
8. Silent Oath
9. IHU



Arbor Labor Union on I Hear You:
 
“““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““

Hello & Welcome to the Thousand Eyed Present.
H E  L  L O   T  R  A  N  S  M I  
S  S  I  O  N
STARSHIP IHU MYTH DEVELOPMENT
(FOR NEW USERS AND LISTENERS)


………………………………………………………….....

4 years ago, in the Peach state of Georgia, there was a mighty green conifer tree whose limbs were wider than the smile on the sun. From this tree hung many a seed. The tree was home to so many creatures big and small. The most fun of them all was perhaps MR. BIRDSONG. Mr. Birdsong was a single white dove known for his beautiful voice and powerful wings. Sometimes, Mr. Birdsong would be so lost in song and dancing that his wings would knock loose one of the Pinecones! The armored seed would then whoosh toward the ground and sometimes break open on the forest floor below. But you see, it’s very dangerous when this happens. For inside each pine cone on the mighty green tree lies all of the possible decisions a living person can make! And, luckily, in these seeds on that particular day was the possibility that 4 lifelong friends would decide to form an eternal union founded in sound.
Arbor Labor Union was born! Their roots immediately began to burrow deep into the earth (some say towards the ear of Pythagoras!). Most trees in the forest try to grow fast. Many trees’s desire is to race one another to the clouds and back. These four trees, however, are growing slowly together. They know beyond every cloud is a radiant, true blue sky and they aim for no less than the cosmos! No one knows which one of the four spoke first. Mr. Birdsong was there and he swears that they all spoke in unison. He sings about it like this:
 
“Listen now!
O! dear listener
For what I sing is True
Out from the sound of song forest
4 trees sang “I AM YOU”
 
The trees are still singing in unison today. Most recently the song they could be heard singing has been said to sound like this:  “IHer Yu! 
Ihear u! Iher
 YOU!”

New Initiate, you must be ready to find these young trees! For those of you who have received this message in full I have included a map below:


In the case that your map gets stolen, I am sorry. It looks as though you will have to hear your way there. Remember these instructions- if you press your ear to the ground you will find that it too has a sound… and it sings:

“Past the VOLUME PEAKS
And down the RADIANT MTN ROAD
Past the Palace of Sleeping Songs
And the meditating toad
It is there that you might find
Four trees singing so divine
I HEAR YOU I AM YOU
And together we shall shine!”

The bond of music is resounding. And to add more lava to the volcano of song should be sin. For it is known the world could use some silence. But the Arbor Labor Union is still growing in agreeable song. Toward the planets. Toward the Polestars. And toward the People. We are adding bricks to our Tower of BABEL. We are building our song up to Heaven. For belief in an honest sound is BELIEF’d among us. Take the SILENT OATH. Look no further. You have arrived for you have been here all along.

We are your banner men. The image on your flag is written in our hearts. It shall be done, for it is already accomplished.

 

JOY OR DIE

 

Together we are:
Captain Brain Atoms Starship IHU Mind Leader/Omega Kindess One
Captain Ryan Evers Starship IHU Extratonal Grin Generator
Captain Bo Orr  Starship IHU Jester Shaman/ Headless Guru
Captain Ben Salie Starship IHU Weathervane Mystic/ Love Ambassador

Sincerely,
Jonah Vark


Read more from Arbor Labor Union at Sub Pop right over here.

Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : THU, FEB 18, 2016 at 8:00 AM

Sub Pop’s 2016 Loser Scholarship Details!

Hey there!

Sub Pop Records in Seattle, WA is offering a grand total of $15,000 worth of college scholarship money to three eligible high school seniors. There are three scholarships—one for $7,000, one for $5,000 and one for $3,000. As longtime and proud losers ourselves, we’re exceedingly happy to be able, in some small way, to help further the education of art-enthused misfits from the NW.

Applicants must be a resident of Washington or Oregon, and a graduating senior on your way to full-time enrollment at an accredited university or college. We are looking for applicants who are involved and/or interested in music and/or the creative arts in some way. However, you do not need to be pursuing an education in the arts.

To apply you must submit an essay, one page or less, using any combination of the following questions as a guide (or write something completely your own, be inspired and creative!). Please list the school you are graduating from and the school you plan to attend in the fall at the top of your essay along with your contact information.

- What are you doing in the arts/music field in your community?

- What does being a Sub Pop ‘Loser’ mean to you?

- What are your influences and/or who inspired you to become involved in the arts?

- Describe your biggest failure and explain how it has brought you closer to your goal(s). 

- Discuss a special attribute or accomplishment that sets you apart.

- How has your family or community background affected the way you see the world?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to send digital links and/or provide hard copies of their artwork along with their essay (we have never had a winner who submitted only an essay). However, please be aware that Sub Pop will not return any of this material, so please don’t send originals. Sub Pop will give equal opportunity to all applicants who fit the criteria outlined above. The deadline for applications is Sunday, March 20th.

Please send all submissions and attachments to scholarship@subpop.com by March 20th, 2016. We will announce the scholarship winners on April 12th.


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : MON, FEB 29, 2016 at 7:00 AM

Flight of the Conchords Announce “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour”

Grammy Award-winning folk comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (aka Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) will return to the U.S. this summer. The “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour,” is their first since co-headlining 2014’s “Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Tour.” Jemaine and Bret have new material in the works, which they’ll showcase exclusively at these shows. The amphitheatre and concert hall tour will make stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Seattle, Atlanta, and more.

The “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour” begins June 11th in Cleveland, OH at State Theatre and ends July 27th in Los Angeles, CA at The Greek Theatre.  Highlights for the tour include July 5th in Morrison, CO at Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Newport Folk Festival July 22; and New York’s Central Park Summerstage July 24th. Tickets are on sale beginning Friday, March 4th at 10am. (complete listing below.)

Bret had this to say of the upcoming tour: “I’m thrilled to get back on the road with over half the original band.”

The Conchords have also partnered with the charity organization Global Citizen for this tour. Amy Freeland, Senior Manager of Global Citizen Tickets, had this to say 
of the union, “We are so excited that Flight of the Conchords has joined the Global Citizen Tickets program for 2016! Offering two tickets to each show on the upcoming “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour” will engage and motivate Global Citizens across the U.S. to take action to end extreme poverty by 2030.”


Tour Dates
Jun. 11 - Cleveland, OH - State Theatre
Jun. 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for Performing Arts
Jun. 13 - Washington, DC - Wolf Trap Filene Center
Jun. 14 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre
Jun. 16 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
Jun. 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum
Jun. 18 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
Jun. 19 - Chicago, IL - Pritzker Pavilion
Jun. 22 - Redmond, WA - Marymoor Park 
Jun. 23 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum
Jun. 24 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
Jun. 27 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
Jul. 01 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
Jul. 02 - San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
Jul. 03 - Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre
Jul. 05 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Jul. 07 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
Jul. 09 - Austin, TX - Bass Hall
Jul. 11 - New Orleans, LA - Saenger Theatre
Jul. 12 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Jul. 14 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
Jul. 16 - Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park Amphitheatre
Jul. 17 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Jul. 18 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre
Jul. 22 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival 2016 (Fort Adams State Park)
Jul. 23 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Jul. 24 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
Jul. 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre

You’ll find ticket links right over here.


About Flight of the Conchords:
Bret and Jemaine first met in 1996 at Victoria University Wellington. Jemaine vividly remembers the first time he met Bret; “he was wearing a hat”. Bret doesn’t remember meeting Jemaine, but says it was unforgettable.

They were both acting in a University Drama Club production called Body Play. Bret and Jemaine were put in a group of five men to create a short theatrical piece about male body issues. The most memorable part of the show was the costumes. They wore nothing but skin coloured bike shorts giving the audience the illusion that they were naked. From that short vignette the group of five developed another pseudo nude show called So, You’re A Man. They performed to sell-out audiences in Wellington and
Auckland,and were then invited to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

They flew to Australia for a one month season at a Melbourne comedy club called The Last Laugh. The group couldn’t believe they were being paid to perform and Bret blew his entire first pay cheque on a pair of leather pants. 
Unfortunately the Australians didn’t appreciate the show like they had in New Zealand, and the season was cancelled after one week.

In 
1998 Bret and Jemaine decided to start a band. With a combined knowledge of three chords on the guitar they set about jamming out. The first song was Foux Du FaFa, (two chords) and they called themselves Moustache. The four piece band had Bret on casio-tone, Jemaine on guitar, and their friends Toby Laing and Tim Jaray on trumpet and double bass. They performed their one song at the Wellington Fringe Festival late night club and members of the audience were said to have been “mildly impressed” by the act.

After the encouraging 
feedback the pair continued to write songs in their living room, subjecting their six flatmates to relentless three chord jams. After several weeks they knew four chords and Jemaine got them a gig to perform at the Thursday night Comedy Club. On the afternoon of the gig they realized they needed a band name. The initial list of names included Roxygen Supply, Albatrocity, and Tanfastic. But the final name was chanced upon in a series of events that went something like this: Jemaine went to the bathroom and noticed the flat toilet was called the Concorde, he returned from the bathroom to suggest the name Conchord, and Bret said “What about Flight of the Conchords”, and Jemaine said “okay”, and Bret said “okay “, and Jemaine said “okay then” and Bret said “We should go to the gig, we’re late”.

That night was their first performance as Flight of the Conchords. Bret and Jemaine were so nervous they couldn’t speak between songs. Despite their performance 
anxiety the crowd of eleven people enjoyed their gig and were heard clapping and talking amongst themselves (read more at Sub Pop).


Posted by Rachel White