The Dandy Warhols | |
|---|---|
 The Dandy Warhols in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | |
| Past members | Eric Hedford |
| Website | dandywarhols |
The Dandy Warhols are an Americanpsychedelic/alternative rock band, formed inPortland,Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitaristCourtney Taylor-Taylor and guitaristPeter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardistZia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousinBrent DeBoer. The band's name is a play on the name of Americanpop artistAndy Warhol.
The band gained recognition after they were signed toCapitol Records and released theirmajor label album debut,...The Dandy Warhols Come Down, in 1997. In 2001, the band rose to new levels of fame after their song "Bohemian Like You" enjoyed extensive exposure due to being featured in aVodafone advertisement. The Dandy Warhols were the subject of the 2004 documentary filmDig!, along withSan Franciscopsychedelic outfitThe Brian Jonestown Massacre. They have released 12studio albums, twocompilation albums, sixEPs, and 27singles to date.[9][10]
The Dandy Warhols were formed inPortland, Oregon in 1994 byCourtney Taylor-Taylor andPeter Holmström.[7] Soon after, drummer Eric Hedford joined,[11] and, following an unsuccessful experiment with Taylor-Taylor's girlfriend on bass guitar, Zia McCabe joined the band as keyboardist after Taylor-Taylor saw her working in acoffeehouse.[11] Taylor-Taylor described the band's beginning as a group of friends who "needed music to drink to".[12]
Early in their career, The Dandy Warhols performed in bars throughout Portland and became well known for their nudity-filled live shows.[13][14] At their first gig in 1994, they were approached by record labelTim/Kerr, who offered to pay for the recording of an album.[15] The result was 1995'sDandys Rule OK. Musically,Dandys Rule OK combined elements of 1960sgarage rock, the then-popularBritpop genre, and ashoegaze approach.[citation needed]
Major record labelCapitol Records were impressed byDandys Rule OK, and decided to sign the band.[16] In 1997, they released their second studio album,...The Dandy Warhols Come Down. It was their second attempt at a follow-up album, after their first attempt was rejected by Capitol, who claimed it did not have any "hits".[7][14] Three singles were released forCome Down, all of which entered the Top 40 in theUK Singles Chart. Being their first record on a major label,Come Down featured a more commercial, polishedpsychedelic andpower pop-influenced sound.[citation needed]
In 1998, drummer Eric Hedford left the band after a dispute overroyalties, and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer.[17][18]
In 2000, the band released their third studio album,Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. It was a critical and commercial success, due mainly to the single "Bohemian Like You" being featured in a popularVodafone advertisement as well as on the TV showBuffy the Vampire Slayer. The song has also been featured in the animated movieFlushed Away in a chase scene, and on the soundtrack album for the filmIgby Goes Down.[citation needed]
Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia featured a lessoverdriven sound, with less overtpsychedelia and more stylings in common with thepower pop genre.[citation needed]
Around this time, Taylor-Taylor took out a loan to acquire an industrial warehouse space in northwest Portland, dubbed "The Odditorium" and occupying a quarter city block. The Odditorium is the band's eclectic rehearsal space and recording and mixing studio. It also serves as an art space and clubhouse for parties and other events.[14] It opened on November 15, 2001.[19]
Becoming a fan of the band after seeing them play at theGlastonbury Festival in 2000,[20]David Bowie personally selected The Dandy Warhols to play at the 2002Meltdown festival. Bowie and the Dandys played a rendition ofThe Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" together as an encore to the July 29 gig, which was billed as The New Heathens Night.[21] The band also supported Bowie on his 2003A Reality Tour.[22]
In September 2001, the band began work on their next studio album. The result wasWelcome to the Monkey House, released in 2003. Produced byNick Rhodes ofDuran Duran, the album featured a major shift towards a 1980s-influencedsynthpop sound.
The album was spearheaded by its first single, "We Used to Be Friends", which went on to become one of the band's most popular tracks, gaining exposure through use as the theme song for the Americancult television showVeronica Mars, as well as an appearance inThe O.C. Two further singles, "You Were the Last High" and "Plan A", were released in promotion of the album. This song was also featured in EA Sport FIFA 2004.
Along with bandThe Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols were the subjects of the 2004 documentary filmDig!. The film captured alove–hate relationship between the two bands, highlighting the interaction of Taylor-Taylor and BJM frontmanAnton Newcombe. It was recorded over the course of seven years by filmmakerOndi Timoner, and won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2004Sundance Film Festival.
In the same year, the band released adouble album, comprisingThe Black Album – the album recorded before...The Dandy Warhols Come Down that was rejected by Capitol Records and also dismissed by the band themselves[15] – andCome on Feel The Dandy Warhols, a collection ofB-sides,cover versions and unreleased songs.
The Dandy Warhols appeared in the 2004 film9 Songs, performing a live rendition of the song "You Were the Last High" as one of the film's titular "nine songs".
The Dandy Warhols started work on their next studio album in mid-2004. The result wasOdditorium or Warlords of Mars, released the following year. It was partially named after and recorded in the band's own studio, The Odditorium.
Odditorium or Warlords of Mars was largely a return to the psychedelic, guitar-orientated rock of...The Dandy Warhols Come Down, moving away from thesynth-heavy sound of their previous album,Welcome to the Monkey House. Two singles were released from the album: "Smoke It" and "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey". The album received a mixed response from music critics.
Around this time, the band contributed to thesoundtrack of the video gameStubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse with a cover of "All I Have to Do Is Dream" byThe Everly Brothers.
On July 17, 2006, the band released a stand-alone single, "Have a Kick Ass Summer (Me and My Friends)".[23] The song was later re-recorded as "Mis Amigos" for their 2008 album...Earth to The Dandy Warhols... It was later featured in the downloadable song pack for theXbox video gameDance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX 4, and was also re-recorded as "Mis Amigos" for their later album...Earth to The Dandy Warhols. In 2007, the band recorded the song "Good Luck Chuck" forthe 2007 film of the same name. It was released as a digital single.
In 2007, The Dandy Warhols formedBeat the World Records, a third-party record label ofCaroline Records. Portlandshoegaze outfitThe Upsidedown were signed, followed by independentelectropop artistLogan Lynn. In 2008, the band split with long-time record companyCapitol Records. Bands Rockers Monstrous,The Hugs, Spindrift and 1776 were signed in the years which followed.[citation needed]
The band coveredThe Cure's song "Primary" for thecharity albumPerfect as Cats: A Tribute to The Cure, released in 2008 onManimal Vinyl Records, with profits going toInvisible Children, Inc. The band also contributed to theLove and Rockets tribute albumNo New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets in the same year, covering the song "Inside the Outside".
In 2008, The Dandy Warhols released their sixth studio album,...Earth to The Dandy Warhols.... It was the first official release on Beat the World. Shortly thereafter, they put out anEP,Earth to the Remix E.P. Volume One, consisting ofelectronicremixed versions of tracks from...Earth... as well asEarth to the Remix E.P. Volume Two.[24] The label also releasedLogan Lynn'sFeed Me to the Wolves EP and a full-length album fromThe Upsidedown.
Also in 2008, The Dandy Warhols announced they were releasing a collaborative album calledBreathe Easy to benefitconservation projects.[25] The recordings, which started on October 21, 2008, took place at the band's Odditorium studio. They collaborated with bands such asThe Bravery,The Kooks,Dinosaur Jr.'sJ Mascis andSpoon.[26] Not much is known about the status of the project, and recordings are not readily available.
Logan Lynn released his critically acclaimed albumFrom Pillar to Post on Beat the World in September 2009.[27]
In November 2009, The Dandy Warhols released acover ofThe Beatles' song "Blackbird" in tribute to the death ofMichael Jackson. This references the lyrics of their 2003 song "Welcome to the Monkey House": "When Michael Jackson dies/We're covering Blackbird".[28]
In an interview from 2010 with theAustralianDaily Telegraphtabloid newspaper, Taylor-Taylor was quoted as saying: "We're terrible at business, terrible. We don't know what we're doing. It's like trying to have children run a household. We need to hook up with some indie label."[29] In an interview with German magazine Catch Fire from later that same year, Logan Lynn is quoted as saying, "I love the Warhols and everybody had really great intentions going in but ... No radio, no real distribution, no licensing, no PR. Without those things in place, artists fail ... and my last record fell victim to that."[30] Monstrous, The Hugs and Spindrift never officially released anything on Beat the World.
In 2010, The Dandy Warhols releasedThe Capitol Years 1995–2007, agreatest hits album chronicling the band's years with Capitol Records. In addition to containing popular singles and songs from their Capitol albums, it also included a few alternative mixes as well as a new track, "This Is the Tide". The song debuted on Australian radio stationTriple J on June 18, 2010.[31] Three different music videos were released for the song.
Beat the World Records cut ties withCaroline Records in 2010 and began working withThe End Records in 2011. 1776 released their debut album on Beat the World in 2011.
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That same year, the band announced they were recording a new album. While playing inSydney'sEnmore Theatre in May 2011 as part of their 2011 Australian tour, lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor announced the new album would be titledThis Machine (after previously jokingly that it would be called eitherThe Pastor of Muppets,[32]Shitty Shitty Band Band[33] orWhirled Piece[34] in blog posts on the band's official website). On the same tour, the band debuted two new tracks from the album, "Seti vs. the Wow! Signal" and "Rest Your Head".[35]
The Dandy Warhols "re-arranged and performed" thetheme music to the popular science-based television showMythBusters.[36] The updated theme music first appeared midway through the 2011 season, in the episode "Bikes and Bazookas". This subsequent theme was a revamp of the original and was used until the show had an overhaul starting in the 2015 season (thereby discontinuing the theme at the end of the 2014 season).
The band announced the release of the new album's first single, "Well They're Gone", on March 1, 2012, allowing visitors to download the track for free after entering their email address.[37] A video for the track "Sad Vacation" was released on April 16.[38]
This Machine was released on April 24, 2012. The album featured a collaboration withDavid J on the track "Autumn Carnival". It was seen as a more musically stripped-back and reserved album in comparison to their previous records.[citation needed]
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On January 28, 2014, The Dandy Warhols announced plans to release their first live album, which was recorded atThe Wonder Ballroom during the band's thirteenth anniversary tour ofThirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia.[39] The album, entitledThirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia Live at the Wonder, was released on March 25, 2014.[40]
The band released the single "Chauncey P vs. All the Girls in London" in March 2015.[41]
On January 29, 2016, the band announced their ninth studio album,Distortland. It was their first release forDine Alone Records.[42] It was released on April 8, 2016, in time for their promotional tour starting in the United States. The track "You Are Killing Me" was released as a single.[43] A music video was produced featuring notedWarhol superstarJoe Dallesandro.
On February 11, 2017, the band released a new single, "Thick Girls Knock Me Out (Richard Starkey)", to streaming services.[44] The band has returned to the studio after the end of the promotional tour forDistortland and intends to spend the rest of the year recording new material.[45]
On October 12, 2018 The Dandy Warhols released a collaboration withLogan Lynn titled “Like Before”, which appeared on Lynn’s multi-media double albumMy Movie Star, produced byJay Mohr.[46] On October 24, 2018, the band released a new single, "Forever", to streaming services.[47] This is the first single off their 10th studio album, released in January 2019, titledWhy You So Crazy. Two more singles preceded its release, "Be Alright" and "Motor City Steel". During the same month, the band started their 25th anniversary tour with a string of dates in Europe & UK.[48]
In May 2023, the (digital) EP "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was released. The title track, originally written byGordon Lightfoot, was a leftover for the 2004 Black Album sessions. The other two tracks, Untitled 1 and Alien, remained unreleased at the time.[49]
IWNSLY is the title of the track released in July 2023. The song is a collaboration with Debbie Harry and NALA.[50][51]
Ex-member Eric Hedford went on to front thenew wave revival[citation needed] group Telephone.
In 2009, Taylor-Taylor released agraphic novel entitledOne Model Nation, co-written byJim Rugg.
In 2010, drummer Brent DeBoer released his debut solo album,The Farmer. A music video for the song "You Win" was released. DeBoer now fronts thefolk music-based bandImmigrant Union. Former member Eric Hedford has replaced drummer Brent DeBoer at some concerts and at some studio sessions and recordings[52][53] while DeBoer is in Australia.
Guitarist Peter Holmström fronts theneo-psychedelia musical projectPete International Airport, which was named after the Dandy Warhols' song of the same name, and has featured members from bands such as The Lovetones, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Upsidedown. Pete International Airport has released two full-length albums. Holmström has also played in the band Rebel Drones withMatt Hollywood of BJM,[54] and has also appeared as a guest musician onThe Dead Stars on Hollywood's EPAnthems for the Friendly-Fire Generation.[55]Keyboardist Zia McCabe founded and plays withcountry music band Brush Prairie.[56]
Current members
Former members
Sound is notably more stripped-down and spacious, with fewer of the synthesizers and electronic underpinnings that gave severalMonkey House tracks their noted (and arguably prescient) new wave/synth pop vibe
The premise is pure Taylor-Taylor: He brought in Duran Duran synthesist Nick Rhodes to play on and produce the album, which recreates the robotic feel of '80s synth pop
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