Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)

Last updated
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)
EEIWALE - CMJ Show - October 24, 2014.jpg
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) performing at the Topshelf Records CMJ show on October 24, 2014.
Background information
Origin Fenton, Michigan
Genres
Years active2006–2016
Labels Count Your Lucky Stars, Topshelf
Past membersKeith Latinen
Cathy Latinen
Jon Steinhoff
Joseph Dane
Website www.empireempireband.com

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) was an American emo [1] [2] band from Michigan. It was formed in 2006 originally as a solo project of band member Keith Latinen. The band's music is most often described as emotional indie rock reminiscent of '90s emo bands such as Mineral and American Football. The band's first release was in 2007 with an EP titled When The Sea Became A Giant. The band released a full-length album, What It Takes To Move Forward , in 2009. The band is signed to Count Your Lucky Stars Records and has released albums on a number of other labels, such as strictly no capital letters (UK), Topshelf Records, Stiff Slack (Japan), and Hobbledehoy Record Co (Australia). The band released their second album You Will Eventually Be Forgotten on August 19, 2014. On February 16, 2016, the band announced their final tour before their breakup on their official Facebook page. [3]

Contents

History

2006–2008: early years

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) was started as a solo project by Keith so that he "could get good enough to record" for his and Cathy's current project called Anna Flyaway. [4] [5]

In January 2007, Empire! Empire! self-released their first LP titled When The Sea Became A Giant on CD. [6] [7] [8]

2009–2013: What It Takes To Move Forward

In September 2009, the band released their first studio album titled What It Takes To Move Forward on Count Your Lucky Stars Records. A few months later, a Japanese version would be released on Stiff Slack records which included alternate cover art and 2 bonus tracks.

Following their album release, the band went on a short US tour in 2010 with various supporting bands. [9] Vulture.com listed "Keep What You Have Built Up Here" as number 87 of the 100 greatest emo songs. [2]

Beginning in March 2012, the band went on a West Coast tour of the US with Warren Franklin, followed by a month-long tour of the United Kingdom in November with fellow Michigan band The Reptilian. [10] The tour included stops in Ireland and Scotland. [11]

In April 2013, Empire! Empire! returned to Europe for a tour supporting The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die. [12] [13]

2014–2016: You Will Eventually Be Forgotten

5 years after the last full-length album was released, the band announced in June 2014 their next album You Will Eventually Be Forgotten would be released in August with an accompanying graphic novel, Ribbon. [14] [15] The first single from You Will Eventually Be Forgotten, entitled If It's Bad News, It Can Wait, premiered on Stereogum on July 7. [16]

In the summer of 2014, the band joined The Early November and Warren Franklin & the Founding Fathers on an all-acoustic US tour. [17] According to Keith, this was their first such tour. [18] The first song from the new album was released on July 22 entitled A Keepsake and premiered on NPR. [19]

On August 13, 2014, Interview Magazine exclusively premiered the new album on their site, allowing users to stream the full album 6 days before the physical release. [20] That fall, the band toured with Free Throw in support of the new album. [21] [22] The first chapter of the accompanying graphic novel Ribbon was posted on Wondering Sound and featured illustrations by Ben Sears with story by Keith. [23] On the heels of this new album, the band released a split 7-inch record with Joie de Vivre in November, with a single premiering on stereogum a month prior to release. [24] [25]

Then, in late January 2015, a drunk man driving a pickup truck crashed into Keith and Cathy's house in rural Michigan. The driver slammed into Empire!'s parked van and lodged the truck in the front of their house. [26] To help recoup the cost of a new used van, a GoFundMe page was created for donations. Despite this setback, the band followed through with their planned tour alongside Warren Franklin and The Founding Fathers which started just 4 days after the crash. [27]

In May, Empire! Empire! toured the US with Dikembe, then went out with The Saddest Landscape in November on their record release tour. [28] [29] Later that year, the band posted 2 bonus tracks from You Will Eventually Be Forgotten that were included with the Japanese release on Stiff Slack records. The tracks were posted to the band's Bandcamp page. [30] [18] Then, in July 2016, they performed and recorded a 3-song set for Little Elephant which was available as a 12-inch record. [31]

After making music for 10 years, the band announced on February 16, 2016, that they would be breaking up after going on one last tour with Warren Franklin & the Founding Fathers in April of the same year. The band played their final show On May 7, 2016, in Flint, MI at Flint Local 432. They had support from The Cardboard Swords, The Island of Misfit Toys, Mountains for Clouds, The Reptilian, Joie De Vivre, and Warren Franklin & the Founding Fathers. [32] [33] [34]

On April 5, Empire! Empire! released a music video for A Keepsake off of their final album: a song which features vocals by Bob Nanna of Braid. It was released exclusively on music site Brooklyn Vegan and was the band's first-ever video. [35]

Name

Latinen thought of the band's long name when it was still his solo project. He wanted a name that sounded "elaborate and artistic" but admits that if he would have known that the project would form into a full band he would have chosen something easier to remember. [36]

Keith explains the name:

As for the meaning behind the name, I've had a lifetime of bands not working out, and so I chose a name to reflect my frustration. I tend to hide lyrics and names behind a lot of dense symbolism, so here's the general break-down of the name. "Empire! Empire!" is that one evasive dream that you want so badly, and you will always chase it, but it never seems quite in reach. The "(I Was a Lonely Estate)" portion was where I felt I was incomplete and insignificant. It's hard to get off the ground if you can't find reliable people to share your dream. The exclamation points mark how important the dream is, and the parenthesis signify that I feel like I am unimportant and unnoticed. [36]

Members

Final lineup

Past members

Jon Murrell, Rich, Ahmad, or Danny have never written/recorded anything with the band. [37]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

7-inches

Splits

Compilations

Reviews

Related Research Articles

Emo is a music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and post-hardcore from the mid-1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands Rites of Spring and Embrace, among others, pioneered the genre. In the early-to-mid 1990s, emo was adopted and reinvented by alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock, and pop-punk bands, including Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Cap'n Jazz, and Jimmy Eat World. By the mid-1990s, Braid, the Promise Ring, and the Get Up Kids emerged from Midwest emo, and several independent record labels began to specialize in the genre. Meanwhile, screamo, a more aggressive style of emo using screamed vocals, also emerged, pioneered by the San Diego bands Heroin and Antioch Arrow. Screamo achieved mainstream success in the 2000s with bands like Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Story of the Year, Thursday, the Used, and Underoath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Get Up Kids</span> American rock band

The Get Up Kids are an American rock band from Kansas City. Formed in 1995, the band was a major act in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music. Their second album Something to Write Home About remains their most widely acclaimed album, and is considered to be one of the quintessential albums of the second-wave emo movement. They are considered forefathers of the emo genre, and have been widely credited as being an influence, both by contemporaries Saves the Day and later bands such as Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday and the Wonder Years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunny Day Real Estate</span> American rock band

Sunny Day Real Estate is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran (guitar), who originally played with the band between 2000 and 2001, and Chris Jordan (bass), who joined the band in 2022. Founding bass guitarist Nate Mendel was a member of the band during three of its four incarnations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propagandhi</span> Canadian punk rock and metal band

Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Chemical Romance</span> American rock band formed in 2001

My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of the most influential rock groups of the 2000s and a major act in the pop-punk and emo genres, despite the band rejecting the latter label.

Jejune was an American emo band formed in 1996 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The band was heavily involved with the scene at the peak of the "second wave" of emo in the mid-1990s. The three founding members, Arabella Harrison (bass/vocals), Joe Guevara (guitar/vocals) and Chris Vanacore (drums), met while studying at Berklee. The band relocated to San Diego in 1997. They released two albums on Big Wheel Recreation and several splits before disbanding in 2000, their last release being the posthumous album R.I.P., released by Big Wheel that same year.

Count Your Lucky Stars Records is an American independent record label based in Fenton, Michigan. The label has released albums by bands such as Empire! Empire!, Joie De Vivre, Annabel, Moving Mountains, Benton Falls, Snowing, Into It. Over It. and CSTVT. It is involved in the emo revival movement and is run by Keith and Cathy Latinen of Empire! Empire!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touché Amoré</span> American post-hardcore band

Touché Amoré is an American post-hardcore band from Los Angeles, formed in 2007. The band consists of vocalist Jeremy Bolm, guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt, bassist Tyler Kirby, and drummer Elliot Babin. Among other releases, they have released five studio albums: ...To the Beat of a Dead Horse in 2009, Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me in 2011, Is Survived By in 2013, Stage Four in 2016, and Lament in 2020.

The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently accompanied by touring members, including guitarist and backing vocalist AJ Peacox, bassist and backing vocalist Natalie Newbold, and bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist Erik Kase Romero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown the Empire</span> American metalcore band

Crown the Empire is an American metalcore band from Dallas, Texas formed in 2010. The band comprises vocalist Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold, guitarist Brandon Hoover, bassist Hayden Tree, and drummer Jeeves Avalos. They are currently signed to Rise Records and have released five studio albums. Their most recent studio album, Dogma, was released on April 28, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Into It. Over It.</span> Indie rock band

Into It. Over It. is an indie rock band founded in 2007 as the solo project of Chicago, Illinois-based musician Evan Thomas Weiss. It is considered a leading act of the early-2010s emo revival scene.

The emo revival, or fourth wave emo, was an underground emo movement which began in the late 2000s and flourished until the mid-to-late 2010s. The movement began towards the end of the 2000s third-wave emo, with Pennsylvania-based groups such as Tigers Jaw, Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing eschewing that era's mainstream sensibilities in favor of influence from 1990s Midwest emo. Acts like Touché Amoré, La Dispute and Defeater drew from 1990s emo and especially its heavier counterparts, such as screamo and post-hardcore.

<i>You Will Eventually Be Forgotten</i> 2014 studio album by Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)

You Will Eventually Be Forgotten is the second and final LP by Fenton, Michigan emo band Empire! Empire!, released on August 19, 2014, on Count Your Lucky Stars Records and Topshelf Records. Pre-orders began on July 22, 2014, through the Count Your Lucky Stars store and the Topshelf Records store. The band has made "A Keepsake" and "If It's Bad News, It Can Wait" available for streaming ahead of the release date. Mineral's Chris Simpson and Braid's Bob Nanna have made guest appearances on the LP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen (band)</span> American rock band

Citizen is an American rock band from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio that formed in 2009. The band currently consists of Mat Kerekes (vocals), brothers Nick and Eric Hamm (bass), Mason Mercer, and Ben Russin (drums). They are currently signed to Run for Cover Records, and have released five studio albums to date: Youth (2013), Everybody Is Going to Heaven (2015), As You Please (2017), Life in Your Glass World (2021), and Calling the Dogs (2023). Considered a part of emo's fourth wave, Pitchfork have described Citizen as "a band their fans can grow up with rather than out of."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxing (band)</span> American indie rock band

Foxing is an American indie rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band has released four studio albums, a live album, an EP and 14 singles.

Free Throw is an American emo band from Nashville, Tennessee. They are currently signed to Wax Bodega.

Joie De Vivre is an American emo band from Rockford, Illinois, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CSTVT</span> American emo band

CSTVT, originally known as Castevet, was an American emo band from Chicago. The band was founded in mid-2007 by lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Wakim, guitarist Will McEvilly, backing vocalist and bass guitarist Ron Petzke and drummer Josh Snader; the line-up remained intact until its demise in 2013. Members of Castevet have also played in Bongripper, Into It. Over It., Lifted Bells, Tower of Rome and Weekend Nachos. In December 2010, the band changed the spelling of its name from Castevet to CSTVT, though the pronunciation remained the same.

Midwest emo refers to the emo scene and/or subgenre that developed in the 1990s Midwestern United States. Employing unconventional vocal stylings, distinct guitar riffs and arpeggiated melodies, Midwest emo bands shifted away from the genre's hardcore punk roots and drew on indie rock and math rock approaches. According to the author and critic Andy Greenwald, "this was the period when emo earned many, if not all, of the stereotypes that have lasted to this day: boy-driven, glasses-wearing, overly sensitive, overly brainy, chiming-guitar-driven college music." Midwest emo is sometimes used interchangeably with second-wave emo. Although implied by the name, Midwest emo does not solely refer to bands and artists from the Midwestern United States, and the style is played by outfits across the United States and internationally.

Football, etc. is an American midwest emo band from Houston, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ DeVille, Chris (October 2013). "12 Bands To Know From The Emo Revival". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 Ian Cohen; David Anthony; Nina Corcoran; Emma Garland; Brad Nelson (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture.com. Vox Media . Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) breaking up after final tour (dates)". BrooklynVegan. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Jones, Dale (May 20, 2013). "Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)". Violitionist Sessions. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  5. ↑ Mitchell, Morgan (February 23, 2016). "A fallen empire". The Chimes | Biola University. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  6. ↑ mschmitt (June 1, 2007). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - When The Sea Became A Giant". Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - When the Sea Became A Giant Review". Collective Zine. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  8. ↑ "Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - When The Sea Became A Giant (album review) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  9. ↑ Shotwell, James. "Empire! Empire! [I Was A Lonely Estate] hit the road | Under the Gun Review". underthegunreview.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  10. ↑ Osborne, Tyler (February 8, 2012). "empire! empire! (i was a lonely estate) Announces West Coast/SXSW Tour". underthegunreview.net. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  11. ↑ Janes, Steve (October 31, 2012). "Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)/The Reptilian UK Tour". WithGuitars. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  12. ↑ "The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die / Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) // UK & EU tour". Topshelf Records. December 18, 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  13. ↑ Sennett, Troy (December 18, 2013). "The World Is A Beautiful Place and Empire! Empire! Announce European Tour | Under the Gun Review". underthegunreview.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  14. ↑ Hanan, Tyler (June 19, 2014). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) Announce New Album". underthegunreview.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  15. ↑ Boyhtari, Sam (September 8, 2014). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) "You Will Eventually Be Forgotten" Album Review". 88.3FM WXOU Radio. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  16. ↑ DeVille, Chris (2014-07-07). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – "If It's Bad News, It Can Wait" (". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  17. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (May 30, 2014). "The Early November touring acoustic w/ Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) (dates & streams)". brooklynvegan.com. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Wisniewski, Kira (September 15, 2014). "Interviews: Keith Latinen (Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate))". punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018. we've never done an acoustic tour before
  19. ↑ Gotrich, Lars (July 22, 2014). "Song Premiere: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), 'A Keepsake'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  20. ↑ Symonds, Alexandria (2014-08-13). "Exclusive Album Premiere: 'You Will Eventually Be Forgotten,' Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - Interview Magazine". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  21. ↑ Kast, Ruth (2014-08-13). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) & Free Throw Fall Tour Dates". Infectious Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  22. ↑ Garza, Mark (August 21, 2014). "Free Throw To Tour With Empire! Empire!, Premiere New Single From Debut LP". underthegunreview.net. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  23. ↑ "Graphic Novel Premiere: Empire! Empire!, "A Keepsake" | Wondering Sound". wonderingsound.com. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  24. ↑ DeVille, Chris (2014-10-28). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – "Some Doors Aren't Locked, They Open Without A Key" (". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  25. ↑ Herrera, Alberto (October 28, 2014). "Empire! Empire! and Joie de Vivre announce Split 7", post new song". Punkvideosrock. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  26. ↑ "US Emo Band Escape Injury After Ute Crashes Into Members' Home". theMusic. January 28, 2015. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  27. ↑ "Empire! Empire! reissuing their debut & playing it on tour". BrooklynVegan. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  28. ↑ Paul, Aubin (May 19, 2015). "Tours: Dikembe / Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)". www.punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  29. ↑ Witherow, Barbara (2015-08-28). "Topshelf Records' The Saddest Landscape announce 7-inch and LP releases and tour". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  30. ↑ Kamiński, Karol (2015-12-02). "Emo rockers from EMPIRE! EMPIRE! release 2 new tracks!". idioteq.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  31. ↑ Lantinen, Christopher (November 16, 2016). "Little Elephant continues lathe cut series". modern-vinyl.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  32. ↑ Polsinelli, Dominic (November 30, 2016). "SoundCloud changed my life: An introduction to DIY music". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  33. ↑ Manarang, Jon (April 28, 2016). "Empire! Empire! calls it quits". The Torch. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  34. ↑ Flores, Angie (2016-02-16). "Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) Announce Breakup And Farewell Tour". Infectious Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  35. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (April 5, 2017). "watch Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)'s first-ever music video". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  36. 1 2 Diatribe Inc. "Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) interview", 5/21/2010
  37. ↑ "Empire! Empire! (I was A Lonely Estate) Tumblr". tumblr.com. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
  38. ↑ "What It Takes to Move Forward: Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate): MP3". Amazon. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  39. ↑ "You Will Eventually Be Forgotten: Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate): MP3". Amazon. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  40. ↑ "When the Sea Became a Giant". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  41. ↑ "Year of the Rabbit". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.