Funeral Party

Last updated
Funeral Party
Origin Whittier, California, U.S.
Genres Alternative rock, dance-punk, indie rock
Years active
  • 2005–2016
  • 2019
Labels Jive, RCA, Fearless
Past membersChad Elliott
James Lawrence Torres
Kimo Kauhola
Timothy Madrid
Daniel Santillan
George Falcon Verdugo
Neil Gonzales
Robert Shaffer
Alfredo Ortiz
Dylan Miller

Funeral Party was an American alternative rock band, formed in 2005. The band's line-up consisted of vocalist Chad Elliott, guitarist James Lawrence Torres, bassist Kimo Kauhola, and multi instrumentalist Daniel Santillan.

Contents

History

The original members formed the band one night in a park in their hometown of Whittier, California, a suburb just outside Los Angeles, California, [1] choosing to name themselves after The Cure song of the same name. The band became their ticket out of Whittier: "We all came from the same shitty town, and you have two choices: grow up and get a job or get out. That's what we tried to do with the band..." [2]

Funeral Party tirelessly performed every weekend at backyard parties and warehouses in the Los Angeles area. One show they played in a gang-affiliated location involved somebody in the crowd being stabbed while they performed "New York City Moves to the Sound of L.A.". [3] Initially they didn't own any musical equipment of their own and had to borrow it from the bands they performed with. After seeing a performance, Lars Stalfors, an engineer and producer with The Mars Volta at the time, invited the band to record. The recording sessions took place during The Mars Volta's off hours, and yielded the song "Chalice".

Funeral Party garnered music industry attention in late 2007 with the release of an article, falsely attributed to the Los Angeles Times, which touted the band as, "Princes of the Eastside". The article accurately noted that Funeral Party shared a core audience with such bands as Moving Units, The Rapture, and LCD Sound System, and illuminated the burgeoning East Los Angeles scene as a hotbed of young talent. The article was rampantly distributed online among those familiar with the group, and caused an uproar among bands and musicians who displayed a territorial sense of ownership over the East Los Angeles music scene, which mobilized local polemics regarding Funeral Party, and often rendered their singer a target for violence. During 2007 and early 2008, Funeral Party shows were usually shut down by law enforcement before the band performed, which only added to the group's notoriety.

The band first signed to Fearless Records; however, Fearless decided not to release Funeral Party's full-length due to a marketing dispute. Fearless opted instead to release the band's demos on the 2008 Bootleg EP. To promote the EP, Funeral Party embarked on a two-week tour of the US, supporting the French artist, Yelle. Funeral Party embarked on a subsequent US tour, during which they were dropped. The tour concluded in Austin at the South by Southwest music festival and conference, where the band procured a new record deal. [4]

After moving on from Fearless, the band signed to Sony Music for their debut release The Golden Age of Knowhere which was released on January 24, 2011 in the UK, [5] [6] and on January 21, 2011 digitally/January 28, 2011 physically in Australia. [7] The US release date was March 29, 2011.

NME placed them at number 47 on their '50 Best New Bands of 2010' end-of-year list. [8]

They supported this first release with appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman , Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Conan .

Their song "Finale" was featured in a Taco Bell commercial for the "Doritos Locos Taco" in which a group of friends travel a very long distance to get tacos. The song is currently the introductory background music for "The Really Big Show with Tony Rizzo" on the Cleveland, OH radiostation ESPN850 WKNR.

In October 2013, the guitarist James Torres stated on his Twitter account that a second album is being written, [9] to be launched in 2014, [10] showing off a new song called Circles, but that album never came to fruition. [11]

They separated on March 15, 2016, but are back together and playing their first show in three years at the inaugural Just Like Heaven festival in Long Beach on May 4, 2019.[ citation needed ]

Members

Former touring drummers

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
UK
2011 The Golden Age of Knowhere 37

Extended plays

YearAlbum details
2008Bootleg
2011Live at the BBC
  • Released: 25 January 2011
  • Label: RCA Records
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

YearSingleAlbum
2010"New York City Moves to the Sound of L.A."The Golden Age
of Knowhere
"Just Because"
"Finale"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Strokes</span> American indie rock band

The Strokes are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s post-punk revival and garage rock revival movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</span> American indie rock band

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring member in 2009 and replaced Imaad Wasif, who had previously held the role. According to a 2004 interview that aired during their appearance on ABC's Live from Central Park SummerStage series, the band's name was taken from modern New York City vernacular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lostprophets</span> 1997–2013 Welsh rock band

Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike Lewis on guitars, Stuart Richardson on bass and Mike Chiplin on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mars Volta</span> American rock band

The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, whose partnership forms the core of the band. The band's current line-up also includes founding member Eva Gardner (bass), Omar's brother Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Leo Genovese and Linda-Philomène Tsoungui (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brody Dalle</span> Australian singer-songwriter

Brody Dalle is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. She began playing music in her adolescence and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18, where she founded the punk rock band The Distillers. The group released three albums before disbanding in 2006. She began another project, Spinnerette, which released an eponymous album in 2009. In 2014, she released Diploid Love, her first album under her solo name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloc Party</span> English indie rock band

Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle and Harry Deacon. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Burgess (musician)</span> Musical artist

Timothy Allan Burgess is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record label owner, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band the Charlatans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcade Fire</span> Canadian indie rock band

Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up also includes former core member Sarah Neufeld and multi-instrumentalists Paul Beaubrun, Dan Boeckner and Eric Heigle. Each of the band's studio albums features contributions from composer and violinist Owen Pallett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death from Above 1979</span> Canadian rock duo

Death from Above 1979 is a Canadian rock duo consisting of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band released their debut album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, in 2004 and broke up in 2006. They reformed in 2011 and released their second album, The Physical World, in 2014. Since then the band has released 2 more albums, Outrage! Is Now in 2017 and Is 4 Lovers in 2021.

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

The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best known for their 2005 top 10 UK single "An Honest Mistake" and their certified gold 2008 single "Believe". Before their initial split, they released three studio albums: The Bravery (2005), The Sun and the Moon (2007) and Stir the Blood (2009). They also released a remixed edition of their second album, called The Sun and the Moon Complete, in 2008, as well as an Internet live album called Live at the Wiltern Theater in 2010. The group's music is mostly post-punk, dance-influenced rock.

<i>Cosmic Egg</i> 2009 studio album by Wolfmother

Cosmic Egg is the second studio album by Australian rock band Wolfmother, released on 23 October 2009. It is the first album by the second lineup of the band, featuring vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres, rhythm guitarist Aidan Nemeth and drummer Dave Atkins, formed in 2009 after original members Chris Ross and Myles Heskett left in August 2008. Upon its release, Cosmic Egg peaked at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, the same position as the band's first album. The album was the only studio release by the band to feature Atkins, who left the band in April 2010 during the Cosmic Egg promotional tour cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blood Arm</span> American rock band

The Blood Arm are an American five-piece rock band from Los Angeles, California, currently residing in Berlin, Germany. At present, they have released five albums. Their music has been likened to "James Brown fronting Talking Heads and singing Fall songs" by the NME and they are renowned for their extremely energetic live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Campesinos!</span> Welsh indie pop band

Los Campesinos! are a seven-piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. The band has seen several lineup changes– lead vocalist Gareth David Paisey and guitarists Neil Turner and Tom Bromley are the only remaining original members, now joined by guitarist Rob Taylor, keyboardist Kim Paisey, bassist Matt Fidler and drummer Jason Adelinia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGMT</span> American rock band

MGMT is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Twilight Sad</span> Scottish post-punk/indie rock band

The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk/indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Grant Hutchison (drums). They have released five studio albums, as well as several EPs, live recordings and singles. Their 2007 debut album, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, drew widespread acclaim from critics, who noted Graham's thick Scottish accent and MacFarlane's dense sonic walls of shoegazing guitar and wheezing accordion. The Twilight Sad's notoriously loud live performances have been described as "completely ear-splitting", and the band toured for the album across Europe and the United States throughout 2007 and 2008. Sessions inspired by stripped-down and reworked live performances yielded the 2008 mini-album, Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did.

Pusherman was an alternative rock band from Portsmouth, England. Formed in 1994, the band's lineup consisted of Andy Frank (vocals), Meredith "Yank" Reid, Bo Ellery (bass), Martin Hoyland (guitar), Roger Swift, Tony Antoniou (guitar) and Harry Harrison (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Them Crooked Vultures</span> 21st-century American rock band

Them Crooked Vultures is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 with American musician Josh Homme on lead vocals and guitar, English musician John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards, and American musician Dave Grohl on drums and backing vocals. Chilean-American guitarist Alain Johannes also joins the group during live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallon Weekes</span> American musician and singer-songwriter from Utah

Dallon James Weekes is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a member of Panic! at the Disco from 2009 to 2017, performing in the band as a bassist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist. He was also the frontman of the indie band and later solo musical project The Brobecks. Weekes currently performs as the frontman of I Dont Know How But They Found Me.

<i>The Golden Age of Knowhere</i> 2011 studio album by Funeral Party

The Golden Age of Knowhere is the only studio album released by the American band Funeral Party. The album was produced by Lars Stalfors with the exception of "New York City Moves to the Sound of L.A." which was produced by David Corcos, and subsequently on RCA Records.

<i>Opposites</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Biffy Clyro

Opposites is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, which was released on 28 January 2013. A double album, Opposites was originally announced as a pair of albums, The Land at the End of Our Toes and The Sand at the Core of Our Bones, which later became the names of the individual discs of the album. The album features 20 songs across two discs. There is also a single disc version with 14 selected tracks. As of July 2016, the album has sold 260,720 copies in the UK.

References

  1. ↑ Funeral Party. Last.fm, CBS Interactive Music Group.
  2. ↑ "Funeral Party Interview - Contactmusic.com". Contactmusic.com. 28 June 2010.
  3. ↑ "Interview - introducing Funeral Party - Interviews - Music - Virgin.com". Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  4. ↑ Davies, Laura. "Funeral Party Interview". Gigwise.com.
  5. ↑ "Funeral Party to release Golden Age of Knowhere album / MusicRemedy". musicremedy.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "Funeral Party Announce January Release Date For Debut Album". Pluginmusic.com.
  7. ↑ http://www.bigwentertainment.com.au/product/funeral-party-golden-age-of-nowhere/10568381-4172589.html%5B%5D
  8. ↑ "50 Best New Bands of 2010 | #47 Funeral Party | NME.COM". www.nme.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "James Torres". Twitter.
  10. ↑ "James Torres". Twitter.
  11. ↑ "James Torres". Twitter.
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.