Sleight Bells
History
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer) and Alexis Krauss (vocals). Miller was formerly the guitarist for the hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a member of theteen pop group Rubyblue. Krauss also appeared in a Nickelodeon Magazinecommercial as a young girl.[1] [2]
[edit]Sleigh Bells EP (2008-2009)
The duo met and formed in 2008. Miller was waiting tables on Alexis and her mother at a neighborhood Brazilian restaurant called Miss Favela[3] when he mentioned he was looking for a female vocalist to work with on a musical project; Krauss' mother immediately volunteered her. The duo performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in October 2009.[1] They have since signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom + Pop Recordings.[4] The two quickly got in the studio and recorded a 7 track self-titled EP. Their EP soon gained attention from The Guardian, New York Times,Pitchfork Media, ABC News's Amplified, and other sources. Stereogum named them a Band To Watch October 22, 2009.[5] The Guardian named them Band of the Day in December 2009.[6] Pitchfork named their song "Crown on the Ground" the 57th best track of 2009.[7] Miller recorded the track "Meds and Feds" with M.I.A. from the album Maya towards the end of 2009, and began recording Treats with Krauss in 2010.
[edit]Treats (2010-present)
The group released "Tell 'Em", the first single from their debut album, Treats, as a free download in April 2010.[8] Treats was released on May 11, 2010 exclusively through the iTunes Store by Mom + Pop Music.[9] They performed at the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2010,[10] the Primavera Sound Festival in May 2010,[11] and the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010. In June 2010, they released "Crown on the Ground" as their second single. The track "Rill Rill" from the album Treats was featured in a 4th season episode ofGossip Girl. The song "Kids" off of the album Treats was used in the Promo for MTV's Skins, adaption of UK series. Music videos were shot for their third and fourth singles, "Infinity Guitars" and "Rill Rill". Part of "Infinity Guitars" was used in a 2011 cell phone commercial.
Yeasayer
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna (formerly of Bikini Kill) and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run. Le Tigre is known for its left-wing sociopolitical lyrics, dealing with issues of feminism and the LGBT community.
History
Initially envisioned as a live back up band for Hanna's solo project Julie Ruin, Le Tigre mixed the politics and feminism of riot grrrl with electronic samples and lo-fi beats. Other members included Johanna Fateman and JD Samson. JD joined Le Tigre as a full member when co-founder Sadie Benning left the band before the Feminist Sweepstakes album was recorded. JD had previously worked with the band as a roadie and the operator of Benning's slide show during live performances in support of their first record. The self-proclaimed "underground electro-feminist performance artists" combined visuals, music and dance in their performances. JD is agay rights activist, and the excerpts in "New Kicks" are from an actual protest that JD recorded herself. Hanna is a public speaker against sexual abuse.
The song "Hot Topic" on Le Tigre's self-titled debut pays tribute to dozens of female visual artists, musicians, writers, feminists and others who have inspired them. Among those mentioned are: Yoko Ono, Cibo Matto, Aretha Franklin, Vaginal Cream Davis, Yayoi Kusama,Angela Davis, Sleater-Kinney, The Slits, Billy Tipton, Juliana Luecking, Laura Cottingham,James Baldwin, Marlon Riggs, David Wojnarowicz, Justin Bond and Hanna's close friend, Tammy Rae Carland. In a similar fashion the song "FYR" off the album Feminist Sweepstakes is a tribute to the chapter and ideals put forth in Shulamith Firestone's Fifty Years of Ridicule in her 1970 feminist work The Dialectic of Sex. The album contains a sample of an essay written by Mark Rothko in response to a negative review in 1942 where he debuted the style he would become famous for.
The first two recordings by the band were released on the independent label Mr. Lady Records, run by Kaia Wilson of The Butchies and her girlfriend, artist Tammy Rae Carland. Feminist Sweepstakes (2001) came out on Chicks on Speed's record label. The album This Island(2004) was Le Tigre's first on a major label (Universal Records). Ric Ocasek of the Cars produced one track, "Tell You Now." Even after signing with Universal, Le Tigre continued to work with independent labels. In 2005 they released This Island Remixes with Chicks on Speed.
In the second half of 2006, the band decided to take an extended break starting early 2007.[1]
Since then Kathleen has participated in The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls and taught an art class at New York University. JD Samson toured as keyboard player with Peaches and made many DJ appearances, while Johanna Fateman has kept busy with a hairdressing salon in NYC's Greenwich Village.[2] In 2008 JD and Johanna formed a new project, Men, to do a DJ tour and record. After doing some remix work, Fateman took time off to have a baby, and Samson recruited the members of her side band Hirsute to perform live under that name. With input from Fateman and Emily Roysdon an album has been recorded but is, as yet, unreleased. The band has toured Europe and is currently touring North America.[3]
In June 2009, it was announced that Le Tigre were back in the studio working with Christina Aguilera on her fourth studio album Bionic. The track "My Girls" features Peaches.[3]
Motley Crue
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