Adam Schlesinger
Encyclopedia
Adam Schlesinger is an American
songwriter
, composer
and record producer
. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy (3 noms, 1 win), and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award.
He is the bassist for the bands Fountains of Wayne
, Ivy
and Tinted Windows
. He is an owner of Scratchie Records
and Stratosphere Sound
, a recording studio in New York City
. Schlesinger grew up in Manhattan and Montclair, New Jersey
.
for writing the title track of the Tom Hanks
-directed film That Thing You Do!
as well as two other songs for the film. Fountains of Wayne was nominated for two Grammy Award
s in 2003 for Best New Artist
and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
for "Stacy's Mom".
Schlesinger and David Javerbaum
were nominated for a 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score
for his music for the musical Cry-Baby
.
Schlesinger and Javerbaum also received a 2009 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music And Lyrics, for their song "Much Worse Things", performed by Elvis Costello and Stephen Colbert on the television special and album "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!" The album, co-written by Schlesinger and Javerbaum, and co-produced by Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold, also won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Schlesinger and Molly Boylan received a 2011 Daytime Emmy nomination for the song "I Wonder" from Sesame Street.
to Tom Hanks' directorial debut, That Thing You Do!
. He composed and produced several original songs, including Way Back into Love
, for the 2007 film Music and Lyrics
, starring Hugh Grant
and Drew Barrymore
. His music has also been featured in films such as Shallow Hal
(which he scored with Ivy); Robots
; There's Something About Mary
; Me, Myself & Irene; Josie and the Pussycats
; Scary Movie
; Art School Confidential; Fever Pitch
; The Manchurian Candidate
; Because of Winn-Dixie
; Orange County
; Two Weeks Notice
;, and others.
co-wrote the songs for the musical theater adaptation of the John Waters film Cry-Baby. Cry-Baby
debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in November 2007. Previews for the Broadway
run began at the Marquis Theatre
on March 15, 2008. Its official opening night was April 24, 2008.
Schlesinger and Javerbaum also co-wrote the opening number of the 2011 Tony Awards ceremony, "It's Not Just For Gays Anymore", performed by Neil Patrick Harris, and the opening number of the 2011 Emmy Awards, "TV Is A Vast Wonderland", performed by Jane Lynch.
", "The 2011 Tony Awards", "The 2011 Emmy Awards", "Big Time Rush", "T.U.F.F. Puppy" (Nickelodeon), "Crank Yankers
", "The Billboard Music Awards", "Bubble Guppies" (Nick Jr.), "The Howard Stern Show", "Sesame Street
", Comedy Central's "Night Of Too Many Stars", Robert Smigel's cartoons for Saturday Night Live, The Comedy Awards (Comedy Central), "American Dreams", Stephen King
's "Kingdom Hospital
", "The In-Laws", "The Man Show
", "Too Late With Adam Corolla", "The Dana Carvey Show
", "John Leguizamo's House Of Buggin'", "My Kind Of Town", and others. His songs have also been licensed for use on numerous television shows including Scrubs
, The Hills
, Gossip Girl
, Melrose Place, Felicity
, Roswell, and others.
, Swirl 360
, Tahiti 80
, Motion City Soundtrack
, Verve Pipe, Robert Plant
, America
, The Sounds
, They Might Be Giants
, Fastball
, and many other artists, as well as producing or co-producing five Fountains of Wayne and five Ivy albums.
formed by guitarist James Iha
, previously of The Smashing Pumpkins
and A Perfect Circle
, singer Taylor Hanson
of Hanson
, and Bun E. Carlos
of Cheap Trick
. This new project will run alongside all the artists' main bands.
, an off-Broadway
and TV actor
, best known for his role on the AMC television series The Walking Dead
. Schlesinger is also the grandson of the late Murray Bernthal
(1911–2010), an important musician and producer, long active in Syracuse, New York
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy (3 noms, 1 win), and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award.
He is the bassist for the bands Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, Ivy
Ivy (band)
Ivy is a New York City band composed of a trio of musicians, Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, and Andy Chase.-Lately and Realistic:...
and Tinted Windows
Tinted Windows (band)
Tinted Windows is an American rock supergroup formed by guitarist James Iha, previously of The Smashing Pumpkins, singer Taylor Hanson of Hanson, bassist Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Josh Lattanzi also often performs with the band as the second...
. He is an owner of Scratchie Records
Scratchie Records
Scratchie Records was an independent record label founded in 1995 by James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky , Adam Schlesinger , Kerry Brown and Jeremy Freeman....
and Stratosphere Sound
Stratosphere Sound
Stratosphere Sound is a recording studio located in New York City. Previously known as "The Place", the studio was renamed Stratosphere Sound in 1999....
, a recording studio in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Schlesinger grew up in Manhattan and Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
.
Awards and nominations
Schlesinger was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for writing the title track of the Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
-directed film That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 comedy-drama musical film written and directed by Tom Hanks. Set in the summer of 1964, the movie tells the story of the quick rise and fall of a one-hit wonder rock band...
as well as two other songs for the film. Fountains of Wayne was nominated for two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s in 2003 for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
for "Stacy's Mom".
Schlesinger and David Javerbaum
David Javerbaum
David Javerbaum is an American comedy writer and former executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was hired as a staff writer there in 1999, promoted to head writer in 2002 and attained EP status at the end of 2006. He has won 11 Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, two Peabody Awards...
were nominated for a 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score
Tony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
for his music for the musical Cry-Baby
Cry-Baby (musical)
Cry-Baby is a musical based on the 1990 John Waters movie of the same name. The music is by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, and the book is by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. O'Donnell and Meehan also adapted Waters' film Hairspray for the musical stage...
.
Schlesinger and Javerbaum also received a 2009 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music And Lyrics, for their song "Much Worse Things", performed by Elvis Costello and Stephen Colbert on the television special and album "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!" The album, co-written by Schlesinger and Javerbaum, and co-produced by Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold, also won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Schlesinger and Molly Boylan received a 2011 Daytime Emmy nomination for the song "I Wonder" from Sesame Street.
In films
Schlesinger wrote and co-produced the title songThat Thing You Do (song)
"That Thing You Do" is a 1996 song that appears in the film That Thing You Do!. The song is performed by the fictional 1960s band The Wonders, who are the focus of the film.-In the film:...
to Tom Hanks' directorial debut, That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 comedy-drama musical film written and directed by Tom Hanks. Set in the summer of 1964, the movie tells the story of the quick rise and fall of a one-hit wonder rock band...
. He composed and produced several original songs, including Way Back into Love
Way Back into Love
"Way Back into Love" is a pop song, written by Adam Schlesinger, from the 2007 film Music and Lyrics. There are two versions: a demo version sung by Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and the final version sung by Hugh Grant and Haley Bennett. It was used as the love theme in the film, much of whose...
, for the 2007 film Music and Lyrics
Music and Lyrics
Music and Lyrics is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol and an aspiring writer as they struggle to compose a song for the reigning pop diva.-Plot:Alex Fletcher enjoyed...
, starring Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
and Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
. His music has also been featured in films such as Shallow Hal
Shallow Hal
Shallow Hal is a 2001 romantic comedy film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, and Jason Alexander. It was directed by the Farrelly Brothers and filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Sterling and Princeton, Massachusetts at Wachusett Mountain.- Plot :Hal Larson is a...
(which he scored with Ivy); Robots
Robots (film)
Robots is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and was released theatrically on March 11, 2005. The story was created by Chris Wedge and William Joyce, a children's book author/illustrator. The two were trying to create a film version of...
; There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, and it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
; Me, Myself & Irene; Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats (film)
Josie and the Pussycats is a 2001 comedy film released by Universal Studios and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based upon the Archie comic of the same name...
; Scary Movie
Scary Movie
Scary Movie is a 2000 comedy-parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It is an American dark comedy which heavily parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres...
; Art School Confidential; Fever Pitch
Fever Pitch (2005 film)
Fever Pitch, which was released as The Perfect Catch outside of the United States and Canada, is a 2005 Farrelly brothers romantic comedy film. It is a remake of a 1997 British film of the same name. Both films are loosely based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name, a best-selling memoir in...
; The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)
The Manchurian Candidate is a 2004 American thriller film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Richard Condon, and a reimagining of the previous 1962 film....
; Because of Winn-Dixie
Because of Winn-Dixie (film)
Because of Winn-Dixie is a 2005 film adapted from the book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and directed by Wayne Wang. It was produced by Walden Media and released by 20th Century Fox...
; Orange County
Orange County (film)
Orange County is a 2002 American comedy film starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. It was released on January 11, 2002. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by MTV Films and Scott Rudin. The movie was directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Mike White.-Plot:Shaun Brumder is a...
; Two Weeks Notice
Two Weeks Notice
Two Weeks Notice is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock from Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was written and directed by Marc Lawrence. Upon release, the film received a successful box office run both in the United States and globally.-Plot:Lucy Kelson is a...
;, and others.
Songs performed by other artists
- "Just The GirlJust the Girl"Just the Girl" is a single by The Click Five taken from their album Greetings from Imrie House, released on August 16, 2005.So far the single is the band's highest-charting mainstream single to date, reaching #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
" and "I'll Take My Chances" for The Click FiveThe Click FiveThe Click Five is an American power pop band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2003 and played in various local venues. They then quickly got the attention of talent scout Wayne Sharp... - "Hackensack" by Katy PerryKaty PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
- "Everybody Loves Music" by Nicki Minaj, Pat Monahan, and Ken Jeong on "The Billboard Music Awards"
- "I Guess Its American" for SuperdragSuperdragSuperdrag is an alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band had a hit with its 1996 single "Sucked Out" off their album Regretfully Yours, for which a video clip was broadcast regularly on MTV...
(co-written with John Davis) - "High School Never EndsHigh School Never Ends"High School Never Ends" is a song by the Texas pop band Bowling for Soup. The song was the first single off their ninth album, The Great Burrito Extortion Case, and was released on September 19, 2006...
" with Bowling For SoupBowling for SoupBowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
(co-written with Jaret ReddickJaret ReddickJaret Ray Reddick is an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and lead songwriter for the Grammy Award-nominated pop punk band Bowling for Soup. He plays a Music Man Axis that has a flag of Texas design on...
) - "I Am What I Am" for the Jonas BrothersJonas BrothersThe Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
- "1 800 Clap Your Hands", "Marisol", "You Get Me Through", and "Double Talk" by Emily OsmentEmily OsmentEmily Jordan Osment is an American teen actress, singer-songwriter and voice actress born in Los Angeles, California. After working in several television films in her childhood, she gained fame for co-starring as Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over...
- "Work To Do" for AmericaAmerica (band)America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
- Eight songs for Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
's television special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a Grammy Award-winning Christmas special that debuted on Comedy Central on November 23, 2008....
performed by Stephen Colbert, Jon StewartJon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
, Feist, John LegendJohn LegendJohn Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Toby KeithToby KeithToby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
(co-written with David Javerbaum). - "Barbie Eat A Sandwich" and "My Problems" with Care Bears On FireCare Bears on FireCare Bears on Fire is a Brooklyn, New York-based band that consists of Sophie , Izzy and Jena . The group originally formed in 2005 with member Lucio . The band labels itself as a pop punk group, mixing in alternative and garage rock elements...
- "A Little More Us" by Stereo Skyline
- "Radiation Vibe" by Hem.
In theatre
Schlesinger and Daily Show Executive Producer David JaverbaumDavid Javerbaum
David Javerbaum is an American comedy writer and former executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was hired as a staff writer there in 1999, promoted to head writer in 2002 and attained EP status at the end of 2006. He has won 11 Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, two Peabody Awards...
co-wrote the songs for the musical theater adaptation of the John Waters film Cry-Baby. Cry-Baby
Cry-Baby (musical)
Cry-Baby is a musical based on the 1990 John Waters movie of the same name. The music is by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, and the book is by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. O'Donnell and Meehan also adapted Waters' film Hairspray for the musical stage...
debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in November 2007. Previews for the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
run began at the Marquis Theatre
Marquis Theatre
The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
on March 15, 2008. Its official opening night was April 24, 2008.
Schlesinger and Javerbaum also co-wrote the opening number of the 2011 Tony Awards ceremony, "It's Not Just For Gays Anymore", performed by Neil Patrick Harris, and the opening number of the 2011 Emmy Awards, "TV Is A Vast Wonderland", performed by Jane Lynch.
In television
Schlesinger's television composing work includes theme music, songs, and/or score for "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a Grammy Award-winning Christmas special that debuted on Comedy Central on November 23, 2008....
", "The 2011 Tony Awards", "The 2011 Emmy Awards", "Big Time Rush", "T.U.F.F. Puppy" (Nickelodeon), "Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call...
", "The Billboard Music Awards", "Bubble Guppies" (Nick Jr.), "The Howard Stern Show", "Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
", Comedy Central's "Night Of Too Many Stars", Robert Smigel's cartoons for Saturday Night Live, The Comedy Awards (Comedy Central), "American Dreams", Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's "Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital is a thirteen-episode television miniseries based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom , which was developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for American television...
", "The In-Laws", "The Man Show
The Man Show
The Man Show is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison.-Format:...
", "Too Late With Adam Corolla", "The Dana Carvey Show
The Dana Carvey Show
The Dana Carvey Show is an American sketch comedy television show that aired on ABC during the spring of 1996. Dana Carvey was the host and principal player on the show while Louis CK served as head writer....
", "John Leguizamo's House Of Buggin'", "My Kind Of Town", and others. His songs have also been licensed for use on numerous television shows including Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
, Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
, Melrose Place, Felicity
Felicity
Felicity is an American prime-time television drama that was produced by Touchstone Television and Imagine Television for The WB Television Network...
, Roswell, and others.
Production work
As a record producer and mixer, he has worked with Dashboard ConfessionalDashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
, Swirl 360
Swirl 360
Swirl 360 is a melodic pop-rock band, founded by the twins Denny and Kenny Scott.-Biography:Swirl 360 was signed to Mercury Records and entered the recording studio in 1997. By December of that year, they had recorded several tracks to which label executives responded promisingly...
, Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80 are a French indie pop band from Rouen and Paris. The group was founded in 1993 by Xavier Boyer, Pedro Resende, Médéric Gontier and Sylvain Marchand....
, Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
, Verve Pipe, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
, The Sounds
The Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, Fastball
Fastball (band)
Fastball is an American rock band that formed in Austin, Texas in the 1990s. The band originally called themselves "Magneto U.S.A." but changed their name after signing with Hollywood Records....
, and many other artists, as well as producing or co-producing five Fountains of Wayne and five Ivy albums.
Side projects
Schlesinger is also in a side project band called Tinted WindowsTinted Windows (band)
Tinted Windows is an American rock supergroup formed by guitarist James Iha, previously of The Smashing Pumpkins, singer Taylor Hanson of Hanson, bassist Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Josh Lattanzi also often performs with the band as the second...
formed by guitarist James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
, previously of The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
and A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, singer Taylor Hanson
Taylor Hanson
Taylor Hanson is an American musician best known as a member of the pop rock band Hanson. He sings both lead and back-up vocals, and plays keyboard, percussion , guitar, harmonica, and piano...
of Hanson
Hanson (band)
Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations...
, and Bun E. Carlos
Bun E. Carlos
Bun E. Carlos, born Brad Carlson, June 12, 1951, is the primary drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He is the band's chief setlister and archivist, and maintains recordings of all the band's shows, some of which have been released under the name 'Bun E's Bootlegs'.Carlos is left-handed, but...
of Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
. This new project will run alongside all the artists' main bands.
Personal life
Born October 31, 1967, Schlesinger is a cousin of Jon BernthalJon Bernthal
Jonathan E. "Jon" Bernthal is an American actor, best known for his role on the AMC television series The Walking Dead.-Early life:...
, an off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
and TV actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his role on the AMC television series The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (TV series)
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed for television by Frank Darabont and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard...
. Schlesinger is also the grandson of the late Murray Bernthal
Murray Bernthal
Murray Bernthal was a musician and producer long active in Syracuse, New York. He was a violin prodigy and a Syracuse University basketball player.-Biography:...
(1911–2010), an important musician and producer, long active in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
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