Denzil
Encyclopedia
Denzil are a rock/powerpop band from Bournemouth, England, based around singer-songwriter Denzil Thomas. Denzil were signed to Giant Records in the USA in 1993 and put out one album
, Pub, in 1994. Pub was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1994.
clubs for about a year when he met producer/bassist
Steve Ennever in a Bournemouth studio. The product of this d A Tape Called Denzil. Ecstatic local press reviews saw thousands of tapes being sold in a matter of months. By the time the band proper hit a stage in September 1990 they were already the most popular draw in town.
Over the next year or so, Denzil played far and wide in the UK, first picking up alternating drummers Andy Place and Jeremy Stacey
and later finding guitarist
Craig Boyd in nearby Portsmouth.
In 1992 the band attracted the attention of former William Morris Agency
and Famous Music A&R
Michael LeShay, when the drummer of a former Famous Music Publishing band from the UK sent him a 5 song demo cd. On the strength of Denzil's demos, Leshay was able to convince major label Giant Records to imprint his label Play Records and co-market and distribute a Denzil album in the US. So the band entered the studio
in the early summer of 1993 armed with a sheaf of Thomas's songs to begin recording an album. The album was produced, arranged, and mixed by Steve Ennever.
Thomas's tunes and ability to evoke a story were matched with Ennever's simplistic arrangement
and production during the making of the album. Denzil gradually selected songs that worked together as a concept that the stories mainly came from his local pub, the title was set. The resulting album had a "back to basics" feel and gritty soap-box narrative. Even before it was completed (which took over six months) the buzz at Giant had started in earnest.
On February 17, an acoustic Thomas and Boyd played the pub at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco as part of the 1994 Gavin convention. This, their first show on US soil, launched over 80 dates in 1994 across nearly every state in the Union, ending at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey
on December 9 1994.
Released on 12 April 1994, Pub and the single "Useless" - was picked up by over 300 radio station
s in the US. The album went on to widespread critical acclaim, with major press such as the LA Village Voice, Rolling Stone
, the NME
and Interview
magazine giving the album positive reviews. Ultimately it received two Grammy nominations in 1994.
However, despite these successes, Pub never sold in great numbers, frictions between LeShay and Giant ended up standing in the way of continued label support. By October 1994, the investors in Play Records, Cary Greene and Neil Stein were arrested by the SEC for fraudulent behavior in the world of financial securities which ultimately caused the Play Records funding to cease. Unfortunately Giant Records confidence in Denzil was shaken enough for them to pass on second option in 1995, despite a raft of new demos and a plan to re-locate Thomas to the east coast of the USA.
Frictions between Denzil and Steve Ennever were also having an effect on the overall situation. Two days after returning from the US, Steve Ennever decided to part company with Denzil entirely.
Ennever was replaced live with Bournemouth stalwart bass player Martin "Budgie" Burden. In mid-January 1995, Thomas, Burden, Boyd and Stacey began an 11 date tour of the UK to support the release of pub in the UK on BMG Records under license from Giant. Denzil entered the studio immediately afterwards with Stacey as producer to create a series of demos for the next album. The band also filmed a special for VH1
at this time, being interviewed by Robert Sandall.
Sandall introduced Denzil to Billy Bragg
's manager Peter Jenner
who started looking after the band from early 1995. In May 1995 BMG declined an offer to sign Denzil direct to the UK, which effectively left them without a deal. The band was offered a series of small record deals in 1995 and 1996 which were not taken up. By 1997 Thomas was working full time in the music industry and effectively the band disbanded.
Thomas continued to work on demos with Stacey until 1999, even playing a couple of shows and a BBC radio session that year. However, the original Denzil line-up did not play again until one unannounced show in 2003.
In the wake of the popularity of a new wave of British artists, Pub has been name checked in the popular music press as "one of the most overlooked albums of the 1990s" - a tag it picked up almost immediately at the time. Spurred on by features in the music press and a lot of action on the internet
, interest in the album and the band from new and original fans has
increased a great deal recently. A number of newer artists including Grandaddy
and The Handsome Family
now cite Pub as an influence on them.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Pub, in 1994. Pub was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1994.
History
Denzil were formed in Bournemouth during 1990 by singer/songwriter Denzil Thomas. Thomas had been playing folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
clubs for about a year when he met producer/bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Steve Ennever in a Bournemouth studio. The product of this d A Tape Called Denzil. Ecstatic local press reviews saw thousands of tapes being sold in a matter of months. By the time the band proper hit a stage in September 1990 they were already the most popular draw in town.
Over the next year or so, Denzil played far and wide in the UK, first picking up alternating drummers Andy Place and Jeremy Stacey
Jeremy Stacey
Jeremy Stacey is a British drummer. His early work included the 1990s band, The Lemon Trees and Denzil...
and later finding guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Craig Boyd in nearby Portsmouth.
In 1992 the band attracted the attention of former William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
and Famous Music A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
Michael LeShay, when the drummer of a former Famous Music Publishing band from the UK sent him a 5 song demo cd. On the strength of Denzil's demos, Leshay was able to convince major label Giant Records to imprint his label Play Records and co-market and distribute a Denzil album in the US. So the band entered the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in the early summer of 1993 armed with a sheaf of Thomas's songs to begin recording an album. The album was produced, arranged, and mixed by Steve Ennever.
Thomas's tunes and ability to evoke a story were matched with Ennever's simplistic arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and production during the making of the album. Denzil gradually selected songs that worked together as a concept that the stories mainly came from his local pub, the title was set. The resulting album had a "back to basics" feel and gritty soap-box narrative. Even before it was completed (which took over six months) the buzz at Giant had started in earnest.
On February 17, an acoustic Thomas and Boyd played the pub at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco as part of the 1994 Gavin convention. This, their first show on US soil, launched over 80 dates in 1994 across nearly every state in the Union, ending at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
on December 9 1994.
Released on 12 April 1994, Pub and the single "Useless" - was picked up by over 300 radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in the US. The album went on to widespread critical acclaim, with major press such as the LA Village Voice, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine giving the album positive reviews. Ultimately it received two Grammy nominations in 1994.
However, despite these successes, Pub never sold in great numbers, frictions between LeShay and Giant ended up standing in the way of continued label support. By October 1994, the investors in Play Records, Cary Greene and Neil Stein were arrested by the SEC for fraudulent behavior in the world of financial securities which ultimately caused the Play Records funding to cease. Unfortunately Giant Records confidence in Denzil was shaken enough for them to pass on second option in 1995, despite a raft of new demos and a plan to re-locate Thomas to the east coast of the USA.
Frictions between Denzil and Steve Ennever were also having an effect on the overall situation. Two days after returning from the US, Steve Ennever decided to part company with Denzil entirely.
Ennever was replaced live with Bournemouth stalwart bass player Martin "Budgie" Burden. In mid-January 1995, Thomas, Burden, Boyd and Stacey began an 11 date tour of the UK to support the release of pub in the UK on BMG Records under license from Giant. Denzil entered the studio immediately afterwards with Stacey as producer to create a series of demos for the next album. The band also filmed a special for VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
at this time, being interviewed by Robert Sandall.
Sandall introduced Denzil to Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
's manager Peter Jenner
Peter Jenner
Peter Jenner is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises.- Early career :...
who started looking after the band from early 1995. In May 1995 BMG declined an offer to sign Denzil direct to the UK, which effectively left them without a deal. The band was offered a series of small record deals in 1995 and 1996 which were not taken up. By 1997 Thomas was working full time in the music industry and effectively the band disbanded.
Thomas continued to work on demos with Stacey until 1999, even playing a couple of shows and a BBC radio session that year. However, the original Denzil line-up did not play again until one unannounced show in 2003.
In the wake of the popularity of a new wave of British artists, Pub has been name checked in the popular music press as "one of the most overlooked albums of the 1990s" - a tag it picked up almost immediately at the time. Spurred on by features in the music press and a lot of action on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, interest in the album and the band from new and original fans has
increased a great deal recently. A number of newer artists including Grandaddy
Grandaddy
Grandaddy was an American indie rock band, formed in 1992 in Modesto, California by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch. Guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden later joined the band in 1995...
and The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family is an alternative country band, formed in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The band was formed in 1993 by husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks and Rennie Sparks and drummer Mike Werner, although the band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes the lyrics, and Brett, who writes...
now cite Pub as an influence on them.