Elliot Minor
Encyclopedia
Elliot Minor are a classically influenced rock band from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The group consists of Alex Davies (lead vocals/guitars), Ed Minton (vocals/guitars), Dan Hetherton (drums/backing vocals) and Ed Hetherton (bass).

History and formation: 2000-2006

Elliot Minor started as a duo, Alex Davies and Ed Minton, who met at school when they were thirteen. Davies bumped into childhood friend Dan Hetherton when they were both picking up younger brothers and invited him to a band practice. Dan Hetherton joined as the band's drummer, and later they recruited Dan's brother, Ed, to play bass. Davies kept in contact with another childhood friend, Ali Paul, who joined as their keyboardist.

Elliot Minor: 2006-2008

In 2006, Elliot Minor won a MySpace competition to support McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...

 for one show on their Greatest Hits tour with an audience of over 13,000 at Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

. They signed to Repossession Records, an independent label run by their manager, Gary Ashley. Their first single, "Parallel Worlds
Parallel Worlds
"Parallel Worlds" is the debut single from York based rock band Elliot Minor taken from their self-titled album. It was originally released on April 9, 2007, and later due to interest from radio stations and the band's label it was decided to be re-released on April 7, 2008, almost a year...

", reached #31 on the UK Official Charts; subsequent singles, "Jessica
Jessica (Elliot Minor song)
"Jessica" is the second single from York-based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on August 6, 2007. The band wrote this song out of their affection for Jessica Alba...

", "The White One Is Evil
The White One Is Evil
"The White One Is Evil" is the third single from York based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on October 29, 2007.The music was written by Alex Davies, with lyrics by Alex and Ed Minton.-Music video:...

", and "Still Figuring Out
Still Figuring Out
"Still Figuring Out" is the fourth single from British rock band Elliot Minor, taken from their top 10 album Elliot Minor. The song was released on the 28 January 2008.The music was written by Alex Davies, with lyrics by Alex and Ed Minton...

", all reached the top 30. "Parallel Worlds" was reissued, followed by "Time After Time
Time After Time (Elliot Minor song)
"Time After Time" is a single from the rock band Elliot Minor. It combines traditional pop rock with classical instruments such as the piano. It is Elliot Minor's fifth overall single and comes from their self-titled debut album. The song debuted at 47 on the UK Charts on 5 July, 2008...

". In 2007 they headlined a new music festival in the south called Butserfest.

Elliot Minor signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 and recorded their debut album
Elliot Minor (album)
Elliot Minor is the debut album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 14 April 2008.-History:The band has released 4 singles before this album's release, "Parallel Worlds", "Jessica", "The White One Is Evil" and "Still Figuring Out", with "Parallel Worlds" being...

 in Santa Monica, California, with Jim Wirt, producer for Hoobastank
Hoobastank
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They...

, Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...

, Something Corporate
Something Corporate
Something Corporate is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their current line-up includes pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon, guitarist Josh Partington, bassist Kevin Page and drummer Brian Ireland....

, Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...

 and others, and it debuted on April 14, 2008. Many of the songs from the album were written during their school days. Upon release, the album managed to debut #6 on the UK Albums Chart, and at #30 on the Irish Albums Chart.

That same year, Elliot Minor played at several large music festivals, including T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...

, Reading and Leeds, and Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...

. They made an appearance on Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...

's Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3
Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3
Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3 is a collection of live tracks played on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show. The album is the third in a series of Live Lounge albums. It consists of both covers and the bands' own songs...

, recording a cover of Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

's "Rule the World
Rule the World
"Rule the World" is the fifth single from Take That's fourth studio album Beautiful World. It was released in the UK on 21 October 2007 and as a CD single the following day.-Song information:...

". Their song "Running Away" was featured on the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 coverage.

The band are featured in the book "The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles
The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles
The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles is a charts reference book published in October 2008. It replaces the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, after the Guinness company withdrew interest in chart reference books at the same time their contract was due to expire. The last edition was...

" for four of their releases.

Solaris and Solaris Acoustic: 2009-2010

Elliot Minor took a break from touring to write their second album, Solaris
Solaris (Elliot Minor album)
Solaris is the second studio album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in all countries except for Japan. On 21 April 2010, the album was released in Japan with three exclusive bonus tracks.-History:...

. In June 2009, the band announced that their distribution deal with Warner Bros. had come to an end, and that they had decided to part ways from the label and release Solaris on Repossession Records as an independent album.

Alex Davies drew from the experiences and changes in his life over the years Elliot Minor had been formed until the present when writing the album. He says, "The majority of the songs are uplifting as I was being positive in a pretty tough year to work through and the others are more personal and intimate." They have described their first album as being a collection of singles, while their second is more of a proper album with a beginning, middle, and end. This album was also recorded with Jim Wirt.

"Solaris" was announced to be the first single from the band's second album; however, due to technical problems with the format of the single, it was not released on iTunes as planned on August 10, 2009. The band decided to go with "Electric High" as the first single instead. The tracks "Solaris" and "Discover (Why the Love Hurts)
Discover (Why the Love Hurts)
"Discover " is the first single from the classically influenced pop/rock band Elliot Minor's sophomore album, Solaris. It was released for download in March 2009 via MySpace's School Invasions Tour, in which the band played shows at five different schools in five regions of the United Kingdom...

" were rerecorded before the album was released on October 19, 2009. The album, mixed by John Greatwood and Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...

, reached #9 in the UK Indie chart. The album was released in Japan, along with exclusive bonus tracks, on April 21, 2010.

An alternate version of "Solaris" was featured on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 coverage. The band recorded a cover of Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...

's "Fireflies" for fun, posting it on their YouTube channel along with footage of their video blogs. The song was picked up by Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...

and gained popularity when the station aired an edited version of the video on Kerrang! TV. The song has also received radio airplay by Kerrang!.

On 28 August 2010, keyboardist Ali Paul announced that after completing tour commitments with Elliot Minor in September he would be leaving the band. Ali is now at The University of York reading Law. On 14 September 2011, Paul appeared on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

 quiz show Pointless
Pointless (TV series)
Pointless is a quiz show shown on BBC One, hosted by Alexander Armstrong, with Richard Osman as assistant. It has been broadcast since 24 August 2009....

.

An hour long live special featuring the band playing live at the Relentless Garage in London on their April 2010 tour was shown on Kerrang! TV on 16 August. At the start of 2010, it was announced that an acoustic version of the album Solaris
Solaris (Elliot Minor album)
Solaris is the second studio album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in all countries except for Japan. On 21 April 2010, the album was released in Japan with three exclusive bonus tracks.-History:...

was to be recorded and released later that year. Solaris Acoustic
Solaris Acoustic
Solaris Acoustic is an acoustic album by English pop rock band Elliot Minor. It was due to be released on November 8, 2010 however this was later changed to November 15. The album was released on the 15th November 2010 along with a live DVD filmed at the Relentless Garage, London...

, was released on 15 November 2010, along with a DVD of the Kerrang! live special.

Musical background and style

The members of Elliot Minor are classically trained musicians and play a wide variety of instruments including violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

, guitar and drums.

Their music is described as "pop/rock with a lot of classical harmonies", and is known for being rich in minor and dissonant chords. Many of their songs are characterised by their vocal harmonies. Their recorded songs are rich in complex string and choral arrangements, all written by Davies, which are difficult to replicate live without a full orchestra. However, the classical elements in their song "Jessica" have been replicated during performances on stage, with Davies using an electric violin.

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"
!Date
!Album
!UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...


!UK Indie
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...


!IRL
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...


|-
|April 14, 2008
|Elliot Minor
Elliot Minor (album)
Elliot Minor is the debut album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 14 April 2008.-History:The band has released 4 singles before this album's release, "Parallel Worlds", "Jessica", "The White One Is Evil" and "Still Figuring Out", with "Parallel Worlds" being...


|align="center"|6
|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|30
|-
|October 19, 2009
|Solaris
Solaris (Elliot Minor album)
Solaris is the second studio album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in all countries except for Japan. On 21 April 2010, the album was released in Japan with three exclusive bonus tracks.-History:...


|align="center"|73
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|N/A
|-

EPs

{| class="wikitable"
!Date
!EP
!UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...


!UK Indie
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...


|-
|July 11, 2008
|iTunes Live: London Festival '08: Elliot Minor
ITunes Live: London Festival '08: Elliot Minor
iTunes Live: London Festival '08 - EP is an EP by the classically influenced rock band Elliot Minor. This 6-track EP was released on July 11, 2008 by digital download on iTunes. It was recorded on July 6, 2008 at the KOKO, London...


|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|N/A
|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable"
!Date
!Single
!UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...


!UK Indie
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...


|-
|April 9, 2007
|"Parallel Worlds
Parallel Worlds
"Parallel Worlds" is the debut single from York based rock band Elliot Minor taken from their self-titled album. It was originally released on April 9, 2007, and later due to interest from radio stations and the band's label it was decided to be re-released on April 7, 2008, almost a year...

"
|align="Center"|31
|align="Center"|1
|-
|August 6, 2007
|"Jessica
Jessica (Elliot Minor song)
"Jessica" is the second single from York-based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on August 6, 2007. The band wrote this song out of their affection for Jessica Alba...

"
|align="Center"|19
|align="Center"|1
|-
|October 29, 2007
|"The White One Is Evil
The White One Is Evil
"The White One Is Evil" is the third single from York based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on October 29, 2007.The music was written by Alex Davies, with lyrics by Alex and Ed Minton.-Music video:...

"
|align="Center"|22
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|January 28, 2008
|"Still Figuring Out
Still Figuring Out
"Still Figuring Out" is the fourth single from British rock band Elliot Minor, taken from their top 10 album Elliot Minor. The song was released on the 28 January 2008.The music was written by Alex Davies, with lyrics by Alex and Ed Minton...

"
|align="Center"|17
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|April 7, 2008
|"Parallel Worlds
Parallel Worlds
"Parallel Worlds" is the debut single from York based rock band Elliot Minor taken from their self-titled album. It was originally released on April 9, 2007, and later due to interest from radio stations and the band's label it was decided to be re-released on April 7, 2008, almost a year...

" (re-release)
|align="Center"|21
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|June 23, 2008
|"Time After Time
Time After Time (Elliot Minor song)
"Time After Time" is a single from the rock band Elliot Minor. It combines traditional pop rock with classical instruments such as the piano. It is Elliot Minor's fifth overall single and comes from their self-titled debut album. The song debuted at 47 on the UK Charts on 5 July, 2008...

"
|align="Center"|47
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|April 3, 2009
|"Discover (Why the Love Hurts)
Discover (Why the Love Hurts)
"Discover " is the first single from the classically influenced pop/rock band Elliot Minor's sophomore album, Solaris. It was released for download in March 2009 via MySpace's School Invasions Tour, in which the band played shows at five different schools in five regions of the United Kingdom...

"
|align="Center"|N/A
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|October 5, 2009
|"Electric High
Electric High
"Electric High" is the second single from Elliot Minor's Solaris album, written by Alex Davies, produced by Jim Wirt, who also worked with Elliot Minor on their debut self-titled album, and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge...

"
|align="Center"|120
|align="Center"|13
|-
|February 21, 2010
|"Solaris (Winter Olympics Version)"
|align="Center"|N/A
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|July 11, 2010
|"I Believe" (iTunes release)
|align="Center"|N/A
|align="Center"|N/A
|-
|}

Other Releases

{| class="wikitable"
!Date
!Other
!UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...


!UK Indie
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...


|-
|November 15, 2010
|Solaris Acoustic
Solaris Acoustic
Solaris Acoustic is an acoustic album by English pop rock band Elliot Minor. It was due to be released on November 8, 2010 however this was later changed to November 15. The album was released on the 15th November 2010 along with a live DVD filmed at the Relentless Garage, London...


|align="center"|N/A
|align="center"|N/A
|}

Band members

  • Alex Davies - Lead/Backing Vocals; Lead Guitars; Keyboards; Violin (2000–present)
  • Ed Minton - Lead/Backing Vocals; Lead/Rhythm Guitars; (2000–present)
  • Ed Hetherton - Bass Guitars; Cello (2005–present)
  • Dan Hetherton - Drums; Backing Vocals (2005–present)
  • Ali Paul - Keyboards (2006-2010)
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