Hotel of the Laughing Tree
Encyclopedia
Hotel of the Laughing Tree is a Long Island
based Indie Pop
band that was formed in 2009. Shortly after its formation, Hotel of the Laughing Tree won an mtvU
Woodie Award for Best Music On Campus. This, as well as a feature in the magazine Alternative Press and AbsolutePunk, led to their nationwide recognition. In 2010, Hotel of the Laughing Tree signed with Indie label, Brookvale Records, and released their first full-length album, Terror and Everything After, on February 1, 2011.
Hotel released their debut EP "Old Dominion" in August 2009. Upon its release, it garnered a very positive review from the popular alternative music site AbsolutePunk, receiving praise for its songs' diversity in sound and catchy hooks.
While continuing to play shows in and around the Long Island area, Hotel entered the 6th Annual mtvU
Woodie Awards in the category "Best Music on Campus". After making it to the top two, they defeated their opponent Oh, The Story!
and accepted the award in New York City on November 18, 2009. They were then featured in Alternative Press Magazine as the Unsigned Band of the Week for January 29, 2010.
Hotel released their first full-length album, entitled "Terror and Everything After", on February 1, 2011 with Brookvale Records.
Arma, Scalesse, and Nixdorf parted ways with the band in June 2011 with former members of the recently-dissolved Tiger Riot, Fred and Dan Ardis, taking on drum and bass duties, respectively.
. "Old Dominion" was released via iTunes
on August 16, 2009. It was recognized by several reputable critics including Alternative Press magazine. Their work on this album was well-received and contributed to their win at the 2009 mtvU
Woodie Awards.
Tracklisting:
Tracklisting:
A song recorded during the Terror and Everything After sessions entitled "Son of the Iron Sheep" was released in a non-profit effort to aid those afflicted by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. All proceeds are being donated to the World Vision
organization.
, a division of MTV Networks
. Hotel of the Laughing Tree received the 2009 "Best Music on Campus" award.
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| 2009 || Hotel of the Laughing Tree || Best Music on Campus Woodie ||
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
based Indie Pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band that was formed in 2009. Shortly after its formation, Hotel of the Laughing Tree won an mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
Woodie Award for Best Music On Campus. This, as well as a feature in the magazine Alternative Press and AbsolutePunk, led to their nationwide recognition. In 2010, Hotel of the Laughing Tree signed with Indie label, Brookvale Records, and released their first full-length album, Terror and Everything After, on February 1, 2011.
Biography
After the dissolution of the progressive rock band Rendezvous with the Kidnappers, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Aj Estrada began to put together a new project with a distinctive Indie/Pop sound. Hotel's members developed into the original lineup of Estrada on guitar, lead vocals and saxophone; Brandon Peterson on lead guitar and harmony vocals; Anthony Arma on bass; Neil Scalesse on drums and sharing percussion duties with Mike Nixdorf, who frequently performs on glockenspiel as well. They would later be joined by keyboardist Mike Solomon in 2010.Hotel released their debut EP "Old Dominion" in August 2009. Upon its release, it garnered a very positive review from the popular alternative music site AbsolutePunk, receiving praise for its songs' diversity in sound and catchy hooks.
While continuing to play shows in and around the Long Island area, Hotel entered the 6th Annual mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
Woodie Awards in the category "Best Music on Campus". After making it to the top two, they defeated their opponent Oh, The Story!
Oh, The Story!
Oh, The Story! is an indie pop-rock band based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Oh, The Story! is currently on indefinite hiatus.-Biography:Oh, The Story! formed after lead vocalist James Larson left the Baltimore-based band, The Late Night, in 2006....
and accepted the award in New York City on November 18, 2009. They were then featured in Alternative Press Magazine as the Unsigned Band of the Week for January 29, 2010.
Hotel released their first full-length album, entitled "Terror and Everything After", on February 1, 2011 with Brookvale Records.
Arma, Scalesse, and Nixdorf parted ways with the band in June 2011 with former members of the recently-dissolved Tiger Riot, Fred and Dan Ardis, taking on drum and bass duties, respectively.
Members
- AJ Estrada (lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
) - Brandon Peterson (harmony vocals, guitar)
- Mike Solomon (keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/pianoPianoThe 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...
) - Fred Ardis (drums, percussion)
- Dan Ardis (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
)
Former Members
- Neil Scalesse (drums, percussion)
- Mike Nixdorf (percussion, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
) - Anthony Arma (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
)
Old Dominion (2009)
In 2009 Hotel of the Laughing Tree recorded their debut "Old Dominion" in Nashville, Tennessee with Joshua Silverberg of Edison GlassEdison Glass
Edison Glass is an American indie rock band from Coram, Long Island, New York. The group consists of four members: Joshua Silverberg , Josh "Mountain" Morin , Joe Morin , and James Usher...
. "Old Dominion" was released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on August 16, 2009. It was recognized by several reputable critics including Alternative Press magazine. Their work on this album was well-received and contributed to their win at the 2009 mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
Woodie Awards.
Tracklisting:
- 1. Hello World
- 2. Giants in Dimly Lit Rooms
- 3. Sunday Squires
- 4. Old Dominion
- 5. Arts N' Economics
- 6. A Sigh in the Juniper House
- 7. Mourning Glory
- 8. Lowlands-1887
Terror and Everything After (2011)
In January 2010, Hotel reunited with producer Joshua Silverberg and recorded their first full length work entitled "Terror and Everything After", featuring 14 new songs. The original intention was to release the album at some point in 2010, but the release was delayed in order to to negotiate contract offers with record labels. They came to an agreement with the Long Island label Brookvale Records in late August. The songs "Barnaby Bison's Blind" and "Bad Canterbury" were chosen as the first singles, and the full album was finally released on February 1, 2011.Tracklisting:
- 1. Barnaby Bison’s Blind
- 2. Another Harvard Renaissance
- 3. Gods Great Gumball Machine
- 4. Noah
- 5. Winchester Devil Grass
- 6. Weather Maps for Nikolai
- 7. Sanctuary
- 8. Gunpowder Falls
- 9. Bad Canterbury
- 10. Forging the Family Name
- 11. Mont St. Michel
- 12. Ghosts in the Basement
- 13. Terror and Everything After
- 14. Lazarus
| Singles |
|---|
| Bad Canterbury |
| Barnaby Bison's Blind |
| Bonus Track |
|---|
| Son of the Iron Sheep |
A song recorded during the Terror and Everything After sessions entitled "Son of the Iron Sheep" was released in a non-profit effort to aid those afflicted by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. All proceeds are being donated to the World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
organization.
Band Name Origin
The name "Hotel of the Laughing Tree" comes from an unfinished short story written in high school by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist AJ Estrada.mtvU Woodie Awards
The mtvU Woodie Awards is an annual awards show sponsored by mtvUMtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
, a division of MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
. Hotel of the Laughing Tree received the 2009 "Best Music on Campus" award.
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| 2009 || Hotel of the Laughing Tree || Best Music on Campus Woodie ||