House of Fools (band)
Encyclopedia
House of Fools is a rock band
from Greensboro, North Carolina
. Members include Josh King (vocals/acoustic guitar), David McLaughlin (guitar
/backing vocals
), Joel Kiser (guitar), Matt Bowers (keyboard
), Jordan Powers (ex- Far-Less
) (bass
) and Jack Foster (drums
).
House of Fools formed in 2004, from a demo recording made by King and Bowers. At the time King was the lead singer and keyboardist
for The Necessary.
The Necessary was an indie
/emo
/rock band from Greensboro, with the same members as House of Fools, minus Bowers and with Todd Turner (ex-drummer of the band Far-Less) playing drums. Influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World
, The Necessary wrote a wide range of songs released in 2004 on the album This Is Us, for Forsaken Records. The Necessary grew to have a large fanbase in Greensboro.
A friend of the band sent demos that Bowers and King had recorded under the name House of Fools to Drive-Thru Records. In November 2004, King was contacted by Drive-Thru Records and was flown out to discuss a record deal.
Drive-Thru Records agreed to sign House of Fools to a record deal. The line-up was completed by the rest of The Necessary, while, due to band-internal issues, Todd Turner was replaced by Phil Bell.
After the release of their first album, recorded and produced by R. Walt Vincent
in his Los Angeles studio, they were named to Alternative Press
's list of "100 Bands You Need To Know".
On December 19, 2008, the band announced on their Myspace page that 2008 had "been a rough year for House of Fools." After writing and recording about 30 new songs, the band's drummer, Phil Bell, left the band for medical reasons. Bell has had degenerative disc disease for years, and lately the members all realized that although he "has always pulled through, with talk of surgery and the possibility of paralysis, Phil is too young to continue long and strenuous drives in a van on tour and playing drums every night." Therefore, the band searched for a new drummer.
On March 12, the band announced that their new drummer would be Jack Foster, and that their bassist, Jeff "Salsa" Linn, was slowly transitioning out of the band. The band was able to find a replacement in Jordan Powers, longtime friend of the band and former guitarist of Far-less.
On January 17 an official press release was posted on the band's new website, www.houseoffools.net. The band announced that they had finally severed ties with Drive-Thru Records and are planning to release their long-awaited second album in the spring or summer of 2011. A free downloadable track entitled "Dogfight" has been made available.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. Members include Josh King (vocals/acoustic guitar), David McLaughlin (guitar
Guitar
The 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...
/backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
), Joel Kiser (guitar), Matt Bowers (keyboard
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
), Jordan Powers (ex- Far-Less
Far-Less
Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore band originally from Marion, Virginia, with members from Marion and other surrounding areas, including Pulaski and Blacksburg. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. Far-less played their final show on August 14, 2009, at the Greene Street Club in...
) (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Jack Foster (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
House of Fools formed in 2004, from a demo recording made by King and Bowers. At the time King was the lead singer and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
for The Necessary.
The Necessary was an indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
/emo
Emo (music)
Emo is a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D.C., where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace...
/rock band from Greensboro, with the same members as House of Fools, minus Bowers and with Todd Turner (ex-drummer of the band Far-Less) playing drums. Influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
, The Necessary wrote a wide range of songs released in 2004 on the album This Is Us, for Forsaken Records. The Necessary grew to have a large fanbase in Greensboro.
A friend of the band sent demos that Bowers and King had recorded under the name House of Fools to Drive-Thru Records. In November 2004, King was contacted by Drive-Thru Records and was flown out to discuss a record deal.
Drive-Thru Records agreed to sign House of Fools to a record deal. The line-up was completed by the rest of The Necessary, while, due to band-internal issues, Todd Turner was replaced by Phil Bell.
After the release of their first album, recorded and produced by R. Walt Vincent
R. Walt Vincent
R. Walt Vincent is a Los Angeles based record producer, recording engineer, composer, and multi instrumentalist known for his work with indie rock icons Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, and Tommy Keene....
in his Los Angeles studio, they were named to Alternative Press
Alternative Press (music magazine)
Alternative Press is an American music magazine based in Cleveland, Ohio. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, information on upcoming releases, and music charts. It was founded in 1985 by Mike Shea, who is the current president....
's list of "100 Bands You Need To Know".
On December 19, 2008, the band announced on their Myspace page that 2008 had "been a rough year for House of Fools." After writing and recording about 30 new songs, the band's drummer, Phil Bell, left the band for medical reasons. Bell has had degenerative disc disease for years, and lately the members all realized that although he "has always pulled through, with talk of surgery and the possibility of paralysis, Phil is too young to continue long and strenuous drives in a van on tour and playing drums every night." Therefore, the band searched for a new drummer.
On March 12, the band announced that their new drummer would be Jack Foster, and that their bassist, Jeff "Salsa" Linn, was slowly transitioning out of the band. The band was able to find a replacement in Jordan Powers, longtime friend of the band and former guitarist of Far-less.
On January 17 an official press release was posted on the band's new website, www.houseoffools.net. The band announced that they had finally severed ties with Drive-Thru Records and are planning to release their long-awaited second album in the spring or summer of 2011. A free downloadable track entitled "Dogfight" has been made available.
Non-album tracks
- "Blowin' in the WindBlowin' in the Wind"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of questions about peace, war and freedom...
" – released on Listen to Bob Dylan: A Tribute (2005) - "Tricky Treats" – featured on the band's MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
External links
- House of Fools' profile at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- House of Fools' profile at PureVolumePureVolumePureVolume was the first independently run website of its type, allowing for the upload and stream of music files. It was created in 2003 by Jennifer Welch , in conjunction with the Unborn Media team; Brett Woitunski, Nate Hudson, and Mitchell Pavao; all from the University of...
- The Necessary's profile at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- The Necessary's profile at PureVolumePureVolumePureVolume was the first independently run website of its type, allowing for the upload and stream of music files. It was created in 2003 by Jennifer Welch , in conjunction with the Unborn Media team; Brett Woitunski, Nate Hudson, and Mitchell Pavao; all from the University of...