Or, The Whale
Encyclopedia
Or, The Whale is a San Francisco based Americana
band, formed in 2006
. The group has released two albums, Light Poles and Pines in 2007 and Or, The Whale in 2009. The name of the band is derived from the alternative title of Herman Melville
's book Moby-Dick
(Moby-Dick; or, The Whale).
, where bandmembers Alex Robins and Matt Sartain (guitar
and vocals) posted an advertisement titled "Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock
Band?". They recruited fellow vocalist Lindsay Garfield from a listing she had written looking for a guitar player, and from there recruited bandmates Julie Ann Thomasson on keyboards
and vocals, Justin Fantl on bass
, Jesse Hunt on drum
s, and Tim Marcus on pedal steel guitar.
Or, The Whale released their debut album, Light Poles and Pines, in 2007 independently (in 2009 it was reissued on Seany Records). Their debut single "Call and Response" received airplay on over 135 radio stations, reaching #7 on the NMW Indie Chart, #18 on the NMW Country Main Chart, and #26 on the Radio & Records Americana Chart. The album earned them a 2008 Hollywood Music Award for Best Americana/Roots Artist, as well as a spot on Radio & Records Top 100 Americana Artists of 2008.
After releasing Light Poles and Pine Trees the band began touring nationally, and they released their sophomore effort, eponymously titled Or, The Whale on 15 September 2009, on Seany Records. The album reached #69 on the AMA Chart and #90 on the CMJ Charts. It was featured in the "New and Noteworthy" section of iTunes
' main page, under the Alternative section.
performing live, and have received attention in publications like USA Today
, Paste
, Magnet
, and Billboard
magazines. They have toured and performed shows with groups like the Fleet Foxes
, Devil Makes Three
, The Dodos
, and Two Gallants
.
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
band, formed in 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
. The group has released two albums, Light Poles and Pines in 2007 and Or, The Whale in 2009. The name of the band is derived from the alternative title of Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
's book Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
(Moby-Dick; or, The Whale).
History
The group was formed through the website CraigslistCraigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
, where bandmembers Alex Robins and Matt Sartain (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...
and vocals) posted an advertisement titled "Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
Band?". They recruited fellow vocalist Lindsay Garfield from a listing she had written looking for a guitar player, and from there recruited bandmates Julie Ann Thomasson on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A 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...
and vocals, Justin Fantl on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Jesse Hunt on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, and Tim Marcus on pedal steel guitar.
Or, The Whale released their debut album, Light Poles and Pines, in 2007 independently (in 2009 it was reissued on Seany Records). Their debut single "Call and Response" received airplay on over 135 radio stations, reaching #7 on the NMW Indie Chart, #18 on the NMW Country Main Chart, and #26 on the Radio & Records Americana Chart. The album earned them a 2008 Hollywood Music Award for Best Americana/Roots Artist, as well as a spot on Radio & Records Top 100 Americana Artists of 2008.
After releasing Light Poles and Pine Trees the band began touring nationally, and they released their sophomore effort, eponymously titled Or, The Whale on 15 September 2009, on Seany Records. The album reached #69 on the AMA Chart and #90 on the CMJ Charts. It was featured in the "New and Noteworthy" section of 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....
' main page, under the Alternative section.
Recognition
Or, The Whale were featured on Good Morning AmericaGood Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
performing live, and have received attention in publications like USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
, Magnet
Magnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
, and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazines. They have toured and performed shows with groups like the Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
, Devil Makes Three
The Devil Makes Three (band)
The Devil Makes Three may refer to:* The Devil Makes Three , an American band* The Devil Makes Three , a 1952 film...
, The Dodos
The Dodos
The Dodos are an American indie rock band consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.- History :The Dodos began playing music together in 2005, when musician Meric Long, who had been gigging steadily in San Francisco as a solo singer-songwriter, was introduced to Logan Kroeber through a mutual...
, and Two Gallants
Two Gallants (band)
Two Gallants is a folk rock duo from San Francisco, California. The name comes from the title of a story by James Joyce in Dubliners.-History:Two Gallants are made up of Adam Stephens on guitar, harmonica and vocals and Tyson Vogel Two Gallants is a folk rock duo from San Francisco, California....
.