Ringo Deathstarr
Encyclopedia
Ringo Deathstarr is a shoegaze band from Austin, Texas
, which channels such diverse influences as Fugazi, The Cure
, The Smiths
, My Bloody Valentine, and The Velvet Underground
into their own unique sonic fingerprint.
The band was originally formed by singer/songwriter Elliott Frazier in 2005, and released their eponymous EP in 2007. This was followed by a string of singles and a series of international tours hitting both coasts and the streets of the UK and Japan. The band’s debut full-length album, Colour Trip, was released in February 2011
by Club AC30. They are touring with The Smashing Pumpkins
in the winter of 2011/2012.
, but soon soon he moved to the more musically active town of Austin
, where he stabilized a lineup consisting of guitarist Renan McFarland, bassist Alex Gehring, and drummer Dustin Gaudet. The band's debut 5-song EP, Ringo Deathstarr, was released SVC Records in the fall of 2007 in the UK. After a few more years of playing shows, shuffling around members before finally settling on Gehring and drummer Daniel Coborn, and honing their sound, the band was signed by the UK label Club AC30 after gaining popularity at their Reverence Festival in 2009. The band's debut full-length album, Colour Trip, was released by AC30 in February 2011, then was licensed by Sonic Unyon for release in Canada & USA, and Vinyl Junkie for release in Japan.
, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. Allmusic describes them as "immersing themselves so totally in the style of their influences that sound they exactly like them", yet also noting that "if you take a more positive stance, you can commend the trio’s skill at re-creation, lose yourself in the warmly fuzzy guitars that flood the album from beginning to end, or let the honey-sweet vocals of bassist
Alex Gehring wash away your nagging doubts". BBC
took a less positive stance, saying of the band that they "offer evidence that ultimately, it doesn't matter if your band lacks any real ingenuity or originality, because if you play loud enough people will, eventually, begin to notice you", summarizing the band as "shoegaze drone-noise
from Texas, done well but done several times before" .
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, which channels such diverse influences as Fugazi, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, My Bloody Valentine, and The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
into their own unique sonic fingerprint.
The band was originally formed by singer/songwriter Elliott Frazier in 2005, and released their eponymous EP in 2007. This was followed by a string of singles and a series of international tours hitting both coasts and the streets of the UK and Japan. The band’s debut full-length album, Colour Trip, was released in February 2011
February 2011
February 2011 was the second month of the current year. It began on a Tuesday and ended after 28 days on a Monday.- Portal:Current events :This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from February 2011....
by Club AC30. They are touring with The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
in the winter of 2011/2012.
History
The band were originally started by Frazier in his hometown, BeaumontBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, but soon soon he moved to the more musically active town of Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, where he stabilized a lineup consisting of guitarist Renan McFarland, bassist Alex Gehring, and drummer Dustin Gaudet. The band's debut 5-song EP, Ringo Deathstarr, was released SVC Records in the fall of 2007 in the UK. After a few more years of playing shows, shuffling around members before finally settling on Gehring and drummer Daniel Coborn, and honing their sound, the band was signed by the UK label Club AC30 after gaining popularity at their Reverence Festival in 2009. The band's debut full-length album, Colour Trip, was released by AC30 in February 2011, then was licensed by Sonic Unyon for release in Canada & USA, and Vinyl Junkie for release in Japan.
Style
The band has been generally described as having a sound that that is heavily influenced by the procurers of the shoegaze sound, such as RideRide (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. Allmusic describes them as "immersing themselves so totally in the style of their influences that sound they exactly like them", yet also noting that "if you take a more positive stance, you can commend the trio’s skill at re-creation, lose yourself in the warmly fuzzy guitars that flood the album from beginning to end, or let the honey-sweet vocals of 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...
Alex Gehring wash away your nagging doubts". BBC
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
took a less positive stance, saying of the band that they "offer evidence that ultimately, it doesn't matter if your band lacks any real ingenuity or originality, because if you play loud enough people will, eventually, begin to notice you", summarizing the band as "shoegaze drone-noise
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
from Texas, done well but done several times before" .
Studio albums
- Sparkler (compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
) (2009) - Colour Trip (2011)
Singles
- In Love (2009)
- You Don't Listen (2009)
- Dream About Me / Tambourine Girl (split with The Depreciation GuildThe Depreciation GuildThe Depreciation Guild was an American shoegaze band from Brooklyn, New York. The group was formed in 2005 by Kurt Feldman and Adrian Hashizume...
) (2009) - So High (2011)