San Cisco
Encyclopedia
San Cisco is an Australian four-piece indie pop
band, which formed in 2009 as King George in Fremantle, Western Australia
. The band consists of Jordi Davieson (guitar, lead vocals), Josh Biondillo (guitar, vocals), Nick Gardner (bass), and Scarlett Stevens (drums, vocals). All members except Stevens share duties on keyboards. In November 2011, the band were signed by Albert Productions
. The label describes San Cisco's sound as "rough, low-fi
garage pop" mixed with "bright catchy hooks".
respectively. In late 2009, Davieson, Stevens and gutiarist Biondillo started playing music together, and were later joined by bass guitarist Gardner. Initially called King George, they changed their name to San Cisco after surveying friends and fans. According to the band, "there is no link between the city San Francisco and our name San Cisco. .... The reason we went with San Cisco was because it is nothing; like a blank canvas which we were able to sculpt into whatever we wanted."
In late 2010, San Cisco recorded their debut EP Golden Revolver in Perth at Blackbird Studios. The EP's five songs were co-produced by Little Birdy
drummer Matt Chequer and veteren engineer-producer Steven Schram (Little Birdy, The Waifs
, Cat Empire, Little Red
). "Golden Revolver", the EP's critically acclaimed lead single, received heavy airplay on Australia's leading alternative music station Triple J
. XFM London
DJ Mike Walsh said of "Golden Revolver": "If this song was brought to me as the next Vampire Weekend
single, I would not be disappointed." The music video for "Golden Revolver" shows the band sailing along the Margaret River
on a makeshift boat. Also featured on the EP is the group's second single "Girls Do Cry" and a cover of Perth band Tame Impala
's 2010 single "Solitude is Bliss". Prior to Golden Revolvers early 2011 release, San Cisco was profiled on a December episode of Triple J Unearthed, and subsequently nominated for the 2011 Unearthed J Award.
As Golden Revolver continued to gain popularity, San Cisco performed at numerous festivals throughout 2011 including Fuse Festival
in Adelaide
, BIGSOUND in Brisbane
, St Jerome's Laneway Festival
in Melbourne
, Pyramid Rock Festival
on Phillip Island, Peats Ridge Festival
in Glenworth Valley, and the Western Australian stops of the Big Day Out
and Groovin' the Moo
festivals. They also supported established Australian acts including The Grates
, Jebediah
and Architecture in Helsinki
, and made appearences on BalconyTV
and 3 News
, New Zealand.
In late 2011, the band were signed by Albert Productions
, the home of major Australian acts including AC/DC
and Megan Washington
.
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, which formed in 2009 as King George in Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
. The band consists of Jordi Davieson (guitar, lead vocals), Josh Biondillo (guitar, vocals), Nick Gardner (bass), and Scarlett Stevens (drums, vocals). All members except Stevens share duties on keyboards. In November 2011, the band were signed by Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
. The label describes San Cisco's sound as "rough, low-fi
Lo-fi music
Lo-fi is lower quality of sound recordings than the usual standard for music. The qualities of lo-fi are usually achieved by either degrading the quality of the recorded audio, or using certain equipment. Recent uses of the phrase have led to it becoming a genre, although it still remains as an...
garage pop" mixed with "bright catchy hooks".
Biography
The members of San Cisco attended the same high school in Fremantle. Singer-guitarist Davieson and drummer Stevens have known each other since early childhood, and were formerly members of the rock groups The Real Life Animators and The FlairzThe Flairz
The Flairz were a garage rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-History:All three founding members were 10 years old and already writing their own songs when they started to get their first press in 2003. The Flairz then played their first show in December 2003...
respectively. In late 2009, Davieson, Stevens and gutiarist Biondillo started playing music together, and were later joined by bass guitarist Gardner. Initially called King George, they changed their name to San Cisco after surveying friends and fans. According to the band, "there is no link between the city San Francisco and our name San Cisco. .... The reason we went with San Cisco was because it is nothing; like a blank canvas which we were able to sculpt into whatever we wanted."
In late 2010, San Cisco recorded their debut EP Golden Revolver in Perth at Blackbird Studios. The EP's five songs were co-produced by Little Birdy
Little Birdy
Little Birdy are an Australian indie rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue...
drummer Matt Chequer and veteren engineer-producer Steven Schram (Little Birdy, The Waifs
The Waifs
The Waifs are an Australian folk rock band formed in 1992 by Josh Cunningham , and sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson...
, Cat Empire, Little Red
Little Red
Little Red is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia consisting of Adrian Beltrame , Dominic Byrne , Quang Dinh , Tom Hartney and Taka Honda .-Biography:...
). "Golden Revolver", the EP's critically acclaimed lead single, received heavy airplay on Australia's leading alternative music station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. XFM London
Xfm London
Xfm London is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom owned by Global Radio and broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London, on digital radio via 30 DAB multiplexes across the country, Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media....
DJ Mike Walsh said of "Golden Revolver": "If this song was brought to me as the next Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
single, I would not be disappointed." The music video for "Golden Revolver" shows the band sailing along the Margaret River
Margaret River
Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. Although small and unremarkable, it is the eponym of the iconic town and tourist region of Margaret River, famous for its surfing, caves and wine....
on a makeshift boat. Also featured on the EP is the group's second single "Girls Do Cry" and a cover of Perth band Tame Impala
Tame Impala
Tame Impala are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope...
's 2010 single "Solitude is Bliss". Prior to Golden Revolvers early 2011 release, San Cisco was profiled on a December episode of Triple J Unearthed, and subsequently nominated for the 2011 Unearthed J Award.
As Golden Revolver continued to gain popularity, San Cisco performed at numerous festivals throughout 2011 including Fuse Festival
Fuse Festival
Fuse is an Australian Music festival and Music Business Conference held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in February. The Fuse Festival features keynote addresses, panel discussions, round table discussions and the opportunity to meet with the industry elite from the Australian...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, BIGSOUND in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, St Jerome's Laneway Festival
St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Known simply as the Laneway or St. Jerome's Festival, the music festival began in Caledonian Lane in Melbourne in 2004. Emerging as an indie music event, the Laneway Festival has grown rapidly in popularity, receiving favourable reviews in music press....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Pyramid Rock Festival
Pyramid Rock Festival
The Pyramid Rock Festival is a New Year's Eve camp-out rock music festival at Pyramid Rock, Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.Beginning in 2004, it runs over two nights with two stages - the Main Stage, and the Pharaoh's Annex...
on Phillip Island, Peats Ridge Festival
Peats Ridge Festival
Peats Ridge Festival is a sustainable arts and music festival, held in Glenworth Valley, Peats Ridge, 1 hour north of Sydney and 90mins drive from Newcastle, New South Wales. Established in 2004, one year after the passing of the founder of the Glenworth Valley Horse Riding facility, the Festival...
in Glenworth Valley, and the Western Australian stops of the Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
and Groovin' the Moo
Groovin' the Moo
Groovin' The Moo is an annual music festival held at various 'regional centres' across Australia during the middle of the year.-History:The first incarnation of the festival occurred on the 24th of April 2005 at the Gloucester Showgrounds with crowds of over 1400, continuing to Narrandera with...
festivals. They also supported established Australian acts including The Grates
The Grates
The Grates are a two-piece band from Brisbane, Australia, comprising Patience Hodgson and John Patterson . They have been lauded for their catchy songs and enthusiastic and energetic live shows, as Patience spends much of the time bouncing around, even while singing...
, Jebediah
Jebediah
Jebediah is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Kevin Mitchell, guitarist Chris Daymond, bassist Vanessa Thornton, and Kevin's brother Brett Mitchell on drums...
and Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...
, and made appearences on BalconyTV
BalconyTV
BalconyTV is a leading daily online viral music show that features bands, musicians and other variety acts on balconies around the world. It was founded in Dublin, in June 2006....
and 3 News
3 News
3 News is the television, internet and radio news service of New Zealand's TV3. Its flagship bulletin, which airs every evening at 6:00pm, is anchored by Hilary Barry and Mike McRoberts. Carolyn Robinson and Simon Shepherd are weekend and substitute anchors...
, New Zealand.
In late 2011, the band were signed by Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
, the home of major Australian acts including AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and Megan Washington
Megan Washington
-Studio albums:-Extended plays:-Singles:-External links:* *...
.
Band members
- Jordi Davieson – guitar, vocals, keys
- Josh Biondillo – guitar, vocals, keys, synthesizers
- Nick Gardner – bass guitar
- Scarlett Stevens – drums, vocals
External links
- San Cisco on 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....
- San Cisco on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....