Sean Parker Band is an experimental alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 group based in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, based around British-born singer-songwriter Sean Parker. They are notable for playing with Ed Harcourt

Ed Harcourt

Ed Harcourt is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released five studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize...

 at Babylon Istanbul

Babylon Istanbul

Babylon Istanbul is a music venue located in Istanbul, Turkey.. It was opened by Pozitif on April 23, 1999 with a concert by John Lurie & the Lounge Lizards....

 club, John Robb

John Robb

John Robb is a Codhead vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade. Based in Manchester, he has also written several books on music and frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows.-Early life:Robb was born in Fleetwood and grew up in suburban Blackpool...

's The Membranes

The Membranes

The Membranes were a post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb , Mark Tilton , Martin Critchley and Martin Kelly . Critchley soon left, with Robb and Tilton taking on vocals, and Kelly moving to keyboards, with "Coofy Sid" taking over on drums...

 at Indigo, with Turkish experimental rock group Replikas

Replikas

Replikas is a avant-rock, experimental rock band from Istanbul, Turkey.-History:Their debut album, Köledoyuran was released in 2000, on Ada. Their second album, Dadaruhi followed in 2002. After signing with Doublemoon records, the band released their third studio album, Avaz in 2005...

 at Haymatlos, at the Foça and Gazipaşa rock festivals in 2010 and 2009 respectively, and their 2008 album track Whose which reached number 11 on iLike

ILike

iLike is an online service that allows users to download and share music. The website makes use of a sidebar that is used with Apple's iTunes or Microsoft's Windows Media Player. The program and sidebar are not required in order to use the site but allow for ease in discovering new artists....

's "Most Dedicated" chart. Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton is a Swiss writer, television presenter, and entrepreneur, resident in the UK.His books and television programs discuss various contemporary subjects and themes in a philosophical style, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. In August 2008, he was a founding member...

 wrote of the 2008 album 'A Gun To The Temple': 'wonderful - the songs are as heartfelt as they are intelligent'.

Sean Parker Band have been compared to Roxy Music

Roxy Music

Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...

, Pixies' Frank Black

Frank Black

Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...

, 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...

, Devo

Devo

Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...

, David Bowie

David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...

 and Talking Heads

Talking Heads

Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...

 in various reviews and articles.

Parker was born on the 19th May 1975 in Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

, Devon, UK to Jeffrey Parker, a drama lecturer at Exeter University, and Anna Parker (nee West), a speech therapist. After his parents divorced in 1986, the family moved to Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

, South Wales. He completed his masters degree in Fine Art

Fine art

Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....

 at the University for the Creative Arts, Surrey in 2003, after which he moved to live and record in Istanbul. Parker is joined in the band by Burak Kayışoğlu (guitar), Kemal Eren Olgaç (bass) and Hayrullah Canbazoğlu (drums), and are currently recording their third album, named Culture, in Istanbul, to be released by Equinox Music in 2011.

External links

• http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=1689739799614&oid=165420920148292&comments
• http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/etkinlik/17389736.asp
• http://www.todayszaman.com/news-239208-istanbul-based-rocker-sean-parker-says-uk-is-a-done-deal-for-him.html
• http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/h.php?news=an-insiders-blurred-lines-from-the-outside-2008-04-02
• http://www.studyoimge.com/makale/4582/sean-bw-parker-ve-rock-la-karisik-istanbul-muzigi
• http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=166765
• http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/h.php?news=foreigners-out-to-rock-istanbul-again-2008-08-30
• http://www.myspace.com/seanparkeristanbul