The Love Kills Theory
Encyclopedia
The Love Kills Theory is an alternative rock
band based in New York City
. They were formed in 2006 by Cevin Soling, and in January 2007 they released their debut album Happy Suicide, Jim!
, a thirteen track CD with philosophical and anti-consumerist themes. The band's original lineup consists of Bill Brandau on keyboard
, Cevin Soling on vocals and guitar
, Jim Minics on guitar, Darren Pilato on bass
, and Jaron Stewart on drums.
.
After his last band The Neanderthal Spongecake broke up in 2001, Soling had accrued a number of songs he had written, and in 2006 he began contacting musicians he had played with or was friendly with to form a band. Bill Brandau, who had played with Soling in The Neanderthal Spongecake and had previously been in The Vinnie Barbarino Experience, took on keyboard duties. Darren Pilato was asked to play bass, and Jaron Stewart of the band Merkaba was included after also working on Soling's previous album release, When Pigs Fly. Jim Minics joined as guitarist; his 2003 band Minix
had been a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series.
They are based in New York City
.
The band name was largely inspired by author Neil Postman
's summation of A Brave New World, where instead of being subjugated and destroyed by things we hate, humanity is oppressed by the things they love.
It was published on Soling's Xemu Records, mixed by Martin Trum, engineered by Jim Sommers, and produced by Soling. All 13 songs were recorded at The Loft
, Cheektowaga, and Penny Lane in New York City.
In January the album peaked at number 162 on CMJs Top 200. The album was also #1 on KZMU
and had a long run in the top 5 albums in Montreal
. The song "Authenticity" was played and featured on the Public Radio Exchange
.
The album cover and name are a reference to cult leader Jim Jones
.
" as a descriptor, though reviewers have also described them as post-punk
and experimental. Reviewers have described a similarity to the intellectual rock bands in the early 1990s, such as Devo
, Gang of Four
, Butthole Surfers
, Frank Zappa
, and Mothers of Invention.
, founder of the Situationist International, and Aldous Huxley
, author of Brave New World
and Yellow Chrome. They also focus on the "bio-genetic studies on the evolution of despair" and outline opposition to the instant gratification of consumer culture.
Additional members
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...
band based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They were formed in 2006 by Cevin Soling, and in January 2007 they released their debut album Happy Suicide, Jim!
Happy Suicide, Jim!
Happy Suicide, Jim! is The Love Kills Theory's debut full length album that was released on January 9, 2007. It was published on Xemu Records, mixed by Martin Trum, engineered by Jim Sommers, and produced by Cevin Soling.-Overview:...
, a thirteen track CD with philosophical and anti-consumerist themes. The band's original lineup consists of Bill Brandau on keyboard
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...
, Cevin Soling on vocals and 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...
, Jim Minics on guitar, Darren Pilato on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Jaron Stewart on drums.
Founding
The band was originally formed by Cevin Soling. Soling runs the record company Xemu Records and also Spectacle Films. Soling had grown up listening to The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
After his last band The Neanderthal Spongecake broke up in 2001, Soling had accrued a number of songs he had written, and in 2006 he began contacting musicians he had played with or was friendly with to form a band. Bill Brandau, who had played with Soling in The Neanderthal Spongecake and had previously been in The Vinnie Barbarino Experience, took on keyboard duties. Darren Pilato was asked to play bass, and Jaron Stewart of the band Merkaba was included after also working on Soling's previous album release, When Pigs Fly. Jim Minics joined as guitarist; his 2003 band Minix
Minix
MINIX is a Unix-like computer operating system based on a microkernel architecture created by Andrew S. Tanenbaum for educational purposes; MINIX also inspired the creation of the Linux kernel....
had been a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series.
They are based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The band name was largely inspired by author Neil Postman
Neil Postman
Neil Postman was an American author, media theorist and cultural critic, who is best known by the general public for his 1985 book about television, Amusing Ourselves to Death. For more than forty years, he was associated with New York University...
's summation of A Brave New World, where instead of being subjugated and destroyed by things we hate, humanity is oppressed by the things they love.
Happy Suicide, Jim!
On January 9, 2007 the band nationally released their debut CD Happy Suicide, Jim!Happy Suicide, Jim!
Happy Suicide, Jim! is The Love Kills Theory's debut full length album that was released on January 9, 2007. It was published on Xemu Records, mixed by Martin Trum, engineered by Jim Sommers, and produced by Cevin Soling.-Overview:...
It was published on Soling's Xemu Records, mixed by Martin Trum, engineered by Jim Sommers, and produced by Soling. All 13 songs were recorded at The Loft
The Loft
The Loft is the location for the first underground dance party that was created by David Mancuso on February 14, 1970 in New York. Since then, the term The Loft has come to represent Mancuso's own version of a non-commercial party where no alcohol, food, or beverages are sold...
, Cheektowaga, and Penny Lane in New York City.
In January the album peaked at number 162 on CMJs Top 200. The album was also #1 on KZMU
KZMU
KZMU is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Moab, Utah, USA, the station is currently owned by Moab Public Radio, Inc...
and had a long run in the top 5 albums in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The song "Authenticity" was played and featured on the Public Radio Exchange
Public Radio Exchange
The Public Radio Exchange is a nonprofit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization claims to be the largest on-demand catalog of public radio programs available for broadcast and Internet use.-Mission:According to PRX's site, its mission...
.
The album cover and name are a reference to cult leader Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
.
Style
The band members have specified they prefer "alternative rockAlternative 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...
" as a descriptor, though reviewers have also described them as post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
and experimental. Reviewers have described a similarity to the intellectual rock bands in the early 1990s, such as 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...
, Gang of Four
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
, Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, and Mothers of Invention.
Lyrical themes
All lyrics are written by Soling, who claims to be influenced by writers such as Guy DebordGuy Debord
Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International . He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.-Early Life:Guy Debord was born in Paris in 1931...
, founder of the Situationist International, and Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
, author of Brave New World
Brave New World
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
and Yellow Chrome. They also focus on the "bio-genetic studies on the evolution of despair" and outline opposition to the instant gratification of consumer culture.
Lineup
Present- Cevin Soling - vocals, guitar
- Bill Brandau - keyboards
- Jim Minics - guitar
- Darren Pilato - bass
- Jaron Stewart - drums
Additional members
- Zy O. Lyn - violin
- Susan Dylan - violin
- Ben Kalb - cello
- Dan “Schmitty” Smith - guitar
- Dave Dudek - guitar
- Melinda Stewart - vocals
- Dana Goldstein - vocals
- Deborah Smith - vocals