The Pharmacy
Encyclopedia
The Pharmacy is a psychedelic/indie punk band from Seattle, Washington
, consisting of three members: Scott Yoder (guitar, lead vocals), Brendhan Bowers (drums, backing vocals), and Stefan Rubicz (keyboards, backing vocals). They also have been known to record with a wide array of other instruments including strings, horns, and many different types of synthesizers/keyboards. They occasionally play live with cellist Calvin Havnaer.
, Washington in 2002 by Scott Yoder and Brendhan Bowers. The band was founded while they were in their freshman and junior years in high school. Drawing influence from Nirvana
, The Unicorns
, The Beatles
, Electric Light Orchestra
and Andrew W.K.
the two created a messy mix of garage and punk, later evolving into a dance-able pop band. Don't Stop Believin' Records(Seattle), a like-minded local record label released a collection of home demos titled "B.F.F." with Scott singing and playing guitar, Joey Seward playing keyboards and bass, and Brendhan playing drums. After graduating high school on Vashon, they moved to Seattle and Olympia. They continued to play while Brendhan attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington
.
They first reached local prominence in 2005, after completing their first United States tour with Kimya Dawson
of the Moldy Peaches
. Throughout most of the tour, they performed as her backing band.
In early 2006 recording sessions began at a Freemason Temple in Seattle. After a few weeks the project was permanently shelved. They instead spent the year with more touring following the release of the Overcast Summer 7" EP. They performed at Plan-It-X Fest in July of this year. 2006 also saw the departure of Joey Seward and his subsequent replacement by keyboardist Stefan Rubicz and bass player Ryan Thompson. Not long after Joey's departure he soon joined both Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground as well as Doomhawk.
By the beginning of 2007, they had released the Abominable 7" on Chicago label Tic Tac Totally. It featured the song "Tropical Yeti Song" which was accompanied by a music video. They toured frequently throughout the rest of the year, performing at several music festivals including Bumbershoot
, Capitol Hill Block Party
and the Seattle Weekly Reverb Festival. In September bassist Ryan Thompson was kicked out of the band amid the recording sessions for Choose Yr Own Adventure.
In January 2009 they re-located to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they recorded "Weekend" in a house that they shared, on a Tascam 4-track. The "Weekend" LP was released by Don't Stop Believin' Records, and in Europe by Seayou Records (Austria).
In September 2009, the Pharmacy played the New Island Festival on Governors Island in New York Harbor.
The Pharmacy has toured Europe three times, playing shows in over 18 countries. In 2008, a split 7" with Japanther was released by Austrian label Bachelor Records http://www.bachelorrecords.com..
In May 2010 they played at Yo Garage in Monterrey, Mexico during a 5 month long tour of the US/Europe. In January 2011 they are set to play at the Rock & Roll Circus at Lincoln Center.
They currently live in Seattle.
Scott Yoder also performs/records in a side-project called Fuzzy Cloaks
with fellow Pharmacy member Stefan Rubicz
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, consisting of three members: Scott Yoder (guitar, lead vocals), Brendhan Bowers (drums, backing vocals), and Stefan Rubicz (keyboards, backing vocals). They also have been known to record with a wide array of other instruments including strings, horns, and many different types of synthesizers/keyboards. They occasionally play live with cellist Calvin Havnaer.
History
The Pharmacy were founded on Vashon IslandVashon Island
Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...
, Washington in 2002 by Scott Yoder and Brendhan Bowers. The band was founded while they were in their freshman and junior years in high school. Drawing influence from Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, The Unicorns
The Unicorns
The Unicorns were a Lo-Fi/Indie Pop band from Montreal, Canada formed in December 2000 by Nicholas Thorburn and Alden Penner , who were later joined by Jamie Thompson in December 2003.-History:...
, The Beatles
The 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...
, Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
and Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, and motivational speaker. He is the host of the television series Destroy Build Destroy.-Early life & career:Andrew Wilkes-Krier was born in Stanford, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
the two created a messy mix of garage and punk, later evolving into a dance-able pop band. Don't Stop Believin' Records(Seattle), a like-minded local record label released a collection of home demos titled "B.F.F." with Scott singing and playing guitar, Joey Seward playing keyboards and bass, and Brendhan playing drums. After graduating high school on Vashon, they moved to Seattle and Olympia. They continued to play while Brendhan attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
.
They first reached local prominence in 2005, after completing their first United States tour with Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" means "silence" or "silent".-Career:...
of the Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
. Throughout most of the tour, they performed as her backing band.
In early 2006 recording sessions began at a Freemason Temple in Seattle. After a few weeks the project was permanently shelved. They instead spent the year with more touring following the release of the Overcast Summer 7" EP. They performed at Plan-It-X Fest in July of this year. 2006 also saw the departure of Joey Seward and his subsequent replacement by keyboardist Stefan Rubicz and bass player Ryan Thompson. Not long after Joey's departure he soon joined both Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground as well as Doomhawk.
By the beginning of 2007, they had released the Abominable 7" on Chicago label Tic Tac Totally. It featured the song "Tropical Yeti Song" which was accompanied by a music video. They toured frequently throughout the rest of the year, performing at several music festivals including Bumbershoot
Bumbershoot
Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day weekend at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Seattle Center includes indoor theaters,...
, Capitol Hill Block Party
Capitol Hill Block Party
The Capitol Hill Block Party is an annual three-day music festival held each July in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. In the past, the festival has included various famous acts including Macklemore, Atmosphere, MGMT, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, The Presidents of the United States of America, Blue...
and the Seattle Weekly Reverb Festival. In September bassist Ryan Thompson was kicked out of the band amid the recording sessions for Choose Yr Own Adventure.
In January 2009 they re-located to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they recorded "Weekend" in a house that they shared, on a Tascam 4-track. The "Weekend" LP was released by Don't Stop Believin' Records, and in Europe by Seayou Records (Austria).
In September 2009, the Pharmacy played the New Island Festival on Governors Island in New York Harbor.
The Pharmacy has toured Europe three times, playing shows in over 18 countries. In 2008, a split 7" with Japanther was released by Austrian label Bachelor Records http://www.bachelorrecords.com..
In May 2010 they played at Yo Garage in Monterrey, Mexico during a 5 month long tour of the US/Europe. In January 2011 they are set to play at the Rock & Roll Circus at Lincoln Center.
They currently live in Seattle.
Scott Yoder also performs/records in a side-project called Fuzzy Cloaks
Fuzzy Cloaks
Fuzzy Cloaks is a psychedelic/indie punk/bedroom pop band from Seattle, Washington. The Pharmacy's frontman Scott Yoder is the sole contributor on the band's recordings. Live the band features Woody Brenton and fellow The Pharmacy member Stefan Rubicz. They released their debut cassette "Solar...
with fellow Pharmacy member Stefan Rubicz
Albums
- B.F.F. LP/CD (June, 2005, 2nd press blue cover - January 2006)
- Choose Yr. Own Adventure CD/LP/Cassette (February 29, 2008)
- Weekend LP/CD/Cassette (March 2010)
Singles, EPs, Collections
- Ship of Fools, a five-song 7" record (August, 2003)
- Ray-Gun Mariachi demo CD-R (2004)
- B.F.F. LP/CD (June, 2005, 2nd press blue cover - January 2006)
- Abominable, a two-song 7" record lmtd. 500 copies (March, 2007)
- Overcast Summer, a four-song 7" record lmtd. 333 copies (March, 2006)
- WAYDWYL split 7" with JapantherJapantherJapanther is an art project, established by Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, then students at Pratt Institute. Japanther was featured in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and the 2011 Venice Biennale, and has collaborated with a diverse pool of artists such as gelitin, Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher, Dan Graham,...
(September, 2008) - Solid Melts split cassette with Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk (September, 2009)
Videos
- "Tropical Yeti Song" (2007) from the Abominable 7"
- "Little Toys On A Shelf" (2008) from the Choose Yr Own Adventure LP/CD
- "WAYDWYL" (2009) from the Weekend LP - directed by SKINNY (Directing Team)SKINNY (directing team)SKINNY is a directing team based in Los Angeles that specializes in music videos. It is composed of David Hache, Marc-Edouard Leon and Dori Oskowitz. SKINNY is known for developing its concepts through the use of creative methods that are deeply rooted in mysticism...