The Static Age
Encyclopedia
The Static Age are an American post punk band originally from Burlington
, Vermont
consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. The band's name is taken from the Misfits' long-unreleased first album
, though the band's sound owes very little to the Misfits.
The band's first major release was 2005's "Neon Nights Electric Lives" (produced by Matt Squire
) released on Tarantulas Records
/Platform Group/Fontana
in March 2005. That album was followed up in 2006 by "Blank Screens" (produced by Birnbaum and Bittner) via ReIgnition Records (the sister label to Law of Inertia magazine). Other prior releases include 2004's "Amphibian" single, 2003's "The Past and Now" single, and 2003's "The Cost of Living" 'full-length demo,' released by the band's own imprint Primary Records and the now defunct Boston-based label Red Dawn Records. More can be read about these releases in the news and records archives at the band's Official website.
Through their exhaustive North American touring schedule 2004-2007, tours across Europe in 2009 and 2011, and favorable attention from both the US and the UK press (many quotes on the band's official website's press section could be labeled as "critical acclaim" 2), the members of the Static Age have carved out a unique place for themselves. Their openly "campy" music videos for "Vertigo" and "Cherry Red" garnered them additional notice when they aired on Fuse and MTVu from 2006 to 2007. In a more surrealistic move, the band launched the "Blank Screens" series of internet videos in December 2007. These videos are available at SeventeenScratches.com and notably do not feature the band at all. The band members also increased their collective influence through their relationship with the short-lived-but-influential Tarantulas Records, and a reputation for being both "art-centric" (a phrase originally used by Tarantulas) and fiercely independent. The band then toured throughout 2006 and 2007 in support of the "Blank Screens" album (playing with bands like Tiger Army, Street Dogs, and Theo and the Skyscrapers).
The Static Age then took a touring hiatus, except for a tour across Europe in 2009, to build a studio space in Brooklyn and work on new material and sideprojects, according to posts on their website 3. Paley then relocated to Chicago in late 2009 to earn a Masters in Journalism at Northwestern University 4, bringing the studio equipment to a new space there and working on a new album with Chicago-based drummer, Joe Sowinski, while sending tapes to Meilleur for collaboration 5.
That album, "In the City of Wandering Lights", was released on LP on April 19, 2011 and digitally on April 26, 2011 via Flix Records in Europe and Highwires in the US 6 and was followed up by another tour across Europe and (pending) US dates 7.
Touring-Only Members
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. The band's name is taken from the Misfits' long-unreleased first album
Static Age
-The Misfits:*Glenn Danzig - vocals*Franché Coma - guitar*Jerry Only - bass guitar*Mr. Jim - drums-Studio personnel:*Dave Achelis - producer, engineer, and mixer*Alan Douches - mixing of tracks 15-17, mastering...
, though the band's sound owes very little to the Misfits.
History
The Static Age began playing shows in their hometown in 2002 with original members Paley and Meilleur and others, and they've released a "full-length demo," four albums and a few singles to date. As of 2011, their latest release was "In the City of Wandering Lights," (April 19-26, 2011—LP+Digital download) released on Highwires (US) and Flix Records (Europe). It was the followup to 2009's "i/o" on the same labels.The band's first major release was 2005's "Neon Nights Electric Lives" (produced by Matt Squire
Matt Squire
Matt Squire is an American multi-platinum music producer and writer. He has produced, engineered, or written tracks for One Direction, 3OH!3, Good Charlotte, New Boyz, Selena Gomez, David Archuleta, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, The Used, All Time Low, Panic! at the Disco, Boys Like Girls, The Cab,...
) released on Tarantulas Records
Tarantulas Records
Tarantulas Records was a punk rock record label generally owned by the band The Explosion and run by their then manager Rama Mayo . It was officially established in 2002, as an art movement and a protest against record labels constantly signing bands that are merely rehashes of what has already...
/Platform Group/Fontana
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
in March 2005. That album was followed up in 2006 by "Blank Screens" (produced by Birnbaum and Bittner) via ReIgnition Records (the sister label to Law of Inertia magazine). Other prior releases include 2004's "Amphibian" single, 2003's "The Past and Now" single, and 2003's "The Cost of Living" 'full-length demo,' released by the band's own imprint Primary Records and the now defunct Boston-based label Red Dawn Records. More can be read about these releases in the news and records archives at the band's Official website.
Through their exhaustive North American touring schedule 2004-2007, tours across Europe in 2009 and 2011, and favorable attention from both the US and the UK press (many quotes on the band's official website's press section could be labeled as "critical acclaim" 2), the members of the Static Age have carved out a unique place for themselves. Their openly "campy" music videos for "Vertigo" and "Cherry Red" garnered them additional notice when they aired on Fuse and MTVu from 2006 to 2007. In a more surrealistic move, the band launched the "Blank Screens" series of internet videos in December 2007. These videos are available at SeventeenScratches.com and notably do not feature the band at all. The band members also increased their collective influence through their relationship with the short-lived-but-influential Tarantulas Records, and a reputation for being both "art-centric" (a phrase originally used by Tarantulas) and fiercely independent. The band then toured throughout 2006 and 2007 in support of the "Blank Screens" album (playing with bands like Tiger Army, Street Dogs, and Theo and the Skyscrapers).
The Static Age then took a touring hiatus, except for a tour across Europe in 2009, to build a studio space in Brooklyn and work on new material and sideprojects, according to posts on their website 3. Paley then relocated to Chicago in late 2009 to earn a Masters in Journalism at Northwestern University 4, bringing the studio equipment to a new space there and working on a new album with Chicago-based drummer, Joe Sowinski, while sending tapes to Meilleur for collaboration 5.
That album, "In the City of Wandering Lights", was released on LP on April 19, 2011 and digitally on April 26, 2011 via Flix Records in Europe and Highwires in the US 6 and was followed up by another tour across Europe and (pending) US dates 7.
Band members
- Andrew Paley - Voice, Guitars, Sequencing, Keyboards, Drums (founding member)
- Adam Meilleur - Bass (founding member)
- Joe Sowinski - Drums
Past/Touring members
- Marie Whiteford - Keyboards (original member, 2002–2004)
- Sarah-Rose Cameron - Keyboards (2004–2006)
- Bobby Hackney - Drums (founding member, 2002–2005)
- Tim Alek Mulley - Drums (2006–2007)
Touring-Only Members
- Coby LinderCoby LinderJacob "Coby" Linder in Skokie, Illinois is best known as the drummer of the band Say Anything. He lists his influences as Travis Barker, Tony Williams, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, and Bryan Newman. According to Say Anything's website, his favorite genres include emo, "death-core...
(founding and current member of Say AnythingSay Anything (band)Say Anything is an American indie-punk band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Max Bemis. The band was formed in 2000 with Bemis and four of his friends. Within two years, they self-released two EPs, Junior Varsity and In Your Dreams, and the full-length Baseball: An Album by Sayanything.In...
) - touring member during 2005 tours) - Eric Joseph Carlson - Guitar (touring member during 2007)
Trivia
- Paley, Meilleur, and Bobby Hackney were three of the Vermont four-piece The Hemlock Verdict. The Hemlock Verdict was fronted by Spencer Crispe of My Revenge. During their short-lived existence, THV released a four-song EP (long out of print), and managed to garner attention by playing just 14 shows ever with bands like AFI, Shadows Fall, Dillinger Escape Plan, Kill Your Idols, Drowningman, Darkest Hour, Death by Stereo, The Cancer Conspiracy, and the Misfits 3. Rumor has it that an unreleased demo song has Paley singing, and led to inter-band tensions—which led to the formation of The Static Age. Additionally, Marie Whiteford (The Static Age's original keyboardist) played on the band's demos. The Hemlock Verdict then splintered into the two following bands (The Static Age and My Revenge).
- Paley and Meilleur sang backups on BaneBane (band)Bane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects...
's 2005 album "The NoteThe Note (album)The Note is an album released in the Spring of 2005 by hardcore band Bane. The album consists of a deeper, more mature sound than that of previous albums.-Track listing:# "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda" – 2:49# "Pot Committed" – 3:28...
."
- Paley, Hackney, and Crispe were also in the hardcore punk band In Reach in highschool.
- The band has a reputation for being set in their independence (having been referred to as "ideologically a punk band, if not in sound") -- repeatedly turning down labels like Victory Records in the interest of working with labels like Tarantulas Records. Supposedly the band went through months of contract negotiations with Victory head and owner Tony Brummel personally before turning the label down.
- Paley is also an artist and a writer. In addition to creating much of the band's imagery and artwork, interviews in mid-2007 suggested Paley was also working on a book, perhaps a novel. There were suggestions of illustrations. Not much has been said since. 8
- Paley and Meilleur were once briefly touring members of fellow Vermont punk band River City RebelsRiver City RebelsThe River City Rebels are a punk/rock & roll band based in White River Junction, Vermont. The band has a long and detailed history, clouded with many line up changes over the years. Throughout the bands entire history, Dan O'Day has been the primary songwriter of the band...
during the summer of 2001.
- Paley has an often-dark, folk-oriented sideproject—originally dubbed "Paper Tigers" until a threatened lawsuit from a UK band with the same made him default to just going by "Andrew Paley." One album was released in September 2007 called "White Rooms" (though much of the album was apparently recorded with Matt Squire as early as 2004 or 2005). Currently, he has a long-promised followup called "Songs for Dorian Grey" in the works, with a TBA release date. 5
Albums
- 2003: The Cost of LivingThe Cost of Living (The Static Age album)The Cost of Living is the 1st full length release from Vermont's The Static Age. It initially had a tour pre-release, consisting of 50 copies before its original release in 2002 through Primary Records...
(self-produced) - Primary Records / Red Dawn Records - 2005: Neon Nights Electric LivesNeon Nights Electric LivesNeon Nights Electric Lives is officially the 2nd full length release from Vermont's The Static Age. Despite having a precursor in the "The Cost of Living" recordings, "Neon Nights" is also called the "debut" album because "The Cost of Living" was made up of the band's demo tracks...
(produced by Matt SquireMatt SquireMatt Squire is an American multi-platinum music producer and writer. He has produced, engineered, or written tracks for One Direction, 3OH!3, Good Charlotte, New Boyz, Selena Gomez, David Archuleta, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, The Used, All Time Low, Panic! at the Disco, Boys Like Girls, The Cab,...
) - Tarantulas Records / The Platform Group - 2006: Blank ScreensBlank ScreensBlank Screens is the 3rd full length release from Vermont's The Static Age.-Track listing:# "Blank Screens" – 4:15# "Skyscrapers" – 3:04# "Lights in the Attic" – 3:46# "Trauma" – 3:57# "Cherry Red" – 3:16# "The Bluebird Room" – 4:22...
(produced by Birnbaum and Bittner) - Reignition Records - 2009: I/O (produced by Richard Palishesky) - Primary Records / Highwires (Digital), Flix Records (CD Version)
- 2011: In the City of Wandering Lights (produced by Richard Palishesky) - LP/Digital release - Highwires (US), Flix Records (Europe)
Singles
- 2003: "The Past and Now" (produced by Kurt Ballou) - Primary Records / Red Dawn Records
- 2004: "Amphibian" (produced by Matt Squire) - Tarantulas Records
Remixes
- 2005: Airplanes - "Vertigo" remixed by Jade PugetJade PugetJade Errol Puget is the guitarist for the alternative rock band AFI , and the keyboardist/synthesizer operator for the electronic duo Blaqk Audio. Puget is vegetarian and straight edge....
(appears on "Neon Nights Electric Lives") - 2005: Pakistan - "Amphibian" remixed by Daz (appears on "Neon Nights Electric Lives")
- 2005: Red Lips - "Amphibian" remixed by Christian CambasChristian CambasChristian Cambas is a DJ and producer based in Athens, Greece. He is mostly known for his releases on DJ Umek’s 1605 label and his entry at number 88 of the DJ Mag Top 100 poll in 2005...
(internet release) - 2006: Head Over Heels - "Armory" remixed by DJ Bot (Purevolume release) 6
- 2006: Trauma - "Trauma" remixed by Ocelot Mthrfckrs (iTunes exclusive for "Blank Screens" release)
- 2008: Sirens - "Lights in the Attic" remixed by Christian CambasChristian CambasChristian Cambas is a DJ and producer based in Athens, Greece. He is mostly known for his releases on DJ Umek’s 1605 label and his entry at number 88 of the DJ Mag Top 100 poll in 2005...
(Devilock Records + "B-side" remix by Squash 84) - 2010: Already Dead - "Already Dead" from I/O remixed by Christian CambasChristian CambasChristian Cambas is a DJ and producer based in Athens, Greece. He is mostly known for his releases on DJ Umek’s 1605 label and his entry at number 88 of the DJ Mag Top 100 poll in 2005...
(appears on Cambas' album "Beyond Suspicion")