The Uglysuit were an indie rock band from Oklahoma City. They are made up of Israel Hindman (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Kyle Mayfield (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums), Crosby Bray (Vocals, Drums, Guitar), Jonathan Martin (Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar), Colin Bray (Vocals, Guitar), and Dustin Maynord (Bass, Guitar).

Name and Formation

Their name, "The Uglysuit", is a reference to how the band members enjoy dressing up in old suits at thrift stores. The sextet met in high school, and before much time Hindman became the singer in the screamo/hardcore band Corban Eldra. The demise of Corban Eldra was the beginning of what would soon become The Uglysuit. "It was just a stage in our life. But eventually we just wanted to go from playing fast punk to really touching people's hearts," Hindman says.

History

Since their formation in 2006 they are known for the genre-bending compositions that range from breezy indie pop

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...

, psychedelic folk, shoegaze, and rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 and hopeful lyrics

Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...

. Sometimes they can be considered a jam band

Jam band

-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...

 and have been compared to Phish

Phish

Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...

. The All Music Guide

All Music Guide

Allmusic is a service of music guide, owned by All Media Guide. Allmusic was founded in 1991 by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine as a guide for consumers. Its first reference book was published the following year...

 called their debut "one of 2008's most promising records".

Tours and Appearances

According to Spinner Oklahoma City's indie-rock sextet the Uglysuit are currently writing "lots of new material" for their sophomore effort. Prior to playing two official showcases at SXSW 2010, one being for the ASCAP Kick-Off Party, the Uglysuit also performed at the Billions Showcase at Canadian Music Week in Toronto in early March.

In May 2010, they played 2 show in Los Angeles, CA one at the prestigious Hotel Cafe

Hotel Café

The Hotel Café is a live music venue located off an alley on the Cahuenga Boulevard strip in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that has become known for helping to establish the careers of new singer-songwriters in the 2000s...

 and the infamous Viper Room

Viper Room

The Viper Room is a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. The club became known for being a hangout of Hollywood elite, and was the site where actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on...

 before beginning on a Summer Tour of the Midwest United States and Northeastern United States

Northeastern United States

The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

 with the first performance at the Summer Camp Music Festival

Summer Camp Music Festival

Summer Camp Music Festival is a jam music festival held each Memorial Day weekend at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois. Developed by concert producer Ian Goldberg of Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment, the first year of the festival was 2001...

 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois

Chillicothe, Illinois

Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :...

.They are scheduled to appear with The Black Keys

The Black Keys

The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....

, Slightly Stoopid

Slightly Stoopid

Slightly Stoopid is an American band based in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of acoustic rock and blues with reggae, hip-hop, and punk". As a band, they have released eight albums with their sixth studio album, entitled Slightly Not Stoned Enough To Eat...

, Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...

, Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...

 at the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Ozark, Arkansas  In September 2010 Jonathan Martin sat in with Umphrey's Mcgee

Umphrey's McGee

Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....

and played the song "...And We Became Sunshine" with the band.

Breakup

After the summer of 2010, and after lead singer Israel Hindman got married, the band decided that they were done with life on the road and that the Uglysuit would disband. The members of the band are all still good friends and the remaining members may at some point create a new band. A new album was recorded prior to the breakup and was released June 14, 2011.

External links

• http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/breaking/2008/11/breaking-the-uglysuit.php
• http://www.touchandgorecords.com/bands/band.php?id=111
• http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/08/sxsw-2010-the-uglysuit
• http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/sxsw/2010/
• http://stickymagazine.com/recommendations/upcoming-shows/60-canadian-music-week-2010-preview
• http://www.summercampfestival.com/2010/theuglysuit