Verbow
Encyclopedia
Verbow was an American
alternative rock
band formed in Chicago
and active between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The band's sound was distinguished by emotionally-direct songwriting and their unconventional use of cello.
. They billed themselves as Jason & Alison, with Narducy singing and playing acoustic guitar while Chesley played cello. In describing their musical approach, Narducy said, "We basically took two wooden instruments and presented them in a very loud wall-of-sound way." In 1994, the duo released the album Woodshed on the independent Whitehouse Records label. Over the next year, they were profiled in Billboard Magazine
, and opened for nationally-known artists such as Bob Mould
(of Sugar and Hüsker Dü
) and Live
.
After Woodshed, they brought in a drummer and bassist, and started using more electric instrumentation. The band began performing under the name Skinny, which they later changed to Verbow to avoid potential legal issues with another band named Skinny.
and released Chronicles in 1997. The album was recorded by Bob Mould and featured Luke Rothschild on bass and Mark Doyle on drums. The song "Holiday" was promoted as a single, and was released as an EP with two newly-recorded, non-album tracks.
In 2000, the band released White Out. The title refers to a blizzard that happened during the recording sessions, which took place in a rented vacation home on the shores of Lake Michigan. David Suycott played drums on the album, and bass guitars were played by Rothschild and Lennie Dietsch. Most of the album was produced by Brad Wood
, known for his work with Liz Phair
. "New History" was remixed by Chris Lord-Alge
for a promotional single. A three-song EP for "New History" was also released.
Epic Records dropped Verbow following the release of White Out. Alison Chesley amicably left the band in March 2001. Verbow officially dissolved in early 2003.
On January 22, 2011, Narducy and Chesley played their first show in ten years as an acoustic duo, under the billing "Verbow (Jason & Alison) Acoustic".
Jason Narducy has played bass guitar in the touring bands for several artists, including Liz Phair, Bob Mould, Robert Pollard
, and Telekinesis
.
Alison Chesley has performed solo under the name Helen Money. In 2007, she released her debut album Helen Money and served as composer in residence for Mordine and Co. Dance Theater. Her second album, In Tune, was released in 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
band formed in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and active between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The band's sound was distinguished by emotionally-direct songwriting and their unconventional use of cello.
Early period: Jason & Alison
The band grew out of a collaboration between Jason Narducy and Alison ChesleyAlison Chesley
Alison Chesley , known also by her stage name as Helen Money, is a Chicago based cellist and composer.Chesley was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern University, where she received a Master's degree in Cello Performance in 1994. While at...
. They billed themselves as Jason & Alison, with Narducy singing and playing acoustic guitar while Chesley played cello. In describing their musical approach, Narducy said, "We basically took two wooden instruments and presented them in a very loud wall-of-sound way." In 1994, the duo released the album Woodshed on the independent Whitehouse Records label. Over the next year, they were profiled in Billboard Magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, and opened for nationally-known artists such as Bob Mould
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
(of Sugar and Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
) and Live
Live (band)
Live is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer , and Chad Gracey . Lead singer and principal songwriter Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009....
.
After Woodshed, they brought in a drummer and bassist, and started using more electric instrumentation. The band began performing under the name Skinny, which they later changed to Verbow to avoid potential legal issues with another band named Skinny.
Major label era and later years
Verbow signed to Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and released Chronicles in 1997. The album was recorded by Bob Mould and featured Luke Rothschild on bass and Mark Doyle on drums. The song "Holiday" was promoted as a single, and was released as an EP with two newly-recorded, non-album tracks.
In 2000, the band released White Out. The title refers to a blizzard that happened during the recording sessions, which took place in a rented vacation home on the shores of Lake Michigan. David Suycott played drums on the album, and bass guitars were played by Rothschild and Lennie Dietsch. Most of the album was produced by Brad Wood
Brad Wood
Brad Wood is a record producer from Rockford, Illinois. He served as a drummer for the band Shrimp Boat. Brad records, mixes and produces records and is based in Los Angeles, California. He began his career in earnest in 1988 with the construction of Idful Music Corporation- a recording studio in...
, known for his work with Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
. "New History" was remixed by Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
for a promotional single. A three-song EP for "New History" was also released.
Epic Records dropped Verbow following the release of White Out. Alison Chesley amicably left the band in March 2001. Verbow officially dissolved in early 2003.
Reunion shows and live album
On May 15, 2010, Verbow played a "one night only" reunion show in Chicago. The lineup consisted of Narducy, Chesley, Suycott, and Dietsch. Three days later, Verbow released Live at Schubas, a compilation of live performances from 1998 and 2001. In an interview that month, Narducy said that he enjoyed revisiting the songs with his former bandmates. While he has no plans to revive Verbow as a full-time band, he didn't rule out future work.On January 22, 2011, Narducy and Chesley played their first show in ten years as an acoustic duo, under the billing "Verbow (Jason & Alison) Acoustic".
After Verbow
Former Verbow members Jason Narducy and David Suycott were in the band Rockets Over Sweden, which was active between 2003 and 2006.Jason Narducy has played bass guitar in the touring bands for several artists, including Liz Phair, Bob Mould, Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...
, and Telekinesis
Telekinesis (band)
Telekinesis is Michael Benjamin Lerner, an indie rocker based out of Seattle who is currently signed to Merge Records. While on tour Lerner is joined by Cody Votolato from Portland, OR and Jason Narducy from Evanston, IL, as of August 2010...
.
Alison Chesley has performed solo under the name Helen Money. In 2007, she released her debut album Helen Money and served as composer in residence for Mordine and Co. Dance Theater. Her second album, In Tune, was released in 2009.
Critical reaction
- "The duo radiated an electric confidence that elicited a fervent response from the capacity audience... It was a tough act to follow, even for a legendary figure such as [Bob] Mould." - Chicago Tribune
- "Bittersweet guitar pop in the grand tradition of Big Star and Sugar... Verbow makes a rich, emotionally textured acoustic/electric noise... The airwaves can always use literate, heartfelt rock songs (maybe now more than ever), and 'New History' is that in spades." - Billboard
Studio albums
- Woodshed (as Jason & Alison) (Whitehouse, 1994)
- Chronicles (Epic, 1997)
- White Out (Epic, 2000)
Compilations
- Demos and Live Tracks (Aware, 2001)
- Bootleg Volume II (Aware, 2002)
- Live at Shubas (2010)
Singles and EPs
- "Holiday" (5-song EP) (Epic, 1997)
- "New History" (remix single) (Epic, 2000)
- "New History" (3-song EP) (Epic, 2000)
Appearances on various artist compilations
- Come in 773! (Whitehouse, 1997) - features the track "Come In Threes" by Jason & Alison