Wedlock (band)
Encyclopedia
Wedlock is an electronic indie group that originated in Richmond
, Virginia. They formed in 2004, as an alliance between singer-songwriter Paul Allgood
and programmer Jeff Hathaway. Former All Music Guide
contributor Alex Ogg describes their sound as ranging from the American new wave of The Cars
, to the “bedsit cabaret” of Soft Cell
. Allgood has been the sole remaining member of Wedlock since its inception; surrounded by constantly shifting personnel.
-produced single "Discopharma," the collaboration between Allgood and Hathaway as Wedlock effectively came to an end. Hathaway formed a production company in Richmond while Allgood relocated to North Carolina and formed a new live version of the group with keyboardist Jonathan Kidder.
The band also featured bassist Kirk Bryson and Guatemalan David Mendez on electronic drums. Mendez left the group shortly after, and was temporarily replaced by Greg Klaiber of Grabass Revue. Ana Mitchell eventually took over as drummer.
Despite their unstable line up, the band still managed to release their debut full-length album, Exogamy
, in April 2008. Initially, Exogamy had limited commercial response seeing no action on the charts until over a year after its release. It did receive some critical acclaim, however, from journalists like AllMusic's Ned Raggett
who commented that"The early 21st century re-embrace of synth pop as arrangement inspiration, technical approach, or both and more besides has -- much like its original form -- resisted being easily stereotyped as one monolithic form," as a way of describing Exogamy's unique sound. In November 2008, “Reverend Charisma," which told of the 1978 People's Temple murder-suicides, was released, followed by “Black Sundress," a soulful number that reached #9 on the top mp3 downloads at Amazon.com
, the following spring. Exogamy
eventually peaked at #8 on the Out-voice GLBT Top 40 chart in May of 2009.
2009's Continuity
was recorded by a new line up yet again, this time containing Allgood, Baxter Smith on keyboards, and Lee Whitsel on bass. Ana Mitchell had departed right as the recording sessions for Continuity began. The trio were runners up for an Indie Band of the Year competition held by Canadian e-zine Music Emissions.
2010 saw the potential end for Wedlock once again as Allgood, Smith, and Whitsel only lasted long enough to produce the Blameless EP for Richmond singer Bryanna Rain. Their last EP together, Witnesses, appeared in August. Smith and Whitsel continued recording under various monikers while Allgood formed Celadon Candy with former band-mate Jason Bowden. After placing Wedlock on hiatus, Allgood is now collaborating with keyboardist Chris Scendo. The two have since been releasing new material online, and have signed a two record deal with their new label Exquisite Noise.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia. They formed in 2004, as an alliance between singer-songwriter Paul Allgood
Paul Allgood
Paul Allgood is lead vocalist for the Durham, NC based bands Wedlock and Celadon Candy as well as executive producer of Bryanna Rain's Blameless EP released in 2010....
and programmer Jeff Hathaway. Former 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...
contributor Alex Ogg describes their sound as ranging from the American new wave of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, to the “bedsit cabaret” of Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
. Allgood has been the sole remaining member of Wedlock since its inception; surrounded by constantly shifting personnel.
History
Kounterfeit Records released Wedlock's first EP, Matrimony in 2006. It contained a collection of sporadic synth tones, steady 4/4 bass drum pulse, and the bisexually themed single "Cuts Both Ways." Following their John MorandJohn Morand
John Morand is a US based record producer, engineer and studio owner.He works at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond, Virginia, US and has produced numerous records together with David Lowery.-Bands:* Sparklehorse* Anton Walgrave* Neeka...
-produced single "Discopharma," the collaboration between Allgood and Hathaway as Wedlock effectively came to an end. Hathaway formed a production company in Richmond while Allgood relocated to North Carolina and formed a new live version of the group with keyboardist Jonathan Kidder.
The band also featured bassist Kirk Bryson and Guatemalan David Mendez on electronic drums. Mendez left the group shortly after, and was temporarily replaced by Greg Klaiber of Grabass Revue. Ana Mitchell eventually took over as drummer.
Despite their unstable line up, the band still managed to release their debut full-length album, Exogamy
Exogamy (album)
Exogamy is a full-length debut album released by the band Wedlock in 2008. It did not appear on charts until nearly a year after its release when it reached the GBLT charts, eventually peaking at #8 there...
, in April 2008. Initially, Exogamy had limited commercial response seeing no action on the charts until over a year after its release. It did receive some critical acclaim, however, from journalists like AllMusic's Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett is a library assistant, freelance writer and music journalist. His work has been published in Allmusic, the OC Weekly, Plan B, Metal Edge and The Quietus, while pieces have also appeared in Dream, Arthur, as well as Stylus, The Broken Face, Fake Jazz, Freaky Trigger, Careless Talk...
who commented that"The early 21st century re-embrace of synth pop as arrangement inspiration, technical approach, or both and more besides has -- much like its original form -- resisted being easily stereotyped as one monolithic form," as a way of describing Exogamy's unique sound. In November 2008, “Reverend Charisma," which told of the 1978 People's Temple murder-suicides, was released, followed by “Black Sundress," a soulful number that reached #9 on the top mp3 downloads at Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, the following spring. Exogamy
Exogamy (album)
Exogamy is a full-length debut album released by the band Wedlock in 2008. It did not appear on charts until nearly a year after its release when it reached the GBLT charts, eventually peaking at #8 there...
eventually peaked at #8 on the Out-voice GLBT Top 40 chart in May of 2009.
2009's Continuity
Continuity (album)
-See also:*Wedlock *Exogamy *Black Sundress*Reverend Charisma*Witnesses EP...
was recorded by a new line up yet again, this time containing Allgood, Baxter Smith on keyboards, and Lee Whitsel on bass. Ana Mitchell had departed right as the recording sessions for Continuity began. The trio were runners up for an Indie Band of the Year competition held by Canadian e-zine Music Emissions.
2010 saw the potential end for Wedlock once again as Allgood, Smith, and Whitsel only lasted long enough to produce the Blameless EP for Richmond singer Bryanna Rain. Their last EP together, Witnesses, appeared in August. Smith and Whitsel continued recording under various monikers while Allgood formed Celadon Candy with former band-mate Jason Bowden. After placing Wedlock on hiatus, Allgood is now collaborating with keyboardist Chris Scendo. The two have since been releasing new material online, and have signed a two record deal with their new label Exquisite Noise.
Studio albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Exogamy Exogamy (album) Exogamy is a full-length debut album released by the band Wedlock in 2008. It did not appear on charts until nearly a year after its release when it reached the GBLT charts, eventually peaking at #8 there...
|
| 2009 | Continuity Continuity (album) -See also:*Wedlock *Exogamy *Black Sundress*Reverend Charisma*Witnesses EP... |
Extended plays
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Matrimony 6 track version
|
| 2006 | Matrimony 7 track version
|
| 2010 | Witnesses
|
Maxisingles
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Cuts Both Ways
|
| 2008 | Discopharma
|
Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Still Unsatisfied
|
| 2008 | Reverend Charisma
|
| 2009 | Black Sundress
|
Music Videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Reverend Charisma Reverend Charisma Reverend Charisma is a single released by the band Wedlock in 2008. It was the third single from their Exogamy album.The song highlighted the 1978 mass suicides at Jonestown's People's Temple led by the cult leader Jim Jones. It was one of the largest mass suicides in United States history, with... |
George Dianiants |
| 2009 | Black Sundress Black Sundress Black Sundress is a single released in 2009 by the band Wedlock. It's based on the Paul Allgood novel "An Inextricable Tale." The video was directed by Christopher Jackson and features actress Alison Davis... |
Christopher Jackson |
| 2010 | Witnesses | Eric Njoroge |