Wheat (band)
Encyclopedia
Wheat is an indie-rock group formed by Scott Levesque (vocals, guitar), Brendan Harney (drums, vocals), Ricky Brennan Jr. (guitar, vocals), and Kenny Madaras (bass) in Taunton, Massachusetts
, in 1996
.
, released in 1997 on Sugar Free Records, was recorded by Dave Auchenbach and mixed by Red Red Meat
's Brian Deck
. Madaras left the group—and was never permanently replaced on bass—prior to the release of their second Sugar Free album, 1999's Hope and Adams
, which was produced by Dave Fridmann
at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York, and included the song "Don't I Hold You."
The group left Sugar Free and signed with London-based Nude Records
in 2000, but the label folded soon after. Wheat continued writing, however, and in 2002, after two years of record-business limbo, they signed with Aware Records
, which had a distribution deal with Columbia
. Two of the songs recorded for the unfinished Nude incarnation of Wheat's third album, Per Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every Second
, survived as so-called "naked" versions on the 2003 sampler EP Too Much Time, while others were rerecorded for the Aware-sanctioned edition of Per Second, also released in '03. The track "Some Days" was included in the film Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!
and on its soundtrack album, "I Met a Girl" appeared in A Cinderella Story
, and the 2003 version of "Don't I Hold You" was featured in Elizabethtown.
After promoting Per Second in '03 and '04—touring with Liz Phair
, Toad the Wet Sprocket
, and Blake Babies
and performing on Late Night With Conan O'Brien
and Last Call With Carson Daly
—only to see the album sell an underwhelming 30,000 copies, Wheat decided to take a break. Brennan departed near the end of 2004 to form Duresse, which self-released the seven-song EP Elate in early '06.
Later that year Wheat, now a duo, finished writing and recording their fourth album, Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
, with Rick Lescault at Electric Ali Studios in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Preceded by the EP That's Exactly What I Wanted ... Exactly That
in early '07, the album was released by Empyrean Records in May. (Aware Records never officially dropped Wheat from its roster. However, it declined its option to release the follow-up to Per Second.) An EP titled Move = Move, featuring exclusive tracks and multimedia content, was also organized for release in February 2008, but was pulled at the last minute for undisclosed reasons. This caused much frustration for fans who had preordered the EP in advance, and was possibly the catalyst for Wheat leaving Empyrean Records.
In early 2009 Wheat announced on their website and MySpace that Medeiros
and Hope and Adams
would be reissued as part of a three-CD deluxe package that also included a bonus disc of outtakes and rarities entitled 30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
. They then completed their fifth studio album, White Ink, Black Ink
, which was released in July 2009 on the Rebel Group label.
Wheat announced in September 2011 that it would be releasing three singles in the coming months in advance of a new full-length. First up was The Used 2 Be in Love Blues, featuring the title track, "House of Kiss," and "My Blood, Your Blood" as well as hand-screened artwork by Luke Hebert, who became an unofficial member of the band around 2008.
Gary Lightbody
, lead singer for Snow Patrol
, is a self-proclaimed fan of the band, typically listing their albums on any of his top music lists, including his 2007 "best of" blog post on the band's MySpace page. Tiny Cinema's Darren Jilks is also a fan, having covered "Don't I Hold You" for a radio session in Birmingham
; his label, Brave or Invincible Records, made the track available for free download on their website. Jilks has stated that Hope and Adams
is among his favorite albums of all time. In late 2008 Surrealist animators the Hive of Dukes licensed some of Wheat's music to use in a production called "Living Evil"; Yanni Osmond, cofounder of the Hive, interviewed Scott and Brendan for his blog
when he was 13.
* Medeiros and Hope and Adams were reissued in 2009 as part of a three-CD set that included 30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
, a disc comprised of outtakes from Wheat's albums.
Singles
EPs
Music Video Game
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
, in 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
.
History
Wheat's debut album, MedeirosMedeiros (album)
Medeiros is the debut album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1997 and reissued in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "Preprise" – 1:30# "Death Car" – 3:19...
, released in 1997 on Sugar Free Records, was recorded by Dave Auchenbach and mixed by Red Red Meat
Red Red Meat
Red Red Meat was a '90s Chicago-area blues-influenced alternative rock band. After their break-up, frontman Tim Rutili went on to form Califone, for which many of Red Red Meat's former members, including producer Brian Deck, often record and perform...
's Brian Deck
Brian Deck
Brian Deck is an American music producer and member of band Red Red Meat. He co-founded Idful Studios in 1988. Since becoming a full time producer, Deck has worked with bands and artists including Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, Califone, All Smiles, Fruit Bats , Gomez, The Grates, Holopaw, Baby & Hide,...
. Madaras left the group—and was never permanently replaced on bass—prior to the release of their second Sugar Free album, 1999's Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams is the second full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1999 and reissued almost a decade later.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "This Wheat" – 1:51...
, which was produced by Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York, and included the song "Don't I Hold You."
The group left Sugar Free and signed with London-based Nude Records
Nude Records
Nude Records was a London based record label, set up in 1992 by Saul Galpern who had previously been involved in the success of artists such as Simply Red, the Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and The Au Pairs. The label's first success was with Suede. Suede's debut album was the fastest...
in 2000, but the label folded soon after. Wheat continued writing, however, and in 2002, after two years of record-business limbo, they signed with Aware Records
Aware Records
Aware Records is an American record label, existent to seek unsigned musical artists and expose them to the mainstream media. The label has had success with a range of artists, including John Mayer, Train, Five For Fighting, Mat Kearney and Guster....
, which had a distribution deal with Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Two of the songs recorded for the unfinished Nude incarnation of Wheat's third album, Per Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every Second
Per Second, Per Second, Per Second... Every Second
Per Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every Second is the first and only major-label album by Wheat. It was released on Aware Records via a distribution deal with Columbia Records in the fall of 2003.- Track listing :...
, survived as so-called "naked" versions on the 2003 sampler EP Too Much Time, while others were rerecorded for the Aware-sanctioned edition of Per Second, also released in '03. The track "Some Days" was included in the film Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace, and Josh Duhamel.- Plot :...
and on its soundtrack album, "I Met a Girl" appeared in A Cinderella Story
A Cinderella Story
A Cinderella Story is a 2004 American romantic comedy film. The film stars Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray and Regina King and was directed by Mark Rosman. The film's plot revolves around two Internet pen pals who meet at a school dance and fall in love but two different worlds...
, and the 2003 version of "Don't I Hold You" was featured in Elizabethtown.
After promoting Per Second in '03 and '04—touring 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...
, Toad the Wet Sprocket
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986. The band consists of singer/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band enjoyed chart success in the 1990s with the singles "Walk on the Ocean," "All I Want,"...
, and Blake Babies
Blake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
and performing on Late Night With Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
and Last Call With Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
—only to see the album sell an underwhelming 30,000 copies, Wheat decided to take a break. Brennan departed near the end of 2004 to form Duresse, which self-released the seven-song EP Elate in early '06.
Later that year Wheat, now a duo, finished writing and recording their fourth album, Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square is the fourth full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the spring of 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .#Closeness – 5:08...
, with Rick Lescault at Electric Ali Studios in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Preceded by the EP That's Exactly What I Wanted ... Exactly That
That's Exactly What I Wanted... Exactly That
That's Exactly What I Wanted ... Exactly That is a 2007 EP by Wheat that preceded the release of their fourth album, Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square.-Track listing:...
in early '07, the album was released by Empyrean Records in May. (Aware Records never officially dropped Wheat from its roster. However, it declined its option to release the follow-up to Per Second.) An EP titled Move = Move, featuring exclusive tracks and multimedia content, was also organized for release in February 2008, but was pulled at the last minute for undisclosed reasons. This caused much frustration for fans who had preordered the EP in advance, and was possibly the catalyst for Wheat leaving Empyrean Records.
In early 2009 Wheat announced on their website and MySpace that Medeiros
Medeiros (album)
Medeiros is the debut album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1997 and reissued in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "Preprise" – 1:30# "Death Car" – 3:19...
and Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams is the second full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1999 and reissued almost a decade later.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "This Wheat" – 1:51...
would be reissued as part of a three-CD deluxe package that also included a bonus disc of outtakes and rarities entitled 30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
Medeiros/Hope and Adams/30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
This three-CD reissue of Wheat's first two albums includes a disc of rarities entitled 30 Minute Theatrik . It was released in early 2009.-Track listing:Medeiros # "Preprise" – 1:30# "Death Car" – 3:19...
. They then completed their fifth studio album, White Ink, Black Ink
White Ink, Black Ink
White Ink, Black Ink is the fifth full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the summer of 2009. In the song "Changes Is" the little girl who can be heard searching for her blanket is lead singer Scott Levesque's daughter, Tru Leigh Levesque....
, which was released in July 2009 on the Rebel Group label.
Wheat announced in September 2011 that it would be releasing three singles in the coming months in advance of a new full-length. First up was The Used 2 Be in Love Blues, featuring the title track, "House of Kiss," and "My Blood, Your Blood" as well as hand-screened artwork by Luke Hebert, who became an unofficial member of the band around 2008.
Gary Lightbody
Gary Lightbody
Gary Lightbody is an Northern Irish musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.- Early life :...
, lead singer for Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, is a self-proclaimed fan of the band, typically listing their albums on any of his top music lists, including his 2007 "best of" blog post on the band's MySpace page. Tiny Cinema's Darren Jilks is also a fan, having covered "Don't I Hold You" for a radio session in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
; his label, Brave or Invincible Records, made the track available for free download on their website. Jilks has stated that Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams
Hope and Adams is the second full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1999 and reissued almost a decade later.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "This Wheat" – 1:51...
is among his favorite albums of all time. In late 2008 Surrealist animators the Hive of Dukes licensed some of Wheat's music to use in a production called "Living Evil"; Yanni Osmond, cofounder of the Hive, interviewed Scott and Brendan for his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
when he was 13.
Discography
Albums- MedeirosMedeiros (album)Medeiros is the debut album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1997 and reissued in 2009.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "Preprise" – 1:30# "Death Car" – 3:19...
(1997)* - Hope and AdamsHope and AdamsHope and Adams is the second full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the fall of 1999 and reissued almost a decade later.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .# "This Wheat" – 1:51...
(1999)* - Per Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every SecondPer Second, Per Second, Per Second... Every SecondPer Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every Second is the first and only major-label album by Wheat. It was released on Aware Records via a distribution deal with Columbia Records in the fall of 2003.- Track listing :...
(2003) - Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch SquareEveryday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch SquareEveryday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square is the fourth full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the spring of 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Wheat .#Closeness – 5:08...
(2007) - White Ink, Black InkWhite Ink, Black InkWhite Ink, Black Ink is the fifth full-length album by Wheat. It was released in the summer of 2009. In the song "Changes Is" the little girl who can be heard searching for her blanket is lead singer Scott Levesque's daughter, Tru Leigh Levesque....
(2009)
* Medeiros and Hope and Adams were reissued in 2009 as part of a three-CD set that included 30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
Medeiros/Hope and Adams/30 Minute Theatrik (Scanning the Garden)
This three-CD reissue of Wheat's first two albums includes a disc of rarities entitled 30 Minute Theatrik . It was released in early 2009.-Track listing:Medeiros # "Preprise" – 1:30# "Death Car" – 3:19...
, a disc comprised of outtakes from Wheat's albums.
Singles
- Death Car (1998)
- Raised Ranch Revolution (1999)
- Don't I Hold You (1999)
- Off the Pedestal (1999)
- I Met a Girl (2003)
- Baby It's Cold Outside (2003; with Liz Phair)
- Changes Is (2010)
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (2010; free download)
- The Used 2 Be in Love Blues (2011)
EPs
- Too Much Time (2003; sampler)
- Listening So Close: A Brief History of Wheat (2004; compilation)
- That's Exactly What I Wanted ... Exactly ThatThat's Exactly What I Wanted... Exactly ThatThat's Exactly What I Wanted ... Exactly That is a 2007 EP by Wheat that preceded the release of their fourth album, Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square.-Track listing:...
(2007) - Move = Move (2008; unreleased)
Music Video Game
- Living 2 Die Vs. Dying 2 Live (2009)
See also
- Aware RecordsAware RecordsAware Records is an American record label, existent to seek unsigned musical artists and expose them to the mainstream media. The label has had success with a range of artists, including John Mayer, Train, Five For Fighting, Mat Kearney and Guster....
- Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! Music From the Motion Picture
External links
- Wheat's official site
- Wheat on MySpace
- Wheat on Facebook
- [ Wheat on Allmusic]
- Wheat music archive (fan operated)