Steriogram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steriogram | ||
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Background information | ||
Origin | New Zealand | |
Genre(s) | Punk rock Garage rock Rapcore |
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Years active | 1999–present | |
Label(s) | Independent Capitol Records(former) |
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Members | ||
Tyson Kennedy Tim Youngson Brad Carter Jared Wrennall Jake Adams |
Steriogram is a New Zealand punk/rock group that was formed in 1999.
Contents |
[edit] History
Formed in 1999, Steriogram's first single release, Soccerstar was mediocre but upon the release of their second single, White Trash saw the group success soar. Like many bands, Steriogram toured New Zealand in a friend's van without any support crew, doing gigs where they could. In 2002, still unsigned, they joined several other New Zealand bands in the annual Boost Mobile School's Tour, playing for free during high school lunch hours to get exposure, as well as at bars at night.
In 2002, while recording at a rented beach house they were spotted by an American Label Scout for Capitol Records who had come upon their music video for White Trash on the internet and were signed to Capitol Records later that year.
2004 also saw the release of their debut album, Schmack! which has seen six singles released from it.
There were two main factors contributing to Steriogram’s immediate success. Firstly, the national secondary school tour they went on helped to generate a wider fan base, as it allowed many who hadn’t heard of Steriogram before to enjoy their unique sound. The other factor was due to their internet site and the use of fans' loyalty. On the site fans were able to join up for the band’s newsletter and then eventually to what was known as a 'fan street pack'. This was sent to the fan via mail and contained promo CDs that had five of the tracks to be featured on their upcoming CD, and large amounts of stickers. This was where stereogram relied on the support of fans, to hand out the promo CDs and stickers. These points proved to be very successful and rewarding for Steriogram as a new band.
[edit] Walkie Talkie Man
Their big break came with the release of "Walkie Talkie Man" which has been used for the iPod adverts and its video (in which characters and objects were created by knitting puppets and animating them using stopmotion). The music video has been nominated for four MTV music awards.
Directed by Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and the White Stripes video Fell In Love With A Girl, the song debuted at #19 on the UK Singles Chart. Later in 2004, the song was picked up by EA Sports and is featured in the game MVP Baseball 2004 and MLB 2005.
They toured New Zealand during May 2005 with the support of other New Zealand bands, 48May and Goodnight Nurse, Also in 2005, their album Schmack! was rereleased as a special edition containing four previously unreleased songs.
[edit] This is Not the Target Market
The band have released the album This is Not the Target Market which was recorded York Street Studios in Auckland, New Zealand. Yet unlike the last, was not released under Capitol Records. In an interview with Juice TV , Brad and Tyson stated that all the bands connections at Capitol had left since the release of their last album, and decided it would be easier to release the new album themselves. The album was released in New Zealand on the 16th of October, 2006. A preview of the album is available on the bands myspace page. The first single off the new album is named 'Just Like You' and is in similar style to that of the last album. However the album only has 10 songs on it, most of which show a much less mainstream sound to them, notably the aggressive distortion on both guitar and vocals.
[edit] Band Members
- Tyson Kennedy - (rap vocals)
- Tim Youngson - (guitar)
- Brad Carter - (vocals/guitars)
- Jared Wrennall - (drums/vocals)
- Jake Adams - (bass guitar)
[edit] Discography
Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number |
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Albums | ||||||
29 February, 2004 | Schmack! | EMI (NZ) | - | |||
12 May, 2005 | Schmack Special Tour Edition | EMI (NZ) | - | - | ||
16 October 2006 | This Is Not The Target Market | - | - | |||
EPs | ||||||
1999 | Soccerstar[1] | - | - | |||
2001 | Sing The Night Away | - | - |
[edit] Featured appearances
The group have appeared on a few compilations and soundtracks since their inception in both New Zealand and Australia as well as internationally. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by Steriogram.
- (2002) - Channel Z: The Best Of Vol. 3 (Warner Music) - Sing The Night Away
- (2004) - Hot Wheels: Hot Hits 4 (Shock Records) - Walkie Talkie Man
- (2005) - Robots (Virgin Records) - Walkie Talkie Man
- (2004) - State of the Nation: Fresh New Zealand Rock (EMI) - Roadtrip
- (2005) - Top of the Pops 2005 (Universal Music) - Walkie Talkie Man
- (2005) - Now That's What I Call Music 17 (EMI) - Go
- (2005) - Kicking And Screaming (soundtrack)
- (2005) - Punked (Warner Music) - Walkie Talkie Man
- (2006) - More Nature (Sony BMG) - Walkie Talkie Man
[edit] Singles
Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
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"White Trash" | - | - | ||
2004 | "Walkie Talkie Man" | Schmack! | - | - |
"Roadtrip" | - | - | ||
2005 | "Go" | - | - | |
"Tsunami" | - | - | ||
"On And On" | - | - | ||
"Just Like You" | - | - |