| The Whigs — Modern Creation (Apr 22, 2014) |
The Whigs — Modern Creation (Apr 22, 2014)
≡> Spin Magazine caught up the with guys and is premiering new single “Hit Me.”
Check it out here:
≡> Modern Creation was about capturing a moment for The Whigs. Unlike previous
albums, the band went into the studio and recorded all ten tracks live with limited
takes and relied on band performances, instead of studio tricks piecing together
individual performances. The trio known for their rollicking sweat~soaked live show
specifically went into the recording process — record, mix and finish one song a day —
to capture this energy and go for lighting in a bottle records.
≡> “Recording live became a goal for us early on when writing the record, before we even started composing the songs” says guitarist / vocalist Parker Gispert. “We didn’t
want the record to sound overthought and the only ways we knew how to really
produce that sound would be to not get tedious about it and to not give ourselves time to over think it.”
≡> Over the course of four acclaimed albums, The Whigs have shown themselves to be
one of America’s preeminent rock bands. They’ve toured the world with the Kings Of
Leon, The Black Keys and the Hold Steady, and captivated television audiences with
stage stealing performances on every late night television show
≡> With songs such as the pounding “You Should Be Able To Feel It,” the bright title
track, and heart of sleeve closer “The Difference Between One and Two,” Modern
Creation — like all of the great rock records that influenced The Whigs — is the sound
of a spirited rock band captured in all of their glory churning out raucous rock and roll
records.
≡> EDITORS’ NOTES
≡> The Whigs are a band who in 2014 are labeled “traditionalists” for playing the type of guitar~based rock ’n’ roll that from the ‘60s to the ‘90s was simply the way many bands did business. Marketing professionals called it classic rock; overnight, guitar~based rock that wasn’t punk, indie, or metal was in danger of being seen as retro. But there’s nothing old about the members of The Whigs. The Athens, Ga.~based trio merely play the music that comes naturally to them. Nowhere is that more obvious than on Modern Creation, where they recorded all 10 tracks live with limited takes at PLYRZ studios in Valencia, Calif., and completed the album in two weeks. Producer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco) gives the group a crisp sound where Tim Deaux’s bass pulses with Julian Dorio’s drums so fluently that they appear to be making more music than is possible between two people. Singer/guitarist Parker Gispert uses the remaining room to sing and play deliberately thin, shimmering lines. “The Hit” crafts a bit of dance groove, while “Friday Night” goes for lean, tight rock. A solid album with two notable sides.
Location: Athens, GA
Album release: Apr 22, 2014
Recording Location: Plyrz Studios, Valencia, CA
Record Label: New West Records
Duration: 38:55
Tracks:
01. You Should Be Able To Feel It 4:25
02. Asking Strangers For Directions 3:04
03. The Particular 3:28
04. Hit Me 4:20
05. Modern Creation 4:15
06. Friday Night 3:16
07. She Is Everywhere 3:03
08. Too Much In The Morning 3:13
09. I Couldn’t Lie 5:07
10. The Difference Between One And Two 4:44
℗ 2014 New West Records, Llc
••• All tracks written by: Timothy Deaux / Julian Dorio / Parker Gispert
Personnel:
••• Parker Gispert Composer, Frontman, Vocals, Guitars
••• Julian Dorio Composer, drummer
••• Tim Deaux Composer, Bass
Credits:
> Kevin Dean Engineer
> Timothy Deaux Composer, Group Member
> Richard Dodd Mastering
> Julian Dorio Composer, Design, Group Member, Photography
> Parker Gispert Composer, Group Member
> Ryan Kingsbury Management
> Jon Prine Booking
> Jim Scott Engineer, Mixing, Producer
> The Whigs Cover Art
> Joshua Black Wilkins Photography
About The Whigs
≡> Frontman Parker Gispert, drummer Julian Dorio, and bassist Hank Sullivant formed the Whigs in 2002 while the three Athens~based musicians were attending college at the University of Georgia. With a jaunty mix of Westerberg~like swagger, alt~rock songwriting, and a heartfelt country disposition, the Whigs played their first shows around campus and soon graduated to higher~profile performances, including opening slots for the likes of the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and the Futureheads. Recording sessions for the band’s debut album, Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip, took place in an empty frat house several years later, and the disc was independently released in 2005. By the following year, the Whigs’ audience had widened considerably, prompting Rolling Stone to hail the trio as one of “10 Artists to Watch.” The bandmates graduated from college that spring, and ATO Records signed them to its roster before the year was up.
≡> Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip was released again in 2005, this time with ATO’s help. ≡> Despite the surge of good luck, Sullivant soon exited the group to pursue a solo career as Kuroma — a project he eventually put on hold in order to join MGMT’s backup band — and Tim Deaux climbed aboard as his replacement. With a revised lineup in place, the Whigs traveled to Los Angeles in 2007 to begin work on their sophomore album, eventually announcing its completion that October. Mission Control was issued in January 2008, and the band supported its release with a series of late~night TV performances and tour dates alongside the Drive~By Truckers, the Kooks, and Kings of Leon. They returned to the road with Kings of Leon in early 2009, and spent much of the remainder of the year writing songs for a third album. Recorded in Athens with producer Ben Allen (who had spent the previous year recording Animal Collective’s highly acclaimed Merriweather Post Pavilion), In the Dark was completed in late 2009 and released the following March.
≡> The Whigs supported In the Dark with an extensive tour that ran into 2011, and then began working on a new album, their first for New West Records. That album, titled Enjoy the Company, appeared in the fall of 2012. Two years later, the group delivered Modern Creation and in 2016 they released Live in Little Five, which was only available on vinyl and as a digital download. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey
MODERN CREATION (NEW WEST RECORDS)
••• For their fifth album, the Athens~bred/Nashville~based power trio the Whigs wanted to find the
exact midpoint between raw and rehearsed. After more than a decade together — during which
they’ve released four critically lauded studio albums and toured constantly as either headliners
or openers for the likes of the Drive~By Truckers, Kings of Leon, and MGMT — the three members
all agreed that they wanted to flex their muscles a bit: write some good songs, get them down
as tight as possible, hit <RECORD>, and tear shit up.
••• Says Parker Gispert (guitar/vocals): “We wanted to record quickly, and we wanted to record live.
That meant we weren’t going to write a bunch of songs that relied on a horn line or any outside
instrumentation. That guided the composition of the songs and informed how we approached
recording them.”
••• For months the trio hammered these songs into shape at their Nashville practice space, united
in a shared mission: to perform these songs with as much energy and excitement as possible, to
expertly navigate every tricky tempo change, taut groove, spacy tangent, and ebullient hook.
••• Their infamously raucous live show was never far from their minds. ••• “Our practice space actually
has about a foot~high stage,” says Julian Dorio (drums), “and we set up like we’re playing a
show. We know we’re going to spend a lot of time on the road touring, so it’s always more fun
to write something that’s going to sound exciting live.”
••• In the fall of 2013, the trio headed west to record with Jim Scott at his PLYRZ Studio in Valencia,
California, about thirty miles northwest of Los Angeles. Scott has helmed albums by Tom Petty,
Wilco, and Matthew Sweet, among many others, and his experience proved invaluable: “Guys
like Jim have made hundreds of records and they’ve seen bands do the same stuff,” says
Gispert. “He’s seen bands make mistakes and he’s seen bands capture some really great
material. I felt very comfortable in his hands.”
••• Driven by Dorio’s pummeling drums and Gispert’s desperate vocals, the punchy “Asking Strangers for Directions” in particular benefitted from Scott’s input. Recalls Dorio: “We played it
for him and he scratched his head and said, ‘Why don’t you take the second part and put it after
the third part?’ It sent us for a loop. It felt backwards and upside~down, but we trusted Jim. We
kept working on it, and now I can’t imagine it any other way.”
••• With Scott in their corner, the Whigs worked hard to make sure these songs didn’t sound worked over. Rather than track each instrument individually, the band captured most of the
songs in first or second takes, playing together live in the studio. Or, as the case may be, just
outside the studio. Bypassing the studio proper, they set up shop in the hangout area at PLYRZ:
a cavernous room where most artists spend their time eating, listening to records, goofing off, and just chilling out. For the Whigs, however, it became their creative headquarters.
••• “It has a real clubhouse vibe,” says Tim Deaux (bass). “Jim’s quite the collector of artwork and
memorabilia. He’s got neon signs and weird posters and tied~dyed tapestries hanging on the
walls. There’s a motorcycle in one corner, and there’s a Dolly Parton pinball machine.” In
addition to amps, keyboards, and guitars galore, there is also an elaborate stereo system next to
Scott’s sprawling vinyl collection — a veritable rock history at the Whigs’ fingertips.
And then there’s Scott himself, who acted the part of both producer and professor. He regaled
the trio with industry war stories, and they soaked up everything. Recalls Gispert: “It’s an
invaluable reference to work with someone who’s recorded artists that have influenced us. If
we want to know how they got a particular sound, we can simply ask.”
PLYRZ proved inspirational for the Whigs, who channeled Scott’s experience as well as his
catchall decorative scheme into wildly diverse rock songs that veer abruptly in unexpected
directions and channel a dizzying range of influences — often in the same song. “She Is
Everywhere” begins as an improbably spry pop~rock song, with a bouncy guitar jangle that
evokes L.A.’s Paisley Underground. When the chorus comes around, the tempo slows
precipitously and the song settles into a sludge~riff that recalls a time when “Iron Man” still
walked the earth. Likewise, “Friday Night” mixes Motörhead momentum with one of the band’s
catchiest pop hooks, while the martial stomp of “The Particular” — one of the album’s headiest
and most hyperactive tracks — is punctuated by the band’s excitable shouts of “HEY!”
••• “I feel like we’re pulling from a big pool of influences,” says Gispert. “We’re drawing from
different eras and different styles that we haven’t really explored on previous albums, and we’re
trying to incorporate them into a sound that is still the Whigs.” Modern Creation is packed with playful allusions to rock’s past, yet the band isn’t playing to their record collection. Rather, these
new songs digest a range of influences and pit them back out as something new, exciting, and
idiosyncratic.
••• In other words, they’re working hard to show their range as a power trio, both in the studio and
(when they hit the road this spring) on stage. That may be the secret to the Whigs’ longevity:
Being a power trio means every member has to pull his own weight. “Nobody can lurk or hang
back,” says Dorio. “Everybody has to be contributing or else it’s going to fall completely flat. You can’t have a weak link. ••• This is the rawest rock record we’ve made so far. It’s the truest representation of the band.”
Label: http://www.newwestrecords.com/
Website: http://www.thewhigs.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWhigs
Facebook:http://facebook.com/thewhigs
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWhigsband
_____________________________________________________________
| The Whigs — Modern Creation (Apr 22, 2014) |
≡> Spin Magazine caught up the with guys and is premiering new single “Hit Me.”
Check it out here:
≡> Modern Creation was about capturing a moment for The Whigs. Unlike previous
albums, the band went into the studio and recorded all ten tracks live with limited
takes and relied on band performances, instead of studio tricks piecing together
individual performances. The trio known for their rollicking sweat~soaked live show
specifically went into the recording process — record, mix and finish one song a day —
to capture this energy and go for lighting in a bottle records.
≡> “Recording live became a goal for us early on when writing the record, before we even started composing the songs” says guitarist / vocalist Parker Gispert. “We didn’t
want the record to sound overthought and the only ways we knew how to really
produce that sound would be to not get tedious about it and to not give ourselves time to over think it.”
≡> Over the course of four acclaimed albums, The Whigs have shown themselves to be
one of America’s preeminent rock bands. They’ve toured the world with the Kings Of
Leon, The Black Keys and the Hold Steady, and captivated television audiences with
stage stealing performances on every late night television show
≡> With songs such as the pounding “You Should Be Able To Feel It,” the bright title
track, and heart of sleeve closer “The Difference Between One and Two,” Modern
Creation — like all of the great rock records that influenced The Whigs — is the sound
of a spirited rock band captured in all of their glory churning out raucous rock and roll
records.
≡> EDITORS’ NOTES
≡> The Whigs are a band who in 2014 are labeled “traditionalists” for playing the type of guitar~based rock ’n’ roll that from the ‘60s to the ‘90s was simply the way many bands did business. Marketing professionals called it classic rock; overnight, guitar~based rock that wasn’t punk, indie, or metal was in danger of being seen as retro. But there’s nothing old about the members of The Whigs. The Athens, Ga.~based trio merely play the music that comes naturally to them. Nowhere is that more obvious than on Modern Creation, where they recorded all 10 tracks live with limited takes at PLYRZ studios in Valencia, Calif., and completed the album in two weeks. Producer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco) gives the group a crisp sound where Tim Deaux’s bass pulses with Julian Dorio’s drums so fluently that they appear to be making more music than is possible between two people. Singer/guitarist Parker Gispert uses the remaining room to sing and play deliberately thin, shimmering lines. “The Hit” crafts a bit of dance groove, while “Friday Night” goes for lean, tight rock. A solid album with two notable sides.
Location: Athens, GA
Album release: Apr 22, 2014
Recording Location: Plyrz Studios, Valencia, CA
Record Label: New West Records
Duration: 38:55
Tracks:
01. You Should Be Able To Feel It 4:25
02. Asking Strangers For Directions 3:04
03. The Particular 3:28
04. Hit Me 4:20
05. Modern Creation 4:15
06. Friday Night 3:16
07. She Is Everywhere 3:03
08. Too Much In The Morning 3:13
09. I Couldn’t Lie 5:07
10. The Difference Between One And Two 4:44
℗ 2014 New West Records, Llc
••• All tracks written by: Timothy Deaux / Julian Dorio / Parker Gispert
Personnel:
••• Parker Gispert Composer, Frontman, Vocals, Guitars
••• Julian Dorio Composer, drummer
••• Tim Deaux Composer, Bass
Credits:
> Kevin Dean Engineer
> Timothy Deaux Composer, Group Member
> Richard Dodd Mastering
> Julian Dorio Composer, Design, Group Member, Photography
> Parker Gispert Composer, Group Member
> Ryan Kingsbury Management
> Jon Prine Booking
> Jim Scott Engineer, Mixing, Producer
> The Whigs Cover Art
> Joshua Black Wilkins Photography
About The Whigs
≡> Frontman Parker Gispert, drummer Julian Dorio, and bassist Hank Sullivant formed the Whigs in 2002 while the three Athens~based musicians were attending college at the University of Georgia. With a jaunty mix of Westerberg~like swagger, alt~rock songwriting, and a heartfelt country disposition, the Whigs played their first shows around campus and soon graduated to higher~profile performances, including opening slots for the likes of the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and the Futureheads. Recording sessions for the band’s debut album, Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip, took place in an empty frat house several years later, and the disc was independently released in 2005. By the following year, the Whigs’ audience had widened considerably, prompting Rolling Stone to hail the trio as one of “10 Artists to Watch.” The bandmates graduated from college that spring, and ATO Records signed them to its roster before the year was up.
≡> Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip was released again in 2005, this time with ATO’s help. ≡> Despite the surge of good luck, Sullivant soon exited the group to pursue a solo career as Kuroma — a project he eventually put on hold in order to join MGMT’s backup band — and Tim Deaux climbed aboard as his replacement. With a revised lineup in place, the Whigs traveled to Los Angeles in 2007 to begin work on their sophomore album, eventually announcing its completion that October. Mission Control was issued in January 2008, and the band supported its release with a series of late~night TV performances and tour dates alongside the Drive~By Truckers, the Kooks, and Kings of Leon. They returned to the road with Kings of Leon in early 2009, and spent much of the remainder of the year writing songs for a third album. Recorded in Athens with producer Ben Allen (who had spent the previous year recording Animal Collective’s highly acclaimed Merriweather Post Pavilion), In the Dark was completed in late 2009 and released the following March.
≡> The Whigs supported In the Dark with an extensive tour that ran into 2011, and then began working on a new album, their first for New West Records. That album, titled Enjoy the Company, appeared in the fall of 2012. Two years later, the group delivered Modern Creation and in 2016 they released Live in Little Five, which was only available on vinyl and as a digital download. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey
MODERN CREATION (NEW WEST RECORDS)
••• For their fifth album, the Athens~bred/Nashville~based power trio the Whigs wanted to find the
exact midpoint between raw and rehearsed. After more than a decade together — during which
they’ve released four critically lauded studio albums and toured constantly as either headliners
or openers for the likes of the Drive~By Truckers, Kings of Leon, and MGMT — the three members
all agreed that they wanted to flex their muscles a bit: write some good songs, get them down
as tight as possible, hit <RECORD>, and tear shit up.
••• Says Parker Gispert (guitar/vocals): “We wanted to record quickly, and we wanted to record live.
That meant we weren’t going to write a bunch of songs that relied on a horn line or any outside
instrumentation. That guided the composition of the songs and informed how we approached
recording them.”
••• For months the trio hammered these songs into shape at their Nashville practice space, united
in a shared mission: to perform these songs with as much energy and excitement as possible, to
expertly navigate every tricky tempo change, taut groove, spacy tangent, and ebullient hook.
••• Their infamously raucous live show was never far from their minds. ••• “Our practice space actually
has about a foot~high stage,” says Julian Dorio (drums), “and we set up like we’re playing a
show. We know we’re going to spend a lot of time on the road touring, so it’s always more fun
to write something that’s going to sound exciting live.”
••• In the fall of 2013, the trio headed west to record with Jim Scott at his PLYRZ Studio in Valencia,
California, about thirty miles northwest of Los Angeles. Scott has helmed albums by Tom Petty,
Wilco, and Matthew Sweet, among many others, and his experience proved invaluable: “Guys
like Jim have made hundreds of records and they’ve seen bands do the same stuff,” says
Gispert. “He’s seen bands make mistakes and he’s seen bands capture some really great
material. I felt very comfortable in his hands.”
••• Driven by Dorio’s pummeling drums and Gispert’s desperate vocals, the punchy “Asking Strangers for Directions” in particular benefitted from Scott’s input. Recalls Dorio: “We played it
for him and he scratched his head and said, ‘Why don’t you take the second part and put it after
the third part?’ It sent us for a loop. It felt backwards and upside~down, but we trusted Jim. We
kept working on it, and now I can’t imagine it any other way.”
••• With Scott in their corner, the Whigs worked hard to make sure these songs didn’t sound worked over. Rather than track each instrument individually, the band captured most of the
songs in first or second takes, playing together live in the studio. Or, as the case may be, just
outside the studio. Bypassing the studio proper, they set up shop in the hangout area at PLYRZ:
a cavernous room where most artists spend their time eating, listening to records, goofing off, and just chilling out. For the Whigs, however, it became their creative headquarters.
••• “It has a real clubhouse vibe,” says Tim Deaux (bass). “Jim’s quite the collector of artwork and
memorabilia. He’s got neon signs and weird posters and tied~dyed tapestries hanging on the
walls. There’s a motorcycle in one corner, and there’s a Dolly Parton pinball machine.” In
addition to amps, keyboards, and guitars galore, there is also an elaborate stereo system next to
Scott’s sprawling vinyl collection — a veritable rock history at the Whigs’ fingertips.
And then there’s Scott himself, who acted the part of both producer and professor. He regaled
the trio with industry war stories, and they soaked up everything. Recalls Gispert: “It’s an
invaluable reference to work with someone who’s recorded artists that have influenced us. If
we want to know how they got a particular sound, we can simply ask.”
PLYRZ proved inspirational for the Whigs, who channeled Scott’s experience as well as his
catchall decorative scheme into wildly diverse rock songs that veer abruptly in unexpected
directions and channel a dizzying range of influences — often in the same song. “She Is
Everywhere” begins as an improbably spry pop~rock song, with a bouncy guitar jangle that
evokes L.A.’s Paisley Underground. When the chorus comes around, the tempo slows
precipitously and the song settles into a sludge~riff that recalls a time when “Iron Man” still
walked the earth. Likewise, “Friday Night” mixes Motörhead momentum with one of the band’s
catchiest pop hooks, while the martial stomp of “The Particular” — one of the album’s headiest
and most hyperactive tracks — is punctuated by the band’s excitable shouts of “HEY!”
••• “I feel like we’re pulling from a big pool of influences,” says Gispert. “We’re drawing from
different eras and different styles that we haven’t really explored on previous albums, and we’re
trying to incorporate them into a sound that is still the Whigs.” Modern Creation is packed with playful allusions to rock’s past, yet the band isn’t playing to their record collection. Rather, these
new songs digest a range of influences and pit them back out as something new, exciting, and
idiosyncratic.
••• In other words, they’re working hard to show their range as a power trio, both in the studio and
(when they hit the road this spring) on stage. That may be the secret to the Whigs’ longevity:
Being a power trio means every member has to pull his own weight. “Nobody can lurk or hang
back,” says Dorio. “Everybody has to be contributing or else it’s going to fall completely flat. You can’t have a weak link. ••• This is the rawest rock record we’ve made so far. It’s the truest representation of the band.”
Label: http://www.newwestrecords.com/
Website: http://www.thewhigs.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWhigs
Facebook:http://facebook.com/thewhigs
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheWhigsband
_____________________________________________________________