About the band:
The States's razor-edged political rock has the uncanny ability to simultaneously sound like Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, and the front page of the New York Times. Their inventive songwriting has been featured on ESPN, VH1, and MTV, and it has also made them Winners in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition ("All the Salt in the Sea") and Grand Prize Winners in the 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Contest ("Black Jack"). The band's latest release, 2007's The Path of Least Resistance, spent 6 straight weeks on the CMJ Top 200. The States recently opened for Candlebox at Summerfest 2008 in Milwuakee and finished off their 2008 touring season with a huge show at New York's Bowery Ballroom. They are currently working on their 3rd album with producer Chris Grainger (Wilco, Switchfoot).
It's not exactly your typical lineup: a Harvard-educated singer/guitarist (Chris Snyder), a punk/acid-jazz/prog-influenced drummer (Joe Stroll), and a metal-head bassist with ridiculous technical ability (Pete Connors). But the band uses this tension to its advantage: the songs are intelligent, embodying the genre-bending push and pull of their influences (so much so that Entertainment Weekly called it "manic mayhem") and an obsession with the politics of the everyday. Yes, The States are a political band, but not in the typical sense. For one thing, the topics they cover seem pulled from the op-ed page -- "The Architect" (nation-building), "Black Jack" (lobbyists), and "New Land" (gentrification) -- and for another, the lyrics are laced with hints of self-deception and guilt. Listening to these songs, you get the sense that the band is trying to channel its political angst into meaningful introspection, with the result that the band exudes a comfort with ambiguity and nuance often lacking in politically charged music.
Awards:
* Grand Prize Winners, 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Competition ("Black Jack")
* Winners, 2008 Internation Songwriting Competition ("All the Salt in the Sea")
* Top 10 New York Bands of 2007 according to Q104.3's Jonathan Clarke
Festival appearances:
* Summerfest 2008 (Milwaukee, WI)
* Seaside Music Festival 2008 (Seaside Heights, NJ)
* South by Southwest 2006 and 2007
* Dewey Beach Music Festival 2007
* Midpoint Music Festival 2006
* CMJ 2006
We've played with:
* Candlebox (Silent Majority)
* French Kicks (Vagrant/Startime)
* Aberdeen City (Dovecote/Red Ink)
* Be Your Own Pet (XL)
* Black Lips (VICE)
* Catch 22 (Victory)
* Landon Pigg (RCA)
About the records:
The Path of Least Resistance (2007): The States’ second record is both more political (its songs address gentrification, the war on terror, and civil liberties) and more carefully produced (thanks in large part to the band’s collaboration with producer Evan Moore) than Multiply Not Divide. It was recorded during the winter of 2006 and 2007 in New York City.
Multiply Not Divide (2006): The band’s debut, recorded over the course of 3 sleepless days and nights in 2005. |
