Post by saladfingers on Apr 12, 2005 1:11:07 GMT -5
. . . .are Music legends from the Sin City.
Las Vegas. A "sin city" not well-known for its musical ventures but that's all going to change with the arrival of the Killers.
Comprising Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitars), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums), the Killers were formed all thanks to David's ad in a local paper. Naming Oasis as a main influence, David found a kindred spirit in Brandon who was dumped by his previous synth-pop outfit named Blush Response (he had refused to move with the rest of the band to L.A.). It was a case of sad rejection but Brandon soon picked up his spirits when he saw Oasis live and decided that he needed more guitars in his musical life.
"He was the only person to reply to my ad who wasn't a complete freak," said David on the band's official website. "He came over with his keyboard and we started going through song ideas straight away. I had the verse to 'Mr Brightside' and he went away and wrote the chorus. That was the first song we wrote together and remains the only song that we've played at every single Killers show."
Packing in a wide range of influences -- Morrissey, Bowie, Presley, Smith, Corgan, Cocker, Byrne, Lennon -- other than the Gallagher brothers, the Killers breathe and live the post-punk romanticism notion. For one, the band name came from a New Order video featuring a fictitious band who represents the perfect band. That band was called The Killers.
"It gave me the ambition that our actual band should be as perfect as their fictional band," said Brandon.
With the band's tight rhythm section -- Ronnie on drums and Mark on bass, the Killers would further honed their art in the garage as well as at the facilities at UNLV where Ronnie was studying classical percussion. And it was in those practicing sessions that the Killers would write the songs that make up their debut album, Hot Fuss, where tales of jealousy, murderers, stalkers, androgynous girlfriends and cuckolded boyfriends were born. A feature on a local website soon got the band noticed by their current manager and word spread like wild fire to the far side of U.K. With their limited edition release of "Mr Brightside" and a couple of London shows, the Killers became a sensation to be reckon with. And a worldwide deal (excluding U.K. where the band's under Lizard Kings Records) was inked with Island Records, an subsidiary of Universal.
It's not all smooth-sailing though. Word has it that an earthquake propelled Ronnie from his drum stool during the recording of "Believe Me, Natalie." The band had to battle fires to get to the studio to record "Change Your Mind," and the band nearly got themselves killed when their plane hit an air pocket and started free-falling while on their way back to the U.K. in 2003 December. But all those "disasters" only seem trivial in the face of a band named the Killers whose debut album is a flirtatious triumph that will conquer your heart.
Official Site: www.thekillersmusic.com/
Join the forum at: www.islandrecords.com/thekillers/site/messageboard.las
The Killers
Las Vegas. A "sin city" not well-known for its musical ventures but that's all going to change with the arrival of the Killers.
Comprising Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitars), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums), the Killers were formed all thanks to David's ad in a local paper. Naming Oasis as a main influence, David found a kindred spirit in Brandon who was dumped by his previous synth-pop outfit named Blush Response (he had refused to move with the rest of the band to L.A.). It was a case of sad rejection but Brandon soon picked up his spirits when he saw Oasis live and decided that he needed more guitars in his musical life.
"He was the only person to reply to my ad who wasn't a complete freak," said David on the band's official website. "He came over with his keyboard and we started going through song ideas straight away. I had the verse to 'Mr Brightside' and he went away and wrote the chorus. That was the first song we wrote together and remains the only song that we've played at every single Killers show."
Packing in a wide range of influences -- Morrissey, Bowie, Presley, Smith, Corgan, Cocker, Byrne, Lennon -- other than the Gallagher brothers, the Killers breathe and live the post-punk romanticism notion. For one, the band name came from a New Order video featuring a fictitious band who represents the perfect band. That band was called The Killers.
"It gave me the ambition that our actual band should be as perfect as their fictional band," said Brandon.
With the band's tight rhythm section -- Ronnie on drums and Mark on bass, the Killers would further honed their art in the garage as well as at the facilities at UNLV where Ronnie was studying classical percussion. And it was in those practicing sessions that the Killers would write the songs that make up their debut album, Hot Fuss, where tales of jealousy, murderers, stalkers, androgynous girlfriends and cuckolded boyfriends were born. A feature on a local website soon got the band noticed by their current manager and word spread like wild fire to the far side of U.K. With their limited edition release of "Mr Brightside" and a couple of London shows, the Killers became a sensation to be reckon with. And a worldwide deal (excluding U.K. where the band's under Lizard Kings Records) was inked with Island Records, an subsidiary of Universal.
It's not all smooth-sailing though. Word has it that an earthquake propelled Ronnie from his drum stool during the recording of "Believe Me, Natalie." The band had to battle fires to get to the studio to record "Change Your Mind," and the band nearly got themselves killed when their plane hit an air pocket and started free-falling while on their way back to the U.K. in 2003 December. But all those "disasters" only seem trivial in the face of a band named the Killers whose debut album is a flirtatious triumph that will conquer your heart.
Official Site: www.thekillersmusic.com/
Join the forum at: www.islandrecords.com/thekillers/site/messageboard.las