Midlake [rank: 149] based on users subscribed

"Midlake is an American rock band from Denton, Texas. The band first gained popularity in Europe, signing to Bella Union Records and playing at festivals such as Les Inrockuptibles and Wintercase. More recently, they played at the South by Southwest festival in their home state of Texas. Their debut record, Bamnan and Slivercork, was recorded at home in Denton and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Midlake was formed of a group of jazz students from the University of North Texas. The original lineup consisted of Tim Smith (vocals, guitars, keyboards), McKenzie Smith (drums), Paul Alexander (bass), Eric Nichelson (guitar), and Evan Jacobs (keyboards). Their initial work consisted of creating funk/jazz explorations that were heavily influenced by Herbie Hancock under the comical working moniker The Cornbread All-Stars.

After the funk began to wear thin creatively, the band decided to take more of a pop approach. Tim put down his saxophone and began writing songs that were heavily influenced by bands like Radiohead, Travis, and Grandaddy. About this time Evan Jacobs decided to move to Austin to pursue other musical endeavors and Eric Nichelson took over duties on keys. Friend of the band Jason Upshaw was added to the lineup to pick up some of the guitar duties. Some live recordings of the material from this period (functionally called The Panhandle Sessions because they were recorded at The Panhandle House recording studio in Denton) were made and never released, due to the general feelings of the band that they'd moved beyond the material.

Soon before Milkmaid Grand Army was recorded Jason was replaced on guitars by Eric Pulido, a long time friend of drummer Smith, to form the current lineup. In 2004 they released Bamnan and Slivercork which was recorded in their house in Denton, Texas. It showed a move in the direction of lo-fi psychedelic electronica, embracing influences such as Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips. In 2006, after nearly a year and a half of recording and re-recording, they completed their second release for Bella Union - The Trials of Van Occupanther. This recording continues a journey of sonic self-discovery with sounds that harken back to the sounds of 1970's vintage folk-pop and rock, most notably Fleetwood Mac under Lindsey Buckingham's artistic direction."

[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Midlake" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]

Bandega Interview with Eric Pulido of Midlake (July 2007)

Eric can't stop talking about costumed creatures having sex. Really. We tried to stop him.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: Well, we have more songs to pick from...which is nice. It's not like we're playing a "greatest hits set", but it feels like a better set altogether. In the past, we've relied on, and almost been synonymous with, the live videos. We've slowly moved away from the videos to where on the next tour, we will just have a printed image of the Van Occupanther album cover. We just wanted to simplify things. Maybe we'll return to the videos down the line. As far as my perspective, I still love playing live; probably even more now that people know the songs and are singing along. It's a great opportunity to share this music live with someone for the first time even if we've heard the song many times.

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: Hmmm. That's a tough one. We've had some really great experiences this past year. I think the most memorable for me was when we were supporting The Flaming Lips in Paris in 2006. We finished our last song, walked off the stage, and the crowd continued to cheer. Wayne called us to come back on stage and rallied with the crowd while we did an encore. Very cool indeed.

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: Hailey's and Dan's Silverleaf in Denton are both about 3 blocks from my house, so it's like a second home there for us when we play. Between going out, seeing other bands, and playing there ourselves, the Denton venues have that vibe for us.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: I saw Bjork in New York at Radio City Music Hall in '01 and was floored. Absolutely beautiful.

Q: If the band were to incorporate live-action, costumed creatures into their shows (like the ones that appear on your album covers and in your videos), how would you see it playing out?
A: Beginning with a fight and ending with sex. Now that's a live show!

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