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album, January 2006
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, Wintercase, and South by Southwest.
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MIDLAKE TICKETS
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History
Midlake was formed in 1999 by a group of
jazz students at 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 – under the name "The Cornbread All-Stars" — consisted of
funk/jazz explorations heavily influenced by
Herbie Hancock.
Later the band began to lean more toward an
indie-rock sound. Tim Smith quit playing saxophone and began writing songs that were heavily influenced by bands such as
Jethro Tull,
Radiohead,
Travis, and
Grandaddy.
Speaking about the band's influences, Smith commented:
"We don't want to get called a Radiohead rip-off band. I think Radiohead is a lot closer to my natural tendencies as a songwriter than a band like, um, Jethro Tull. I listen to way more Jethro Tull than I do Radiohead these days, but I could write 10 Radiohead songs before I could write one Jethro Tull song. I want to sound more like Jethro Tull, but I just can't. That's a big struggle."
—"ref">[1]
Jacobs left the band and
Eric Nichelson took over on keyboard.
Jason Upshaw joined the band as a guitarist. Live recordings from this period, recorded at Denton's Panhandle House studio, were never released as the band felt they had moved beyond the material.
Not long before the band recorded their début
EP,
Milkmaid Grand Army
, Upshaw was replaced on guitars by Eric Pulido, a longtime friend of drummer Smith, to form the current lineup. Their debut full-length album, 2004's
Bamnan and Slivercork
, was recorded at home in Denton, Texas and mastered at
Abbey Road Studios. It showed a move in the direction of
lo-fi psychedelic electronica, embracing influences such as Grandaddy and
The Flaming Lips. The album even caught the ear of skateboarder-turned-actor
Jason Lee, who produced and directed the music video for the song "Balloon Maker"
[2], and who continues to support and promote the band.
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
. The album was a venture into classic-rock revivalism, with a sound reminiscent of early-to-mid-'70s period
Fleetwood Mac. The album was met with generally positive reviews.
In January 2009, their song "Bandits" was featured in an episode of the FOX television drama
Fringe.
[3]
Collaborations
Tim Smith is featured on the
Chemical Brothers' 2007 album
We Are the Night
, contributing vocals to the track "The Pills Won't Help You Now".
[4]
Discography
- Milkmaid Grand Army
(EP) (2001)
- Bamnan and Slivercork
(2004)
- Balloon Maker
(EP) (2005)
- The Trials of Van Occupanther
(2006)
- Oak & Julian
(iTunes-only EP) (2007)
- The Courage of Others
(release late 2009) [5]
References
- Tim Smith of Midlake
- Bella Union | Artists | Midlake
- What’s That Song in Fringe? "Bandits" by Midlake
- Exit Planet Denton: Chemical Brothers team up with Midlake's Tim Smith
- [1] Rolling Stone, 1/18/08