Peter (Pete) Yorn
(born July 27, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition when his music, including the song "Strange Condition", appeared in the 2000 film Me, Myself & Irene
. Yorn also wrote the film's score.
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Early history
Born in New Jersey, Pete Yorn's father is a
dentist and his mother and a former
concert pianist who worked as a
teacher. Yorn taught himself to play drums at age nine and soon learned to play the guitar. Yorn attended
Montville Township High School in
Montville,
New Jersey.
[1] In 1990, while drumming for his band in a high-school talent contest, someone suggested that he sing
The Replacements' song "Talent Show". It went over well enough that a competing band requested that he sing
Neil Young’s "Rockin’ in the Free World" with them.
Breakthrough
Yorn was encouraged enough to maintain a focus on music while attending
Syracuse University (class of 1996) where he was a major in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and a member of the
Delta Upsilon Fraternity. After graduating, Yorn moved to Los Angeles, where he began to attract a following with his performances at Cafe Largo. Film producer Bradley Thomas (
Kingpin
&
There's Something About Mary
) liked Yorn's act enough to request Yorn send him some rough demos for possible inclusion in the Farrelly Brothers' film
Me, Myself and Irene
. Soon after, Yorn landed a job scoring all of the music to the film and also contributed the songs "
Strange Condition" and "Just Another" to the film and its soundtrack. "Just Another" was also featured on the television shows
Veronica Mars
,
Felicity
,
Dawson's Creek
, and
Smallville
. In addition to appearing on the
Me, Myself, and Irene
soundtrack, Pete Yorn's recordings have appeared on other movie soundtracks, including
Orange County
(2001),
Bandits
(2001),
Spider-Man
(2002),
John Q
(2002),
Shrek 2
(2004) and
My Sister's Keeper
(2009).
After experiencing this taste of success, Yorn released his 2001 LP debut, entitled
musicforthemorningafter
, which went gold on the strength of the album's lead single, "
Life on a Chain."
Rolling Stone Magazine named Yorn one of "Ten [artists] to Watch in 2001" and gave the album a favorable four-star rating.
Yorn went on to release the 2003 album
Day I Forgot
which has sold over 300,000 copies to date and scored a third radio hit with the song "
Come Back Home."
In 2006, Yorn released his third album,
Nightcrawler
.
Guitarist
Peter Buck of the band
R.E.M. has made appearances on several Pete Yorn recordings, including instrumentation on the single version of "
Strange Condition" and a number of songs from the
Day I Forgot
LP. Yorn has worked with producers
R. Walt Vincent,
Brad Wood, and
Ken Andrews of
Failure and
Year of the Rabbit, in addition to several other producers including
Scott Litt,
Butch Walker and
Sonic Youth producer
Don Fleming.
Yorn has shared bills with the
Dave Matthews Band,
R.E.M.,
Crowded House,
Foo Fighters,
Weezer,
Coldplay,
The Dixie Chicks,
Semisonic, and
Say Anything, among others.
Yorn's song, "Lose You" can be heard just before the ending credits of the episode "
Simple Explanation" on the
Fox show
House
.
The Trilogy
Pete Yorn's third studio release,
Nightcrawler
, completes a conceptual trilogy of sorts,
[2] which spans his first three albums (EPs not included); beginning in the morning with the
musicforthemorningafter
LP, continuing through the day with the
Day I Forgot
LP, and arriving at nightfall with the
Nightcrawler
LP.
In September 2006, while interviewing with silentuproar.com, Yorn elaborated on his true intentions behind the trilogy, remarking that it was at least partially a conscious trilogy but wasn't meant to be taken too seriously: "I didn't mean like a
Star Wars
Trilogy where it's one story at all." Yorn expressed that the "trilogy" was more of a diary of sorts; a person gaining new life experiences and simply commenting on them in linear order. "So it's a sort of continuing analysis of those topics, and the Night
Nightcrawler
LP would represent a later phase," Yorn said.
[2]
Recent and Upcoming Releases
In 2008, Pete Yorn recorded and released a new song, entitled "American Blues Vol. 1." A music video was shot for the single, and the song itself was released for free on Yorn's official website for a short period of time. Concerning the song, Yorn has said "I wrote American Blues Vol. 1. on the 4th of July after reading the morning paper. It's unlike any song I've ever written. I was moved by how much negativity I was reading about and how even groups were boycotting Independence Day because they were so disgusted with the state of our Nation. I was hoping things would improve...they obviously haven't yet...but I know they will in time."
[4]
According to several sources, Yorn has been writing and recording a respectable amount of new material to be released in 2009; namely two new records. The producers are Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) and Frank Black (from
Pixies). Two new songs have been released for download on various fan pages that are expected to be included on the new albums; "Sans Fear" and "Shotgun," respectively.
Yorn will be appearing on Canadian artist
Matthew Good's upcoming album
Vancouver
performing backing vocals. The album is to be released October 2009.
Pete has announced that his Mike Mogis-produced album, entitled
Back & Fourth, will be released through Columbia Records on June 23rd, 2009.
[5]
"Can't Hear Anyone," a song that Yorn wrote during the
Nightcrawler sessions, was recently used for a Mercedes-Benz commercial and was released as a digital single on March 31, 2009.
Yorn is currently touring with Coldplay as an opening act through summer 2009.
Yorn recently collaborated with actress/musician
Scarlett Johansson to record a project entitled "The Break Up Album." The album will be released on September 8, 2009, and its first single, "Relator," will be digitally released on May 26, 2009.
Yorn was on Jimmy Kimmel live on July 9th playing "Shotgun" from his album "Back & Fourth"
Discography
Studio albums
- musicforthemorningafter
(2001) #111 US
- Day I Forgot
(2003) #18 US
- Nightcrawler
(2006) #50 US
- Back and Fourth
(2009) # 32 US [6] [7]
- Break Up
(with Scarlett Johansson) (2009)
Live albums
- Live at the Roxy
(2001) #131 US
- Live from New Jersey
(2004)
EPs
- Sunset EP
(2000)
- Westerns EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Electric Fetus, 5/6/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rhino Records, 6/20/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Salzers Records, 6/22/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Fingerprints, 6/23/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Dimple Records, 6/24/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Waterloo Records, 6/28/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Keif's, 6/30/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 7/1/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from The Exclusive, 7/2/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Singing Dog Records, 7/6/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Ear X-tacy, 7/7/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from New World Record, 7/8/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record Archive, 7/10/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Bull Moose, 7/11/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Newbury Comics, 7/12/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record & Tape Traders, 7/13/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Schoolkids Records, 7/15/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Grimey's, 7/17/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Criminal Records, 7/18/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lasers Edge, 7/19/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Homer's, 7/21/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Twist & Shout, 7/24/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Barts CD Cellar, 7/25/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Graywhale, 7/26/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Easy Street, 7/28/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Music Millennium, 7/29/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rasputin Music, 7/31/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lou's, 8/1/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Zia Record Exchange, 8/2/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Olsson's, 8/8/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Plan 9, 8/9/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from A/K/A, 8/11/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 8/12/06 EP
(2006)
- You & Me Acoustic: Live from Luna Music, 8/16/06 EP
(2006)
- Live from SoHo
iTunes-exclusive EP (2007)
- Paradise Cove EP
(2009) [6] [7]
Singles
Year
| Title
| Chart Positions
| Album
|
US Hot 100
| US Modern Rock
| Adult Top 40
|
2001
| "Life on a Chain"
| -
| -
| 35
| musicforthemorningafter
|
2001
| "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)"
| -
| 28
| -
| musicforthemorningafter
|
2002
| "Strange Condition"
| -
| 36
| 34
| musicforthemorningafter
|
2003
| "Come Back Home"
| -
| 32
| -
| Day I Forgot
|
2003
| "Crystal Village"
| -
| -
| 28
| Day I Forgot
|
2006
| "For Us"
| -
| 38
| -
| Nightcrawler
|
2007
| "Alive"
| -
| -
| -
| Nightcrawler
|
2009
| "Don't Wanna Cry"
| -
| -
| -
| Back and Fourth
|
2009
| "Relator"
| -
| -
| -
| Break Up
|
|
Non-album tracks
- "Knew Enough to Know Nothing at All" - from the Japanese import of musicforthemorningafter
- "Seventeen" - from the Japanese import of Day I Forgot
- "Drive Away" - from the Japanese import of Day I Forgot
- "Hunter Green" - from Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1
- "Suspicious Minds (Dusk Version)" - from the Suspicious Minds
CD Single
- "Suspicious Minds (Dawn Version)" - from the Suspicious Minds
CD Single
- "I Feel Good Again" - from Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 2
and Concert Series Volume 1
- "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - from The Year They Recalled Santa Claus
- "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" - from We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones
- "Ever Fallen in Love" - from the Shrek 2
soundtrack
- "Red Right Hand" - from the Hellboy
soundtrack
- "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" - from the Just like Heaven
soundtrack
- "Skinny, Mean Man"-from Say Anything's In Defense of the Genre
- "Undercover" was also released on the Spider-Man
soundtrack
- "I Belong" from the Open Season soundtrack
- "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Alice in My Fantasies," "I Feel Good Again," and "Chimes of Freedom" on Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume One
- "Splendid Isolation" - from Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon
Unreleased songs
- "Farmer vs. River"
- "Soggy Underneath"
- "Model American"
- "Rooftop"
- "When She's Mine"
- "You Never Knew"
- "James in Liverpool"
- "Velcro Shoes"
- "Shampoo"
- "Someday"
- "Rock Crowd"
Videography
- June (2001) directed by Steven Orrit
- For Nancy ('cos it already is) [Directed by Malik Sayeed]
- Life On A Chain (2001) [Directed by Sam Bayer]
- Strange Condition (2002) [Directed by Marcos Siega]
- For Us (2006) [Directed by Robert Hales]
- Come Back Home 2004 directed by AV Club
- Crystal Village 2004 directed by AV Club
- AMERICAN BLUES VOL. 1
Backing band
Yorns current touring band is:
Scott Seiver, drums
Mark Noseworthy, Guitar
Jonny Polonsky, Guitar/mandolin
Joe Kennedy, Piano/keyboards/harmonica
Zak Shaffer, bass
max goldblatt, tambourine
Pete Yorn's last touring band was
Minibar
, hailing from Britain and including the following members:
- Simon Petty - back vox/ guitar
- Tim Walker - guitars
- Joe Kennedy - piano/guitar/backing vox (not part of Minibar)
- Sid Jordan - bass/backing vox
- Malcolm Cross - drums
Pete Yorn's former backing band went by the name
Dirty Bird
and includes the following members:
- Jason Johnson - guitar
- Terry Borden - bass/backing vox
- Joe Kennedy - piano/guitar/backing vox
- Luke Adams - drums
- R. Walt Vincent - bass
Pete Yorn's "eternal bandmates":
- WAZ - bass/guitar/back vox
- Joe Kennedy - piano/guitar/backing vox
References
- "Hall of Fame Member profile: Pete Yorn".
- http://www.silentuproar.com/showinterview.php?ID=100
- http://www.silentuproar.com/showinterview.php?ID=100
- http://www.peteyorn.com
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=719845708&ref=nf Pete's Facebook page
- http://www.myspace.com/peteyorn
- http://www.fuelfriendsblog.com/2009/01/19/fuelfriends-exclusive-two-new-songs-from-pete-yorn/comment
- http://www.myspace.com/peteyorn
- http://www.fuelfriendsblog.com/2009/01/19/fuelfriends-exclusive-two-new-songs-from-pete-yorn/comment