The Appleseed Cast
is an emo/indie rock band based in Lawrence, Kansas and currently comprises singer/guitarist Christopher Crisci, guitarist Aaron Pillar, bassist Nathan Whitman and drummer John Momberg. The band's predominantly guitar-based music has evolved from intense, heavy emo indebted to such acts as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate to a unique "post-rock" sound hinging on inventive, intricate drumming, subtle guitar arpeggios and impassioned vocals.
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THE APPLESEED CAST TICKETS
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Biography
Formation and Debut
The band formed in
1997 in
Southern California with Crisci and Pillar joining bassist Jason Wickersheim and drummer Louie Ruiz under the name December's Tragic Drive (derived from lyrics of the song, "Seven" by
Sunny Day Real Estate). The
following year, the band - now billed as The Appleseed Cast - signed to
Deep Elm Records out of New York (before relocating to North Carolina) and released their debut album,
The End of the Ring Wars,
an album which met with considerable approval from the emo and underground scenes, as incendiary tracks like "Marigold & Patchwork" were essentially blueprints for the emo style. However, the album was also criticized in some quarters (most notably by
Pitchforkmedia) for sticking too closely to a style already well explored by previous acts such as
Braid and Sunny Day Real Estate.
Mare Vitalis
In
1999, the band relocated to Lawrence, Kansas without Ruiz, recruiting new drummer Josh "Cobra" Baruth. Later that same year they entered the Red House studio in
Eudora, Kansas with Producer
Ed Rose who would go on to produce their next four records. The end result was
Mare Vitalis
, the band's second full-length album. The album showed progression from the dynamics-heavy rock of
The End of the Ring Wars.
Essentially a concept album on the movements of the sea (encapsulated in such song titles as "Mare Mortis," "Poseidon" and "Kilgore Trout" (also an allusion to the recurring Kurt Vonnegut character of the same name), the album is a fan favourite, heavy on atmosphere, crescendo, subtly undulating guitar arpeggios and the percussive, intricate drumming of Baruth, who clearly brought a new dimension to the band's sonic palette.
The band completed
Mare Vitalis
in late 1999, but tensions were developing between the band and Wickersheim. In January 2000, Pillar asked his roommate,
St. Joseph, Missouri-native Marc Young, if he would be interested in playing bass for them, for one show. Young agreed, however the show they spoke of and agreed upon, never materialized. Regardless, Wickersheim officially departed the group that same month with Young replacing him on bass.
Low Level Owl & Lost Songs
After touring
Mare Vitalis
, the Appleseed Cast once again entered the studio in late 2000 to begin work on what would be their most ambitious project to date. Eager to fulfill their five record deal with Deep Elm, the band embarked on a double LP, with Ed Rose once again at the helm.
Low Level Owl Volume One
was released on
August 21,
2001 with
Volume Two
following on
October 23.
The tracks were woven seamlessly together into album-length soundscapes, revealing a hitherto unnoticed
post-rock influence. The complex vocal arrangements and enigmatic lyrics were buried in the mix underneath simple, repeated guitar riffs, swathes of keyboards and found sounds, and Baruth's inventive, intricate drum patterns. The pieces containing vocals and lyrics were connected by
ambient-influenced instrumentals. The
Low Level Owl
albums seemed both to be a natural progression from the more song-oriented
Mare Vitalis
and
a complete shock, the previously disparaging
Pitchforkmedia website giving the project a glowing review. However, some critics were put off by the intentionally repetitive nature, not only of much of the guitar playing but also the ambient instrumental interludes.
The band followed their
Low Level Owl
project with the release of
Lost Songs
the following year. The album was a collection of songs recorded shortly after the release of
The End of the Ring Wars,
songs which were considered unfinished. In 2002 vocals and overdubs were added to the "lost songs" and issued as the Appleseed Cast's final release on the Deep Elm label.
Two Conversations
The Appleseed Cast signed with the
New York based indie label Tiger Style Records in 2003 and released
Two Conversations
shortly afterward. Touring keyboardist Jordan Geiger was officially credited as a band member on the album.
Two Conversations
was met with mixed reviews.
Some viewed the album with dismay, regarding the more conventional song structures, the less diverse sonic palette and the personal, relationship-driven lyrics as a blatant retreat after the no-holds-barred experimentation, depth and complexity of the
Low Level Owl
project. However, others saw the album as an assured combination of the driving emo-rock of their early work subtly embellished with elements of the
Low Level Owl
sound.
During the recording of the album and the subsequent tour, tensions mounted once again, this time with drummer Josh "Cobra" Baruth. Rumors began to surface in the spring and summer of
2004 that Baruth was no longer a part of the group, and were confirmed on the band's website later that year.
Following the confirmation the band went on hiatus. Crisci began working with his side-project
Old Canes and Geiger returned to his band,
Minus Story. In the meantime Tiger Style, in financial difficulties, was forced to drop their entire roster, including The Appleseed Cast from their label after just one album.
Rebirth & Peregrine
Throughout late 2004 and much of
2005 little to no word travelled on the band's current situation. This began to change later in the year as news of drummer auditions began to spread. The band auditioned with many drummers including part-time Old Canes drummer
Aaron Coker who later went on to tour with
Reggie & The Full Effect. The position eventually went to the
Casket Lottery drummer, Nathan "Nate Jr." Richardson.
With a new drummer in place, the band was signed by the Militia Group in 2005 and announced they were returning to the studio in October.
The recording sessions for
Peregrine
, the Appleseed Cast's sixth full-length album, were held in
Cannon Falls, Minnesota at
Pachyderm Studio. The sessions were produced by
John Congleton, their first in years without their regular producer Ed Rose.
Lead singer and guitarist Chris Crisci stated on the band's website "...I don't know if I've felt better about a record this early since
Mare Vitalis
." The album is arguably more eclectic than any previous release in their catalogue, the
Low Level Owl
indebted instrumental "An Orange And A Blue" sitting alongside the more conventional, guitar-driven "February" and the stark, electronica of "Mountain Halo."
Peregrine
was released on
March 21,
2006.
Nathan Richardson left the band in the summer of 2006 and was replaced by Old Canes drummer Aaron Coker.
Sagarmatha
Sagarmatha
was released on February 17, 2009. When asked about the next album (previously discussed as an entirely instrumental EP) in an interview, Chris Crisci had this to say; "Well, the idea is still there, although it has morphed into a mostly instrumental full length. There's songs that have 45 seconds of vocals and 6 minutes of instrumental. There's songs that are entirely instrumental, and there's one song with complete vocals that clocks in at about 2:30."
[1]. This was announced on the band's Myspace, where they also uploaded a demo of "Road West", a new instrumental song that will be featured on
Sagarmatha
. Recording sessions were held at Black Lodge Recording in Eudora, KS with Ed Rose after unsuccessful attempts to arrange John Congleton to helm the recording. The album contains 9 songs in total with a good mix of instrumental and some new things vocally. The song "The New Stage (For So Long)" is supposed to be included in the LP version of the album. Three demos were released on their MySpace; the fore-mentioned "Road West" and more recently "A Bright Light" and "Summer Before." Bassist Marc Young and drummer Aaron Coker have apparently left the band, according to the band's MySpace. They have been replaced with Nate Whitman of Black Christmas and
John Momberg of The Dactyls, on bass and drums respectively. The song "Raise The Sails" as well as an interview with Chris are available here: http://stereogum.com/the-gum-drop/song.php?tid=41781&sid=35635
Sagarmatha
reached #25 on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart.
[2]
Discography
Albums
- 1998 - The End of the Ring Wars
- Deep Elm Records
- 2000 - Mare Vitalis
- Deep Elm Records
- 2001 - Low Level Owl, Vol. 1
- Deep Elm Records
- 2001 - Low Level Owl, Vol. 2
- Deep Elm Records
- 2003 - Two Conversations
- Tiger Style Records
- 2006 - Peregrine
- The Militia Group
- 2009 - Sagarmatha
- The Militia Group
Singles, EPs
- 1998 - Tale of the Aftermath b/w Skatter Ik Ignito
7"
- 1999 - Split
(with Planes Mistaken For Stars and Race Car Riot) - Deep Elm Records
- 2002 - Lost Songs
- Deep Elm Records
Compilations
- A Million Miles Away - The Emo Diaries No. 2
- Deep Elm Records
- Deep Elm Unreleased No. 2
- Deep Elm Records
- ''Kumquats and Apricots
References
- http://www.thankscaptainobvious.net/2007/09/interview-christopher-crisci-of.html
- Billboard, Allmusic