Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
(SSLYBY
) is an indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri. Their first full-length album Broom
, independently released in 2005, received good reviews from Spin Magazine
and they are now signed with Polyvinyl Record Co.. The band's name refers to Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia (1990-1999).
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SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN TICKETS
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Biography
Early Years (pre-2002)
Will Knauer and Philip Dickey were mutual high school friends. Phil and Will were in different bands that both "tried to sound like
Nirvana."
[1]
After Will and Phil's high school bands broke up (Wharf and Thinking Version, respectively), the two started playing together on Weller Street and Phil came up with the new name.
The new songs needed a new band name, so we chose something really dumb, because we were only practicing in Will's attic. There were 2 girls who would watch us practice and I wanted to make them laugh...and I wanted the guys in Wharf to laugh...so that's when I came up with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Boris Yeltsin recently resigned and I was 17.
Broom
(2002-2005)
Phil and John Robert met in 2002 during their freshman year of college and started writing together; many of their early collaborations ended up on
Broom
.
SSLYBY released a
split record with
Michael Holt, formerly of the San Francisco cult band the
Mommyheads, on
Catbird Records (a label started by the
blog site
Catbirdseat
) in 2004.
Back in Springfield, the band practiced and recorded in Will's house on Weller Street, which is featured in much of their art work, including pictures on various blogs, their website, the artwork for Broom, and the music video for Broom's opening track, Pangea. The band recorded
Broom
in that same house over 8 months in
2005 and gigged together in and around Springfield.
The album was seen as an indie success, and received favorable press in
Spin Magazine and internet buzz from blogs like and as well as a favorable review in Pitchfork.
In February 2006, the band went on tour with Catfish Haven (from the
Secretly Canadian label) and on
April 27, 2006, the band's song "Oregon Girl" was featured on an episode of
The OC, although the band still had no record label at the time. While on the same tour, the band met a representative from
Polyvinyl Record Co. and a booking agent.
In spring 2006 SSLYBY contributed three songs to a split cd produced by the Springfield-based literary magazine . The cd accompanied the sixth issue, called
Haircuts
, and also featured songs by .
Polyvinyl (2006-present)
While on the tour, it was reported that the band had signed to
Polyvinyl Records and would release a re-mastered version of
Broom
on
24 October 2006.
[2] Because the original version of the album was recorded by the band with their own equipment (including a Boss
digital multitrack recorder using only
Shure SM57 and
SM58 microphones), it was not professionally
mastered to the same level as most industry-standard releases. The
lo-fi sound drew many critics and listeners to the band, and the remaster keeps most of that sound intact, although the difference between the two releases is evident even to the untrained ear.
[3]
Jonathan, the drummer, left the band in early 2006, and was replaced by Jake Viele for the summer tour. For a brief stint in 2006, Warren Sandwell of the band El Minotaur filled in on drums for touring. Recently, Jonathan James has been seen behind the kit with the band again.
The band's highly anticipated follow up to
Broom
,
Pershing
, was released on April 8th, 2008 on Polyvinyl Records. Preorder copies of the album were shipped early and received March 31, 2008. These copies featured bonus material including extra songs (via download), stickers, posters, and
Airheads.
In 2008 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin released a Split EP with Puzzle.
Their third CD under Polyvinyl will be produced by
Chris Walla of
Death Cab for Cutie, with recording in Madison, Wisconsin during Sept 2009, mixing at Walla's Portland studio in fall 2009, and the CD release in early to mid 2010.
[4]
Members
- Philip Dickey (singer/songwriter/drummer/guitar)
- Will Knauer (songwriter/lead guitarist)
- John Robert Cardwell (singer/bass/songwriter/guitar)
- Jonathan James (drummer/bass)
Discography
Studio Albums
- 2005 Broom
(Generic Equivalent)
- 2006 Broom (remastered)
(Polyvinyl Record Co.)
- 2008 Pershing
(Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Other releases
- 2004 Split CD Vol. 6 (with Gwyn and Grace) - Sew, Sew, Suck Your Toe (Generic Equivalent)
- 2004 Two People... Probably Talking About Me EP / Gwyn and Grace EP (Generic Equivalent)
- 2005 Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt
(Catbird Records / CBR 001)
- 2006 'Haircuts' split cd w/ (Things That Are True)
- 2006 Broom
(re-released on Polyvinyl Records)
- 2007 Not Worth Fighting
Single (Polyvinyl Records / PRC-134)
- 2007 Pangea
single (Polyvinyl Records)
- 2008 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin/Puzzle
(Polyvinyl Records)
Other Projects
- Yawn
- MC Migraine Head
- The Current Group
- mrPunch
- Wharf
- Thinking Version
References
- Interview with Philip Dickey
- Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Sign to Polyvinyl
- Thoughtworthy Media Podcast Interview
- *RECORD NEWS*