The Pink Spiders
was an American Pop rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, that formed in 2003.
The band initially consisted of Matt Friction (guitar and vocals), Jon Decious (bass), and Bob Ferrari (drums), but lead singer and song writer Matt Friction remains the only original member ever since the band underwent a lineup change.
During live sets The Pink Spiders employ extra members to fill out their sound with vocals, keyboards, percussion and guitar.
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THE PINK SPIDERS TICKETS
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History
The Pink Spiders are Taking Over!
By January 2004, the band recorded an EP,
The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over!
[1], which contained seven songs, and was released through
SPAT! Records. The Pink Spiders were later signed with
CI Records. Matt Friction's record label, Mean Buzz Records, has announced that they plan to re-release
The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over!
in Summer 2008.
[2]
Hot Pink
Their debut album,
Hot Pink, was released by
CI Records on January 4, 2005
. The album contained 11 original songs which according to reviewers showed heavy 50's rock influence. Several of the songs on this album were eventually re-recorded and included in their second studio album.
The band toured nonstop on the record, battling the chaos offered by life on the road; one show included their trailer catching on fire in Buffalo
, and the band slept in New York City subways when they had nowhere to sleep
. The band even donated plasma to fund their tour
.
Teenage Graffiti
The Pink Spiders released their major label debut,
Teenage Graffiti
, on August 1, 2006 on Geffen Records. Five of the songs from
Hot Pink were re-recorded and included along with new songs.
Little Razorblade
was released as the first single off the album, along with a video. A video for
Modern Swinger
was also released in 2007. The Pink Spiders have since been named one of
Alternative Press
"100 Bands you need to know in 2006."
The Pink Spiders toured with many popular bands such as
30 Seconds to Mars,
Good Charlotte,
Yellowcard,
Meg & Dia,
All Time Low,
Sugarcult,
Damone,
Kill Hannah and
Fall Out Boy in support of this album, and also played on the
Vans Warped Tour 2006.
On February 6, 2007,
SPAT! Records released The Pink Spiders single
The Chase
. The song was released on digital music services such as the
iTunes Music Store.
Mainstream Transition
After being signed to major label Geffen, The Pink Spiders' first single, "Little Razorblade", debuted on
MTV's
Total Request Live on April 11, 2006. The video eventually peaked at #12. The song was featured on the hit MTV show "The Hills"
[3] and was often played in the popular clothing store
Hollister.
The Pink Spiders were also in competition with
Angels & Airwaves,
Blue October,
Ima Robot and
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to appear for their first possible television performance at Fashion Rocks '06, but
30 Seconds to Mars garnered the votes necessary to win.
Sweat It Out
Beginning in late 2007/early 2008, the Pink Spiders announced that
Sweat It Out
would be released soon. Initially, it was expected to be released in Spring 2008, according to their official MySpace.
[4] However, after long waiting, the release date was finally moved to September 23, 2008. The album will now be released on the independent label, Mean Buzz, in partnership with Adrenaline Music.
[5] The first single off the album, Gimme Chemicals, was released on August 2008.
In March 2008, the Pink Spiders announced that on March 13, 2008, somewhere between Nashville and Atlanta, the school bus they had just bought for the tour burned to the ground along with everything they carried along. They lost everything from, "clothes, laptops, passports, id's, ipods, cameras, receipts, cash, song lyrics, everything"
[6]. The Pink Spiders welcomed any donations
. Furthermore, they also missed the shows at Atlanta and New Orleans, but announced they would finish the rest of the tour
.
The Pink Spiders continued to perform, and in Summer 2008, the band apparently went through a line-up change, after Jon Decious and Bob Ferrari left the band due to not being paid by Matt Friction. The Pink Spiders continued with Matt Friction and new members.
Sweat It Out
, however, was recorded when the band still had its original members.
Subterranean EP
On their Summer 2008
Tapped Kegs, Spread Legs & Fertilized Eggs
tour, The Pink Spiders released the tour-only exclusive Subterranean EP, which included previously unreleased versions of "Teenage Graffiti" and "Knock Knock", "Gimmie Chemicals", and "Sleeping On the Floor" from Sweat It Out, as well as the b-sides "Typical Danger" and "We Do It All The Time."
New Album
In a blog posted on singer/guitarist Matt Friction's MySpace page in early February 2009, Friction stated that the band would be starting work on a new album soon.
Tentative tracklist:
Shock City
An Ocean
Do The Apocalypse
Whiplash
Storm The Palace
Friday Nite
Cannery Row
Cigarettes For Breakfast
Terribly Terrible Air
Treading Water
Beer Can Ashtreys
Ambulance Eyes
As of April 2009 the Pink Spiders were in California recording their new album with Jerry Harrison of the band the
Talking Heads.
Influences
The Pink Spiders' music is heavily influenced by many
rock and roll,
punk-pop, and
power-pop bands/artists. Musically, The Pink Spiders claim to be influenced by:
The Beatles,
The Stones,
The Beach Boys,
The Clash,
Buddy Holly,
Otis Redding,
The Ramones,
The Cars,
The Who,
Dead Boys,
Marvin Gaye,
David Bowie,
Elvis Costello,
Nick Lowe,
Cheap Trick,
The Bay City Rollers,
Television,
Blondie,
The Buzzcocks, and
Rockpile.
The Exploding Hearts,
The Boss Martians,
Michael Jackson and
Weezer have been noted as influences.
T.V. Appearances
In May 2008, the Pink Spiders played for a
Sweet 16 party featured in Episode 6 of the
Fourth Season of
Hell's Kitchen.
Discography
Albums
- 2005: Hot Pink
- 2006: Teenage Graffiti
- 2008: Sweat It Out
EPs
- 2004: The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over!
- 2008: Subterranean EP
Singles
- 2006: Little Razorblade
- 2007: The Chase
- 2008: Gimme Chemicals
Hiatus and Matt Friction and The Cheap Shots
As Matt Friction wrote on his MySpace page August 31, 2009:
"This project had been in the back of my mind for the past several years. Once the new lineup was in place and a chemistry between us began to emerge, it was clear that this had to be its own thing and not a continuation of the Pink Spiders. While the style is always going to be familiar if the songs come from the same person, the overall sound has changed. It's important to me that this band have its own identity, and so it seemed natural to make a fresh start. It was time for a return to raw, stripped-down, organic rock n roll."
References
- The Pink Spiders : Press
- MySpace.com - Mean Buzz Records - NASHVILLE, US - Power pop / Rock / New Wave - www.myspace.com/meanbuzzrecords
- The Pink Spiders
- MySpace.com - The Pink Spiders
- "Oh, What a Mangled Web We Leave". ''Nashville Scene''.
- MySpace.com - The Pink Spiders - Nashville, TENNESSEE - Punk / Soul / Pop - www.myspace.com/thepinkspiders