Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Margot & the Nuclear So and So's | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Genres | indie rock, folk, chamber pop |
| Labels | Artemis Records |
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a musical collective from Indianapolis, Indiana. In an interview with Cincinnati’s WOXY, Margot mastermind Richard Edwards jested that their moniker comes from his daughter Margot (he doesn't have a daughter) and his enjoyment of president George W. Bush's pronunciation of the word “nuclear". In reality, the band is called Margot after Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums.
The band's sound, categorized as "chamber pop", has been compared to the indie rock groups Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and The Shins, while incorporating elements of singer/songwriters like Paul Simon and Conor Oberst.
Contents |
[edit] Pre Margot
Richard Edwards was in a band during his college years called Archer Avenue (named after the street the characters in The Royal Tenenbaums lived upon). The band self-released the album "I Was An Astronaut" in 2004. Before Archer Avenue, Edwards fronted the band Joey Hamilton.
Andy Fry was in The Academy [1]before joining forces with Richard to form Margot in 2004. He is also an engineer and producer, and a partner in Indianapolis recording studio Queensize.[2]
Emily Watkins graduated from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana in May of 2005 with a B.A. in English. Tyler Watkins attended Ball State University and Full Sail Real World Education. Emily and Tyler, although sharing the same last name, are not related by blood or marriage. Tyler is the primary producer, with assistance from Andy, of the Margot recordings. He has also recorded many other Indiana bands.
Cellist Jesse Lee and percussionist Casey Tennis have been friends, enemies, and musical collaborators since childhood growing up in Greencastle, Indiana. The two, along with Tyler, also play in the pop-punk band Pravada.
[edit] Humble Beginning
Cofounders of the band, Richard Edwards (vocals, guitars, bells, synth, melodica, banjo, percussion) and Andy Fry (guitars, bass, synth, lap steel, melodica, banjo, percussion) met in a record store, according to their website. From there they struck up a friendship and the band began to amalgamate. Current members include Chris Fry (drums, percussion), Jesse Lee (cello, vocals), Emily Watkins (keys, Rhodes piano, synth, vocals, “meows”) and Tyler Watkins (bass, guitar, synth).
Margot employs the consistent talents of Kenny Childers (guest vocals), Hubert Glover (trumpet) and Lonpaul Elrich (various percussion). Originally signed by indie label Standard Recording Company, based in Indianapolis, Margot is currently under contract by New York City's Artemis Records. Artemis' parent company, Sheridan Square Entertainment, recently purchased V2 Records North America, an international record label, which owns the rights to bands like The White Stripes, Grandaddy, Bloc Party and Moby.
[edit] Band members
- Richard Edwards - vocals, guitar
- Andy Fry - guitar
- Chris Fry - drums
- Hubert Glover - trumpet
- Casey Tennis - percussion
- Emily Watkins - keys, vocals
- Tyler Watkins - bass
- Erik Kang - violin, lap steel
- Joshua Keppel - glockenspiel, vocals, theremin, backup melodica
[edit] Discography
- The Dust of Retreat (2005)
[edit] Accolades
- Xm radio - Top 3 Unsigned Artist of 2005 [3]
- Audiolunchbox.com - #6 Top Album of 2005
- Marquee Magazine - #1 Show of 2005 (for their work at the South Park Music Festival) [4]
- TurboAwesome.com - Dave McGee's Album of the Year
[edit] Trivia
- The entire band, at one time, lived together in a house in Indianapolis.
- Emily and Tyler Watkins are not related.
- Andy and Chris Fry are brothers.
- Richard and Emily went to prom together [5]
- All Margot artwork is painted by Stacy Novak [6]
- Four members of the band - Jesse, Casey, Tyler, and Andy - have another band together called Pravada. [7]
- Richard and Andy also have another band called Panic Attacks.
