The Apples in Stereo
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 The Apples in Stereo, circa 2006. From left to right: John Dufilho, Eric Allen, Robert Schneider, Bill Doss and John Hill.
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Denver, Colorado | |
| Genre(s) | Indie pop/Indie rock | |
| Years active | 1992 – present | |
| Label(s) | Elephant 6 SpinART Records Simian Records |
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| Website | Official website | |
| Members | ||
| Robert Schneider John Hill Eric Allen Bill Doss John Dufilho |
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| Former members | ||
| Hilarie Sidney Chris McDuffie Jim McIntyre Chris Parfitt |
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- This article is about the American rock band. For the Scottish indie dance band, see The Apples (group)
The Apples in Stereo is an American indie rock band associated with the innovative Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal and The Olivia Tremor Control. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider, who writes the majority of the band's music and lyrics. Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill (rhythm guitar) and Eric Allen (bass), as well as new members Bill Doss (keyboards) and John Dufilho (drums).
They are best known for their bright, catchy lyrics and 60s pop/rock sound that often invokes comparisons to The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, and especially Electric Light Orchestra. It also resembles newer power pop groups such as The Rocket Summer.
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[edit] Band history
[edit] Origin: The Apples
In the early 1990s, Robert Schneider met Jim McIntyre on a bus in Denver, Colorado. Schneider asked McIntyre what his favorite band was, to which he replied "The Beach Boys" (a band Schneider was fond of). Realizing that they shared many musical interests, McIntyre would introduce Schneider to Hilarie Sidney. McIntyre and Sidney were already part of the band Von Hemmling with McIntyre on bass and Sidney on drums. With Schneider, they discussed the idea of starting a band and maybe even a recording label. In July 1992, these ideas would begin to come into fruition after Schneider met and introduced Chris Parfitt to the crew. The first incarnation of The Apples in Stereo formed at this time as The Apples, featuring Schneider on rhythm guitar and vocals, Sidney on drums, McIntyre on bass and Parfitt on lead guitar.
Early recordings were done very roughly; many of them were recorded straight to a boombox, while others were recorded using cassette and reel-to-reel 4 track recorders. Parfitt later described the sound concept as "quirky lo-fi pop... with big fuzz/noise guitar atop." [1]
Personal conflicts between members would lead Parfitt to leave the band in late 1993 and was subsequently replaced by John Hill in early 1994. McIntyre followed suit and left the band in mid 1994, to be replaced with Eric Allen in late 1995. In an interview for Optical Atlas [2], McIntyre stated many reasons why he left. His emotional insecurity would eventually lead his fellow members to hesitate going on tour with him ("People used to be freaked out about my temper and walked on a few proverbial eggshells around me.") The stress of the band's change in direction was also a factor.
Though both McIntyre and Parfitt left the band before the debut album Fun Trick Noisemaker was conceived or recorded, both have a strong impact on early recordings. McIntyre wrote and co-wrote a few Apples singles that can be found on the compilation Science Faire and Parfitt's distinct guitar quality would be featured in songs such as "Tidal Wave" (a song Parfitt co-wrote).
It is interesting to note that the original line-up only stayed together for one year and never played live outside of Denver. The second incarnation of the band including Schneider, Sidney, Hill, and Allen recorded and performed together from 1995-2006, releasing 5 albums and playing close to 1000 shows.
[edit] Recent history
The Apples in Stereo have just released their sixth studio LP, New Magnetic Wonder. Finishing a ten year deal with SpinART Records, New Magnetic Wonder is the premiere release on Simian Records, a newly formed record label founded by Elijah Wood. Though the official release date was February 6, 2007, the album leaked onto the internet in October 2006.
In August 2006, longtime drummer Hilarie Sidney officially announced her departure from the band during a set in Athens, Georgia. Her replacement, John Dufilho, lead singer and principal songwriter of The Deathray Davies, was announced in October 2006. [3] 2006 touring member Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control also quietly joined the band "officially" as its new keyboardist.
In December of 2006, Robert Schneider appeared on the popular television show The Colbert Report to kick off a "green-screen challenge" between the show's host and Chris Funk of The Decemberists.
[edit] Band members
[edit] Current members
- 1992 to present - Robert Schneider; guitar, lead vocals
- 1994 to present - John Hill; guitar
- 1996 to present - Eric Allen; bass
- 2006 to present - Bill Doss; keyboards
- 2006 to present - John Dufilho; drums
- 2006 to present - John Ferguson; vocals, keyboards (2006 tour lineup)
[edit] Former members
- 1992 to 2006 - Hilarie Sidney; drums, vocals
- 1999 to 2002 - Chris McDuffie; keyboards
- 1992 to 1993 - Jim McIntyre; bass
- 1992 to 1993 - Chris Parfitt; guitar
[edit] Selected discography
- Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995)
- Tone Soul Evolution (1997)
- Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999)
- The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (2000)
- Velocity of Sound (2002)
- New Magnetic Wonder (2007)
[edit] Trivia
- The name for the band originated when Robert Schneider and Will Cullen Hart were driving around and listening to Pink Floyd songs. Schneider was trying to think of a good name for a band when the song "Apples and Oranges" was playing. He eventually grew fond of the band name "The Apples". He mused in an interview that he would later add "in Stereo" simply because it sounded "more psychedelic". [4] "In Stereo" also came about because the Beatles recording label (Apple records) was too similar. The name had to be changed to avoid trademark infringement. After much consideration The Apples in Stereo came into existence.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official message board
- The Apples in Stereo at Elephant6.com
- The Apples in Stereo at MySpace
- Tractor Beam Management
- The Apples In Stereo at MusicBrainz
- The Apples in Stereo at Athens Popfest 2006, downloadable audio
- The Apples in Stereo @ Athens Popfest 2006, video recording featuring new songs and Hilarie's last show with the band
- Short story review of New Magnetic Wonder at The Wheel's Still In Spin
