The Killers (band)

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The Killers
Background information
Origin	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, Synth rock
Years active	2002–present
Label(s)	Island Vertigo Lizard King/ Marrakesh Records
Website	www.thekillers.com
Members
Brandon Flowers Dave Keuning Mark Stoermer Ronnie Vannucci Jr.

The Killers are a Grammy-nominated American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2002 and made up of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., (drums, percussion), they released their debut album, Hot Fuss, in 2004. Their second album, Sam's Town, was released in early October 2006.

Most famous for their 2005 hit singles "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside", their music is based on British influences and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Wave music.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Mainstream Success 1.2 Notable appearances 2 Controversy 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Singles 4 Awards and nominations 5 Trivia 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

Before the band was formed, all four members had various jobs. Flowers, who had dropped out of college, was a bellhop for a while at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Dave Keuning, who was originally from Pella, Iowa, dropped out of Kirkwood Community College, then the University of Iowa, and finally moved to Las Vegas in January of 2000. He worked there at a BeBe store, stating that it was a terrible job and he finally quit when a new manager was appointed and he wouldn't allow Dave to listen to music in the backroom. Mark Stoermer worked as a medical courier, delivering various medical supplies while studying philosophy at UNLV. Ronnie Vannucci was a student of classical percussion at UNLV to become a teacher and worked as a photographer at the Little Chapel of the Flowers and as a pedicab driver at the Desert Passage mall inside the Aladdin Hotel.^[1]

In 2001, Flowers was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a synth pop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an U2 concert, and, realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist. It is said that between then and his first meeting with David Keuning, he was rejected by a potential guitarist who claimed that "this 'Duran Duran' crap wasn't going to go anywhere." After gaining his fame, Flowers was waited on by that same guitarist in a Las Vegas restaurant. Then he met Keuning. He responded to an ad that Keuning had placed in the paper that listed, among other things, Smashing Pumpkins and Oasis as influences.^[2] The two hit it off immediately and began rehearsing. They were joined by a bassist (Keuning's roommate) and a drummer.^[1]

Both bassist and drummer quickly moved on to other things, and the drummer would later sue the band, claiming that he wrote "Mr. Brightside."^[3] After their departure, Vannucci and Stoermer (who were both in other bands at the time) were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers," a name which comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in a New Order video for their song "Crystal."

After watching a few of their early shows, Vannucci acknowledged that the group was very green and would need a lot of work to become a polished act. Additionally, their fanbase was scarce and they hadn't yet worked out their image. However, Vannucci would eventually join the band.^[1]

Stoermer was the last to join. He filled the remaining post at least partly because he and Flowers had quickly become friends. They played their first gig as the new band at a club in Vegas called The Junkyard. After Vannucci sold his house the band found themselves without a garage to rehearse in and took to sneaking into UNLV's music rooms, where Vannucci was attending college, in order to practice.^[1]

[edit] Mainstream Success

Initially, the Killers played at a small club in Denver, Colorado. With the band's lineup stable and their repertoire of songs expanding, the band began to attract attention from talent bookers, local agents, major label scouts—and a UK representative for Warner Bros. The Killers started to play for churches all around Colorado. In 2001, The Killers played for a well-known pastor, John Hagee, to help raise funds for their band. Though the Warner Bros rep passed on the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to a friend who worked at UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers would sign by the end of the summer, and moved to England.^[1]

They released their album Hot Fuss on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom on London-based indie record label Lizard King Records, and June 15 in the United States on Island Records. Their first single, "Somebody Told Me," was released on that same year. The band also had chart success with their singles "Mr. Brightside," which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released, and "All These Things That I've Done." However, their main mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position with their re-release of "Somebody Told Me."

The Killers' second album, "Sam's Town," was released on October 2, 2006 in the UK, and October 3 in the USA under Island Universal. Brandon Flowers quoted that Sam's Town will be "one of the best albums in the past twenty years," though the album has received a mixed response from critics and fans. The first single from Sam's Town "When You Were Young" debuted on radio stations in late July 2006. In late August 2006, it was offered as a downloadable track before the album's debut. The single then entered the chart on downloads alone at #5 and the following week on its official release went to #2 in the UK. It was unable to knock the Scissor Sisters off the top spot. Their single, "Bones," was the second video from the band, and was directed by Tim Burton.

Promoting Sam's Town, the band returned as the musical guest for the 32nd season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 30, 2006. They performed "When You Were Young" and "Bones."^[4] The album sold over 700,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a No. 2 debut on the United World chart.

Much of The Killers' music is based on British influences (indeed the band are often described as the "Best British band to have come out of America") and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Wave music. Flowers has also said in interviews that the larger than life sound of many of the band's songs is due to the influence of living in Las Vegas, a city where everything is about flash and who can top whom. Despite their appreciation for the wave of post-punk bands that sprung up during the 80s, the band members are also avowed fans of New Order, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Morrissey,^[5] U2, and The Beatles.

[edit] Notable appearances

On January 15, 2005 and September 30, 2006, The Killers were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. In the past, they have appeared as musical guests on: Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In Britain, they have appeared on Top of the Pops, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and Later with Jools Holland. They performed for an episode of Austin City Limits that aired on November 5, 2005.

The Killers performed at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage, on Friday night, after they turned down the Sunday headline spot when Kylie Minogue canceled after being diagnosed with breast cancer. They turned down the offer, stating that they didn't think they had enough songs to fill a headline slot. However, they attracted one of the biggest crowds at the festival. They also performed at the T in the Park festival in Balado, Scotland on July 9, 2005, during which, following The Killers' own set, Flowers performed "Crystal" with New Order. They then jetted off to Vienna with U2, in order to support them on the European leg of their Vertigo Tour.

On December 15, 2006, The Killers were set to be the headlining performers at the MistleToe Jam, the biggest Atlanta holiday music festival, hosted by alternative rock radio station 99x. However, Flowers was sick with the flu, and doctor's orders were to not play that night. It was re-scheduled to the disappointment of many, many fans.

The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert on July 2, 2005. They performed "All These Things That I've Done." To their surprise, Robbie Williams (who performed after them) incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance.^[6] Coldplay and U2 followed suit, and at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, they incorporated that famous line into the songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day," respectively.^[7]

After seeing footage for director Richard Kelly's upcoming film Southland Tales, the band agreed to allow Kelly to use "All These Things I've Done" for the movie's soundtrack. The song was also used in the final scene and closing credits of the 2005 movie, The Matador. In November 2006, the band won 'Best Rock Band' at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006. However, when they picked up their award, they credited the award was more suited to Muse than themselves, showing surprise at Muse not being nominated.

On February 14, Valentines Day, The Killers attended The Brit Awards in England, and performing "When You Were Young". The band were also up for 2 awards, being nominated for International Group & International Album. The band won both awards, defeating the Scissor Sisters and Gnarls Barkley. On picking up the award, Brandon said "This means such a lot to us. Thanks for making our dreams possible”, and he scurried off stage.

On March 16, The Killers performed on the Comic Relief Night to help raise money for the needy in the UK and in Africa. They performed Read My Mind live.

The Killers will be featured on the soundtrack for the upcoming movie Spider-Man 3.^[8] As of March 24, 2007, the name of the song being contributed remains unknown.

[edit] Controversy

Since going platinum, the band (and principally Flowers) has managed to incite a few rivalries - most notably with The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, who are both labelmates (Island Records). Flowers has said that these bands, especially The Bravery, are riding on the coattails of the success of The Killers.^[9] Additionally, in an article of NME, Flowers claimed Fall Out Boy was hogging the A&R man both bands share, setting off Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz. However, after Wentz made a couple of rants on his blog in September of 2005, he offered a virtual cease-fire.^[10] Brandon has since apologized to The Bravery, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! at the Disco, saying "I'd like to take it all back - these people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am," and that he was "not proud of" his occasional jealousy.^[11]

Also in NME, Keuning went on record as saying "All those bands, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, they [are] only influenced by each other and Blink 182. How can that be a good thing?"^[12] Panic! at the Disco recently made an appearance on the November 14th episode of Total Request Live, and made it appear that they don't seem to hold a grudge against the Killers, saying that they "love the new album."

Brandon Flowers, in interviews with several music magazines, claimed that the song "Where Is She?" was based on Jodi Jones, a Scottish girl whose boyfriend, Luke Mitchell, was found guilty of her murder. Many, especially in Scotland, saw this as an insult to her memory, and Flowers (speaking for the band) gave a formal apology, telling the Sunday Herald, "I came across kind of badly. I'd hate to cause offense or further hurt because of it... there's no way on earth I could ever possibly pretend to know what it must actually feel like to suffer such a thing, and I wouldn't presume to appropriate any other individual's feelings for a song."^[13]

In February 2006 The Killers' former manager, Braden Merrick, filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract when he was fired in May of 2005. Merrick's contract was to have run through 2007 and the two sides had been negotiating a settlement before the lawsuit was filed. ^[14]

Flowers has recently gone on record claiming that Green Day's politically driven concept album American Idiot displays "calculated Anti-Americanism." He explained that he has problems with the album content itself and also the fact that the band's recent live DVD, Bullet in a Bible, was filmed overseas. The taping of the concert, featured on Bullet in a Bible, shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot." He said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he [Billie Joe Armstrong] knew it." Stating that he feels Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he went on to say that he feels The Killers' most recent release, Sam's Town, is a much more accurate representation of American culture.^[15]

[edit] Discography

Main article: The Killers discography

[edit] Albums

Hot Fuss (2004) US: #7 (3x Platinum) UK: #1 (4x Platinum) Canada: #3 World: #13

Sam's Town (2006) US: #2 (1x Platinum) UK: #1 (3 weeks - 2x Platinum) Canada: #1 (Platinum) New Zealand (Platinum) Australia (3x Platinum) World: #2 (Platinum)

[edit] Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions						Album
		U.S. Hot 100	U.S. Pop 100	U.S. Modern Rock	UK Singles Chart	UK Download Chart	Australian Singles Chart
2004	"Somebody Told Me"	51	-	3	3	19	17	Hot Fuss
	"Mr. Brightside"	10	5	3	10	40	29
	"All These Things That I've Done"	74	58	10	18	-	42
2005	"Smile Like You Mean It"	-	-	15	11	37	47
2006	"When You Were Young"	14	18	1 (2 weeks)	2	2	10	Sam's Town
	"Bones" 1	-	-	21	15	28	22
	"A Great Big Sled" (Download Only)	54	42	-	-	11	-	iTunes Single
2007	"Read My Mind" 1	74	72	9	15	15	-	Sam's Town
	"For Reasons Unknown" 2	-	-	-	-	-	-

• ¹ Currently active on charts. These are the highest chart positions to date.
• ² Not yet released.

[edit] Awards and nominations

• Grammys:

• Nominated: Best Rock Album (2005) for "Hot Fuss"
• Nominated: Best Rock Song (2005) for "Somebody Told Me"
• Nominated: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (2005) for "Somebody Told Me"
• Nominated: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (2006) for "Mr. Brightside"
• Nominated: Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (2006) for "All These Things That I've Done"
• Nominated: Best Rock Song (2007) for "When You Were Young"
• Nominated: Best Short Form Music Video (2007) for "When You Were Young"

Note:

The remix of the song "Mr Brightside" was also nominated for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical (2006) Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke.

• American Music Award:

• Nominated: Breakthrough, Favorite New Artist (2005)

• Billboard Music Awards:

• Nominated: Group of the Year (2005)
• Nominated: Digital song of the year for "Mr. Brightside" (2005)
• Nominated: Modern rock artist of the year (2005)

• MTV Video Music Awards:

• Nominated: Best Group Video (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
• Nominated: Best Rock Video (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
• Won: Best New Artist (2005)

Note: Laura Fox was also nominated in 2005 for Best Art Direction for the video "Mr. Brightside."

• MTV Europe Music Awards:

• Won: Best Rock Group (2006)

• Brit Awards

• Won: Best International Album (2007) for Sam's Town
• Won: Best International Group (2007)
• Nominated: International Album (2006) for Hot Fuss
• Nominated: International Breakthrough Artist (2006)

• Shockwaves NME Awards:

• Won: NME Magazine's Best International Band (2005)
• Won: Best Dressed Man: Brandon Flowers (2005)
• Won: Sexiest Man: Brandon Flowers (2005)
• Nominated: Best International Band (2007)
• Nominated: Best Album (2007) for Sam's Town
• Nominated: Best Track (2007)
• Won: Best Video (2007) for Bones

• Miscellaneous:

• Nominated: Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, Record Production/Single or Track (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
• Won: World Music Awards, World's Best Selling New Group (2005)

[edit] Trivia

• The band members do a pre-show ritual, affectionately called "The Cuddle." Brandon Flowers was quoted as saying "We all join together in a circle before we go onstage...Even our feet touch, which is something I just kind of noticed. It's kind of like a soccer coach talking to the kids."^[16]
• In People magazine for November 27, 2006, the Killers were named "Sexiest Band."
• The Killers were forced to cancel their concerts at The Point in Dublin, Ireland on 30 November and at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on 6 December 2006, when lead vocalist Brandon Flowers lost his voice from a severe flu. The Killers were also unable to perform on the Billboard Music Awards on 4 December 2006 and ended up presenting the award for "Artist of the Year". As of 9 December, they appear to be performing again; The Killers played thirteen songs at Not So Silent Night on 8 December.
• In an interview by MTV, The Killers says that "Read My Mind" is their favorite song.^[17]
• In an interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe a couple of days before The Killers were due to play the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, lead singer Brandon Flowers said he drinks Red Bull before a concert because it makes him feel nervous, and he likes nervous energy before going on stage.
• The Killers were once VH1 You Oughta Know artists.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Genre June 05, background
• QVegas, background
• List of awards Mark Needham (music producer) has won with the Killers
• Billboard.com, Full Sam's Town tracklisting and album preview

[edit] External links

• The Killers official site, from Island Records
• The Killers official site (U.K.), from the Vertigo label
• The Killers Fanpage, with discussion board
• "MircroScope: The Killers", Las Vegas Weekly interview by Shawna Edge. Thought to be the earliest Killers interview

The Killers
Brandon Flowers | Dave Keuning | Mark Stoermer | Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Discography
Albums: Hot Fuss | Sam's Town
Singles: "Somebody Told Me" | "Mr. Brightside" | "All These Things That I've Done" | "Smile Like You Mean It" | "When You Were Young" | "Bones" | "A Great Big Sled" | "Read My Mind" | "For Reasons Unknown"
Related articles
Marrakesh Records | Island Records | Las Vegas | "Crystal"
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