The Pillbugs

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The Pillbugs
Origin	USA
Genre(s)	Neo-Psychedelia,Pop-Rock
Years active	1998 to 2007
Label(s)	Rainbow Quartz Proverus
Associated acts	Mark Mikel
Members
Mark Mikel David Murnen Mark Kelley Dan Chalmers Scott Tabner

L-R: Mikel, Chalmers, Kelley, Tabner, Murnen

The Pillbugs are an American Psychedelic Power-Pop group that emerged on the indie music scene in the late 1990s.

Based in Toledo, Ohio, band members Mark Mikel (vocals/guitar/keyboards), David Murnen (vocals/percussion), Mark Kelley (vocals/bass), Scott Tabner (guitar), Dan Chalmers (drums/vocals) released 5 albums under the credo "the world's most psychedelic band." "I don't know if we are or not," says Mikel, "We thought so when we first formed. It was just something to draw attention. It probably isn't completely true."

June 1998: The first Pillbugs CD is released on their own label (Omniphonic). This was a 32 song double-disc set. Song Titles: Thou Doth Warm Me (Like the Sun)/I Could Never Be a Bird/Black Sombrero/Undecided/We Are the Orange Sky People/Comburda/Leaving to Be Friends/Pretend You're Not Home/Captain Nemo/Now, I'm in the C.I.A./ Might As Well Fly to the Moon/Paper Aeroplanes/Meddle With Me/Pretty, Young and Free/Ball of String/Son of Shirley/Goodnight to Babylon/ I'll Get By/Vladimir's Sister/Plastic Surgical Holiday/Morning, Mr. Brain...to You/She Done Alotta Dope/You'd Better Sit Down/The Kick-Around Boy/No, Imogene/Broken Ringing Bells/Hangin' Around at 5/The Plot Next to Garcia/Big Bad Momma/Reprise/Illuminating Drink/Fear No Horizons -Produced by Mark Mikel

July 1999: Bass player/vocalist Mark Kelley is diagnosed with a rare lung cancer.

March 2003: The Pillbugs release their second album "The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream." This CD contained a 3D Fisher-Price/Viewmaster reel of band pics and album art. Song titles: 3D Montage/Neo Mega Quasi Ultra Super Groovy/One Simple Pleasure Trip/If You Can't Remain/Wait A Minute/Heather (Whatever)/Friend For The Day/Saturday Morning Cartoons/Girl On A Laser Beam/Feet First/Liberty Town Of Love/Liquid Bob/3D Theme/The Kind Of Problem I Want/May/Bright Green Nature Machine/Charlie Blue Car/The Cat Who Dropped The Bomb/Red Light Summer/Up And Down On Your Merry-Go-Round/Will Love Ever Find Chastity Rose/Larry In The Sea With Daffodils/Popcycle Island -Produced by Mark Mikel

August 2003: Proverus releases a new version of the debut CD. All songs are the same but the artwork is changed/refined.

August 2004: The Pillbugs' third album "Happy Birthday" was released on the Proverus label. Song titles: Happy Birthday/Life As it Happens Pt. 1/The World's Most Harmless Villain/Your Taste is Mellow/Life As it Happens Pt. 2/Wild Bird/All in Good Time/Delicious/Feeding Seagulls/Climbing the Walls/Life As it Happens Pt. 3/I Wake Up/Peasant Girls/Alluring Martha/And the Days Go By/Life As it Happens Pt. 4/Daddy's Perfect Little Girl/Gus of the Fire Brigade/Here We Go Again (Like Two Leaves in the Wind)/Hold Me So Near -Produced by Mark Mikel and Scott Hunt

October 2004: Bass player/vocalist Mark Kelley's cancer confines him to a wheelchair and permanent breathing machine. In this condition he manages to supply the bass guitar for the next Pillbug album.

April 2007: The Pillbugs catch the attention of power pop label Rainbow Quartz who signed the band a deal for a "best of" CD release.

June 2007: The Pillbugs release their fourth album (and second double CD) Buzz for Aldrin on the Proverus label. The songs' melodies, lyrics and themes are intertwined ultimately leading back to their first album. The artwork was created by renowned California artist Mark Roland specifically for this release. Song titles: Walking Along an Edge of Sky/Make Like Arthur Lee/Milkman's Wife/It Seems You are So Happening/King of Zorg/I Don't Really Mean to Freak Your Mind/No Joke/Spaced-Out/Al Gabone/Gazing at Clouds/Brilliant but Late Advice/Lost Lonely Sailor/4 sec Nightmare in a 5 sec Dream/Closer/I'd Give it All Up for You/The Last Confederate Soldier/She's in Style/Still Haven't Learned to Behave/Long Goes the Human/Sidecar/My Heroine/Buzz for Aldrin/Good to Be Alive/In the End (You're Moving On) -Produced by Mark Mikel A video for the song Spaced-Out was also made: Spaced Out Video This video is from the newly released "Buzz For Aldrin" cd.

July 2007: Proverus officially announces the third CD "Happy Birthday" is "out of print."

August 2007: USA Today music editor Ken Barnes chooses The Pillbugs "All in Good Time" in his "Pick of the Week" column.

September 2007: USA Today music editor Ken Barnes chooses The Pillbugs "4 sec Nightmare in a 5 sec Dream" in his "Pick of the Week" column.

October 2007: The Rainbow Quartz CD "The Pillbugs-Monclovia" released in USA and Canada. Two previously unreleased Pillbugs songs open the disc: "Here's to the End of Time" (a new recording) and "Faceless Wonder" (a Buzz for Aldrin outtake). Two previously released songs were treated to remixes: "All in Good Time" and "Charlie Blue Car." Song titles: Here's to the End of Time/Faceless Wonder/4 sec Nightmare in a 5 sec Dream/Good to be Alive/All in Good Time/Make Like Arthur Lee/Alluring Martha/Charlie Blue Car/Hold Me so Near/King of Zorg/Spaced-Out/Liberty Town of Love -Produced by Mark Mikel and Scott Hunt

November 2007: The Rainbow Quartz CD "The Pillbugs-Monclovia" released in Europe and Asia.

December 2007: NYC publication The Big Takeover places The Pillbugs in their Top 40 (issue 61).

Febuary 8, 2008: Pillbugs begin recording a brand new album for the Rainbow Quartz label.

May 3, 2008: Bass player/singer/songwriter Mark Kelley dies after a 9-year struggle against lung cancer.

This bibliography is from the Rainbowquartz web site. "This fab Ohio-based psychedelic pop band have agreed to release a formidable compilation of their most serious forays into guitar-based psychedelia (which includes some remixes) – with the opening two tracks on the album being brand new, never before heard perfect pop confections. Track 1 is downright REVOLVER-esque with sitars galore, evoking early TRAFFIC. Track 2 is one of the most perfect pop songs we have heard in years with chiming guitars and gorgeous harmonies. The album also boasts sophisticated sounds that would make BILL NELSON of BE BOP DELUXE smile. This is a must-have album for any Rainbow Quartz fans of MYRACLE BRAH and COTTON MATHER – and just about any fan of 21st Century BEATLE-esque pop and rock.

THE PILLBUGS, proclaiming themselves “the world’s most psychedelic band”, are a Toledo, Ohio-based American psychedelic progressive rock group formed in the 1990s. Band members Mark Mikel (vocals/guitar/keyboards), David Murnen (vocals/percussion), Mark Kelley (vocals/bass), Scott Tabner (guitar), and Dan Chalmers (drums/vocals) released three albums of some notoriety: one landed them as the first rock band in history to release a double CD of all new original songs as their debut release (The Pillbugs), and another is the only known rock CD to contain a Viewmaster reel (The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream). Their third album Happy Birthday is considered their poppiest effort, and summer 2007 finally saw the release of Buzz For Aldrin. Their first release on Rainbow Quartz, Monclovia, is a “best of” The Pillbugs’ heavier guitar sound. The dozen strong, catchy tracks were hand-picked from previous releases by Rainbow Quartz label owner Jim McGarry and promises to put The Pillbugs on the map."

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