Laughing Colors is a rock band from Baltimore/Washington DC.
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When the current lineup of Laughing Colors (who now go by their fan denoted ‘LC’), came together in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area, the rock quartet said they just wanted to make their music their life. They have sold 50,000+ CDs, 15,000 T-shirts, and at times played 150+ shows per year.
For The Blink of An Ideal World, LC worked with acclaimed producer Anthony J. Resta (Collective Soul, Megadeth, Duran Duran) and Baltimore’s favorite Steve Wright. The album exhibits LC’s emotive intensity. The band says they were more concerned with ‘exploring emotions and sound’ than with looking for that elusive ‘magic airplay formula’. Inspiration for this recording came while the band was in Greenland performing for US troops. In the sub-zero Arctic that was dark 24 hours a day, LC was affected not only by the land’s beauty but by the men and women they met who serve their country.
In the Mid-Atlantic, LC’s songs and pure rock live performance have contributed to their reputation as one of the region’s most popular bands. An enthusiastic crowd is an integral part of the show, participating throughout and responding to the band and its music
Their trip to make playing music their lives has brought many highlights, including playing events such as the legendary WHFStival, DC101 Chili Cook-Off, Raven Stadium, and the Warped Tour. LC has performed with bands including Good Charlotte, Rage Against the Machine, Live, Eve 6, and others. They have received airplay on over 41 stations and been featured in publications including Time and Entertainment Weekly.
On November 11, 2004, Laughing Colors announced their decision "to take a permanent vacation." According to their press release, they felt that the band had run its course over the previous thirteen years, and they wanted to go out on their own terms. According to subsequent statements by the band, they were also frustrated with the increasing difficulty of booking shows at mid-Atlantic nightclubs. Their press release stated, "We also know that some people will ask 'will you ever play together again?' We will never say never, just goodbye for now."
Laughing Colors "final" concert was at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Maryland in March 2005. The final show was recorded and preserved on a live DVD, created by Jeff Geissler, and CD. To promote the release of this two-disc set, Keep the Shining Ones, Laughing Colors reunited for two concerts in November and December 2005. Frontman Dave Tieff has publicly indicated their desire to perform annual reunion shows for their fans.
On September 30, 2006, Laughing Colors played a well-attended reunion show at Rams Head Live in downtown Baltimore. The show was opened by The Mayan Factor and The Cheaters. On stage Tieff announced the band's intention to present a similar concert annually. He also suggested the possibility of an additional show over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006.
On July 28th, 2008, Laughing Colors reunited for a show at the Recher Theatre in Towson, MD. Tieff appeared on the Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel show on 98 Rock on July 18, and mentioned that the band would come out of 'semi-retirement' to record a full-band version of his new song, specifically made for the 98 Rock Morning Show.
On November 7th 2008 at Recher Theatre in Towson MD to a sold out crowd, did several encores of their favorite songs.
Laughing Colors played a New Year's Eve Party December 31st 2010 and are scheduled to play a second show in October 2011 for Island Bay Day on Maryland's Kent Island.
As previously announced on the band's MySpace page, Tieff announced to the crowd on July 28 that the band about cease referring to their once-a-year jaunt as "Reunion Shows", and would begin putting out new material in 2008. This will mark the band's first studio album since 2004's "The Blink of an Ideal World". However, as of July 2011, this has yet to happen.
Meanwhile, Dave Tieff, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, traveled to Missouri in February 2009 to put the finishing touches on his second solo album, 'The Art of Peace'. The albums includes songs Tieff states 'didn't really fit' into Laughing Colors. The album is set for release on May 9, at The Whiskey, in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Laughing Colors song "War on Drugs" has been frequently mislabelled as a Guns N' Roses song. The song, which features the chorus, "Whatever happened to sex, drugs and rock & roll? / Now we just have AIDS, crack and techno," is in fact taken from the live album eleven/fifteen.