| The Old Ćeremony | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Pop-noir, Rock |
| Years active | 2004 – Present |
| Labels | sonaBLAST! Records |
| Website | theoldceremony.com |
| Members | |
| Django Haskins Dan Hall Mark Simonsen Gabriele Pelli Matt Brandau |
|
The Old Ćeremony is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina pop-noir musical group fronted by Django Haskins. Formed in 2004, the group has released four full-length albums, Our One Mistake, on sonaBLAST! Records; and The Old Ceremony, Walk On Thin Air, and Tender Age on the Durham, NC label, Alyosha Records. Through unique live performances, radio airplay, and positive critical reviews, the group has risen to regional prominence, touring extensively throughout the US and Canada.
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In the summer of 2004, Django Haskins, then a member of North Carolina rock supergroup International Orange, decided to form a 'mini-orchestra' to explore music that would be difficult to play in a traditional rock band. For this effort, Haskins gathered numerous musical luminaries from the NC Triangle region and the end result was dubbed 'The Old Ceremony,' after Leonard Cohen's 1975 album, New Skin for the Old Ceremony.
The fledgling group was soon granted an extended residency at Chapel Hill's West End Wine Bar, where they worked to develop their unique sound and refine their musical skills. These residency performances became popular due to the group's unusual instrumentation and on-stage presence (all band members wore suits) and the group soon gained a local following. Several months after their first residency, the group recorded and released their first full-length album, The Old Ceremony.
Soon after releasing their first album, the group embarked upon a tour of North Carolina and the Eastern US, playing venues such as Joe's Pub and IOTA. At one of their New York performances, the group attracted the attention of filmmaker Gill Holland, who offered the group a contract on his record label, sonaBLAST! Records. The contract was accepted, and in 2006, the group released their second album, Our One Mistake, on this record label. Our One Mistake was chosen by Paste Magazine as one of the 'Top 100 Albums of 2007.'
TOC continued to perform all over the US and Canada, appearing with Chuck Berry, Cake, Polyphonic Spree, Avett Brothers, Poi Dog Pondering, Dex Romweber and Squirrel Nut Zippers, among others. Their third full-length album came out in Feb 2009, garnering positive press from Pitchfork Media, Allmusic and Daytrotter. The video for "Til My Voice is Gone," from "Walk on Thin Air," starred Ed Asner and Eileen Ryan. It was produced by Sharon Lawrence and Andrew Carlberg, and directed by longtime TOC videographer Sam Griffith. In Sept 2010, the full-length "Tender Age" was released to the usual critical acclaim. The band composed the soundtrack to the Ed Asner film (2011 release date), "Elephant Sighs," which was directed by Ed Simpson. Most recently, the group contributed to a compilation album, Guilt by Association Vol. 3, released by Engine Room Recordings November 15, 2011. On the album the group have a cover of Whitesnakes "Here I Go Again."