| The Public | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Orleans |
| Genres | indie rock |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | five03 Records |
| Website | www.wearethepublic.com |
| Members | |
| Bryan Besse Ronan Bradley Jack Champagne Travis Shuler |
|
| Past members | |
| Ryan Plattsmier | |
The Public is a post-punk influenced indie rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are signed to five03 Records in New York City. The band's name is derived from the Manchester band The Smiths' allusion to anonymity and the surrealist play El Publico by Federico Garcia Lorca.
Contents |
The Public was formed in 2003 by drummer Bryan Besse and guitarist Jack Champagne. Singer–guitarist Travis Shuler soon joined the lineup and the trio began working on a few songs influenced by 1980s UK goth/post-punk, 1990s Britpop and American underground alternative rock. A few months later with the band's first show already booked at The Howlin' Wolf, bassist Ryan Plattsmier joined the group.
The Public released an EP–demo two months after forming called We Are the Public. This was a limited release and consisted of six songs, an acoustic demo, and a hidden, heavily distorted cover of The Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" in the vein of shoegazer favorites My Bloody Valentine.
On May 6, 2005, The Public independently released a full length album, Saturn Missile Battery. The 10-song collection included "Connected by Wire", which also appeared that year on WTUL's Songs from the Basement III: Into the Shed and later on Pandora internet radio. There were two release parties for the album, one featuring The Public's live show at One Eyed Jacks and a listening–DJ party at The Whirling Dervish.
On August 29, 2005, a few months after their debut release, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and The Public found themselves scattered by the storm. The band reunited in New Orleans in November 2005 and were one of the first local rock bands to return to the city and play regular gigs. They pooled their resources to buy a van and began touring, most notably playing a two-week stint in New York City's East Village.
In summer 2006, The Public recorded the first incarnation of their follow-up full-length album, No Love is Permanent. Its release was halted when singer Travis Shuler was unsatisfied with the production values of the recording. The band then sought out local producer Grant Curry (formerly of Pleasure Club) to re-record and produce the album. These plans were thwarted by a work-related accident which resulted in bassist Ryan Plattsmier having to have a finger reattached.
At this point, The Public's future seemed uncertain, but Plattsmier was able to recover and continue performing. During this break, Champagne and Shuler had recorded demo versions of several new songs and the group began incorporating this new material into the forthcoming album. With the help of the band's longtime friend Elizabeth Christiansen, they started New Orleans' first regular Indie Rock dance party called ActionActionReaction after a lyric from XOXO (No Love Is Permanent).
At a show in Athens in August 2007, The Public signed with New York City-based independent record label five03 Records. Word of the band's live shows had reached label owner Tony Ramo.
The Public traveled to New York City in February 2008 to begin production on No Love Is Permanent. Producer Hillary Johnson, whose work includes acts as diverse as The Ramones, Rufus Wainwright, The Misfits, and Jeff Buckley, took the reins and began working intensely with the band.
Most of the rhythm tracks were done at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey and the lead guitars and vocals at Translator in DUMBO. The Public returned to New Orleans to complete vocals and overdubs in their home studio at The Fountainebleu. No Love is Permanent was set to be released in fall of 2009. A short film called Still I Leave, Somehow Incomplete was produced by the band to document the recording.
On October 29, 2008, The Public lost their bass player, Ryan Plattsmier, to suicide. The band halted the release of their album and went on hiatus for several months. After serious deliberation, the band chose to continue performing to honor their friend, as they knew he would want them to continue making music.
In February 2009, Shuler reunited with bassist and former bandmate Ronan Bradley. Bradley and Shuler learned to play together in high school and played together in Braintree and New Dawn Fades in the late 1990s to early 2000s New Orleans Goth scene.
Some of The Public's first shows with the new line up included a feature spot on Post-Punk.com's Industry Disorder, an unofficial showcase in Austin during South by Southwest, and the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective Festival which coincided with the release of two Public songs, "Control Self Panic" and "Suicide Casanova Vs The Honest Lovers", from their compilation CD.