| Thieves and Villains | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hudson Valley, NY |
| Genres | Indie pop, indie rock |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Labels | Victory |
| Associated acts | Floral terrace, Southcott, Always Rushing By |
| Website | www.thisisthievesandvillains.com |
| Members | |
| Sergio Otaegui Christopher Pennings Joseph Penna Chris Competiello |
|
Thieves and Villains are an American indie rock band from the Hudson Valley region of New York, formed in 2007, and signed to Victory Records.
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Thieves and Villains name is derived from lyrics penned by guitarist/vocalist/pianist Christopher Pennings, and when asked about the meaning in an interview the band stated: "People often have to engage in sketchy behavior to get ahead, so we decided that instead of ever allowing ourselves to follow that path we'd name our band 'Thieves and Villains' so that we as people don't have to be."[1] Having met via the local Hudson Valley, NY music scene in 2005, Sergio Otaegui and Christopher Pennings decided to form the band in early 2007 following the breakups of their previous groups.[2] The band claims to be influenced by "any artist that pushes themselves to exceed their own creative expectations" [3] and are known for their driving indie/alternative/rock sound. After posting their initial demos online on April 1, 2007,[4] the band quickly hit the road to embark on a two month long national tour followed by a three week stint on the 2007 Van's Warped Tour. After more demoing and touring, the band announced their signing to the Chicago,IL based Victory Records in February 2008.[5]
Following their signing to Victory Records in early 2008, the band moved into a lake house in upstate NY to write their full-length debut Movement and spent most of May 2008 recording it with producer Paul Leavitt in Baltimore,MD.[6] Movement was released on July 8, 2008 and was a moderate success worldwide with the band receiving positive write ups in music publications such as Alternative Press,[7] appearances on Fuse TV,[8] music features in popular television shows: Gossip Girl, The Real World, Making The Band, The Bad Girls Club [9] ,etc., and the support of organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.[10]
After extensive national touring/promotion behind the album the band decided to regroup in mid-2009 to welcome new bassist Chris Competiello and new drummer Joseph Penna into the fold. When asked about the lineup change, Otaegui stated, " I've known Chris Competiello (bass) since 2004 when we met in highschool and started playing in a band together. And then we all met Joe in May 2009 when we parted ways with our old drummer and a mutual friend recommended that he start playing with us." [11] In late Summer/early Fall 2009 the band headed out on one more national tour to support the album, hitting their favorite cities/venues like Chicago,IL's Subterranean [12] and Colorado Springs, CO.[13] They are currently at home in NY writing and demoing new material for the "as yet untitled" followup to Movement with guitarist/producer Will Tendy of Morningwood. When asked about the process, vocalist Sergio states, "Realizing that we weren't standing out enough in a crowded field is what inspires us to work so hard on writing this next album and finding our own sound. We've all been ecstatic ever since we narrowed in on our own thing and I can't wait for all of you to hear next year. [14]
The band has recently wrapped up the recording of their second album, South America and according to a recent interview Otaegui states, "It's a more natural, scrappier, quirkier and more creative vibe than the first one,” Otaegui told ec/dc of "South America," which they recorded at Big Blue Meenie studios in Jersey City, N.J., with producer Tim Gilles (Taking Back Sunday).".[15] There has yet to be an official statement concerning the release date of South America but according to VictoryRecords.com it will be coming in "late summer 2010." [16]
Thieves and Villains second album "South America" was released worldwide on August 3, 2010 [17]