Saint Motel

Saint Motel
Live at The Rickshaw Stop April 10, 2010 with Band of Skulls
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, dream pop, Tropical, Disco, Funk rock
Years active	2009 – present
Labels	Elektra Records Parlophone OnThe Records
Website	saintmotel.com
Members	A/J Jackson Aaron Sharp Greg Erwin Dak

Saint Motel is an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, whose music has been described as everything from "dream pop" to "indie prog".^[1][2] The band consists of A/J Jackson (lead vocals/guitar), Aaron Sharp aka "a sharp" (lead guitar), Dak (bass), and Greg Erwin (drums).^[3][4]

Career

2009: ForPlay

The group initially came together while A/J and Sharp were attending film school in Southern California.^[5] The duo later met Dak at a Sushi restaurant where he worked near campus and Greg who went to a school nearby. The band emphasizes visuals in addition to its music, and its 2009 debut EP ForPlay included a video for each of the six songs.^[6]

2012: Voyeur

The band's first full length album, Voyeur (2012), debuted at #18 on the alt specialty radio charts and six of its eleven songs managed to chart or hit number one on the Hype Machine Charts.^{[7][8][9][10][11][11][12][13]} The album was celebrated by everyone from the Washington Post to Daytrotter, as KCRW Music Librarian and DJ, Eric J. Lawrence put it, "They have attacked it with gusto on Voyeur, adding dynamic touches to their rock-solid core of songwriting" and that "Overall the album is a satisfying package from start to finish".^[14]

2014–present

The band released the EP My Type with Parlophone on August 17 in the UK.^[15] "My Type" climbed the Top 40 charts in many European countries including Italy where it was certified platinum.^[16][17] The band have embarked on two European and one US tour in support of the EP and are expected to release the full length album later in 2015.^[16][18] In December 2014 Saint Motel announced that they had joined the Elektra Records roster.^[19] Saint Motel appeared as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC with guests Tom Arnold and Maisie Williams; the band performed the songs "My Type" and "Cold Cold Man".^[20] In April 2015, Saint Motel performed during both weekends on the main stage at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.^[21] Saint Motel will be performing at the 2015 KROQ Weenie Roast^[22]

Live shows

Saint Motel has created or performed at a variety of shows,^[23] including The Kaleidoscopic Mind Explosion in 3D,^[24] Future Fathers Day, The Black & White Show,^[25] Make Contact, and Valentine's Zombie Prom^[26] and has toured with bands such as Band of Skulls,^[27] Nico Vega, Imagine Dragons,^[28] Races,^[29] Hockey,^[30] the Arctic Monkeys.,^[31] Weezer,^[32] Lights.^[33] Saint Motel performed at the 2015 Sanremo Music Festival in Sanremo, Italy^[34]

Appearances

On July 23, 2011, Saint Motel performed a live set for "Guitar Center Sessions" on DirecTV. The episode included an interview with program host, Nic Harcourt.^[35] Saint Motel's music has been used frequently in film and television including a recent HBO Films use of "Dear Dictator" in their 2013 trailer for Boardwalk Empire.^[36] Saint Motel is prominently featured in Dewars Scotch Whiskey's current,"Live True" ad campaign.^[37] "My Type" was used by UK cellphone retailer phones 4u in their 2014 UK TV ad campaign and NOW TV ad in 2015. "My Type" is also featured in the EA Sports, FIFA 15 soundtrack.^[38]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Videography

• 2015 - Cold cold man

References