Givers
Givers | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Lafayette, Louisiana, USA |
Genres | Indie pop, worldbeat |
Years active | 2008–present |
Labels | Glassnote, Valcour |
Members | Tiffany Lamson Taylor Guarisco Josh LeBlanc |
Past members | William Henderson Kirby Campbell Nick Stephan |
Website | giversband |
Givers (stylized as GIVERS) is an
The members of Givers have previously performed in zydeco, jazz and Cajun groups. Following a touring stint with the Dirty Projectors and their debut 2009 EP, the band recorded their debut album and signed to Glassnote Records. The band's debut studio album, In Light, was released in June 2011 to favorable critical reviews.
History
Early years and formation (2005-09)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Givers_%40_Dour_2012.jpg/150px-Givers_%40_Dour_2012.jpg)
Givers was formed in 2008 in Lafayette, Louisiana by Tiffany Lamson, Taylor Guarisco, Kirby Campbell, Josh LeBlanc, William Henderson, and Nick Stephan.[1] The band members knew one another from high school in Lafayette, where "there's two or three clubs that everybody plays at and supports each other."[2] Guarisco had toured with a zydeco band, while the other future members dabbled in Cajun and jazz music.[3][4] Lamson grew up with gospel music as her parents were pastors, and she sang in their church band.[2][5] The band's earliest origins date to when Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. Lamson had just started her freshman year at the University of New Orleans.[3][5] Guarisco and Lamson were rooming together when the storm hit, leaving them with roughly 15 feet of water in their apartment.[4] With school on hold and nowhere to live, the duo returned home and began making music together and performing at open mic nights.[5] While Lafayette was "suitably anonymous" before the disaster, nearly 30,000 people moved to the city following the tragedy, resulting an "explosion in culture."[4]
Givers came together in 2008, when Lamson and Guarisco recruited Kirby Campbell, Will Henderson and Josh LeBlanc for a two-hour slot at a Lafayette pub.
Mainstream success (2010-2014)
The band recorded their debut album in January 2010 at the "magical, swampy [and] historical" Dockside Studios in
Ra Ra Riot also discovered the band and booked the band for its 2010 tour.[6] The band's performance at the 2010 Austin City Limits festival led to a record deal with Glassnote, who had executives in the audience.[5] Label founder Daniel Glass had run a mile from his train to the venue to catch the performance, and was "mesmerized," later explaining "It was a visceral moment for me. I don't fall in love a lot. The only time this happened to me was when I walked into a brasserie in Paris and I met Phoenix."[6] The band signed to Glassnote Records on February 1, 2011.[8] In 2011, Henderson was replaced by Nick Stephan,[1] and the group released their first full-length album In Light on June 7.[9] On June 13, they performed "Up Up Up", the first single off the album, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[10]
In Light was immensely successful for the young group. Every song from In Light was licensed for usage in film and television,
Recent years (2015–present)
Following three years of touring, the band took a brief break. The group suffered from an identity crisis; Guarisco admitted to "a few months of losing perspective on what we thought we were." They regrouped to work on their second album, New Kingdom, which saw release in November 2015. It was crafted over eighteen months at various studios in New Orleans, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.[12] Guarisco interpreted the sophomore album as more experimental, lacking traditional pop structures found on early efforts.[11] Marcy Donelson from AllMusic found the LP "ebullient" and "thoughtful,"[13] while a reviewer for Rolling Stone (Australia) viewed it as "overstuffed", leaving the listener "aurally exhausted."[14]
In 2018, Glassnote issued the band's latest release, the Movin' On
Musical style and influences
The sound of Givers has been described as a combination of world music and indie rock.
The group were influenced by Dirty Projectors,[2] as well as Talking Heads.[16] The group has been compared to Vampire Weekend, Neon Indian, and Local Natives.[4][17][18] "What negates a good comparison and a bad comparison is not really the artist they mention, it's in the way that their face looks when they say it," said Guarisco.[16]
Band members
- Current members
- Tiffany Lamson – vocals, percussion, ukulele (2008–present)
- Taylor Guarisco – vocals, guitar (2008–present)
- Josh LeBlanc – bass guitar, guitar, trumpet (2008–present)
- Touring members
- Former members
- William Henderson – keyboards/synthesizers, samples, organ, flutes (2008–2010)
- Kirby Campbell – drums, samples, percussion (2008–2014)
- Nick Stephan – keyboards/synthesizers, saxophone, samples, organ, flutes (2011–2014)
- Ryan Engelberger - keyboards/synths (2016–2017 touring member)
- Martin Diller – drums, samples, percussion (2016–2017 touring member)
Discography
Studio albums
- In Light (2011)
- New Kingdom (2015)
Extended plays
- Givers EP (2009)
- Movin On EP (2018)
References
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ a b c d e Hermione Hoby (July 2, 2011). "Givers: 'We simply imagined the best'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c Paul Lester (June 7, 2011). "New band of the day – No 1,038: Givers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Andy Pareti (March 21, 2010). "Cover Feature: Givers". Soundcheck. pp. 22–27. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chris Martins (August 14, 2011). "Breaking Out: Givers". Spin. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ Gambit. Archived from the originalon October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- This is Fake DIY. Archived from the originalon October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "Glassnote Signs GIVERS". Glassnote Music blog. February 1, 2011.
- ^ "GIVERS announce debut album, 'In Light'". Glassnote Music blog. April 21, 2011.
- ^ "Givers perform 'Up Up Up'". Late Night with Jimmy Fallon blog. June 14, 2011
- ^ a b c Wirt, John (August 27, 2018). "No Parlor Tricks: Givers Remains A Working-Class Band". OffBeat. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Wirt, John (January 7, 2016). "Givers finds a 'New Kingdom'". The Advocate. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "New Kingdom - GIVERS". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Review of New Kingdom Archived 2017-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, Rolling Stone (Australia)
- Alternative Press. June 7, 2011. Archived from the originalon October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ a b Ilana Kaplan (2011). "Givers Head Up, Up, Up". Interview. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- Press Register. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- Allmusic. Archived from the originalon June 9, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
External links
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