- Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
-
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's 
Background information Origin Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Genres Indie rock, folk, chamber pop Years active 2005–present Labels Mariel Recording Company Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating SPIN 
[1]Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Their style has been described as "cinematic chamber pop" that "both the casual music fan and music perfectionist will enjoy". The most recent album, "Buzzard", leans more in a rock direction, abandoning many of the orchestral instruments that defined their originating sound.[2]
Contents
Origin
Richard Edwards was in a band during his college years called Archer Avenue (named after the street where the characters in The Royal Tenenbaums lived). The band self-released the album I Was An Astronaut in 2004. Before Archer Avenue, Edwards fronted the band Joey Hamilton.
Andy Fry was in The Academy [1] before joining forces with Edwards to form Margot in 2004. He is also an engineer and producer, and a partner in Indianapolis recording studio Queensize. His brother is drummer Chris Fry, also formerly of The Academy. The Academy was previously known as Smart Milk, starting in late 1997 Bloomington, IN. Both are graduates of North Central High School in Indianapolis, and Indiana University, located in Bloomington, IN.[2]
Emily Watkins graduated from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana in May 2005 with a B.A. in English. Tyler Watkins attended Ball State University and Full Sail Real World Education. Emily and Tyler, although sharing the same last name, are not related by blood or marriage. Tyler Watkins is the primary producer, with assistance from Fry, of the Margot recordings.
Cellist Jesse Lee and percussionist Casey Tennis have been friends and musical collaborators since childhood growing up in Greencastle, Indiana. The two, along with Tyler and Andy, also play in the pop-punk band Pravada.
Violin/lap steel player Erik Kang met the band while performing in St. Louis, with his previous band, Tiara (named after Wes Anderson's niece). He graduated from The Ohio State University, a school to which he later returned to participate in an English class' analysis/video conference with lead singer, Richard Edwards.
Band formation
According to their website, Edwards (vocals, guitars, bells, synth, melodica, banjo, percussion) and Fry (guitars, bass, synth, lap steel, melodica, banjo, percussion) met in a pet store. From there they struck up a friendship and formed the band. Though the group at one point (Daytrotter Sessions/ Animal!/ Not Animal) employed the talents of eight members, only three of those remain involved in the group.
Margot employs the talents of Kenny Childers (guest vocals), Hubert Glover (trumpet) and LonPaul Ellrich (various percussion). Originally signed by indie label Standard Recording Company, based in Indianapolis, Margot re-released their first album, The Dust of Retreat, on New York City's Artemis Records. Artemis' parent company (Sheridan Square Entertainment) recently purchased V2 Records North America, an international record label which owns the rights to bands like The White Stripes, Grandaddy, Bloc Party and Moby.
Releases
Two Margot full lengths were released on Oct. 7, 2008 - Animal! (named after Wes Anderson's favorite Muppet) and Not Animal (CD, vinyl, and online download). All releases were by Epic Records. Four intimate live recordings of Margot songs, two of which are exclusively on Animal! and not on Not Animal, are available for free download on Daytrotter's site.
There were delays in the release of Margot's second full length due to disagreements between the band and Epic records regarding the song selection of the album. Animal! is Margot's preferred version of their second full-length, while Not Animal is Epic's. Five songs appear on both releases (there are 12 tracks on each album). On their Myspace page, the band has said they would like fans to listen to Animal first. The band was the featured musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in November 2008.
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s released their third album, Buzzard, on September 21, 2010 via Mariel Recordings, their own label with distribution through Redeye. The album features many Chicago musicians and friends of the band, including Tim Rutili (Califone, Red Red Meat, Califone), Joe Adamik, Cameron McGill, Katie Todd, Brian Deck (Red Red Meat, producer) and Ronnie Kwasman.
Discography
Studio Albums
- The Dust of Retreat (2006)
- Not Animal (2008)
- Animal! (2008)
- Buzzard (2010)
- Rot Gut, Domestic Produced by John Congleton (2012)
Singles & EPs
- Broadripple Is Burning/Holy Cow 7" (2006)
- Brand New Key/Jesus Christ Blues 7" (2008)
- The Daytrotter Sessions EP (2008)
- Birds/Bubbleprick 7" (2010)
- Happy Hour at Spriggs(Volume one) EP(2011)
Members
- Richard Edwards - vocals, guitar
- Tyler Watkins - bass, vocals
- Erik Kang - violin, lap steel, guitar
- Brian Deck - drums
- Chris Fry - drums
- Ronnie Kwasman - guitar
- Cameron McGill- keyboards, vocals, harmonica
- Gary Vermillion - more drums [3]
Former
- Andy Fry - guitar, vocals
- Emily Watkins - keyboards, vocals
- Hubert Glover - trumpet, tambourine
- Jesse Lee - cello
- Casey Tennis - auxiliary percussion
Accolades
- XM Radio - Top 3 Unsigned Artists of 2005
- Audiolunchbox.com - #6 - Top Albums of 2005
- Marquee Magazine - #1 Show of 2005 (for their work at the South Park Music Festival)
- Spin Magazine's Who's Next for 2008
References
- ^ http://www.spin.com/reviews/margot-and-nuclear-so-and-sos-buzzard-mariel
- ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "The Dust of Retreat". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r815216. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Margot-the-Nuclear-So-and-Sos/110817058938538?ref=ts
External links
Categories:- American indie rock groups
- Musical groups from Indianapolis, Indiana
- Musical groups established in 2005
- V2 Records artists
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
