Birdmonster
Encyclopedia
Birdmonster is an American
rock
band
based in San Francisco, California
.
and former editorial assistant at Wired
, formed Birdmonster in 2004 with three other local San Francisco musicians: childhood friends bassist
Justin Tenuto and guitar
ist David Klein
, and drum
mer Zach Winter.
The band began by playing live shows, initially booking performances by offering to fill in opening act slots. They also courted Internet radio
stations, like San Francisco's BagelRadio.com, whose owner convinced a booker to give the band its first high-visibility show, opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
.
sampler, which attracted music industry attention. The band received several offers for recording contracts and distribution, but turned them all down. Arcuni explained that "the numbers (risk vs. reward) didn't add up."
The band decided to self-release their debut album, No Midnight, hiring producer Bradley Cook, who had previously worked with Foo Fighters
and Queens of the Stone Age
. The album reportedly cost $15,000 to record. It was initially distributed through CD Baby
, but was later distributed through SpinART
. The band toured the United States and Canada in support of the album.
. On August 5, 2008, the band released their follow-up album, From the Mountain to the Sea. The album was released digitally by Fader Label
via iTunes
and Amazon
and will be in stores on September 2, 2008. The album was produced and engineered by Tom Schick, who has also worked with Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, and Rufus Wainwright.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
based in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Early years
Peter Arcuni, a native of ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and former editorial assistant at Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, formed Birdmonster in 2004 with three other local San Francisco musicians: childhood friends bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Justin Tenuto and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist David Klein
David Klein
David Klein is the name of:* David Klein , American artist* David Klein , former governor of the Bank of Israel...
, and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer Zach Winter.
The band began by playing live shows, initially booking performances by offering to fill in opening act slots. They also courted Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
stations, like San Francisco's BagelRadio.com, whose owner convinced a booker to give the band its first high-visibility show, opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is an American indie rock group based in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was self-released in 2005.-History:...
.
EP and No Midnight
The band released their self-titled EP in December 2004 and used proceeds from its sales to tour the United States. In the summer of 2005, David Klein paid $500 to include "Resurrection Song" on a Magnet magazineMagnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
sampler, which attracted music industry attention. The band received several offers for recording contracts and distribution, but turned them all down. Arcuni explained that "the numbers (risk vs. reward) didn't add up."
The band decided to self-release their debut album, No Midnight, hiring producer Bradley Cook, who had previously worked with Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
and Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
. The album reportedly cost $15,000 to record. It was initially distributed through CD Baby
CD Baby
CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...
, but was later distributed through SpinART
SpinART Records
spinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
. The band toured the United States and Canada in support of the album.
From the Mountain to the Sea
In early 2008, the band began recording material for their new album at Hyde Street Studios in the TenderloinTenderloin, San Francisco, California
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
. On August 5, 2008, the band released their follow-up album, From the Mountain to the Sea. The album was released digitally by Fader Label
Fader Label
Fader Label is a record label out of New York City, New York. It was founded in 2002 and is operated by media and marketing company Cornerstone Promotions, an outlet of The Fader Magazine. After years of releasing compilations, FADER Label has also started to release original music...
via iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and Amazon
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 is an online music store owned and operated by Amazon.com. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from the four major music labels , as well as many independents...
and will be in stores on September 2, 2008. The album was produced and engineered by Tom Schick, who has also worked with Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, and Rufus Wainwright.
Hangin' Out on E Street
In late 2008, as part of the Hangin' Out on E Street series, the band recorded a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Promised Land".External links
- Official website
- MySpace profile
- Interview from Hate Something Beautiful
- Birdmonster live on WOXY.com, June 16, 2006