Geographer (Band)
Encyclopedia
Geographer are an American
Indie Rock
band based in San Francisco, California
. The band formed in 2008 and consists of Michael Deni (vocals, guitars, synthesizers), Nathan Blaz (cello, synthesizers) and Brian Ostreicher (drums, vocals).
They have described their sound as being "soulful music from outer space" using analog, electronic and acoustic elements to craft dense layers and unique sound textures.
The band have released a studio album (Innocent Ghosts in 2008), one EP (Animal Shapes in 2010) and a 7" single (Kites in 2009)
to escape strife within his family, and after finding a synthesizer on the street, he began to channel his experiences into the songs that would become Innocent Ghosts. Blaz and Ostreicher originally met while attending the Berklee College of Music
before moving to San Francisco. The two were introduced to Deni who was playing open mic nights at a local venue.
On August 17th 2008, the band released their first full length Innocent Ghosts independently and began playing around the Bay Area. The released garnered local and national attention as Spin Magazine
voted the band 'One of the three undiscovered bands you need to hear now'
The trio signed with local label Tricycle Records, and in December 2009, released a 7" single for the song Kites with a cover of New Order
's 'Age of Consent' as the B-Side.
In 2010 the band followed up the release of the single with the 6-song EP Animal Shapes. The digital-download
version of the record also contained 2 bonus remixes of the songs Kites and Paris. The album received favorable reviews landing the band a 'Best of' award by the SF Weekly
.
In March of 2011 the band signed with NYC-based Modern Art Records.
, Atlas Sound
, Cults
, Voxtrot
, Toro y Moi
, A Place To Bury Strangers
, Asobi Seksu
, Local Natives
, Surfer Blood
, Foster The People
, and OMD
. They have played multiple North American music festivals
as well including Noise Pop
, the Treasure Island Music Festival, the MidPoint Music Festival
, and South by Southwest
in Austin
.
Live, Deni is known to sample and loop his vocals using an Akai
midi controller. During performances Blaz uses an Electric cello
often combined with effects pedals to create unique sounds.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Indie Rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band based in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The band formed in 2008 and consists of Michael Deni (vocals, guitars, synthesizers), Nathan Blaz (cello, synthesizers) and Brian Ostreicher (drums, vocals).
They have described their sound as being "soulful music from outer space" using analog, electronic and acoustic elements to craft dense layers and unique sound textures.
The band have released a studio album (Innocent Ghosts in 2008), one EP (Animal Shapes in 2010) and a 7" single (Kites in 2009)
History
Deni relocated to San Francisco from New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to escape strife within his family, and after finding a synthesizer on the street, he began to channel his experiences into the songs that would become Innocent Ghosts. Blaz and Ostreicher originally met while attending the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
before moving to San Francisco. The two were introduced to Deni who was playing open mic nights at a local venue.
On August 17th 2008, the band released their first full length Innocent Ghosts independently and began playing around the Bay Area. The released garnered local and national attention as Spin Magazine
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
voted the band 'One of the three undiscovered bands you need to hear now'
The trio signed with local label Tricycle Records, and in December 2009, released a 7" single for the song Kites with a cover of New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
's 'Age of Consent' as the B-Side.
In 2010 the band followed up the release of the single with the 6-song EP Animal Shapes. The digital-download
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
version of the record also contained 2 bonus remixes of the songs Kites and Paris. The album received favorable reviews landing the band a 'Best of' award by the SF Weekly
SF Weekly
SF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
.
In March of 2011 the band signed with NYC-based Modern Art Records.
Touring
The band has played and toured with Stars, LadytronLadytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
, Atlas Sound
Atlas Sound
Bradford James Cox is an American musician best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Atlanta, Georgia-based psychedelic and ambient band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound. Cox formed Deerhunter with drummer Moses Archuleta in 2001. The band has released...
, Cults
Cults (band)
Cults is an indie pop band from Manhattan, New York. The band first drew to prominence when they posted a three song EP, Cults 7", on their Bandcamp page.-History:...
, Voxtrot
Voxtrot
Voxtrot was an indie pop band from Austin, Texas, USA. Their first recordings were released in 2003 and their final shows were in June 2010.-Biography:Voxtrot was formed in Austin, Texas by singer/songwriter Ramesh Srivastava in the early 2000s...
, Toro y Moi
Toro Y Moi
Chazwick Bundick better known by his stage name Toro Y Moi, is an American recording artist and producer. His music has taken on many forms since he began recording, but he is often identified with the chillwave movement of summer 2010...
, A Place To Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
, Asobi Seksu
Asobi Seksu
Asobi Seksu is an American dream pop band based in New York City. Their music draws influence from the shoegazing genre as well, and similarly uses a textured and effects-heavy vocal and guitar sound...
, Local Natives
Local Natives
Local Natives are an indie rock band based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, USA. Their debut album, Gorilla Manor, was first released in the UK in November 2009, and later released in the US on February 16, 2010...
, Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood is an indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band has four members: John Paul Pitts , Thomas Fekete , Kevin Williams and Tyler Jerry "TJ" Schwarz .Founding members John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz originally didn't like each other in high...
, Foster The People
Foster the People
Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The group is composed of Mark Foster , Mark Pontius , and Cubbie Fink...
, and OMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
. They have played multiple North American music festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
as well including Noise Pop
Noise pop
Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative rock developed in the mid 1980s in the UK and US, that mixes atonal noise or feedback, or both, with the melodic instrumentation and production elements more often found in pop music, making it more melodic and angst-free than noise rock.-History:Noise pop has...
, the Treasure Island Music Festival, the MidPoint Music Festival
MidPoint Music Festival
MidPoint Music Festival launched in 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as an independent music festival and industry conference. The annual three-day event occurs each Septemberin the city's downtown and historic Over-the-Rhine entertainment district...
, and South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
.
Live, Deni is known to sample and loop his vocals using an Akai
Akai
Akai is a consumer electronics brand, founded by Saburo Akai as , a Japanese manufacturer in 1929. It is now headquartered in Singapore as a subsidiary of Grande Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, which also owns the formerly Japanese brands Nakamichi and Sansui. The Akai brand is now used...
midi controller. During performances Blaz uses an Electric cello
Electric cello
The electric cello is a type of cello that relies on electronic amplification to produce sound. An acoustic cello can be fitted with a bridge or body mounted contact pickup providing an electric signal, or a built-in pickup can be installed...
often combined with effects pedals to create unique sounds.
Song Usage
- "The Morning" was used in the official trailer for the film New York, I Love YouNew York, I Love YouNew York, I Love You is a 2009 romance film released in the United States on October 16, 2009. From the producer of Paris, je t'aime, it stars an ensemble cast, among them Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Anton Yelchin, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Irrfan Khan, Rachel Bilson,...
- "Paris" was sampled in the G-Side track Impossible
- "Kites", "Verona", and "Paris" were featured in Season 2 of MTV'sMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
The Buried LifeThe Buried LifeThe Buried Life is a reality documentary series on MTV. The series features Duncan Penn, Jonnie Penn, Ben Nemtin and Dave Lingwood attempting to complete a list of "100 things to do before you die." The pilot episode aired on January 18, 2010, and the show was renewed for a second season in 2010.... - "Can't You Wait" was featured in Pixar'sPixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
It Gets BetterIt Gets BetterIt Gets Better is an Internet-based project founded in the United States by Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller on September 21, 2010, in response to the suicides of teenagers who were bullied because they were gay or because their peers suspected that they were gay...
campaign video - "Original Sin" was featured in MTV'sMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
AwkwardAwkward. (TV series)Awkward. is an American comedy-drama series which premiered on July 19, 2011 on MTV. The show revolves around the life of 16-year-old Jenna Hamilton , who is struggling with her identity, especially after an accident is misconstrued as a suicide attempt.The show is based on the high school, Palos...
External links
- Geographer on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Geographer on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Geographer on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- Geographer on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Geographer on Modern Art Records
- Geographer on Tricycle Records