The Black and White Years
Encyclopedia
The Black and White Years are an indie art rock
band based in Austin, Texas
. Formed in 2006, the band consists of Scott Butler, Landon Thompson and John Aldridge. Scott, Landon, and John met while attending college in Nashville, Tennessee
. Billy Potts joined the band in January 2008 after their debut album had already been recorded.
The band was discovered at SXSW in 2007 by Talking Heads
and Modern Lovers member, Jerry Harrison
. Harrison offered to produce the band's debut LP at his personal studio in Sausalito, CA and it was released in 2008. Since then, they've played festivals such as CMJ Music Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest
, Austin City Limits Music Festival
, MIDEM
, Wireless Festival
. The band’s song, “Power to Change,” has received a fair amount of national attention via modern rock and college stations. "Power to Change" was awarded Song of the Year at the 2009 Austin Music Awards. The band received a total of five honors including Best New Band, Best Bassist and Best Rock Band.
They released the follow-up to their Jerry Harrison
(Talking Heads
and Modern Lovers) produced debut on November 16, 2010. Also, in 2010 their song "To Modern Science" was used in a notable hoax featuring a fake commercial for the next generation of Apple's iPhone
; the fake ad accumulated close to a million views across the internet.
Singles
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Formed in 2006, the band consists of Scott Butler, Landon Thompson and John Aldridge. Scott, Landon, and John met while attending college in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Billy Potts joined the band in January 2008 after their debut album had already been recorded.
The band was discovered at SXSW in 2007 by Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and Modern Lovers member, Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
. Harrison offered to produce the band's debut LP at his personal studio in Sausalito, CA and it was released in 2008. Since then, they've played festivals such as CMJ Music Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest is an annual music festival held in Austin, Texas. Started in 2006, the festival brings together many progressive and underground musicians with a focus on indie rock, punk rock/hardcore, and hip hop/DJ....
, Austin City Limits Music Festival
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
, MIDEM
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
, Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival
The Wireless Festival is a music festival in England that takes place every year in Hyde Park, London, and took place at Harewood House, Leeds in 2006 and 2007. It is owned and managed by Live Nation....
. The band’s song, “Power to Change,” has received a fair amount of national attention via modern rock and college stations. "Power to Change" was awarded Song of the Year at the 2009 Austin Music Awards. The band received a total of five honors including Best New Band, Best Bassist and Best Rock Band.
They released the follow-up to their Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
(Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and Modern Lovers) produced debut on November 16, 2010. Also, in 2010 their song "To Modern Science" was used in a notable hoax featuring a fake commercial for the next generation of Apple's iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
; the fake ad accumulated close to a million views across the internet.
Members
- Scott Butler - vocals, guitars, keys, words
- Landon Thompson - guitars, keys, vocals
- John Aldridge - bass, brass
- Billy Potts - drums
Discography
Albums and EPs- Patterns LP (CD, 2010) The Black and White Years, LLC
- Nursery Myths EP (CD, 2009) The Black and White Years, LLC
- The Black And White Years LP (CD, 2008) Brando
- Real! In Color! EP (CD-R, 2006) self-released
Singles
- "Up!" (2010) The Black and White Years, LLC
- "Power to Change" (2008) Brando - #7 on Austin's KROX-FMKROX-FMKROX-FM, aka 101X, is an alternative rock terrestrial radio station in Austin, Texas, United States.-History:101X signed on as "Austin's New Rock Alternative" on June 8, 1995....
, #1 on Albany's WEQXWEQXWEQX is an FM radio station located at 102.7 MHz and broadcasting from Manchester, Vermont, USA at 1250 watts with an effective radiated power output of 50,000 watts . Their tower is located on nearby Equinox Mountain...
Press reviews
- XL Entertainment cover story
- Austin Music and Entertainment cover story
- Austin Sound interview
- The Austin Chronicle
External links
- Austin Music Awards
- The Black and White Years (official site)
- Shiner 12oz Stories