The Sour Notes
Encyclopedia
The Sour Notes are an American
independent rock band.
Based in Austin, Texas
, The Sour Notes consists of members Jared Boulanger, Chris Page, Amarah Ulghani, Elaine Greer & Andrew Stevens. They are known for experimenting in many different musical genres accompanied by female guest vocalists.
, opening for We Are Scientists at the Official SXSWi Closing Party and Daniel Johnston's only Austin, TX show that summer. The band spent a majority of 2010 performing with new members Amarah Ulghani, Kelly DeWitt, Erin Mikulenka and Taylor Steinberg, playing over 60 shows in and around the US that year, including the Free Press Summer Fest
in Houston, Pitter Patter Fest in Toronto and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. At the turn of 2011, The Sour Notes toured the East Coast, released 7-inch single Hot Pink Flares and their 4th album Last Looks in early February, which featured orchestral pop band Mother Falcon who performed on the album. In March 2011, The Sour Notes were invited to play at the 35 Conferette in Denton, Texas
and the 2011 NXNE Music Festival in Toronto. The band are set to release a split 7-inch record with fellow Austin band, Marmalakes in January 2012, followed by their 5th album "Do What May".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
independent rock 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...
, The Sour Notes consists of members Jared Boulanger, Chris Page, Amarah Ulghani, Elaine Greer & Andrew Stevens. They are known for experimenting in many different musical genres accompanied by female guest vocalists.
History
The Sour Notes formed initially as the moniker for singer/songwriter Jared Boulanger's solo recording project while living in Houston, Texas. Upon finishing what would later be his debut album The Meat of the Fruit in 2008, Boulanger then asked long-time friend Chris Page to join him in creating a performing band in Austin. There, they met drummer Travis Hackett and bassist Brandi Dipietro through mutual friends and recorded their first collaborative effort, second album Received in Bitterness in 2009. After a brief East Coast tour in support of the album, the band recorded 7-inch single, Never Mix, Never Worry which displayed a new direction for The Sour Notes' characteristically evolving sound. Later that year, multi-instrumentalist Elaine Greer joined the band during the recording of their third album It's Not Gonna Be Pretty which was released in January 2010 to much critical acclaim. Following a 2-week tour in support of the album, The Sour Notes were selected as an official showcasing artist at the 2010 SXSW Music FestivalSouth 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...
, opening for We Are Scientists at the Official SXSWi Closing Party and Daniel Johnston's only Austin, TX show that summer. The band spent a majority of 2010 performing with new members Amarah Ulghani, Kelly DeWitt, Erin Mikulenka and Taylor Steinberg, playing over 60 shows in and around the US that year, including the Free Press Summer Fest
Free Press Summer Fest
The Free Press Summer Fest is an annual two-day music festival held in Houston, Texas at Buffalo Bayou's Eleanor Tinsley Park. The third annual event featured more than 160 national and local acts on eight stages and took place June 4-5, 2011 with an estimated 50,000 in attendance...
in Houston, Pitter Patter Fest in Toronto and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. At the turn of 2011, The Sour Notes toured the East Coast, released 7-inch single Hot Pink Flares and their 4th album Last Looks in early February, which featured orchestral pop band Mother Falcon who performed on the album. In March 2011, The Sour Notes were invited to play at the 35 Conferette in Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
and the 2011 NXNE Music Festival in Toronto. The band are set to release a split 7-inch record with fellow Austin band, Marmalakes in January 2012, followed by their 5th album "Do What May".
Albums
| Release date | Title | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 17, 2011 | Last Looks | CD | Self-released |
| January 1, 2010 | It's Not Gonna Be Pretty | CD | Self-released |
| January 1, 2009 | Received in Bitterness | CD | Self-released |
| May 24, 2008 | The Meat of the Fruit | CD | Self-released |
Singles
| Release date | Title | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| January, 2012 | Wait / White | Split 7-inch | No Play Music |
| December 31, 2010 | Hot Pink Flares / Psych Thrill | 7-inch | Self-released |
| September 11, 2009 | Never Mix, Never Worry / Rose Puzzles | 7-inch | Self-released |
Compilations
| Release date | Song | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| March, 2011 | As Crude As Watercolor (From the album, Last Looks, 2011) | CD | RethinkPopMusic SXSW Sampler 2011 |
| June, 2009 | Holy Terror (From the album, Received in Bitterness, 2009) | CD | Filter Magazine / Landmark Music Summer 2009 |
| March, 2009 | Double Negative (From the album, Received in Bitterness, 2009) | CD | Soda Pop Sounds: Star Fruit Comp |
| March, 2009 | Weak at Heart (From the album, The Meat of the Fruit, 2008) | CD | Austin Sound - Sound Advice Vol. III: Starry Eyes |
| March, 2009 | Weak at Heart (From the album, The Meat of the Fruit, 2008) | CD | Filter Magazine / Landmark Music Fall 2008 |
Videography
| Release date | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| July, 2010 | A Cute Little Ruin (From the album, It's Not Gonna Be Pretty, 2010) | Eric Morales |
| November, 2009 | Psychological Thriller (From the album, Received in Bitterness, 2009) | Paul Raila |
| December, 2008 | Is It Happening? (From the album, Received in Bitterness, 2009) | Jared Boulanger |
Trivia
- Passages from Paul Éluard'sPaul ÉluardPaul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
Capitale de la Douleur were sampledSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
on the song 'Your Pretty Sphinx Voice' from the 1965 Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
film Alphaville. - The Sour Notes' fascination with cinema history is apparent by their use of film-related song titles and lyrics. For example: Song 'One Word Emotions', taken from Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 film 'Pierrot le FouPierrot le fouPierrot le fou is a 1965 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo. The film is based on Obsession, a novel by Lionel White. It was Jean-Luc Godard's tenth feature film, released between Alphaville and Masculin, féminin...
', Song 'The Distant Knell' from Ingmar Bergman'sIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
1957 film 'The Seventh SealThe Seventh SealThe Seventh Seal is a 1957 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death , who has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play...
', Song 'Never Mix, Never Worry' from Mike Nichols'Mike NicholsMike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
1966 film 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1966 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is an adaptation of the play of the same title by Edward Albee...
', song 'Hot Here Under the Roof' from Ingmar Bergman's 1968 film 'Hour of the WolfHour of the WolfHour of the Wolf is a 1968 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. It combines elements of the film drama, surrealist film and horror film.-Plot:...
', song 'Last Looks' from Quentin Tarantino'sQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
2004 film 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2Kill BillKill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
'. - The song 'Leslie Burke' is named after a character from the novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine PatersonKatherine PatersonKatherine Paterson is an American author of children's novels. She wrote Bridge to Terabithia and has received several of the major international awards for children's literature.- Early life:...
. - The Sour Notes have been known to cover Beyoncé'sBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
song 'Halo', The RonettesThe RonettesThe Ronettes were a 1960s girl group from New York City, best known for their work with producer Phil Spector. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett ; her older sister, Estelle Bennett; and their cousin Nedra Talley...
song 'When I Saw You' and Jawbreaker'sJawbreaker (band)Jawbreaker was an American punk rock band active from 1986 to 1996 and considered one of the most influential acts of the early-1990s emo movement...
'Accident Prone' during live performances.