tUB rING

Bio:

One thing that far too many bands try to accomplish (before they've even plugged in an instrument), is deciding on a direction in which to take their music. Stating your mission, and declaring your 'sound’ -before you've even explored what you're sonically capable of - is not something that should be thrown around so carelessly. Yet, in the quick-fix driven world we live in, you'd do well to just pick a genre, take a number and wait your turn. It's obvious that TUB RING didn't get that memo.

Chicago, IL's Tub Ring defies any easy categorization, but it’s just that quality that makes legions of fans move heaven and earth to witness their live shows and to stalk message boards awaiting word of new musical output. The past year, however, has found the band to be peculiarly quiet. Foregoing their typically busy touring schedule, and instead opting to write and record their fifth full-length, SECRET HANDSHAKES, due out August 31st, 2010 on The End Records, Tub Ring have only surfaced to offer information on a need to know basis.

On their new record, Tub Ring's vivid and colorful compositions mix the elements of rock and the synth driven 'big beat manifesto,' with those of an orchestra pit. The songs are backed by a rhythm section comprised of marching-band-nerds-packing-heat in the form of marimbas, bells, timpani and the rest of the percussion auxiliary. Out front are a guitarist and keyboardist, busily lilting and lacing the songs together as if Josh Homme had ventured towards Radiohead's brainy textures. Fronted by a singer ruminating over the decrees of science and the human condition, and delivered anywhere between crooning and barking orders like Jello Biafra still had a pulpit from which to preach...it's no wonder that one listen to Tub Ring alerts the ears and brains to something deeper, something more than the atypical rock agenda.

Dedicating themselves to the studio for an extended period of time didn’t come without its sacrifices, though. Vocalist Kevin Gibson says, “Surviving while recording this album was no small feat, with all of us taking odd jobs. Somehow I found myself driving a death metal band around the country through frozen, wind tunnel, tundra’s of western Canada, back into the blizzards of Midwest America. We've paid more than our share of rock dues, and now it's our turn.”

Renowned for a live show that teeters on the edge of utter calamity, Tub Ring’s performances are the equivalent of a live action Rube Goldberg device. Complete with bells, whistles and bodies flying far and wide, their spectacle has engrossed countless numbers across the U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe.

While an extensive and rigorous touring regimen has allowed the band to exercise their craft, cutting their teeth alongside such acts as: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Clutch, The Birthday Massacre, Dub Trio, Foxy Shazam, and Mindless Self Indulgence (to name but a few), Tub Ring have even found time to infiltrate the mainstream. With appearances on MTV/MTV2, XBOX 360, and as the soundtrack to Mountain Dew's various extreme sports endeavors, their specialized brand of rock proves it can't be ignored.

Tub Ring's personnel have crafted an album that is as loud as it is fun, uncovered new territory and bested the lines they've already blurred. Sights and sounds to behold, the offering of Secret Handshakes is your invitation into a world of deceit, paranoia, and quite possibly the end of the world.

Don't fret, you won't be alone.















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Member Since:

November 21, 2003

Members:

Kevin Gibson
Trevor Erb
Rob Kleiner

Influences:

Sounds Like:

Somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

Record Label:

The End Records

Label Type:

Indie