Conception of the Instant Winner sound started with the release of the Yellow No. 5 EP (Jan 1999) by a trio of friends from Jr. High School. After meeting some horn players in High School and gaining some show experience and beginning to quickly develop a following, the band was forced to changed its name to Instant Winner. Packing out all-ages shows, they sold all 1000 copies of their first LP Instant Winner (Feb 2000). Local college station 88.9 FM KGRG picked up on it immediately. Word spread fast. Shows continued to pack out. Merchandise sales doubled. After release of the self-produced and recorded Cease & Desist (March 2001) the shows just got bigger. They soon played the Ernie Ball Stage at Warped Tour and have opened for many national touring acts. Some of which include: Sum 41, Sugarcult, Static-X, The Vandals, Millencolin, H2O, The Mad Caddies, Mest, The Ataris, Rx Bandits, Five Iron Frenzy, The Long Beach Short Bus, and Goldfinger.
Instant Winner’s last full-length Free For All (May 2002) is filled with anthems, sing-a-longs, and experimentation. These songs pack a punch. They are passionate and intimate while still maintaining an edge. Upon its release, Free For All charted on Seattle’s alternative newspaper - The Stranger’s “NW Top 20” list, peaking at 8. After a short hiatus in the fall of 2003, the band returned in the Summer of 2004 with a slight lineup change and a reformed agenda to have fun and make music that they all enjoy.
The band's fourth and pinnacle release "Thirteen Times" was just released (Oct 2007), and the 5 years since their last release have proven they’ve been busy developing their sound - now the perfect combination of their trademark high-energy punch, with a mature new stage obvious in the songwriting. This is amazingly melodic, classically rock-driven powerpop at it’s finest.
The word of the day is perseverance, something I'd be willing to bet you got a lot of. If you run across a naysayer, tell 'em to go back under the rock they crawled out from!
Hey guys... So DC is VERY hot and VERY muggy but it's great here! I just wanted to drop by and say hello! I miss you guys like crazy and wish you the best of luck in all that's to come. I must say that when I come home for Christmas time WE HAVE TO GET TOGETHER AND PLAY!!! I miss jammin!
Glad I could make it to the show last night. It's the end of an era, but I'm still excited to see what comes in the future. Love always, Steph the Merch Girl
