Kels Koch - Guitar, Vocals
Hayden Poynter - Bass, Backing Vocals
And, on drums, depending on who's in town and/or the country at the moment and who's up for a gig and/or a session:
AJ Schaefer
Shannon Edens
Sarah Clark
And let's not forget the Austin line-up, when Kels was joined by:
Wayne Decker - Bass, Backing Vocals
Jennifer Lueckemeyer - Hand Percussion, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Paul Kauppila - Snare Drum
And now in Chicago, Shannon & Kels will be joined by:
Jesse Woelfel - Bass
Bobby Rivera - Guitar & Pedal Steel
Influences
Elvis, Scotty and Bill
The Velvet Underground
Chuck Berry
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Jerry Lee Lewis
Wanda Jackson
Gene Vincent
Eddie Cochran
Carl Perkins
The Johnny Burnette Trio
Buddy Holly/The Crickets
The Bobby Fuller Four
The Clash
The Carter Family
Johnny Cash
Johnny Horton
Otis Redding
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Kinks
Bo Diddley
Billie Holiday
Big Star/Alex Chilton
The Flying Burrito Bros./Gram Parsons
The Collins Kids
Ronnie Dawson
Bing Day
Curtis Gordon
Lew Williams
Nick Lowe/Rockpile
The Ramones
The Replacements
X
Marshall Crenshaw
Squeeze
The Jam
The Undertones
The Buzzcocks
The Beach Boys
Little Richard
Bill Haley & His Comets
Stax/Volt
Motown
Phil Spector
The Sonics
The Byrds
Love
The 13th Floor Elevators
The Easybeats
Link Wray
The Who
The Zombies
. . . and about a thousand others, but these are probably our most audiable influences (much as we may love ABBA, the Everly Brothers, Gang Of Four, the Go-Go's, Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, and Francis Albert Sinatra, they probably aren't noticably detectable in our sound - yet). Suffice to say, if it's creaky ol' Blues and Hillbilly stuff from the '20's and '30's, R&B/Jump Blues/Boogie Woogie from the 40's and '50's, original era Rockabilly and Garage Rock, Surf, Girl Group, '60's Pop and Soul, or Punk/New Wave era rave-up's and whatnot, then WE DIG IT, and it's probably in the mix somewhere.
Sounds Like
A rockabilly version of the 1969 Velvets plowing through "Get Happy!!".
Kinda.
Or maybe Chuck Berry crashing the sessions for "Beatles For Sale."
No. . . wait. . . how 'bout Chilton, Westerberg, and Strummer ganging up on "The Gilded Palace Of Sin" and "East Side Story" at 706 Union. . . or Clovis. . ?
I don't know. . . we sound like SOMETHIN'. . .
Download our albums, "Million Sellers' Golden Records" and "You Can't Spell Abandonment Without A Band" from I-Tunes, emusic, Napster, and Rhapsody!
Originally formed in Austin, TX, the Million Sellers (guitarist/vocalist Kels Koch, bassist Wayne Decker, Paul Kauppila on snare drum, and Jennifer Lueckemeyer on tambourine, maraccas, background vocals and occasional rhythm guitar) came together in 1994 in an attempt to stage a one-band rock'n'roll coup dubbed (somewhat out of desperation) as Minimalist Rockabilly Pop. Basically dissatisfied with where rock'n'roll had ended up after such a glorious beginning, yet not wanting to simply cave in to the preciousness of most retro-oriented outfits, the Million Sellers offered up their own option - one that merged the primal thump of '50's rock with the scratchy grit of '60's pop and soul, all filtered through the punk energy of the band's teenage idols. Hoping to win over converts from the diametrically opposed local indie and roots rock scenes, the Million Sellers ironically enough ended up alienating purists on both sides of the fence - being either too pop for the roots crowd, or too twangy for the indie kids. Others' ears and minds were more open, however, and over the next three years, the group became a formidable fixture on the Austin scene, gigging with other local stalwarts as Spoon, Death Valley, and the Damnations.
The Austin line-up ended up releasing two 4-song 7" EP's on their own Wanda Records imprint {1995's "Tequila Helps You Swim" (Wanda 209) and 1996's "You Don't Have To Worry About Affection" (Wanda 210)} and landed tracks on a half-dozen compilation CD's, including the 1995 volume of Mel Shredder's "Shreds" series and two comps out of Sweden: Jerker Emanuelson's "Fireworks" and Stefan Johansson's "Pop Under The Surface."
By 1997, however, the group had run its course, and with Austin's cost of living on the rise, Kels hit the Road To Nashville. After taking a couple years off, by the top of the decade the songs were starting to come again, and it wasn't long before the itch to perform returned as well. After inflicting bass playin' co-worker Hayden Poynter with a bad case of Rockabilly Fever and hypnotizing friend Sarah Clark into giving the snare drum a try, a new Million Sellers rose from the ashes in 2006 to once again force its unique musical vision upon an unsuspecting public. Shannon Edens and A.J. Schaefer have also recently manned the drummer's stool in the Nashville incarnation of the group.
Pick up your copy of Catch That Rockabilly Fever today.
Makes the perfect Christmas gift. For U.S. customers, you can buy it at www.mcfarlandpub.com for $39.95 plus $5 shipping or Amazon.com for
$35.95. Outside of the U.S.,
Amazon.com
is your best bet for the lowest price in shipping. You may also order it from
your local bookstore.
I was guest host in Bop Street radio show this week and your song 'Pretty girls get away with murder' was played, now you can listen here, hope you like it, cheers!
No worries, Galveston is kickin' more than ever. We took a few hits, lost the Balenese but gained the Voodoo Lounge and the wall stands strong. (think they finished it in 11) plenty a gigs down here too. If you're ever down this way, give us a shout.
Online Now!
