with: Mike Smith bass/voice (1999-2002, 2005-2006) Neil Baldwin drums (1999-2002) Gish guitar (2000-2002) Jonny Steele bass (2002-2003) Simon Cooper drums (2002-2004) Ryan Banwell bass (2004-2005) Simon Chapple drums (2004-2005) Richard Phillips guitar (2005) Laura Kidd bass/voice (2005-2006) Dan Smart drums (2005-2006)
EMOTIONAL JUNKMAIL VIDEO Directed by Dan Fernbach .. width="425" height="350">..>
MY BIG 'L' (Live) Filmed by Chantal Clausnitzer at the Underworld, London, Saturday 29th July 2006 (last ever gig!) .. width="425" height="350">..>
Influences
Guns n Roses, The Clash, Radiohead, Blur, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, dEUS, PJ Harvey, These Animal Men, Velvet Revolver, Jacob's Mouse, Muse, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Suede, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Nine Inch Nails, The Verve, The Stone Roses, Carina Round, The Teardrop Explodes, Graham Coxon, Pearl Jam, Manic Street Preachers, Marion, Green Day, Coldplay, Audioslave, Therapy?, U2, Black Grape, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, The Small Faces, BiS, Cat Power, The Wonder Stuff, Motorhead, Metallica, DIO, Al Green, Rory Gallagher, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Asian Dub Foundation, Leftfield, Tricky, Massive Attack, Beautiful Creatures, Stone Temple Pilots, Monster Magnet, Dirty Americans, Deep Purple, Kingmaker, Feist, Le Tigre, Alice In Chains, Mudhoney, The Siamese Sluts, Tears For Fears, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rainbow, Frank Zappa, Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Scissor Sisters, Happy Mondays, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Kansas, The Charlatans, Jesus And Mary Chain, Beck, Primal Scream, Europe, Becky Jago, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Volunteers, Popular Workshop, Komakino, She Makes War, Jeff Beck, Bloc Party, System of a Down, Supergrass, Supertramp, Oasis, Embrace, Reuben, Kinesis, Rob Zombie, Toots & The Maytals, Take That, Bob Marley, Billy Joel, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Belle & Sebastian, The Libertines, Ride, Pop Will Eat Itself, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Curtis Mayfield, Minor Threat, The Sundays, The Priory, We Start Fires, My Hi-Fi Sister, Chevette, Atari Teenage Riot, Moloko, Elastica, Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr, Idlewild, Sonic Youth, Carter USM
"When the Miss Black America manifesto says ’Let the white noise take you over’ it’s not a command. It’s an acceptance of the inevitability of fate. It’s time to rejoice because music has finally delivered a band that we could quite feasibly fall in love with." - Drownedinsound.com, 2001 "The best voice-to-the-voiceless punks around" - Rock Sound, 2005 "Your new cult heroes... we need Miss Black America" - NME, 2002 "A definite winner... suited to almost anyone who likes modern music" - Zero, 2005
"The Best Band in Britain" - Rolling Stone, 2002 "They have the motivation, they have the tunes, they have the genius factor, they have a magnetic frontman with both eyeliner and ready quips – what can stand in their way? Look out – they’re coming out screaming." - Drownedinsound.com, 2001
***BIOGRAPHY***
Miss Black America formed in the sleepy English town of Bury St Edmunds in October 1999. Influenced as much by the local drum n bass scene, The Stone Roses and dEUS as Manic Street Preachers and The Clash, their sound was a direct reaction to the boredom and frustration of small-town life, which quickly made them rather popular on the East Anglian Axis of Rock (alongside The Dawn Parade, The Exiles, Blue Gandhi, Becky Jago and The Secret Hairdresser).
Debut single, the self-financed Adrenaline Junkie Class-A Mentalist EP, sold out within weeks of release (on local label R*E*P*E*A*T Records) after legendary DJ John Peel began to champion the band on his Radio One show. Over the next couple of years, the band recorded numerous BBC and XFM sessions (for Peel, Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson and John Kennedy), and in 2003 were invited by Peel to play at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Holland.
MBA signed to Integrity Records (home to Million Dead, Reuben and Katastrophy Wife) in 2001, and debut album God Bless Miss Black America won widespread critical praise (Rolling Stone magazine’s Michael Krugman and Jason Cohen voted God Bless... their Album of the Year 2002); all five singles from the album ranked highly in John Peel’s Festive Fifty and live favourite Talk Hard was Virgin Radio Drivetime Single Of The Week.
The band’s hefty touring schedule and close association with Rock Against Racism saw MBA playing high-profile supports with The Libertines, Liars, The Long Blondes, Buzzcocks, The Long Blondes, Engerica, Parkinsons, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Others, Doves, Billy Bragg, Tex La Homa, Cornershop, Alabama 3, The Dears, The Dandy Warhols, Kinesis, Therapy?, Reuben, Antihero (later Pull Tiger Tail), Parva (later The Kaiser Chiefs) and Ms Dynamite.
After a year’s break from touring to write and record, Miss Black America signed to London-based Ruby Slippers Records in August 2005. Following a series of riotous gigs in the capital, new album Terminal once again attracted praise from the UK press, backed up with enthusiastic radio support and more live sessions. The first single from the album, Dot Dot Dot, was Rock Sound magazine’s Single Of The Month, while follow-up Drowning By Numbers was Single Of The Week in The Independent.
Following the release of Emotional Junkmail, the final single to be taken from Terminal, and an accompanying UK tour with We Start Fires, Miss Black America decided to call it a day in July 2006. The band members have all gone on to do lots of other things, although core members singer Seymour and guitarist Mat still see each other far too often, and have never ruled out the possibility of recording together again sometime in the not-too-distant future.
New Radio Show Online -
Ain't No Party Like A Rocklands Party
Recorded at the Rockands Party feat.The Pepys,Heath,The Fairies Band,The Shakes,The Total Drop,Plugs & Blah Blah Blah
I just got reminded that its been 5 years ago since I first saw you, aaawww those were the days, I still have the poster that Seymour signed and wrote 'keep hold of this as one day it will be worth literally loads of pieces' well im a bit in the red so can you hurry up :P just kidding
Much Love
Kesh
x
CRYSTAL CASTLES will be making a special instore appearance at Vintageville on Thurs 17th May at 5pm prior to their exclusive gig at Ku Bar on the night. NOT TO BE MISSED
Just letting you know that advance tickets for the SKA Burlesque featuring Roddy Radiation (the Specials) & His Skabilly Rebels, at Dirty South on the 11th May are available for £5 each from Ticketweb on Orderline: 08700 600 100 or online at: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=altdj
Tickets can be purchased in advanced from www.wegottickets.com for both shows, just click on the flyer and it will take you straight to the site. Not only will there be giveaways on the door but there will be various other surprises through out the night, so get your tickets now!
Hey how's it going? to thank everyone for their support recently, if you go to indiestore you can download all our tracks for free for a very limited period , please go and help yourself its just our way of saying thanks and if you copy the code for the player you can put that on your myspace so all your mates can get em for free too , weve got loads of gigs coming up , a tour and a new single in june so keep checking back , love and smiles gaz ric & chris
We've been recording some new tracks with our recent member Matt on piano/vocals, if you have a moment please listen to one of our new tracks at http://www.roadtov.com/profile/15499
