Origin Burlington, Vermont Website thestaticage.com | Years active 2002-present | |
 | ||
Genres Post-punk
Alternative
Indie Labels ReIgnition
The Platform Group
Tarantulas Members Andrew Paley
Adam Meilleur
Joe Sowinski | ||
The Static Age are an American post punk band originally from Burlington, Vermont consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. The band's name is taken from the Misfits' long-unreleased first album, though the band's sound owes very little to the Misfits.
Contents
History
The Static Age began playing shows in their hometown in 2002 with original members Paley and Meilleur and others, and they've released a "full-length demo," four albums and a few singles to date. As of 2011, their latest release was "In the City of Wandering Lights," (April 19-26, 2011—LP+Digital download) released on Highwires (US) and Flix Records (Europe). It was the followup to 2009's "i/o" on the same labels.
The band's first major release was 2005's "Neon Nights Electric Lives" (produced by Matt Squire) released on Tarantulas Records/Platform Group/Fontana in March 2005. That album was followed up in 2006 by "Blank Screens" (produced by Birnbaum and Bittner) via ReIgnition Records (the sister label to Law of Inertia magazine). Other prior releases include 2004's "Amphibian" single, 2003's "The Past and Now" single, and 2003's "The Cost of Living" 'full-length demo,' released by the band's own imprint Primary Records and the now defunct Boston-based label Red Dawn Records. More can be read about these releases in the news and records archives at the band's Official website.
Through their exhaustive North American touring schedule 2004-2007, tours across Europe in 2009 and 2011, and favorable attention from both the US and the UK press (many quotes on the band's official website's press section could be labeled as "critical acclaim" 2), the members of the Static Age have carved out a unique place for themselves. Their openly "campy" music videos for "Vertigo" and "Cherry Red" garnered them additional notice when they aired on Fuse and MTVu from 2006 to 2007. In a more surrealistic move, the band launched the "Blank Screens" series of internet videos in December 2007. These videos are available at SeventeenScratches.com and notably do not feature the band at all. The band members also increased their collective influence through their relationship with the short-lived-but-influential Tarantulas Records, and a reputation for being both "art-centric" (a phrase originally used by Tarantulas) and fiercely independent. The band then toured throughout 2006 and 2007 in support of the "Blank Screens" album (playing with bands like Tiger Army, Street Dogs, and Theo and the Skyscrapers).
The Static Age then took a touring hiatus, except for a tour across Europe in 2009, to build a studio space in Brooklyn and work on new material and sideprojects, according to posts on their website 3. Paley then relocated to Chicago in late 2009 to earn a Masters in Journalism at Northwestern University 4, bringing the studio equipment to a new space there and working on a new album with Chicago-based drummer, Joe Sowinski, while sending tapes to Meilleur for collaboration 5.
That album, "In the City of Wandering Lights", was released on LP on April 19, 2011 and digitally on April 26, 2011 via Flix Records in Europe and Highwires in the US 6 and was followed up by another tour across Europe and (pending) US dates 7.
The five-song EP "Mercies" was released in 2012, accompanied by a video for the song "Lady Now." A split single with Germany's Featuring Yourself was released on April 19,2013 in advance of their 2013 European tour 8.
Band members
Past/Touring members
Touring-Only Members