The Killers (band)

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Image:Killers logo.jpg
Image:The Killlers.jpg
The Killers on stage in Mexico on 19 October 2006
Background information
Origin Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Genre(s) Rock, post-punk revival, alternative rock
Years active 2002 – present
Label(s) Island, Vertigo, Marrakesh /Lizard King
Website TheKillersMusic.com

The Killers Bebo Page
The Killers MySpace

Members
Brandon Flowers
Dave Keuning
Mark Stoermer
Ronnie Vannucci Jr.

The Killers is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada most famous for their hit singles "Somebody Told Me," "Mr. Brightside," "When You Were Young," and "Read My Mind." Formed in 2002 and made up of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., (drums, percussion), they released their debut album, Hot Fuss, in 2004. Their second album, Sam's Town, was released in early October 2006. The compilation album Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, was released on November 12, 2007. Their first two albums to date have sold in excess of 11,000,000 copies.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Before The Killers

The future band mates had diverse occupations before forming The Killers. Brandon Flowers, who had dropped out of college, was a bellhop for a while at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Dave Keuning, who was originally from Pella, Iowa, dropped out of Kirkwood Community College, then the University of Iowa, and finally moved to Las Vegas in January 2002. He worked there at a Banana Republic store with successful indie film director Ivan Shclomovich and Dean (c), stating that it was a terrible job. He finally quit when a new manager was appointed who wouldn't allow Dave to listen to music in the back room. Mark Stoermer worked as a medical courier, delivering various medical supplies while studying philosophy at UNLV. Ronnie Vannucci was a student of classical percussion at UNLV to become a teacher and worked as a photographer at the Little Chapel of the Flowers and as a pedicab driver at the Desert Passage mall inside the Aladdin Hotel.[1]

[edit] Formation and early success

In 2001, Flowers was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a synth pop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an Oasis concert, and, realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist. It is said that between then and his first meeting with David Keuning, he was rejected by a potential guitarist who claimed that "this 'Duran Duran' crap wasn't going to go anywhere." (After gaining his fame, Flowers was waited on by that same guitarist in a Las Vegas restaurant.) He then met Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in the paper that listed, among other things, Smashing Pumpkins and Oasis as influences.[2] The two hit it off immediately and began rehearsing. They were joined by a bassist (Keuning's roommate) and a drummer.[1] Both bassist and drummer quickly moved on to other things, and the drummer later sued the band, claiming that he wrote "Mr. Brightside."[3] After their departure, Vannucci and Stoermer (who were both in other bands at the time; Vannucci was drummer in a melodic indierock group called Expert On October, featuring current backup guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Ted Sablay on bass) were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers," a name which comes from the bass drum of a band in a New Order video for their song "Crystal."

After watching a few of their early shows, Vannucci acknowledged that the group was still green and would need a lot of work to become a polished act. However, Vannucci did eventually join the band.[1]

Stoermer was the last to join. He filled the remaining post at least partly because he and Flowers had quickly become friends. They played their first gig as the new band at a club in Vegas called The Junkyard. After Vannucci sold his house, the band found themselves without a garage to rehearse in and took to sneaking into UNLV's music rooms, where Vannucci was attending college, in order to practice.[1]

Initially, The Killers played at large clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the band's lineup stable and their repertoire of songs expanding, the band began to attract attention from talent bookers, local agents, major label, scouts — and a UK representative for Warner Bros. Though the Warner Bros rep passed on the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to a friend who worked at UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers then signed that summer to a British label.[1]

[edit] Albums

[edit] Hot Fuss

They released their album Hot Fuss on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom on London-based indie record label Lizard King Records (now Marrakesh Records), and June 15 in the United States on Island Records. The first 100 albums manufactured by The Control Group, featured a 'Red Foil' Killers logo, and were hand numbered out of 100 in silver pen on the reverse of the record. These were only available via mail order and are incredibly rare and sought after items for collectors. Their first single, "Somebody Told Me," was released on that same year. The band also had chart success with their singles "Mr. Brightside," which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released, and "All These Things That I've Done." However, their main mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position with their re-release of Somebody Told Me.

[edit] Sam's Town

The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released on October 2, 2006, in the UK, and October 3 in the USA, under Island Universal. The album polarised many fans due to its left-field approach in its songwriting and production--many people who enjoyed Hot Fuss were shocked by the band's new direction. Brandon Flowers said that Sam's Town will be "one of the best albums of the past twenty years," though the album has received a mixed response from critics and fans. The first single from Sam's Town, "When You Were Young," debuted on radio stations in late July 2006. In late August 2006, it was offered as a downloadable track before the album's debut. The single then entered the chart on downloads alone at #5, and the following week on its official release went to #2 in the UK. It was unable to knock Scissor Sisters off the top spot. Their single, "Bones," was the second video from the band, and was directed by Tim Burton.

Promoting Sam's Town, the band returned as the musical guest for the 32nd season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 30, 2006. They performed "When You Were Young" and "Bones."[4] The album sold over 700,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a No. 2 debut on the United World chart. The album has produced four singles in the United Kingdom and United States: "When You Were Young," "Bones," "Read My Mind," and "For Reasons Unknown."

Brandon Flowers announced on August 22, 2007, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the T Vital Festival, that it would be the last time that the album "Sam's Town" would be played in Europe. The Killers played their last Sam's Town concert in Melbourne, Australia on November 14, 2007.

[edit] Sawdust

The compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, was released on November 12, 2007.

The album's first single "Tranquilize," a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released October 12, 2007, in the UK, and on October 22, 2007, in the U.S. The band also released their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the U.S. iTunes Store on October 9, 2007. The band just recently released the video for "Tranquilize" at Yahoo Music. Lou Reed also makes an appearance on the video.

The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," (a The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet," (a Dire Straits cover), and a new version of "Move Away," (previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack). One of the tracks on Sawdust is "Leave the Bourbon On The Shelf," the first but previously unreleased part of the so called "Murder Trilogy," in which it is followed by "Midnight Show," then "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine."

The Killers released a Christmas single called "Don't Shoot Me Santa," on December 1, 2007. The song, like "A Great Big Sled," benefits Bono's Product Red campaign to fight AIDS in Africa. The recording will not be included on Sawdust.

In an interview with Billboard, Flowers said the new sound of the album could be inspired by the dance-inspired Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix of "Mr. Brightside," with Flowers hinting that the band could be returning to that sound. In addition, in an interview with Pete Tong on BBC Radio One, Stuart Price confirmed that he would be producing at least part of The Killers' third studio album.

[edit] Influences

Much of The Killers' music is based on British influences (indeed, the band is often described as the "Best British band to have come out of America") and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Wave.[citation needed] Flowers has also said in interviews that the larger-than-life sound of many of the band's songs is due to the influence of living in Las Vegas, a city where everything is about flash and who can top whom. They appreciate post-punk bands that sprang up during the 80s such as Joy Division, and they are also avowed fans of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Dire Straits, David Bowie, The Smiths, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, U2,[5] Queen, Oasis, and The Beatles.

Their second album was said to be greatly influenced by Bruce Springsteen's music and lyrics.[citation needed]

[edit] Notable appearances

On January 15, 2005, and September 30, 2006, The Killers were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. In the past, they have appeared as musical guests on: Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In Britain, they have appeared on Top of the Pops, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and Later with Jools Holland. They performed for an episode of Austin City Limits that aired on November 5, 2005. The Killers also performed in an episode of The O.C. Famous among Killers fans is the bands skit on Jimmy Kimmel where the band "explains" their name.

The Killers were featured at the Launch Event for the Xbox 360 on May 12, 2005, hosted by actor Elijah Wood on MTV.

The Killers performed at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. They were originally offered the Sunday headline slot after Kylie Minogue canceled due to being diagnosed with breast cancer, but they did not feel they had enough songs to fill it. However, they attracted one of the biggest crowds at the festival. They also performed at the T in the Park festival in Balado, Scotland on July 9, 2005, during which, following The Killers' own set, Flowers performed "Crystal" with New Order. They were due to play in Vienna with U2, in order to support them on the European leg of their Vertigo Tour but were replaced by the Irish band The Thrills. They also appeared at the Carling Weekend as second on the bill to The Pixies.

The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert on July 2, 2005. They performed "All These Things That I've Done". To their surprise, Robbie Williams (who performed after them) incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance.[6] Coldplay and U2 followed suit, and at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, they incorporated that famous line into the songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day", respectively.[7]

The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on 29th November 2006. They performed an almost totally unplugged set which included a rendition of the Dire Straits' hit Romeo and Juliet. On February 14 2007, Valentines Day, The Killers attended The BRIT Awards in England, and performed "When You Were Young." The band were also up for 2 awards- International Group & International Album. The band won both awards, defeating Scissor Sisters and Gnarls Barkley.

The Killers headlined Saturday June 23 festivities at Glastonbury 2007, and at Hovefestivalen in mid-2007, as well as V Festival in August, the Austin City Limits Festival in September 2007, and Brazilian Tim Festival in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Curitiba in October. They were also headliners on the Main stage of T In The Park in Balado, Scotland on 7 July, 2007, and at Oxegen 2007 in Ireland on 8 July, 2007. Additionally, they headlined day two of Tennents ViTal in Northern Ireland, on August 22 2007, as well as day two of The Echo Project in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 13 2007, and lastly, in the Argentinian "Yeah Festival," made in Buenos Aires the Friday November 2, and in the "Fenix Festival" with Travis and Starsailor in Santiago, Chile November 4, 2007.

The Killers covered the 1979 Joy Division song, "Shadowplay", on the soundtrack of the 2007 movie Control.[8]

They have also played at Madison Square Garden (located in New York City, NY) on April 28, 2007.

"When You Were Young", the first single from Sam's Town, is featured in both Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band.

On December 9th, 2007, the band was featured at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas in a special unannounced appearance, performing Don't Shoot Me Santa, along with several other songs.

[edit] Controversy

Since going platinum, the band (and principally Flowers) has incited a few rivalries - most notably with The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, who are both labelmates (Island Records). Flowers has said that these bands, especially The Bravery, are riding on the coattails of the success of The Killers.[9] Additionally, in an article of NME, Flowers claimed Fall Out Boy was hogging the A&R man both bands share, setting off Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz. However, after Wentz made a couple of rants on his blog in September 2005, he offered a virtual cease-fire.[10] Flowers has since apologized to The Bravery, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! at the Disco, saying "I'd like to take it all back - these people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am," and said that he was "not proud of" his occasional jealousy.[11]

Also in NME, Keuning went on record as saying "All those bands, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, they [are] only influenced by each other and Blink-182. How can that be a good thing?",[12] Panic! at the Disco made an appearance on the November 14, 2006, episode of Total Request Live, and made it appear that they don't seem to hold a grudge against the Killers, saying that they "love the new album."

While Flowers has criticized some of his upstart contemporaries for imitating their style, the Killers have been routinely accused of capitalizing on the hype of the Post-Punk revival which surrounded The Strokes in the early 2000's. The Killer's sound as well as Flower's early frontman image relied heavily upon that of the NYC band Interpol. The Killer's own West coast application of this scene was merely in releasing more radio friendly pop songs explicitly on the model of Interpol, distinguished in part by Flower's more flamboyant vocal style. Only after establishing themselves on the radio charts did The Killers re-vamp their earlier image by growing facial hair and dressing in a "wild west" attire, to contrast themselves from the original trend upon which they initially rode to notoriety.

Brandon Flowers, in interviews with several music magazines, claimed that the song "Where Is She?" was based on Jodi Jones, a Scottish teenager whose boyfriend, Luke Mitchell, was found guilty of her murder. Many, especially in Scotland, saw this as an insult to her memory, and Flowers (speaking for the band) gave a formal apology, telling the Sunday Herald, "I came across kind of badly. I'd hate to cause offense or further hurt because of it... there's no way on earth I could ever possibly pretend to know what it must actually feel like to suffer such a thing, and I wouldn't presume to appropriate any other individual's feelings for a song."[13]

In February 2006, The Killers' former manager, Braden Merrick, filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract when he was fired in May 2005. Merrick's contract was to have run through 2007, and the two sides had been negotiating a settlement before the lawsuit was filed.[14]

Flowers has recently gone on record claiming that Green Day's politically driven concept album American Idiot displays "calculated Anti-Americanism." He explained that he has problems with the album content itself and also the fact that the band's recent live DVD, Bullet in a Bible, was filmed overseas. The taping of the concert, featured on Bullet in a Bible, shows thousands of English fans singing along to "American Idiot." He said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he [Billie Joe Armstrong] knew it." Stating that he feels Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he went on to say that he feels The Killers' most recent release, Sam's Town, is a much more accurate representation of American culture.[15]

The Killers are currently fighting a lawsuit against ex-Manager Braden Merrick Under the California State Labor Commissioner. Merrick Is sueing The Killers for $3 Million for unpaid commissions. The Band claims that Merrick booked employment without a license, and thus are seeking to void their management contract. Frontman and Lead singer Brandon Flowers was seen on camera outside the court with Lead Guitarist Dave Keuning on TMZ.com on the 19th December 2007 saying "Well, We like people to be honest."

[edit] Discography

Main article: The Killers discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Nominated: Best Rock Album (2005) for Hot Fuss
  • Nominated: Best Rock Song (2005) for "Somebody Told Me"
  • Nominated: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (2005) for "Somebody Told Me"
  • Nominated: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (2006) for "Mr. Brightside"
  • Nominated: Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (2006) for "All These Things That I've Done"
  • Nominated: Best Rock Song (2007) for "When You Were Young"
  • Nominated: Best Short Form Music Video (2007) for "When You Were Young"
Note: The remix of the song "Mr Brightside" was also nominated for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical (2006) Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke.
  • Nominated: Group of the Year (2005)
  • Nominated: Digital song of the year for "Mr. Brightside" (2005)
  • Nominated: Modern rock artist of the year (2005)
  • Nominated: Best Group Video (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
  • Nominated: Best Rock Video (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
  • Won: Best New Artist (2005)
  • Won: Best Rock Group (2006)
  • Won: Best International Album (2007) for Sam's Town
  • Won: Best International Group (2007)
  • Nominated: International Album (2006) for Hot Fuss
  • Nominated: International Breakthrough Artist (2006)
  • Won: NME Magazine's Best International Band (2005)
  • Won: Best Dressed Man: Brandon Flowers (2005)
  • Won: Sexiest Man: Brandon Flowers (2005)
  • Nominated: Best International Band (2007)
  • Nominated: Best Album (2007) for Sam's Town
  • Nominated: Best Track (2007)
  • Won: Best Video (2007) for Bones
  • Miscellaneous:
  • Nominated: Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, Record Production/Single or Track (2005) for "Mr. Brightside"
  • Won: World Music Awards, World's Best Selling New Group (2005)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Kalil, Mike (2005). "IN DEPTH: killers rising" ReviewJournal.com (accessed September 26, 2006)
  2. ^ staff writer (2006). bio ArtistDirect.com (accessed October 3, 2006)
  3. ^ "Mr. Bright-sued!" BBC.co.uk (accessed November)
  4. ^ TV.com contributors (2006). Brandon Flowers announced on August 23, 2007, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the T Vital Festival, that this would be the last time that the album Sam's Town would be played in Europe. October 3, 2006.)
  5. ^ Pierce, Erin et al (2006). "Former BYU's student's brother is lead singer of the Killers" NetNews.com (accessed May 2, 2006)
  6. ^ NME staff writer (2005). "The Killers Flattered by Robbie Live 8 Tribute" NME.com (accessed May 2, 2006)
  7. ^ http://www.men-arena.com/about/?page_id=1210
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ Montgomery, James (2005). "The Vanilla Thrilla! - The Killers Vs. The Bravery" MTV.com (accessed May 2, 2006)
  10. ^ Montgomery, James (2005). "Fall Out Boy/ Killers Beef Gives Birth To A Song", MTV.com, May 2, 2006)
  11. ^ AOL Music: Killers Bury Hatchet With Panic!, Fall Out Boy
  12. ^ "The Killers vs Emo - band hit out" NME.com, (accessed September 26, 2006)
  13. ^ M, Fraser (2005). "Mr Contrite-side" BBC.co.uk (accessed May 2, 2006)
  14. ^ AP (2006). "Former manager sues The Killers, alleging breach of contract" USA Today
  15. ^ NME staff writer (2006). "The Killers 'offended' by Green Day" NME.com (accessed October 16, 2006)

[edit] External links


The Killers
Brandon Flowers | Dave Keuning | Mark Stoermer | Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Discography
Albums: Hot Fuss | Sam's Town
Singles: "Somebody Told Me" | "Mr. Brightside" | "All These Things That I've Done" | "Smile Like You Mean It" | "When You Were Young" | "Bones" | "A Great Big Sled" | "Read My Mind" | "For Reasons Unknown" | "Shadowplay" | "Tranquilize" | "Don't Shoot Me Santa"
Related articles
Marrakesh Records (Lizard King Records) | Island Records | Las Vegas | "Crystal"
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