Famosiz
From The Garage Band Wiki
| Famosiz | |
| |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Rock, Piano Rock, Industrial Rock, Electronica, Hip-Hop, Comedy |
| Years active | Late 2007 - Present |
| Location | Ottawa, Kansas, United States |
| Influences | |
| CAKE, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Nine Inch Nails, Barry Manilow. | |
| Label | |
| Indie (Signed with Indie record label Crap Weasel Records) | |
| Albums | |
| "You Can't Take This," "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (But Three Lefts Make a Fish)" | |
| Other Releases | |
| "What is This Song All About?," "Song Innards," "Fire & Ice: The B-Sides" | |
| Lineup | |
| Paul "PT" Thomas (Vocals, Unitar)
Katie "Kat-Dizzle" Doolittle (Pianist, Synthesizer, Guitar)
| |
| Websites | |
| Famosiz's Facebook | |
Famosiz (pronounced fuh-moh-ziz) is an experimental rock band from Ottawa, Kansas. The group specializes in alternative rock, hip-hop, comedy/parody, and various electronica genres. The band began as simple joke; a reference to the fact that several other teenagers were forming garage bands, however, the band had a break-through with their hit single, "Ryan Started the Fire." Since then, Famosiz has started to make headlines in Ottawa.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Famosiz can trace its beginnings to an earlier band, entitled "Eight Centimeter Skrewz" (The name being a parody of Nine Inch Nails). Eight Centimeter Skrewz was formed in Ottawa, Kansas on October 12, 2007 by friends Logan Swafford and Paul Thomas. After several bitter days of fighting, Logan split from the band, stating creative differences as the main problem. To replace him, Thomas invited fellow schoolmates, Katie Doolittle, Anna Stone, Darrah Jorgensen, Amanda Ahrens, and Lindsay Frank to replace him. The bands line-up was constantly changing, but Thomas, Doolittle, and Stone were considered the key members. The band produced one demo, entitled, "What is This Song All About?" The lead-off song infamously sampled NIN's hit "Closer."
Despite getting good publicity, Eight Centimeter Skrewz disbanded on February 28, 2008. Thomas, Doolittle, and Stone decided to take the band in a more eccentric directing, and on March 19 the remaining members were re-christened as "Famosiz." Famosiz signed with local Ottawa record company Crap Weasel Records. This company was newly formed, and hoped to see Famosiz become big.
[edit] "Ryan Started the Fire" and Rise to Fame
Originally, Famosiz was scheduled to release their debut LP in April. The band chose the name Price-Check on Aisle 3. Paul Thomas, got the ball rolling, but due to lack of interest, the LP was put on the shelf (Famosiz has confirmed that it will be released as a stripped down EP). Then, on March 26, Famosiz released their debut single, "Ryan Started the Fire." The song was a surprise hit. "Ryan Started the Fire" is itself a parody of Billy Joel's 1989 hit, "We Didn't Start the Fire," and talks about the hit television show "The Office." (The title and chorus is a reference to the episode entitled The Fire, in which the office nearly catches on fire. Dwight Schrute sung a snippet of a parody he called "Ryan Started the Fire" in the episode. Paul Thomas, who wrote the Famosiz version, only used the chorus that was feature on the show. Everything else was completely re-written). A music video is scheduled to be released during the summer.
On April 1, Famosiz released two free internet only singles, "Dwight's Speech" and "Bean Burrito from Hell."
On May 5, Famosiz released their second tangible CD single, entitled "The Cat Rap." "The Cat Rap" has sold remarkably well. Thomas stated, "It's surprising that an original song can sell this well."
On May 21st, Ally Bittner was pegged as Famosiz's fourth member; on June 3, the band added two live dancers Kelli "Chopstyx" Doolittle and Jeff "Jefferfinkle" Doolittle; and on June 10, Famosiz announced the addition of one final member, rhythm keyboardist and videographer Olivia Paine. Paul Thomas has stated that this will be the last member added to Famosiz for the time being.
On July 11, Famosiz finished recording their debut album. The album was released on August 25 to high critical acclaim.
[edit] Current News
The band has decided to re-record several tracks from their album "You Can't Take This" and release a new CD. "We need to choose our best material," explains Paul Thomas, "and carry on from there."
Trina Sieg was inducted as new guitarist following the departure of several members, notably, Kelli Doolittle. In late July, the band confirmed that they are working on new material for a Harry Potter EP, set to be released later this year.
[edit] Future News
As of July 30, Famosiz is regrouping to begin writing music for their second album. As of right now, the band have several ideas and demos that they are working with, but nothing has been made public, although Paul Thomas has stated, "We've been listening to a lot of alternative music; CAKE, Metallica, Primus, and Green Jelly. We're expecting this album to be a little darker and maybe slightly more serious then our debut album."
[edit] Style
As stated above, the band considers itself an alternative rock, hip-hop, and comedy/parody band. Famosiz regularly samples from television and movies, and have built up a reputation for producing sample-heavy songs. For instance, their original demo "What is This Song About?" sampled (rather obviously) "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails, "God Shuffled His Feet" by The Crash Test Dummies, and (on the edited version') "Let Me Be Your Hog" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Due to their growing popularity, Famosiz has decided to stray away from its sample-happy musical roots in exchange for a more traditional method of song writing.
[edit] Equipment
Katie Doolittle, the groups main pianist and synthesizer artist, uses a Casio Privia synthesizer. Paul Thomas, when he rarely preforms on a keyboard, uses an early 90's Radio Shack brand Concertmate keyboard and the FL Studio 8 Computerized Synthesizer. Thomas also uses a heavily modified acoustic guitar with only one bass string (Also called a Unitar).
[edit] Relationship With Fans
The band is very open with its fans: it even created an e-mail address, famosiz@yahoo.com, in which enthusiatic fans can e-mail the band. The band also regularly plays favorite covers for its most beloved fans.
[edit] Influences
The band cites CAKE, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, REM, Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Beastie Boys, Beck, Counting Crows, Barenaked Ladies, Nirvana, Negativland, The Prodigy, Lemon Jelly, Röyksopp, U2, Pink Floyd, They Might Be Giants, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Reel Big Fish, and The Police as major influences to their sound.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- 2008 "Ryan Started the Fire" - Released March 26
- 2008 "Dwight's Speech" - Released April 1
- 2008 "Bean Burrito from Hell" - Released April 1
- 2008 "The Cat Rap - Released May 5
[edit] Albums
- 2007 "What is This Song All About? - Demo Tape released by "The Eight Centimeter Skrewz"
- 2008 "You Can't Take This" - Famosiz's debut album; scheduled to be released on August 25
- ???? "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (But Three Lefts Make a Fish)" - Scheduled Sophomore album
- ???? "Song Innards" - scheduled compilation album
- ???? "Fire & Ice: The B-Sides" - scheduled B-Side and rarities album
- ???? "Famosiz: Live in Haley Park" - scheduled live album
[edit] External Links
Famosiz's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10602653324
Famosiz's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/famosiz
Famosiz's Email: famosiz@yahoo.com
