Low

Low in 2013

Background information

Origin Duluth, Minnesota, United States

Genres Indie rock, slowcore

Yearsactive

1993–present

Labels Vernon Yard, Kranky, P­Vine, SubPop, Rocket Girl

Associatedacts

Retribution Gospel Choir

Website chairkickers.com(http://www.chairkickers.com/)

Members Alan SparhawkMimi ParkerSteve Garrington

Pastmembers

John NicholsZak SallyMatt Livingston

Low (band)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Low is an American indie rock[1] group from Duluth,Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group iscomposed of founding members Alan Sparhawk(guitar and vocals) and Mimi Parker (drums andvocals), joined by newer addition Steve Garrington(bass guitar).[2]

The music of Low is characterized by slow temposand minimalist arrangements. Early descriptionssometimes referred to it as rock subgenre called"slowcore". However, Low's members ultimatelydisapproved of the term.[3][4]

Parker and Sparhawk's striking vocal harmoniesrepresent perhaps the group's most distinctiveelement; critic Denise Sullivan writes that their sharedvocals are "as chilling as anything Gram andEmmylou ever conspired on—though that's not to sayit's country­tinged, just straight from the heart."[5]

Contents

1 History2 Performance3 Commercial success4 Personal lives5 Side projects6 Discography

6.1 Studio albums6.2 EPs6.3 Singles6.4 Live albums6.5 Miscellaneous6.6 Compilations

7 References8 External links

History

Low at Duluth's Electric Fetus

The band formed in the spring of 1993. Sparhawk had been playing in the Superior, Wisconsin band ZenIdentity,[6] the core of which was formed by drummer Robb Berry and vocalist Bill Walton. That bandneeded a new bassist and recruited future Low bassist John Nichols. At that time, Nichols was a senior atSuperior Senior High School, and bassist in the band Lorenzo's Tractor. Sparhawk taught Zen Identitysongs to Nichols and during practices, the two started improvising with some very modest, quiet themes.As a joke, they wondered what would happen if they played such quiet music in front of Duluth crowds,which at that point focused around the loud, grunge, "post­punk" sound. Soon, the joke became a seriousthought. Sparhawk left Zen Identity, who continued to perform and record without him, and he andNichols recruited Sparhawk's wife Mimi Parker to play a very modest drum kit composed of a singlecymbal and a single floor tom. She was to use brushes almost exclusively rather than drum sticks.

Low's debut album, I Could Live in Hope, was released on VirginRecords' Vernon Yard imprint in 1994. It featured Nichols on bass,though he was replaced by Zak Sally, who joined for the recordingof the band's next album Long Division. Both I Could Live in Hopeand Long Division were produced and recorded by Kramer. LongDivision and its similar follow­up, 1996's The Curtain Hits the Cast,established the band as critical darlings; extensive touring helpedthem to develop a highly devoted fan base. "Over the Ocean," asingle drawn from The Curtain Hits the Cast, also becamesomething of a hit on college radio.

By the time of their next full­length album (1999's Secret Name)Low had moved to the independent label Kranky. In between, theyreleased several singles and EPs. In 1999, Low joined forces withDirty Three to record an In The Fishtank session for Konkurrentrecords. Allmusic (http://www.allmusic.com/album/r528967) calledthe six­song disc "some of the best material either unit hasproduced." Of particular note is the disc's lengthy cover of NeilYoung's "Down by the River." 2001 saw the release of Things WeLost in the Fire.

The following year saw the release of the band's final full­length on Kranky, Trust. All three of theband's full­length releases on Kranky featured superstar producers: Secret Name and Things We Lost inthe Fire feature the work of recording engineer Steve Albini, who proved sympathetic to capturing theband's strengths; while Trust was recorded by Tom Herbers along with Duluth engineer Eric Swansonand mixed by Tchad Blake at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios.

In April 2003, Peter S. Scholtes of the Twin Cities weekly paper City Pages posted in his weblog thatSally had left Low. The following month, the band posted an update(http://web.archive.org/web/20030525182959/http://chairkickers.com) to the news on their website: "Wehave all had to work through some personal things recently ... After sorting it out, the good news is thatZak is remaining in the band ..." In July 2003, they toured Europe with Radiohead, Sally in tow.Following a successful tour in early 2004 that vividly demonstrated the band's commitment to their fans(Parker was visibly pregnant throughout), the band signaled their intent to continue making music bysigning with powerhouse indie label Sub Pop. To tie up the loose ends of the era, Low released a three­disc rarities compilation on its own Chairkickers label in 2004.

Beginning with Secret Name, the band have diversified their sound. The band use subtle electronicmusic touches to augment their sound, reflective of their tenure with Kranky and their exposure to theMidwest's post­rock scene. Adding a more overt rock element to their aesthetic, the band has used fuzzbass from Things We Lost In the Fire onward, and began using distorted lead guitar on Trust. The band's

Low live in the Barby club, TelAviv, Israel, September 11, 2008

2005 album, The Great Destroyer, nods even further in the direction of rock. Recorded with producerDave Fridmann and released by Sub Pop in January 2005, The Great Destroyer has received mostlypositive reviews; the Village Voice described the record's "comparatively thunderous verve."(http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0508,gross,61348,22.html)

Low canceled the second leg of their extensive tour in support of The Great Destroyer in late spring of2005. Sparhawk's statement, published on the band's website, addressed directly to fans, detailing hispersonal problems with depression resulting in the cancellation of the tour. In August 2005, Sparhawkannounced his return to performance, embarking on a US tour with former Red House Painters frontmanMark Kozelek. In October 2005, Sally announced he was leaving the band. Low replaced Sally withMatt Livingston, a bassist and saxophonist from Duluth's musical scene. In addition to playing bassguitar, Livingston also played an antique Navy chaplain's pump organ in the group.

After appearing on 2007's Drums and Guns and touring with the group, Matt Livingston left Low in2008, to be replaced by Steve Garrington.

Performance

Low are known for their impressive live performances. Rock clubaudiences sometimes watch the band while seated on the floor.During their early career, the band often faced unsympathetic andinattentive audiences in bars and clubs, to which they responded bybucking rock protocol and turning their volume down. The hugedynamic range of Low's early music made it susceptible tobackground noise and chatter, since many of their songs were veryquiet. A performance in 1996 at the South by Southwest festival wasoverpowered when a Scandinavian hardcore band was bookeddownstairs. The Trust album marked a turning point, and Low'smusic has developed a more emphatic sound.

Their shows often feature drastically reinterpreted cover versions of famous songs by the likes of JoyDivision and The Smiths, in addition to their own original material. In performance, Low shows off asense of humor not necessarily found on their recordings; a tour in early 2004 featured a cover ofOutKast's hit song "Hey Ya." At a gig in Los Angeles on Halloween 1998, the band took the stage as aMisfits tribute act(http://web.archive.org/web/20010711190327/www.chairkickers.com/low/archive/photos/981031.html),complete with corpse paint and black clothing.

At the 2008 End of the Road festival in Dorset, England, Sparhawk abruptly ended the band'sperformance by ripping the strings and lead out of his guitar, throwing it to the ground and then hurlingit into the crowd before exiting the stage. He had earlier informed the audience that it had been a "crappyday". In 2010 they performed the Great Destroyer at Primavera Sound Festival[7] On Friday July 13,2012 Low gave a candlelit concert at Halifax Minster.

Low's performance at the 2013 Rock the Garden concert consisted of a slowed and lengthened version oftheir drone rock song "Do You Know How to Waltz?" followed by Alan saying, "Drone, not drones," areference to an anti­drone sticker made by Minneapolis's Luke Heiken;[8] the performance resulted inmass audience confusion and divisive online discussion.[9] The performance lasted half an hour and wasbroadcast live on The Current which had been playing cuts of their recent album. Low had performed amore traditional show for The Current at the Fitzgerald earlier in the year.

Commercial success

The band's mainstream exposure has been limited: their best­known song is arguably a hymnal versionof "The Little Drummer Boy," which was featured in a Gap television ad that depicted a snowball fightin slow­motion to match the song's glacial tempo. A remix of their "Halflight" was featured in theMothman Prophecies motion picture. The band made their network television debut in 2005 byperforming the single "California" on an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly. On June 11, 2007, ScottBateman, a web animator, announced that his video for Low's song Hatchet (Optimimi version) wouldbe one of the preloads on the new Zune.[10] Also in 2007 they recorded a song called "Family Tree"which featured in the "Careful" episode of Nick Jr's kids' show Yo Gabba Gabba!

On March 24, 2008, their song "Point of Disgust" was featured in the extremely popular show Skins inthe UK, prompting a rush of download sales from iTunes. Another of their songs, "Sunflower," wasfeatured in the following episode (episode 9), and "Breaker" was featured in a later episode. As themusic supervisor of Skins declared in the Episode Track Listing section of the show's official website:"You may have guessed by now that we are all pretty huge fans of Low in the Skins office[...]"

The 2008 movie "KillShot", starring Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane features the song "Monkey" earlyin the film. The 2003 documentary film "Tarnation" by Jonathan Caouette features the Low tracks"Laser Beam", "Embrace" and "Back Home Again" alongside tracks by artists such as Red HousePainters and The Magnetic Fields. "Laser Beam" also featured on episode 4 season 2 of Misfits. Lowwas the subject of the 2008 documentary Low: You May Need a Murderer.

In 2010, Robert Plant recorded two Low songs that were included on his album Band of Joy. In aninterview, Plant said of Low's The Great Destroyer, "It's great music; it's always been in the houseplaying away beside Jerry Lee Lewis and Howlin' Wolf, you know. There's room for everything.".[11] Itis rumored that Plant was introduced to Low's music by guitarist/producer Buddy Miller who hasworked with both Plant as well as Low in the past, including playing guitar on Band of Joy. Curiously,writing credits for both "Monkey" and "Silver Rider" are listed in the "Band of Joy" liner notes as"Zachary Micheletti, Mimi Parker, George Sparhawk" per the official listing in BMI's publishingdatabase. It is notable that Sparhawk performs under the pseudonym "Chicken­Bone George" in his sideproject Black Eyed Snakes.

The band were chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Partiesfestival in March 2012 in Minehead, England.[12]

In November 2013, their song "Blue Christmas" featured as part of the soundtrack to season 4, episode 7("Chapter 28") of HBO's Eastbound & Down.

Personal lives

Sparhawk and Parker are married, have two children, and are practicing members of the Mormon faith.(Sparhawk was born into an LDS family in Seattle, and for some time lived in Utah before moving toMinnesota at age nine; he also briefly attended Brigham Young University. Parker is a convert.)

In 2006, Sparhawk was involved in raising funds for the construction of a school in Namuncha, Kenya,which he visited in August of that year. On Low's website he is quoted as saying, "My visit toNamuncha, Kenya in August was one of the most impressive experiences of my life so far."

Side projects

Low owns a record label, Chairkickers' Union, which releases material by other musicians such asRivulets and Haley Bonar, as well as some of their own material. Sparhawk is notably active in Duluth'ssmall but vibrant independent music scene; he operates a recording studio in the town, in adeconsecrated church that naturally provides the lush reverb characteristic of Low's sound. TheChairkickers label offers another outlet for Duluth musicians, as most groups on the label are from thatcity, or at least from Minnesota and surrounding areas.

Sally has toured as a bassist with Dirty Three, and Sparhawk has devoted considerable time and energyto his Black Eyed Snakes project, a blues­rock revival band quite far removed from the Low aesthetic.Recently Sparhawk has also been seen with a new side project called The Retribution Gospel Choir.Matt Livingston, who became Low's bassist in late 2005, also played in The Retribution Gospel Choir,and was subsequently replaced by Steve Garrington. On Retribution's first tour (fall 2005), they playedthe Low song "From Your Place on Sunset." Musical crossover between Sparhawk's bands went in bothdirections as two songs originally released on a RGC tour EP, "Hatchet" and "Breaker", were latercovered on Low's Drums and Guns release (before making it onto RGC's self­titled full­length debut).Similarly, Low and the Black­Eyed Snakes have played some overlapping songs, such as "Lordy".

Sparhawk and Sally also made several recordings in a more synthesizer­driven style, reminiscent of theband Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, under the name The Hospital People. The most widelydistributed of these was "Crash / We'll Be Philosophers", released as a 7­inch on clear vinyl by DuckSuit Records. Sparhawk and Sally have also played live as The Tooth Fairies, with Sally performing ondrums and Sean Erspamer on bass; Tooth Fairies sets have typically consisted of cover songs by theStooges, MC5, and similar bands. Sally has generated several works that fall in the 'graphic novel' genre,and also created the original artwork for David Bazan's (formerly of Pedro the Lion) first solo effort, theEP Fewer Moving Parts, which was recently re­released by Barsuk. At one time, Mimi Parker wasrumored to have started a punk band called Rubbersnake,[13] but this was an inside joke on the part ofthe band. In 2007 Sparhawk did a Take­Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.

In April 2012, Low collaborated with artist Peter Liversidge for their performance at the Royal FestivalHall in London.[14] Low collaborated with the artist again for their performance at the Barbican Centrein London in April 2013.[15]

Discography

Studio albums

I Could Live in Hope – (Vernon Yard, 1994)Long Division – (Vernon Yard, 1995)The Curtain Hits the Cast – (Vernon Yard, 1996)Secret Name – (Kranky, 1999)Things We Lost in the Fire – (Kranky, 2001)Trust – (Kranky, 2002)The Great Destroyer – (Sub Pop, 2005)Drums & Guns – (Sub Pop, 2007)C'mon – (Sub Pop, 2011)The Invisible Way – (Sub Pop, 2013)

Charting

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Album title and detailsPeak chart positions

CertificationsUS UK FR IRE NED

The Great Destroyer

Year released: 2005Record label: Sub Pop

13(Heatseekers)

72 190 30

Drums and Guns

Year released: 2007Record label: Sub Pop

196 – – 54

C'mon

Year released: 2011Record label: Sub Pop

73 49 – 55

The Invisible Way

Year released: 2013Record label: Sub Pop

76 44 190 39 99

EPs

Low – (Summershine, 1994)Finally... (EP) – (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996)Transmission (EP) – (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996)Songs for a Dead Pilot (EP) – (Kranky, 1997)Christmas (EP) – (Kranky, 1999)Bombscare (with Spring Heel Jack) (EP) – (Tugboat, 2000)The Exit Papers (EP) ("a soundtrack to an imaginary film") – (Temporary Residence Limited,2000)In the Fishtank (with Dirty Three) (12", EP) – (In the Fishtank, 2001)Murderer (10") – (Vinyl Films, 2003)Low—Plays Nice Places (2012)

Singles

"Over the Ocean" (maxi­single) – (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1996)"If You Were Born Today (Song For Little Baby Jesus) (7")" – (Wurlitzer Jukebox, 1997)

"No Need" (split maxi­single with Dirty Three) – (Touch And Go, 1997)"Venus (7")" – (Sub Pop Records, 1997)"Joan of Arc (7")" – (Tugboat Records, 1998)"Sleep at the Bottom" (split 7" with Piano Magic & Transient Waves) – (Rocket Girl, 1998)"Immune (7")" – (Tugboat Records, 1999)"Dinosaur Act" (7", maxi­single) – (Tugboat Records, 2000)"K. / Low" (split) (7", maxi­single) – (Tiger Style, 2001)"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me & Because You Stood Still" (CD single) –(Chairkickers' Music, 2001)"Canada" (7", maxi­single) – (Rough Trade (UK), 2002)"David and Jude" (split 7" with Vibracathedral Orchestra) – (Misplaced Music, 2002)"California" (maxi­single) – (Rough Trade (UK), 2004)"Tonight" (12", maxi­single) – (Buzzin' Fly Records, 2004)"Hatchet (Optimimi Version)" (7") – (Sub Pop Records, 2007)"Santa's Coming Over" (7") – (Sub Pop Records, 2008)

Live albums

Maybe They Are Not Liking the Human Beings (semi­official release) – (Saturday Night Beaver,1998)One More Reason to Forget – (Bluesanct, 1998)Paris '99: "Anthony, Are You Around?" – (P­Vine Records, 2001)

Miscellaneous

owL Remix – (Vernon Yard Recordings, 1998)The Mothman Prophecies — Music From The Motion Picture – "Half Light (Single)", "Half Light(Tail Credit)" – (Lakeshore Records, 2002)A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B­Sides and Rarities (Box set) – (Chairkickers' Music,2004)We Could Live in Hope: A Tribute to Low – (Fractured Discs, 2004)Tonight The Monkeys Die (Low Remixes) – (Chairkickers' Music, 2005)

Compilations

A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division – (Hut Recordings, 1995)Indie­Rock Flea Market Part 2 (7") – (Flip Recording Company, 1995)New Music June – (College Music Journal, 1995)The Paper 7" – (Papercut Records, 1997)A Tribute to Spacemen 3 – (Rocket Girl, 1998)Astralwerks 1998 Summer Sampler – (Astralwerks, 1998)

Kompilation – (Southern Records, 1998)Shanti Project Collection – (Badman Recording Co. Jr., 1999)Duluth Does Dylan – (Spinout Records, 2000)Take Me Home: A Tribute To John Denver – (Badman Recording Co., 2000)A Rocket Girl Compilation – (Rocket Girl, 2001)Benicàssim 2001 – (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, 2001)*Seasonal Greetings – (Mobile Records, 2002)Une Rentrée 2002 – Tome 1 – (Les Inrockuptibles, 2002)Another Country — Songs Of Dignity & Redemption From The Other Side Of The Tracks –(Agenda, 2003)Buzzin' Fly Volume One: Replenishing Music For The Modern Soul – (Buzzin' Fly Records, 2004)The Trip — Snow Patrol – (Family Recordings (UK), 2004)Duyster. – (Play It Again Sam (PIAS), 2005)This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul – (Razor & Tie,2005)Rough Trade Shops — Counter Culture 05 – (V2 Records, Inc., 2006)Elegy Sampler 47 – (Elegy, 2007)Sounds — Now! – (Musikexpress, 2007)

References

1. http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/low2. [1] (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=61798)3. Sparhawk: "What's the cheesiest? Slow­core. I hate that word. The most appropriate is anything that uses the

word minimal in it, but I don't think anybody's made one up for that."QRD magazine interview(http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/archives/low14.html)

4. In another interview, Sparhawk claimed that a friend coined the term: "this friend of ours in a record store wasalways joking around ... and he said, 'I got it! You should call it "slowcore"!' ... It was a total joke, and Ithink I mentioned it at one of our interviews." "Interview with Low", Chord magazine, Jess Hemerly, April2007, p. 44.

5. "Secret Name Japan by Low @ARTISTdirect"(http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1608645,00.html). Artistdirect.com. Retrieved2014­04­16.

6. "YouTube" (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=62E766DCB8926E8E). YouTube. Retrieved2014­04­16.

7. "Ola's Kool Kitchen on Radio 23 Low Live Primavera 2010 : DJ Ola : Free Download & Streaming : InternetArchive" (http://www.archive.org/details/OlasKoolKitchenOnRadio23LowLivePrimavera2010). Archive.org.2001­03­10. Retrieved 2011­08­06.

8. Schmelzer, Paul (2013­07­12). "“Drone, not Drones”: Behind the Slogan that Capped Low’s Infamous 27­Minute Set — The Green Room — Walker Art Center"(http://blogs.walkerart.org/performingarts/2013/07/12/drone­not­drones­behind­the­slogan­that­capped­lows­infamous­27­minute­set/). Blogs.walkerart.org. Retrieved 2014­04­16.

Wikimedia Commons hasmedia related to Low.

9. Swensson, Andrea (2013­06­18). "The audacity of Low: What does a band ‘owe’ us when we pay to see themperform? | Local Current Blog | The Current from Minnesota Public Radio"(http://blog.thecurrent.org/2013/06/the­audacity­of­low­what­does­a­band­owe­us­when­we­pay­to­see­them­perform/). Blog.thecurrent.org. Retrieved 2014­04­16.

10. Bateman, Scott. "Remember the animated video I did for Low's "Hatchet (Optimimi Version)?" "(http://scottbateman.livejournal.com/783192.html?style=mine).

11. Chris Talbott, "Robert Plant follows his muse on 'Band of Joy", Associated Press, September 14, 201012. "ATP curated by Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) ­ All Tomorrow's Parties"

(http://www.atpfestival.com/events/jeffmangum.php). Atpfestival.com. Retrieved 2014­04­16.13. "Low interview" (http://users.skynet.be/entrepot/int/low.html). Users.skynet.be. Retrieved 2014­04­16.14. "Peter Liversidge & Low Collaboration" (http://www.skny.com/news/2012­04­03_peter­liversidge­and­low­

collaboration/). Retrieved 21 September 2012.15. "Sean Kelly Gallery" (http://www.skny.com/news/2013­04­30_peter­liversidge­collaboration­with­low/).

Retrieved 7 May 2012.

External links

Official site (http://www.chairkickers.com/)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Low_(band)&oldid=651768825"

Categories: American indie rock groups Musical groups from MinnesotaRock music groups from Minnesota Rough Trade Records artistsMusical groups established in 1994 Musical trios Sub Pop artists

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