The Long Winters
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The Long Winters are an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.
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[edit] Early History
Singer-songwriter John Roderick (b. September 13, 1968) was born in Seattle, Washington, and later moved to in Anchorage, Alaska while in elementary school. He later returned to Seattle, and formed several bands: Bun Family Players, the Western State Hurricanes, and Harvey Danger.
In 2001 Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson suggested that he and Roderick record an album -- half of the songs penned by John, and the other half by Sean. Death Cab for Cutie band member Chris Walla had recently opened up the Hall of Justice studio in Seattle, and agreed to help them record.
John recruited Joe Bass of Sky Cries Mary and Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne to flush out several of the songs, and gradually the album evolved to feature only John's songs. After several months, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm was finished.
John traveled to New York, where he played solo shows and quickly began to pen new songs -- several of which would eventually be included on the Long Winters' sophomore album, When I Pretend to Fall.
While there he was contacted by Barsuk Records -- the label that would release The Worst You Can Do Is Harm – who made it clear they wanted John to tour to promote the release. He traveled back to Seattle, and was joined by Chris Caniglia, former Western States Hurricanes drummer, Michael Shilling and Eric Corson on bass. Thus, The Long Winters were born.
[edit] Official formation
At the band's first live gig, Sean Nelson offered to perform harmony vocals on a number of songs. He ended up casually performing with the band for their first few shows before committing to full-time enrollment.
The original trio responsible for The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and Chris Walla) is often considered the original formation of the band. John and Sean, along with recruits Eric Corson and Michael Shilling are the core players behind When I Pretend to Fall, with Sean having replaced Chris Caniglia as the band's keyboardist. When I Pretend to Fall was released and John, Sean, Eric and Michael embarked on an ambitious series of tours throughout 2003 in support of the album. The band toured North America with Barsuk Records labelmates Nada Surf and Death Cab for Cutie, and later spent November touring Europe. Michael Shilling eventually resigned in December of 2003, burned out by the hectic touring and lifestyle of the band.
With the best wishes of the Long Winters, Sean left in March 2004 to rekindle his former band.
[edit] Early 2004 and onward
At the time of Sean's departure, The Long Winters had recently begun rehearsing with Michael Shilling's replacement for the band's 2004 tours, former Death Cab for Cutie percussionist Michael Schorr. Confronted with a double blow to the band's line-up, John took opportunity to reinvent the band again -- especially with an east coast tour with The Pernice Brothers, a more fleshed out European tour, and a nationwide tour supporting The Decemberists that would take the band through the spring and well into the summer. Thus, the leaner three-piece version of The Long Winters was born, featuring John Roderick, Eric Corson, and Michael Schorr.
This extensive spring/summer 2004 tour took its toll on drummer Michael Schorr, who left the band shortly after its completion. John continued to do small promotional events and shows throughout the latter half of 2004 and 2005, often previewing a handful of new Long Winters songs.
The latest incarnation of The Long Winters features John Roderick on vocals, guitars, and keyboard Eric Corson on bass and back-up vocals, and Nabil Ayers taking over percussion. The Long Winters toured with Keane in October 2005 in support of the acclaimed Long Winters' EP released on October 11th, 2005 titled Ultimatum. John Roderick did a solo mini tour through Europe in May 2006 to promote awareness for the third full-length LP, Putting the Days to Bed, which was released on 25 July 2006. In the Fall of 2006 the band, now including guitarist/keyboardplayer Jonathan Rothman instead of Squires, toured the USA, after which they joined Keane once again, for a European tour. Listed among the hardest touring bands in music, 2007 starts with yet another European tour, followed by a month of shows in the USA and Canada.
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Current Members
- John Roderick, guitar, vocals
- Eric Corson, bass
- Nabil Ayers, percussion
- Jonathan Rothman, keyboards
[edit] Former members
- Sean Nelson, keyboards, vocals
- Michael Shilling, percussion
- Michael Schorr, percussion
- Chris Caniglia, keyboards, vocals
- Darren Loucas, keyboards, guitars, misc.
- Mike Squires, guitars, keyboards
[edit] Discography
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