.gif)
American Football (band)
Encyclopedia
American Football was an indie rock
band from Champaign
-Urbana, Illinois, active from 1997 to 2000. The band was formed by guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella
(formerly of Cap'n Jazz
and Joan of Arc
and currently of Owen
) and drummer Steve Lamos (formerly of The One Up Downstairs, one time member of The Firebird Band
and Edward Burch
& the Staunch Characters, and currently of The Geese and DMS), and also included guitar player Steve Holmes (also of The Geese).
, however, the band splintered before the record could be pressed, so the songs were shelved. The three tracks recorded by The One Up Downstairs would finally be released in 2006 as a digital download EP by Polyvinyl.
David Johnson and Allen Johnson went on to form the band Very Secretary (and later Favorite Saints), while Kinsella and Lamos began working with Steve Holmes. American Football completed a total of two releases—an eponymous EP in 1998 and their full-length debut album in 1999, both through Polyvinyl Records
. Though the band did not record bass on the EP, Kinsella handled bass duties on the LP.
Within a year of the release of their full-length, American Football became a studio project, and shortly thereafter the band mutually decided to stop recording together. Still, they gained critical acclaim for that album, which merged the plain-spoken, confessional lyrics and the varying time signature
s of math rock
with a softer musical sensibility. These characteristics have been found in Kinsella's project, Owen
.
There has been no discussion of reuniting the band.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Champaign
-Urbana, Illinois, active from 1997 to 2000. The band was formed by guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella
Mike Kinsella
Mike Kinsella is one of three musicians in his family involved in many Illinois-based bands . He was first recognized in the music scene in Cap'n Jazz formed by his brother Tim in 1989 while at the age of 12...
(formerly of Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz was an emo band formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villareal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the...
and Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (band)
Joan of Arc are an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.Singer Tim Kinsella has been the only permanent member of the group; he has also recorded as a solo artist....
and currently of Owen
Owen (band)
Owen is a solo project of Mike Kinsella, and part of the Chicago indie scene.Kinsella is one of the dominant and influential figures in the Chicago indie scene, having also led the band American Football, and played in the bands Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc and Owls .Owen is known for its soft melodies,...
) and drummer Steve Lamos (formerly of The One Up Downstairs, one time member of The Firebird Band
The Firebird Band
The Firebird Band is an indie rock band hailing from Chicago, Illinois. The band was created as a side project by Chris Broach, of Braid notoriety, and his brother Riley Broach in 1996. The band's first endeavor was the 7" titled New York under the name of The Firebird Suite which was released in...
and Edward Burch
Edward Burch
Edward Burch is a Chicago and Champaign, Illinois-based musician and journalist. As a guitarist, he is a founding member of alternative country band The Kennett Brothers and, as a suitcase player, of the quasi-skiffle combo The Viper and His Famous Orchestra...
& the Staunch Characters, and currently of The Geese and DMS), and also included guitar player Steve Holmes (also of The Geese).
History
Kinsella and Lamos began playing together with David Johnson and Allen Johnson in 1997 under the name 'The One Up Downstairs', in which Kinsella was exclusively a vocalist. Three songs were recorded under this name, with the intention of releasing them as a 7" record on Polyvinyl RecordsPolyvinyl Record Co.
Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
, however, the band splintered before the record could be pressed, so the songs were shelved. The three tracks recorded by The One Up Downstairs would finally be released in 2006 as a digital download EP by Polyvinyl.
David Johnson and Allen Johnson went on to form the band Very Secretary (and later Favorite Saints), while Kinsella and Lamos began working with Steve Holmes. American Football completed a total of two releases—an eponymous EP in 1998 and their full-length debut album in 1999, both through Polyvinyl Records
Polyvinyl Record Co.
Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
. Though the band did not record bass on the EP, Kinsella handled bass duties on the LP.
Within a year of the release of their full-length, American Football became a studio project, and shortly thereafter the band mutually decided to stop recording together. Still, they gained critical acclaim for that album, which merged the plain-spoken, confessional lyrics and the varying time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s of math rock
Math rock
Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
with a softer musical sensibility. These characteristics have been found in Kinsella's project, Owen
Owen (band)
Owen is a solo project of Mike Kinsella, and part of the Chicago indie scene.Kinsella is one of the dominant and influential figures in the Chicago indie scene, having also led the band American Football, and played in the bands Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc and Owls .Owen is known for its soft melodies,...
.
There has been no discussion of reuniting the band.
Band name origin
Mike Kinsella explained the band's name as follows:- My girlfriend had been in Dublin, Ireland visiting her family. One of the things she brought home for me was a flyer for a Chicago Bears exhibition game that said: "Come see American Football, featuring the most overpaid athletes in the world." Something about that statement made me think of rock bands, most of whom are the most overpaid musicians in the world. When I suggested it as a name, the other guys thought it was dumb. Still, for whatever reason, we kept it.
Discography
- American Football EP (1998)
- American FootballAmerican Football (album)American Football is the debut album by American indie rock band American Football, released on September 14, 1999.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Nitsuh Abebe awarded the album 3 stars stating "Considering the incredible appeal of American Football's debut single with Polyvinyl, it was quite...
(1999)
External links
- American Football at Polyvinyl Records
- American Football at joanfrc.com
- American Football at Epitonic