As Tall as Lions
Encyclopedia
As Tall as Lions was an Indie Rock
band from Long Island, New York.
" was released in July 2002 at local venue Backstreet Blues. Upon its release, vocalist Dan Nigro sent the EP to some websites, which caught the attention of then-influential "thescout.net". The EP garnered the band local radio airplay and the attention of the local music scene. Without a permanent live bassist however, the band used studio engineer Rich Leigey, who had worked on the EP, and friend Julio Tavarez, before Dan Nigro began auditioning and recruiting bassists. It wasn't until October 2002 that the band brought on board bassist Brian Caesar. A few months later the band signed a joint development deal with Island Records and Triple Crown Records.
with Sean O'Keefe
. Asked to re-release the EP by the label, the band settled on handpicking songs from "Blood and Aphorisms
" as well as adding new ones. Given a tight budget, they holed up in a single bed hotel in Chicago, the band and manager struggled to find their place in the studio. Nigro explains, "I believed the songs would come to me. I was naive. In the past all the songs I wrote had just come to me naturally. I didn't think Chicago would be that much of a struggle." Fitzgerald explains it this way, "In hindsight, I had a blast in Chicago but problem was, we were all just floating by. We were experimenting to the fullest. Pulling out all the stops so to speak. The best analogy I can come up with is taking a chocolate laxative. You're trying hard to relieve yourself but all the chocolate is just making you more constipated." Adds Nigro, "I hadn't done my homework. I hadn't finished lyrics, I was struggling with confidence issues, I was even afraid to hit notes. I began suffering panic attacks, I soiled myself nightly at rehearsals, and the whole process became incredibly stressful to both me and my bandmates."
The band went ahead with plans to mix at Smart Studios
in Wisconsin
. With three songs vocally unfinished the band was out of money and headed back home to Long Island. Immediately Nigro felt the mixes were not right and wanted to remix the record. Later realizing the record was "out of phase", the band needed to quickly accept their new record as it was. At the end of October of that year, Nigro, Sarcona and Caesar went back to Chicago's Gravity Studios
, using money out of their own pocket and successfully remixed and re-tracked the final three songs. Later the band returned to O'Keefe on several occasions to record the songs "33" & "Mellon Collie..." for an unreleased Smashing Pumpkins tribute album, the song "Children in Bloom" for the Counting Crows
compilation album "Dead and Dreaming" and the song "Girl of the North Country" for a Bob Dylan
tribute album.
" and while they admit they were "young and having fun," they were losing money daily. Then in July 2004, guitarist Brian Caesar left the band citing a desire to lead an ordinary life.
The band returned from vacation to find Dan completely unfit to make music. With no other options, the band was faced with the difficult decision of removing their good friend and vocalist from the band. While the remaining three were left to reformulate their future plans, Nigro found time to meet with his bandmates and persuaded them to let him rejoin. Soon thereafter As Tall as Lions wrote "Songs for Luna," "Love, Love, Love" "Maybe I'm Just Tired" and "A Break A Pause." In October, just as they were about to enter the studio, the band completed writing with "A Soft Hum," "Ghost of York," "Be Here Now", "Kicking Myself," and b-side "Underbelly." The band gathered together producer Steven Haigler and longtime ATAL producer Mike Watts in the Freeport, NY VuDu Studios. They continued recording through the fall, finishing the mixes in January 2006. Incredibly proud of the record, the band showed the songs to their record label, who immediately wrote the songs off as "soft" and maintained that there were "no radio singles." In the third week of January, the band finished mixing and set out on tour. It was around this time that the band decided to ask friend, Rob Parr, to join the band on tour as keyboardist after having met him while touring in support of Lafcadio. Having never played piano, Parr worked hard to familiarize himself with the new instrument and by February of that year, he was touring with the band in support of the not-yet-released self-titled album.
. They continued on tour in August and September and came home in the winter to work on new material.
." On Nov. 27, the band released the EP to iTunes, charting the Top 50 for the first week of release. During its release, drummer Sarcona and bassist Tavarez went on a national tour with the Boston-based project The Dear Hunter
. An ATAL tour with Silverchair
followed in December, as well as other select dates. The EP was released on vinyl on March 17. In January 2008 the band began work on their new record "You Can't Take It With You
."
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 Long Island, New York.
History
High school friends Dan Nigro (vocals, guitar), Saen Fitzgerald (guitar, drums), Brian Fortune (guitar) and Cliff Sarcona (drums) founded the band in December 2001 as they were looking to continue the momentum of a previous project.Blood and Aphorisms
"Blood and AphorismsBlood and Aphorisms
Blood And Aphorisms is the first EP by the band As Tall As Lions which was Self-Released in 2002. Some of the songs were later re-recorded for the album Lafcadio-Track listing:#Break Blossom*#Dancing In The Rearview...
" was released in July 2002 at local venue Backstreet Blues. Upon its release, vocalist Dan Nigro sent the EP to some websites, which caught the attention of then-influential "thescout.net". The EP garnered the band local radio airplay and the attention of the local music scene. Without a permanent live bassist however, the band used studio engineer Rich Leigey, who had worked on the EP, and friend Julio Tavarez, before Dan Nigro began auditioning and recruiting bassists. It wasn't until October 2002 that the band brought on board bassist Brian Caesar. A few months later the band signed a joint development deal with Island Records and Triple Crown Records.
Lafcadio
In May 2003 the band relocated to Chicago, Illinois, to record their debut album, LafcadioLafcadio
Lafcadio is the debut full-length album and second release by Long Island-based alternative band As Tall as Lions.-Track listing:#"Break Blossom"#"96 Heartbeats"#"Silhouettes/Silhouetting"#"The Carousel"#"Acrobat"#"Why We Cry at Movies"...
with Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe (producer)
Sean O'Keefe is an American record producer. He produced two RIAA gold albums before the age of 24: Fall Out Boy's Take This to Your Grave and Hawthorne Heights's The Silence in Black and White. He mixed and co-produced the Plain White T's 2007 commercial success Hey There Delilah, earning him...
. Asked to re-release the EP by the label, the band settled on handpicking songs from "Blood and Aphorisms
Blood and Aphorisms
Blood And Aphorisms is the first EP by the band As Tall As Lions which was Self-Released in 2002. Some of the songs were later re-recorded for the album Lafcadio-Track listing:#Break Blossom*#Dancing In The Rearview...
" as well as adding new ones. Given a tight budget, they holed up in a single bed hotel in Chicago, the band and manager struggled to find their place in the studio. Nigro explains, "I believed the songs would come to me. I was naive. In the past all the songs I wrote had just come to me naturally. I didn't think Chicago would be that much of a struggle." Fitzgerald explains it this way, "In hindsight, I had a blast in Chicago but problem was, we were all just floating by. We were experimenting to the fullest. Pulling out all the stops so to speak. The best analogy I can come up with is taking a chocolate laxative. You're trying hard to relieve yourself but all the chocolate is just making you more constipated." Adds Nigro, "I hadn't done my homework. I hadn't finished lyrics, I was struggling with confidence issues, I was even afraid to hit notes. I began suffering panic attacks, I soiled myself nightly at rehearsals, and the whole process became incredibly stressful to both me and my bandmates."
The band went ahead with plans to mix at Smart Studios
Smart Studios
Smart Studios was a recording studio located at 1254 E Washington Ave in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands....
in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. With three songs vocally unfinished the band was out of money and headed back home to Long Island. Immediately Nigro felt the mixes were not right and wanted to remix the record. Later realizing the record was "out of phase", the band needed to quickly accept their new record as it was. At the end of October of that year, Nigro, Sarcona and Caesar went back to Chicago's Gravity Studios
Gravity Studios
Gravity Studios is a recording studio in Chicago, IL founded in 1993 by Doug McBride.Artists that have worked at Gravity Studios include: Veruca Salt , Smashing Pumpkins, Atari Teenage Riot, Rod Stewart, Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, Silversun Pickups, The Walkmen, Rachel Yamagata, Umphrey's...
, using money out of their own pocket and successfully remixed and re-tracked the final three songs. Later the band returned to O'Keefe on several occasions to record the songs "33" & "Mellon Collie..." for an unreleased Smashing Pumpkins tribute album, the song "Children in Bloom" for the Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
compilation album "Dead and Dreaming" and the song "Girl of the North Country" for a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
tribute album.
Touring
While three of the band members were in Chicago, guitarist Brian Fortune had enrolled at St. John's University in Queens and withdrew from the band. After months of auditioning guitar players with little luck, the band agreed to move vocalist Dan Nigro to guitar (he had previously been strictly a vocalist) and continue on as a quartet. The band set out on numerous tours in support of "LafcadioLafcadio
Lafcadio is the debut full-length album and second release by Long Island-based alternative band As Tall as Lions.-Track listing:#"Break Blossom"#"96 Heartbeats"#"Silhouettes/Silhouetting"#"The Carousel"#"Acrobat"#"Why We Cry at Movies"...
" and while they admit they were "young and having fun," they were losing money daily. Then in July 2004, guitarist Brian Caesar left the band citing a desire to lead an ordinary life.
Recording the self-titled
The band came home from tour and wrote the songs "Stab City" and "Where Do I Stand." In July 2005, while writing, Fitzgerald, Sarcona and Tavarez left for a trip to the Dominican Republic. While there Nigro stayed home as he was feeling good about the writing process and was comfortable with the progress he had made. Instead though, this new found optimism turned into pressure and Nigro once again offset a series of panic attacks, self doubt and a lack of confidence.The band returned from vacation to find Dan completely unfit to make music. With no other options, the band was faced with the difficult decision of removing their good friend and vocalist from the band. While the remaining three were left to reformulate their future plans, Nigro found time to meet with his bandmates and persuaded them to let him rejoin. Soon thereafter As Tall as Lions wrote "Songs for Luna," "Love, Love, Love" "Maybe I'm Just Tired" and "A Break A Pause." In October, just as they were about to enter the studio, the band completed writing with "A Soft Hum," "Ghost of York," "Be Here Now", "Kicking Myself," and b-side "Underbelly." The band gathered together producer Steven Haigler and longtime ATAL producer Mike Watts in the Freeport, NY VuDu Studios. They continued recording through the fall, finishing the mixes in January 2006. Incredibly proud of the record, the band showed the songs to their record label, who immediately wrote the songs off as "soft" and maintained that there were "no radio singles." In the third week of January, the band finished mixing and set out on tour. It was around this time that the band decided to ask friend, Rob Parr, to join the band on tour as keyboardist after having met him while touring in support of Lafcadio. Having never played piano, Parr worked hard to familiarize himself with the new instrument and by February of that year, he was touring with the band in support of the not-yet-released self-titled album.
As Tall as Lions (album)
On August 8, 2006 the band released their self-titled album. In October the band set out on tour in support of it. Between tours the band began work on a holiday EP, and recorded "It's Only Christmas", cover "Across The Universe" and cover "O' Holy Night", only to be unreleased but lived on via different web sites & released compilations. The band inked a spot on the AP Tour in March of that year and remained on that bill through April. The band began a headlining tour in June and July, playing to packed crowds nightly. On July 17 the Long Island quartet made its television debut on Jimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
. They continued on tour in August and September and came home in the winter to work on new material.
Into the Flood and You Can't Take It With You
Reformulating previous ideas, As Tall as Lions began writing what would become the EP "Into the FloodInto the Flood
Into the Flood is the second EP from New York based Indie group As Tall As Lions. It was recorded over a six day period in October 2007, according to lead vocalist Dan Nigro.It was released on iTunes on November 27, 2007 from Triple Crown Records...
." On Nov. 27, the band released the EP to iTunes, charting the Top 50 for the first week of release. During its release, drummer Sarcona and bassist Tavarez went on a national tour with the Boston-based project The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter is an indie rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo, formerly of post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens...
. An ATAL tour with Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
followed in December, as well as other select dates. The EP was released on vinyl on March 17. In January 2008 the band began work on their new record "You Can't Take It With You
You Can't Take It With You (album)
You Can't Take It with You is the third and final studio album by Long Island band As Tall as Lions. It was released on August 18, 2009. The album debut at #88 on the Billboard Top 200.-History:...
."
Break up
On September 29, 2010 As Tall As Lions announced that the band was amicably splitting up. Three fourths of the band (Julio, Saen, and Cliff) will continue making music together in their experimental/improvisation/instrumental band Kilimanjaro. Lead Singer Dan Nigro will be moving on to a new project called Blocks.Albums
| Title | Release Date | Label | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafcadio Lafcadio Lafcadio is the debut full-length album and second release by Long Island-based alternative band As Tall as Lions.-Track listing:#"Break Blossom"#"96 Heartbeats"#"Silhouettes/Silhouetting"#"The Carousel"#"Acrobat"#"Why We Cry at Movies"... |
May 8, 2004 | Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York-based record label. It is home to Hit the Lights, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Dear Hunter, Moving Mountains, and As Tall as Lions, among others... |
- |
| As Tall as Lions As Tall As Lions (album) As Tall as Lions is the second full-length album from As Tall as Lions. It was released on August 8, 2006, on Triple Crown Records.-Recording and production:... |
August 8, 2006 | Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York-based record label. It is home to Hit the Lights, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Dear Hunter, Moving Mountains, and As Tall as Lions, among others... |
- |
| You Can't Take It with You You Can't Take It With You (album) You Can't Take It with You is the third and final studio album by Long Island band As Tall as Lions. It was released on August 18, 2009. The album debut at #88 on the Billboard Top 200.-History:... |
August 18, 2009 | Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York-based record label. It is home to Hit the Lights, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Dear Hunter, Moving Mountains, and As Tall as Lions, among others... |
#88 |
EPs
| Title | Release Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Blood and Aphorisms Blood and Aphorisms Blood And Aphorisms is the first EP by the band As Tall As Lions which was Self-Released in 2002. Some of the songs were later re-recorded for the album Lafcadio-Track listing:#Break Blossom*#Dancing In The Rearview... |
September 2002 | Self-Released |
| Into the Flood Into the Flood Into the Flood is the second EP from New York based Indie group As Tall As Lions. It was recorded over a six day period in October 2007, according to lead vocalist Dan Nigro.It was released on iTunes on November 27, 2007 from Triple Crown Records... |
November 27, 2007 | East West / TCR |
| The Circles EP The Circles EP The Circles EP is an ep released by the band "As Tall As Lions" on Dec. 7th 2009. The title comes from the first single off of their album "You Can't Take It With You".-Track listing:#Circles#You Can’t Take It With You#Ghost Of York#I Could Die Here... |
December 7, 2009 | Triple Crown Records |