For the Seattle-based indie rock band, see Barcelona (indie rock band)

Barcelona (indie rock band)

Barcelona is a band from Seattle, Washington. The band's sound is harmonious and piano-based with elements of rock. Formed in 2005, the band cites U2, Coldplay, Copeland, Death Cab for Cutie and Lovedrug as its influences. Barcelona independently released their debut album, Absolutes, in September...

.

Barcelona was an indie

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...

/new wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

/pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 band from Arlington, Virginia consisting of Jason Korzen, Jennifer Carr, Ivan Ramiscal, and Christian Scanniello. The band addresses geek

Geek

The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...

y themes in many of their songs, such as "The Downside of Computer Camp", "I Have the Password to Your Shell Account", and "Paging System Operator", about a boy who contacts someone in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 whom he believes to be an experienced cracker

Software cracking

Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...

, using a BBS

Bulletin board system

A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...

, only to find he is also a thirteen-year-old.

1998: Formation

Barcelona was formed in 1998 by Korzen and Carr. The pair recruited Ramiscal and Scanniello and began writing and performing original songs that year. Later that year, the group met producer/engineer Trevor Kampmann (also known as Trevor Holland) and began work on its first LP, Simon Basic, which included the single Why Do You Have So Much Fun Without Me?.

1999: Simon Basic

The band signed to March Records in early 1999 and released Simon Basic in June 1999. The album takes its name from the Simons' BASIC

Simons' BASIC

Simons' BASIC was an extension to BASIC 2.0 for the Commodore 64 home computer. Written by 16-year-old British programmer David Simons in 1983, it was distributed by Commodore in cartridge format.-Features:...

 programming language, developed for the Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

. In the fall of 1999, it embarked on its first tour, mainly on the East Coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

, but also including Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. The band performed to indie rock fans at places such as MIT.

2000: Zero One Infinity

In 2000, the band began work on Zero One Infinity, again with producer Kampmann. The album includes I Have the Password to Your Shell Account (which received some circulation on the Internet), "Studio Hair Gel", "Robot Trouble" and "Kasey Keller, an ode to the American soccer player

Kasey Keller

Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....

. "Studio Hair Gel" and "Robot Trouble" were both released as singles prior to the album and included remixes by Figurine, Dntel

Dntel

James Scott "Jimmy" Tamborello, more commonly known as Dntel , is an electronic music artist. He is sometimes cited as James Figurine, the co-programmer and vocalist for the electropop outfit Figurine. Other projects include Strictly Ballroom, Headset and The Postal Service. Tamborello has...

 and Baxendale. The band toured again in the fall of 2000 on ZOI, and the album was well received.

2001: Transhuman Revolution

Barcelona recorded Transhuman Revolution in 2001 again with Kampmann. The album includes the singles "Everything Makes Me Think about Sex" and "Human Simulation". Shortly after the album's release, the band played its final show at The Metro Cafe in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 in February 2002.

Post-Barcelona

Korzen formed Sprites

Sprites (band)

Sprites are an independent new wave/indie pop music group from Maryland, USA. Their lineup is ever-changing, with only the founding members staying constant...

 with his wife, Amy Korzen. Both Scanniello and Ramiscal have contributed to the project.

Ramiscal formed The Positions.