Essex Chanel
Encyclopedia
Essex Chanel a multi-genre musical project formed in 2005 in Chicago, Illinois by Travis Lee Wiggins.
Most of Essex Chanel’s prolific recorded output is arranged and produced by Wiggins. Wiggins likes to experiment and use different musical styles from release-to-release, sometimes even from song-to-song. “With each album, I go in a different direction. I challenge myself,” Wiggins said in the RedEye
.
In November 2010, Essex Chanel released song number 250, The Good Times. The song was played on Chicago's WXRT-FM's Local Anesthetic.
In January 2011, Essex Chanel confirmed they would be a guest on Chic-a-Go-Go
.
Essex Chanel is most commonly compared to Ween
due to a similarity in the way both bands genre-jump and use a wide array of music influences, as well as the sense of humor both groups have.
Essex Chanel's release Love is Proximity was compared to Sufjan Stevens
, Arcade Fire, and The Magnetic Fields
69 Love Songs
.
), & Sara Ma.
said "Not many bands can pull off a song about skinny-dipping and have it sound charming instead of creepy, but Essex Chanel is schooled in all kinds of charm, filtered through frontman Travis Lee Wiggins’ vision." The video was in rotation on JBTV
, MTV Latin America
, Fuse
On Demand, and at the 9:30 Club
, among others.
History
Wiggins started Essex Chanel to go in a different musical direction than his first band, Fetla. After Fetla went on a 2-year hiatus in 2005, Essex Chanel became Wiggins’s primary project.Most of Essex Chanel’s prolific recorded output is arranged and produced by Wiggins. Wiggins likes to experiment and use different musical styles from release-to-release, sometimes even from song-to-song. “With each album, I go in a different direction. I challenge myself,” Wiggins said in the RedEye
RedEye
The RedEye is a daily publication put out by the Chicago Tribune geared toward 18 to 34-year-olds. RedEye was created due in part to the loss of readership among young people of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers...
.
In November 2010, Essex Chanel released song number 250, The Good Times. The song was played on Chicago's WXRT-FM's Local Anesthetic.
In January 2011, Essex Chanel confirmed they would be a guest on Chic-a-Go-Go
Chic-a-Go-Go
Chic-a-Go-Go is a Public-access television cable TV children's dance show that airs on Chicago Access Network Television . The show bills itself as "Chicago's Dance Show for Kids of All Ages".-Show description:...
.
Musical Style and Influences
Essex Chanel is typically categorized as indie rock, indie pop, or folk pop, but due to the experimentation of Wiggins’ songwriting the music has fallen in to an additional variety of music genres, including bluegrass, folk , Americana, dance/electronica, honky-tonk, alternative and classical, while still retaining mostly a pop-influenced base with an emphasis on melody, playfulness and orchestration.Essex Chanel is most commonly compared to Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
due to a similarity in the way both bands genre-jump and use a wide array of music influences, as well as the sense of humor both groups have.
Essex Chanel's release Love is Proximity was compared to Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, Arcade Fire, and The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...
69 Love Songs
69 Love Songs
69 Love Songs is a three-volume concept album by The Magnetic Fields released in 1999. As its title indicates, the album is composed of 69 love songs, all written by Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt.-Conception and live performance:...
.
Collaborators
Wiggins has collaborated with many musicians for Essex Chanel: Stephen Dranger, Mike Regan, Allison Trumbo, Aleksandra Lederer, Mitch Nimnicht, Steven Aleck, Robert Pleshar, Micah Travisonno, Brian Koehler, Joseph Khalifah, Luke Krause, Angelina Lucero (who had played with Pretty Good Dance MovesPretty Good Dance Moves
Pretty Good Dance Moves is an indietronic band from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. Their sound, sometimes also labeled as electropop, draws considerable influence from 80s new wave, electronic, pop and indie rock genres.-Genesis of the Group:...
), & Sara Ma.
Music Videos
Essex Chanel broke into the national scene in 2010 with the release of a music video for the single "Skinny Dippin'." The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
said "Not many bands can pull off a song about skinny-dipping and have it sound charming instead of creepy, but Essex Chanel is schooled in all kinds of charm, filtered through frontman Travis Lee Wiggins’ vision." The video was in rotation on JBTV
JBTV
JBTV is a music television show featuring interviews, music videos, and live in-studio performances from up-and-coming musicians. Based in Chicago, Illinois, JBTV has over its 26 year history helped several Chicago area bands reach a wider audience, as well as giving exposure to more alternative...
, MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America is a cable television specialty service aimed at residents in Hispanic American countries. It was launched on October 1, 1993 as MTV en Español. The channel is a Hispanic American version from MTV...
, Fuse
Fuse
The word fuse has several meanings:* Fuse , a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current....
On Demand, and at the 9:30 Club
9:30 Club
Foo Fighters Promise to come back to D.C. and play the 9:30 ClubNightclub 9:30 is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. Originally located at 930 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s it was called the "Atlantis Club", and hosted primarily rock, New Wave, and punk bands...
, among others.
Albums
- Siren (9.8.2005)
- One Last Hurrah Before I Die (5.9.2006)
- Travis Wiggins Gets Drunk (7.21-7.24.2006)
- 67 Car Commercials (9.17.2006)
- 67 Car Commericals BONUS (3.6.2007)
- Biting the Hand that Feeds You (3.13.2007)
- Cropcircles (4.8.2007)
- Dancing at Weddings (1.18.2008)
- Love is Proximity (9.23.2009)
- Love is Proximity Sessions, Disk 1 (11.24.2009)
- Love is Proximity Sessions, Disk 2 (1.26.2010)
- Love is Proximity Sessions, Disk 3 (3.23.2010)