Fiasco (band)
Encyclopedia
Fiasco is a Brooklyn-based trio
formed in October 2005 by Jonathan Edelstein (guitar
/vocals), Julian Bennett Holmes (drums
), and Lucian Buscemi (electric bass
/vocals), although all three are multi-instrumentalist
s. They are known for their intense, high-energy music
, their energetic live shows
, and for playing off the venue's
stage
, in the round
. The band draws influences from early 1980s hardcore punk
bands such as Minor Threat
, Flipper
and Bad Brains
, as well as more recent noise and indie rock
bands such as Lightning Bolt, Fugazi
, and Shellac
, and math rock bands including Hella
and Don Caballero
. Fiasco only plays all-ages shows, with rare exceptions.
. On June 24, 2007, Fiasco released "God Loves Fiasco
," their 23-track debut on their own Beautiful Records label, receiving positive reviews from Spin, among others.
On May 14, 2008, the band announced that they signed to independent Brooklyn label
Impose Records, and would be releasing a new LP entitled Native Canadians
, which they said will be released in a package containing the 12" vinyl record and a CD. Impose is the same independent label that also released fellow Brooklyn band; Total Slacker
, in 2010.
On June 17, 2008, the band announced on their Myspace that they would have their first national concert tour in August 2008, in order to promote Native Canadians prior to its release, which was later revealed would be October 14, 2008.
On August 29, 2008, they released their first music video
, for the instrumental
"Oh, You Horny Monster!" on Pitchfork.tv
, to promote the upcoming release of Native Canadians.
In May 2009, The Homosexuals
announced that Fiasco, along with existing members Bruno Wizard
and Mike Dos Santos, would be the new lineup of The Homosexuals.
In July 2009, Fiasco announced that they were recording a new LP.
, Oh My Rockness, CMJ
, The New York Times
, New York Magazine
and others.
The band performs in the documentary
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
, prompting the band to play at the opening of the film at the Sarajevo Film Festival
.
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
formed in October 2005 by Jonathan Edelstein (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
/vocals), Julian Bennett Holmes (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), and Lucian Buscemi (electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/vocals), although all three are multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
s. They are known for their intense, high-energy music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, their energetic live shows
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, and for playing off the venue's
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, in the round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
. The band draws influences from early 1980s hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands such as Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, Flipper
Flipper (band)
Flipper is a punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,, punk rock and noise rock bands...
and Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
, as well as more recent noise and indie rock
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...
bands such as Lightning Bolt, Fugazi
Fugazi (band)
Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
, and Shellac
Shellac (band)
Shellac is an American group composed of Steve Albini , Bob Weston and Todd Trainer...
, and math rock bands including Hella
Hella (band)
Hella is an American band from Sacramento, California. They play a technical blend of math rock, noise rock, and experimental rock. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums...
and Don Caballero
Don Caballero
Don Caballero are an American rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television...
. Fiasco only plays all-ages shows, with rare exceptions.
History
Fiasco formed in 2005 in Park Slope, BrooklynPark Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope is a neighborhood in western Brooklyn, New York City's most populous borough. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush Avenue to the north, and 15th Street to the south, though other definitions are sometimes offered. Generally...
. On June 24, 2007, Fiasco released "God Loves Fiasco
God Loves Fiasco
-Track listing:# "Hot House" - 4:02# "Fed Up" - 1:31# "Vertical Litter" - 2:16# "Sir Gentleman" - 1:16# "Jonathan's Voice Cracks" - 0:05# "Wild Goose Chase Rag" - 3:23# "Stargaze" - 7:35# "Stop That" - 1:21# "Nothing To Lose" - 3:15...
," their 23-track debut on their own Beautiful Records label, receiving positive reviews from Spin, among others.
On May 14, 2008, the band announced that they signed to independent Brooklyn label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Impose Records, and would be releasing a new LP entitled Native Canadians
Native Canadians (album)
Native Canadians is the second album by the band Fiasco.The album was originally recorded by record producer Billy Pavone, but on June 17, 2005, the band announced on their Myspace that they would not be using his recordings, but would instead use new recordings that they made themselves...
, which they said will be released in a package containing the 12" vinyl record and a CD. Impose is the same independent label that also released fellow Brooklyn band; Total Slacker
Total Slacker
Total Slacker is an American band from Brooklyn, New York.In one year as a group, they have released two singles on independent record labels both in the U.S. and Europe, and have played over 100 shows in New York,...
, in 2010.
On June 17, 2008, the band announced on their Myspace that they would have their first national concert tour in August 2008, in order to promote Native Canadians prior to its release, which was later revealed would be October 14, 2008.
On August 29, 2008, they released their first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, for the instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
"Oh, You Horny Monster!" on Pitchfork.tv
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, to promote the upcoming release of Native Canadians.
In May 2009, The Homosexuals
The Homosexuals
The Homosexuals are a punk band formed in 1978. They were born out of the ashes of The Rejects.- History :The Rejects were formed at Goldsmith's College in South London in 1976, when Bruno Wizard recruited a young songwriter named Ian Kane to help express his disquiet with the modern world and...
announced that Fiasco, along with existing members Bruno Wizard
Bruno Wizard
Bruno Aleph Wizard was the founder and principal singer and co-writer of the punk groups The Homosexuals and The Rejects. Wizard is also a noted player of the harmonica....
and Mike Dos Santos, would be the new lineup of The Homosexuals.
In July 2009, Fiasco announced that they were recording a new LP.
Press and Film
They've recently gained attention in SpinSpin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, Oh My Rockness, CMJ
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, New York Magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
and others.
The band performs in the documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the British Independent Film Awards as Best British Documentary 2007. The film premiered 20 January 2007 at...
, prompting the band to play at the opening of the film at the Sarajevo Film Festival
Sarajevo Film Festival
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in the Balkans, and is one of the largest in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an...
.
Discography
- God Loves FiascoGod Loves Fiasco-Track listing:# "Hot House" - 4:02# "Fed Up" - 1:31# "Vertical Litter" - 2:16# "Sir Gentleman" - 1:16# "Jonathan's Voice Cracks" - 0:05# "Wild Goose Chase Rag" - 3:23# "Stargaze" - 7:35# "Stop That" - 1:21# "Nothing To Lose" - 3:15...
(Beautiful Records, June 24, 2007) - Native CanadiansNative Canadians (album)Native Canadians is the second album by the band Fiasco.The album was originally recorded by record producer Billy Pavone, but on June 17, 2005, the band announced on their Myspace that they would not be using his recordings, but would instead use new recordings that they made themselves...
(Impose Records, October 14, 2008) - Fabulous Bozo EP (Internet only, 2009)