Flickerstick
Encyclopedia
Flickerstick was a Ft. Worth, TX rock band
who gained national attention after winning VH1
's acclaimed and Emmy-nominated talent/reality show Bands on the Run
.
friends Brandin Lea (lead singer, guitarist) and Cory Kreig (guitarist, keyboardist). The two, who were guitarists in another local band, decided to put a band together just for the fun of it and picked some friends to join them, including Brandin's brother, Fletcher (bassist). The band started doing local gigs and started gathering a solid fanbase.
Soon they graduated to larger clubs in Dallas and started headlining shows. The band managed to put together $10,000 and self-financed their first album titled Welcoming Home the Astronauts
. The album sold well in the Dallas area and at shows and the band received heavy local airplay. It was then that Billboard picked the band to be on a CD sampler of Best Unsigned Bands in the Country.
invited them to audition for the Bands on the Run television show, after initial interest in them for a show about bands that include relatives. After auditioning among over 2,000 bands, Flickerstick was chosen to be one of the four in the series. The winner was to be the band that made the most money, but with a "battle of the bands" before each each elimination of the lowest-earning band, with the winner (chosen by audience vote) protected from elimination. Flickerstick won the first two "battle of the bands" to avoid elimination, and was lagging in sales by $3,000.00 in the final episode, when it was announced that Guitar Center
was offering a purse of $5,000.00 for the winner of the final "battle." Flickerstick won that final "battle" and the grand prize for the series.
. In November 2001, Epic re-released the band's debut album which received moderate reviews in Rolling Stone (3 out of 5 stars) and Billboard, and anywhere from excellent to poor reviews in other music publications. The album was re-worked with the help of veteran producer Rick Beato and was remixed by Tom Lord-Alge
. The reissued album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #150 on the Billboard Top 200. Despite being released in the fourth quarter, a time reserved for the top musical acts (due to the Christmas buying season), and selling over 50,000 records in the first week (which would have been a top 20 debut for a first quarter release), sales were considered disappointing.
Flickerstick was in New York, for a show in Asbury Park, NJ the following night, on September 11, 2001. In an interview, with Rock Eyez, a local New Jersey music blog, Brandin Lea stated that being in New York on 9/11 was "horrific" and that would be the one thing he would change from the bands career. In other interviews, members of the band have cited the change in the record industry and economy in general (resulting in Epic's lackluster promotion of the album) after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as reasons for their departure with Epic.
A year later, they chose to have their Epic contract bought out for an undisclosed amount rather than record their follow-up with the label. They immediately signed with What Are Records and released a live album
titled Causing a Catastrophe that same year. After the album's release drummer Dominic Weir was fired from the band for personality conflicts and continual physical aggression. After his dismissal he continued to play with another project Mermaid Purse before eventually joining Smile Empty Soul
. He was replaced in Flickerstick by ex-Doosu drummer Todd Harwell.
On October 14, 2003 Flickerstick self-released an EP/DVD combo entitled To Madagascar and Back
.
as well as the concert location areas featured in Bands on the Run.
On October 5, 2004, Flickerstick released their second album Tarantula on the Dallas-based indie label Idol Records
. The band had a number of tours across the country in support of the record. Founding guitarist Cory Kreig left the band in April 2005 for personal reasons. Tim Locke, who also handles lead vocals and guitar for Dallas-based alternative band Coma Rally and alt-country band Calhoun filled Cory's place in the band.
On April 3, 2007 the band's live record hit stores. Live From Atlanta was named as a result of a two-day, fan-invite recording weekend back in September 2006 at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta
. 150 fans joined the band each night in a live recording room at the studio, and celebrated being part of the band’s live, special taping sessions. Flickerstick didn’t want to rehash all of their "greatest hits”, so the album featured six new songs that had not been recorded before. The album also featured a special studio track called "Helicopter," (Track 12 on the album, which was also released to radio as a single) along with three, enhanced videos from the recording shows in September. The record was engineered by industry veteran Shawn Grove.
After a hiatus of more than a year, the band resurfaced to perform three final farewell shows:
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
who gained national attention after winning VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's acclaimed and Emmy-nominated talent/reality show Bands on the Run
Bands on the Run
Bands on the Run is an American competitive reality tv show which first aired weekly on VH1 from April 2 to July 15, 2001. The show featured four unsigned bands competing for a prize package which included $50,000 in cash, $100,000 in musical equipment from Guitar Center, a showcase in front of...
.
Birth and local fame
Flickerstick was formed in Ft. Worth, TX by high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
friends Brandin Lea (lead singer, guitarist) and Cory Kreig (guitarist, keyboardist). The two, who were guitarists in another local band, decided to put a band together just for the fun of it and picked some friends to join them, including Brandin's brother, Fletcher (bassist). The band started doing local gigs and started gathering a solid fanbase.
Soon they graduated to larger clubs in Dallas and started headlining shows. The band managed to put together $10,000 and self-financed their first album titled Welcoming Home the Astronauts
Welcoming Home the Astronauts
Welcoming Home the Astronauts is Flickerstick's first album. It was originally released in 2001 on 226 Records, but after the band won VH1's Bands on the Run, it was released by Epic...
. The album sold well in the Dallas area and at shows and the band received heavy local airplay. It was then that Billboard picked the band to be on a CD sampler of Best Unsigned Bands in the Country.
VH1's Bands on the Run
During this time, VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
invited them to audition for the Bands on the Run television show, after initial interest in them for a show about bands that include relatives. After auditioning among over 2,000 bands, Flickerstick was chosen to be one of the four in the series. The winner was to be the band that made the most money, but with a "battle of the bands" before each each elimination of the lowest-earning band, with the winner (chosen by audience vote) protected from elimination. Flickerstick won the first two "battle of the bands" to avoid elimination, and was lagging in sales by $3,000.00 in the final episode, when it was announced that Guitar Center
Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in the world with 223 locations throughout the United States. Its headquarters is in Westlake Village, California....
was offering a purse of $5,000.00 for the winner of the final "battle." Flickerstick won that final "battle" and the grand prize for the series.
Post-show fame
After six months of sell-out shows across the country, the band was signed by Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. In November 2001, Epic re-released the band's debut album which received moderate reviews in Rolling Stone (3 out of 5 stars) and Billboard, and anywhere from excellent to poor reviews in other music publications. The album was re-worked with the help of veteran producer Rick Beato and was remixed by Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...
. The reissued album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #150 on the Billboard Top 200. Despite being released in the fourth quarter, a time reserved for the top musical acts (due to the Christmas buying season), and selling over 50,000 records in the first week (which would have been a top 20 debut for a first quarter release), sales were considered disappointing.
Flickerstick was in New York, for a show in Asbury Park, NJ the following night, on September 11, 2001. In an interview, with Rock Eyez, a local New Jersey music blog, Brandin Lea stated that being in New York on 9/11 was "horrific" and that would be the one thing he would change from the bands career. In other interviews, members of the band have cited the change in the record industry and economy in general (resulting in Epic's lackluster promotion of the album) after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as reasons for their departure with Epic.
A year later, they chose to have their Epic contract bought out for an undisclosed amount rather than record their follow-up with the label. They immediately signed with What Are Records and released a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
titled Causing a Catastrophe that same year. After the album's release drummer Dominic Weir was fired from the band for personality conflicts and continual physical aggression. After his dismissal he continued to play with another project Mermaid Purse before eventually joining Smile Empty Soul
Smile Empty Soul
Smile Empty Soul is an American post-grunge band from Santa Clarita, California.-History:Smile Empty Soul formed in 1998, while its original members were attending different high schools in the Santa Clarita area...
. He was replaced in Flickerstick by ex-Doosu drummer Todd Harwell.
On October 14, 2003 Flickerstick self-released an EP/DVD combo entitled To Madagascar and Back
To Madagascar and Back
To Madagascar and Back is an EP/DVD released by Flickerstick on 226 records in 2003. It features six new songs by Flickerstick on the EP and the DVD contains an assortment of songs performed live as well as some behind the scenes footage...
.
Recent years
Flickerstick continued to tour and perform regularly, and had a strong fanbase especially in their home state of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
as well as the concert location areas featured in Bands on the Run.
On October 5, 2004, Flickerstick released their second album Tarantula on the Dallas-based indie label Idol Records
Idol Records
Idol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
. The band had a number of tours across the country in support of the record. Founding guitarist Cory Kreig left the band in April 2005 for personal reasons. Tim Locke, who also handles lead vocals and guitar for Dallas-based alternative band Coma Rally and alt-country band Calhoun filled Cory's place in the band.
On April 3, 2007 the band's live record hit stores. Live From Atlanta was named as a result of a two-day, fan-invite recording weekend back in September 2006 at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. 150 fans joined the band each night in a live recording room at the studio, and celebrated being part of the band’s live, special taping sessions. Flickerstick didn’t want to rehash all of their "greatest hits”, so the album featured six new songs that had not been recorded before. The album also featured a special studio track called "Helicopter," (Track 12 on the album, which was also released to radio as a single) along with three, enhanced videos from the recording shows in September. The record was engineered by industry veteran Shawn Grove.
Calling it a career
Rumors of breakup gained momentum when the band's website was taken offline in July 2008, and then confirmed by the band several months later with the following statement: "After a decade’s worth of touring, rocking, partying, more touring, more rocking, then even more touring, the time has come for us to pack it up and say goodbye," the band wrote to its fans in a MySpace message in January. "Throughout these years, our greatest reward has been the dedication and support of our fans across the nation. We simply could not have lasted this long without you, Flickerstick fans. . . . We’ve had some very good times together, and we will miss all of you."After a hiatus of more than a year, the band resurfaced to perform three final farewell shows:
- January 23, 2009 at Lola's in Fort Worth (secret warm up show, billed as "The Obsolete Queers")
- January 24, 2009 at the House of Blues in Dallas
- February 27, 2009 at The Aardvark in Fort Worth
- February 28, 2009 at The Aardvark in Fort Worth
Discography
- Welcoming Home the AstronautsWelcoming Home the AstronautsWelcoming Home the Astronauts is Flickerstick's first album. It was originally released in 2001 on 226 Records, but after the band won VH1's Bands on the Run, it was released by Epic...
(2001) - Causing A Catastrophe-Live (2002)
- To Madagascar and BackTo Madagascar and BackTo Madagascar and Back is an EP/DVD released by Flickerstick on 226 records in 2003. It features six new songs by Flickerstick on the EP and the DVD contains an assortment of songs performed live as well as some behind the scenes footage...
(2003) - TarantulaTarantula (Flickerstick album)Tarantula is the second studio album released on October 12, 2004, by Flickerstick via Idol Records.- Track listing :1. "Catholic Scars and Chocolate Bars" 2. "When You Were Young" 3. "Teenage Dope Fiend"...
(2004) - Live from Atlanta: Two Nights at Sound Tree StudiosLive from Atlanta: Two Nights at Sound Tree StudiosLive From Atlanta: Two Nights at Sound Tree Studios is Flickerstick's second live album. Released in 2007, the record contains 5 tracks that were previously available for preview on the band's myspace . Also found are 1 new studio track, and 6 previously released songs...
(2007)