National Skyline
Encyclopedia
National Skyline is a rock
band formed in late 1996 by Jeff Dimpsey of Hum
. Dimpsey originally formed the band in order to perform a 45-minute long song that he had written. They were initially an indie rock supergroup of sorts, with a rotating cast of prominent Champaign/Chicago area musicians. They did record the 45-minute song/album with Rick Valentin (of The Poster Children) in spring 1997, but it has never been released. The band's name is apparently a reference to Bob Dylan's album Nashville Skyline, though their music betrays no stylistic debt to Dylan.
The group's core members Dimpsey (bass) and Jeff Garber (singer/guitarist/songwriter) released two full-lengths, National Skyline and This = Everything, and the 18-minute EP Exit Now. They also contributed the song "Eurorak" to the Parasol Records
compilation Sweet Sixteen, Volume 2.
Before joining National Skyline, Garber was the singer for indie rock band Castor
. He was also a guitarist in Year of the Rabbit and the lead singer/guitarist of post-punk influenced band The Joy Circuit. (No relation to the '80s group also named The Joy Circuit.)
On September 2, 2007, the band announced that the project was permanently disbanding and some of the material intended for a full-length album would be released as The Last Day, a digital ep available on MySpace
September 3 and iTunes Store
and Rhapsody
on September 18. Garber has moved on to a solo project called The Black Swan.
On November 28, 2007, Garber posted a new blog on the band's MySpace site, informing visitors that 'The Last Day' was posted on iTunes after much delay and that new material was being written for a to-be-released 2008 full-length record.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in late 1996 by Jeff Dimpsey of Hum
Hum (band)
Hum is a post-hardcore band from Champaign, Illinois. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars." Hum has not been consistently active as a recording or touring group since 2000.-Founding and early recordings:...
. Dimpsey originally formed the band in order to perform a 45-minute long song that he had written. They were initially an indie rock supergroup of sorts, with a rotating cast of prominent Champaign/Chicago area musicians. They did record the 45-minute song/album with Rick Valentin (of The Poster Children) in spring 1997, but it has never been released. The band's name is apparently a reference to Bob Dylan's album Nashville Skyline, though their music betrays no stylistic debt to Dylan.
The group's core members Dimpsey (bass) and Jeff Garber (singer/guitarist/songwriter) released two full-lengths, National Skyline and This = Everything, and the 18-minute EP Exit Now. They also contributed the song "Eurorak" to the Parasol Records
Parasol Records
Parasol Records is an American independent record label based out of Urbana, Illinois. The label was founded by Geoff Merritt as an outgrowth of the catalogue Parasol Mail Order ....
compilation Sweet Sixteen, Volume 2.
Band characteristics/quirks
They are known for utilizing an elaborate light show at all of their concerts. No photo of the band members has appeared in any of their albums or EP. Cover art generally consists of things such as empty buildings and blurred car lights at night; the band's artwork is always done by Ohio Girl Design. Rather than listing individual credits as all bands do, the phrase "Audio: National Skyline" is given in the liner notes of each album/EP. They generally use a drum machine instead of live drumming. The song "Karolina" was released on the self-titled album. A different, greatly extended (12+ minute) version called "Karolina II" came out on Exit Now.Touring/possible hiatus
James Minor of Blacklist and Compound Red joined as a touring guitarist in 2000, joining the band as an official member before the recording of This = Everything; Dimpsey did not participate in the 2000 - 2001 touring. National Skyline has apparently not performed live since 2001. Nothing was heard from the band for five years, leading to speculation of a breakup. In June 2006, Garber leaked information about a new project on the group's MySpace site, without involvement from Dimpsey, including the new track "Pack Up." He also launched the group's homepage — a surrealiast series of cryptic images in a Flash animation, ending with a logo and the words "FAUX EVIL." Faux Evil Twin Theory is said to be the title of their upcoming album.Before joining National Skyline, Garber was the singer for indie rock band Castor
Castor (band)
Castor was an American indie rock/emo band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Formed in 1994, they were known for their "fluid" sound, often changing time signatures several times in a song while maintaining the flow of the music. They released two albums, the first self titled in 1995, the second...
. He was also a guitarist in Year of the Rabbit and the lead singer/guitarist of post-punk influenced band The Joy Circuit. (No relation to the '80s group also named The Joy Circuit.)
On September 2, 2007, the band announced that the project was permanently disbanding and some of the material intended for a full-length album would be released as The Last Day, a digital ep available on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
September 3 and iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
on September 18. Garber has moved on to a solo project called The Black Swan.
On November 28, 2007, Garber posted a new blog on the band's MySpace site, informing visitors that 'The Last Day' was posted on iTunes after much delay and that new material was being written for a to-be-released 2008 full-length record.
Discography
- unreleased full-length album (one 45-minute song) (1997)
- National Skyline (2000, Hidden Agenda Records/ Parasol Records) (CD)
- Exit Now EP (2001, File 13 Records) (CD)
- This = Everything (2001, File 13 Records) (CD/LP) ("A Million Circles" full mp3: http://www.file-13.com/mp3/ft36.mp3)
- The Last Day EP (2007, independent) (digital)
- Bliss & Death (2009, independent) (digital)
- The Bloom EP (2009, independent) (digital)
- Look in My Eyes (2009, independent) (digital)
- The Free EP (2009, independent) (digital)
- Broadcasting, Vol. 1 (2011, independent) (digital)
- Broadcasting, Vol. 2 (2011, independent) (digital)
- National Skyline (5/31/2011, Hype Music) (digital) (http://hypemusic.com/new-music/national-skyline/)
