The Siren Six!
Encyclopedia
The Siren Six! were an American ska
band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, who were active from 1994 to 2000.
Signing to Minneapolis-based ska label Kingpin Records, home to such bands as Animal Chin
and The Pacers, The Siren Six! recorded their debut album The Voice With a Built-In Promise in 1996. Counting the Pixies, Elvis Costello
, The Jam
and The Selecter
among their influences, The Siren Six!'s music stood in contrast to the then-popular ska punk
sound, combining 2-Tone ska with heavy indie rock
and Mod
influences and a focus on introspective lyricism, a combination Kingpin Records marketed the band with as "2tone/mod/emoska".
Following a national tour with Slow Gherkin
, the band recorded their follow-up album, the EP Young and Professional, in early 1998. Unlike the overtly ska-based sound of their debut, Young and Professional featured a more prominent focus on rock and power pop
, though still retained a distinct ska influence. In the summer of 1999, The Siren Six! relocated to Los Angeles, California
in the hopes of landing a major record deal
.. However, heightened tensions within the band eventually led to their disbandment the following year.
Since the dissolution of the band, members of The Siren Six! have moved on to numerous musical projects. Most notably, Bott and Staniszewski went on to play in the Los Angeles-based pop rock band Big City Rock
from 2001 to 2008, before forming another group called The Remainers in 2009. Jeff Conrad was a member of Big City Rock from 2001 to 2003, when he left to replace Jason Schwartzman
in Phantom Planet
. Since 2003, Reineck has fronted the New York indie rock band Soft
.
In 2007, Conrad released a trailer on his YouTube
account for a prospective Siren Six! documentary entitled Six Is One, chronicling the band's move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. As of 2011, there's been no word on the production status of the film.
As The Siren Six!
Non-album tracks
Former members
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, who were active from 1994 to 2000.
Biography
The Siren Six! initially formed under the name Stinkfish in Minneapolis around 1994, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Nate Bott, keyboardist Frank Staniszewski, drummer Jeff Conrad, bassist Tim Resudek, trombonist Kevin Matheny and saxophonist John Reineck. Soon becoming a popular name on the Midwest ska circuit, Stinkfish released their sole LP ...Does It Again in 1995 on the band's self-created label Mr. White Records. Shortly afterwards, Resudek left the band, and, following the addition of Jacy McIntosh, Stinkfish officially changed their name to The Siren Six!.Signing to Minneapolis-based ska label Kingpin Records, home to such bands as Animal Chin
Animal Chin
Animal Chin was a ska punk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group was named after the 1987 skateboarding film, The Search for Animal Chin. They released their debut LP in 1997, and soon after signed to Fueled By Ramen, who pressed their EP The Ins & Outs of Terrorism! that same year...
and The Pacers, The Siren Six! recorded their debut album The Voice With a Built-In Promise in 1996. Counting the Pixies, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
and The Selecter
The Selecter
The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
among their influences, The Siren Six!'s music stood in contrast to the then-popular ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
sound, combining 2-Tone ska with heavy 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...
and Mod
Mod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
influences and a focus on introspective lyricism, a combination Kingpin Records marketed the band with as "2tone/mod/emoska".
Following a national tour with Slow Gherkin
Slow Gherkin
Slow Gherkin was an American ska punk band from Santa Cruz, California.Slow Gherkin was formed in 1993 by AJ Marquez, Zack "ZK" Kent, Phil Boutelle, and James Rickman; they released their first album, Double Happiness, which was distributed by Asian Man Records, on July 29, 1996. They released...
, the band recorded their follow-up album, the EP Young and Professional, in early 1998. Unlike the overtly ska-based sound of their debut, Young and Professional featured a more prominent focus on rock and power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, though still retained a distinct ska influence. In the summer of 1999, The Siren Six! relocated to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in the hopes of landing a major record deal
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
.. However, heightened tensions within the band eventually led to their disbandment the following year.
Since the dissolution of the band, members of The Siren Six! have moved on to numerous musical projects. Most notably, Bott and Staniszewski went on to play in the Los Angeles-based pop rock band Big City Rock
Big City Rock
Big City Rock is a pop rock band based in Los Angeles, California who are signed to Atlantic Records. Their music type is self-described as "energetic, anthemic pop" with "an uplifting sound", with keyboards, guitar, and drums...
from 2001 to 2008, before forming another group called The Remainers in 2009. Jeff Conrad was a member of Big City Rock from 2001 to 2003, when he left to replace Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
in Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet are an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, the band consists of Alex Greenwald , Darren Robinson , Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad . The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series,...
. Since 2003, Reineck has fronted the New York indie rock band Soft
Soft (band)
Soft is an American indie rock band from New York City.-History:Soft formed in Brooklyn in 2003, but the group did not begin performing live until more than a year afterwards; for this reason, they were not well known on the New York music scene despite receiving critical acclaim elsewhere...
.
In 2007, Conrad released a trailer on his YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account for a prospective Siren Six! documentary entitled Six Is One, chronicling the band's move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. As of 2011, there's been no word on the production status of the film.
Discography
As Stinkfish- ...Does It Again (1995, Mr. White Records)
As The Siren Six!
- The Voice With a Built-In Promise (1996, Kingpin Records)
- Young and Professional EP (1998, Kingpin Records)
Non-album tracks
- 1999 - The Radiolistener Remixes - "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (Jimmy CliffJimmy CliffJimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
) - 1999 - Where Is My Mind? A Tribute to the Pixies - "The Holiday Song" (Black Francis)
Band members
- Nate Bott - vocals, guitar
- Frank Staniszewski - keyboards
- Jeff Conrad - drums
- John Reineck - saxophone
- Jacy McIntosh - bass guitar
- Mara Breen - trombone
Former members
- Kevin Matheny - trombone
- Tim Resudek - bass guitar (with Stinkfish)
External links
- Six Is One trailer on YouTube