Winterpills
Encyclopedia
Winterpills are an indie rock
band from Northampton, Massachusetts
, United States
. Its members are Philip Price
, Flora Reed, Dave Hower, Dennis Crommett and Brian Akey
. They are also joined on tour sometimes by José Ayerve
and Henning Ohlenbusch. They released their debut eponymous album in November 2005 on Signature Sounds, and their second album on the same label was released February 27, 2007, titled "The Light Divides
". Their third album, "Central Chambers", was released on October 14, 2008, also on Signature Sounds, and a vinyl 7" single of Broken Arm/A Folded Cloth was released in the UK on February 4, 2009 on Riot Act Records. "Central Chambers" was also released on vinyl on January 13, 2009. A 6-song EP, "Tuxedo of Ashes", was released on October 5, 2010.
Their albums have received high praise by the New York Times, Washington Post, No Depression, The Utne Reader, USA Today
, Paste Magazine, Mojo
, The Village Voice
, and the Boston Globe, among others They have shared the stage with such notable artists as Grant-Lee Phillips
, Vampire Weekend
, St. Vincent, Cake
, Lisa Germano
, Juana Molina
, Ladybug Transistor, The Mountain Goats
, Crowded House
, Erin McKeown
, Fountains of Wayne
, Alejandro Escovedo
, Rainer Maria
, Martha Wainwright
, Josh Ritter
among others. While touring extensively the band played Mountain Stage
on NPR
, and were featured on NPR
's Weekend Edition
and World Café
, and XM Radio's Loft Sessions.
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...
band from Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its members are Philip Price
Philip Price (musician)
Philip Price is the lead singer and songwriter for the Northampton, MA-based band Winterpills, and also records and tours solo. He has also been involved in the New England-based bands Gay potatoes, The Maggies, Memorial Garage, and Feet Wet.-References:...
, Flora Reed, Dave Hower, Dennis Crommett and Brian Akey
Brian Akey
Brian Akey is a musician and writer from Northampton, MA. He is the singer/songwriter and sole member of File of the Storm, an experimental recording project. He currently performs with Winterpills and Spanish for Hitchhiking...
. They are also joined on tour sometimes by José Ayerve
José Ayerve
José Ayerve is a recording artist/singer and songwriter and the front man for northeast-based indie rock groups Spouse and Nuclear Waste Management Club...
and Henning Ohlenbusch. They released their debut eponymous album in November 2005 on Signature Sounds, and their second album on the same label was released February 27, 2007, titled "The Light Divides
The Light Divides
The Light Divides is the second studio album by the indie rock band Winterpills, released on February 27, 2007.-Track listing:#Lay Your Heartbreak#Hide Me#Handkerchiefs#Broken Arm#Shameful#Eclipse#July#A Ransom#I Bear Witness#June Eyes...
". Their third album, "Central Chambers", was released on October 14, 2008, also on Signature Sounds, and a vinyl 7" single of Broken Arm/A Folded Cloth was released in the UK on February 4, 2009 on Riot Act Records. "Central Chambers" was also released on vinyl on January 13, 2009. A 6-song EP, "Tuxedo of Ashes", was released on October 5, 2010.
History
The band formed in the winter of 2003-2004 and began playing out regionally (New England) in the spring of 2004. Playing the melancholy songs of Philip Price, the band's characteristic sound is a combination of fragile and melancholy acoustic folk-pop, with vital male-female harmonies (Price and Reed), filled out with the distinctive edginess of Crommett's washy-watercolor electric guitar and Hower's tense drumming.Their albums have received high praise by the New York Times, Washington Post, No Depression, The Utne Reader, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Paste Magazine, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, and the Boston Globe, among others They have shared the stage with such notable artists as Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his versatile voice, intense lyrical narratives and dexterity on the acoustic twelve-string guitar, a style that often sees him compared to Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.- Background :Born in...
, Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
, St. Vincent, Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
, Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
, Juana Molina
Juana Molina
Juana Molina is a singer-songwriter and an actress.-Biography:Following the 1976 Argentine coup d'état, her mother fled the country and lived in exile in Paris for five years...
, Ladybug Transistor, The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
, Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
, Erin McKeown
Erin McKeown
Erin McKeown is an American multi-instrumentalist and folk-rock singer/songwriter.McKeown began her career in the folk scene. She released her first album, Monday Morning Cold, on her own label , travelling throughout New England while still a student at Brown University in order to promote the...
, Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:The son of Mexican immigrants to Texas, Escovedo is from a family that boasts several professional musicians, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E...
, Rainer Maria
Rainer Maria
Rainer Maria was an indie rock/emo band originally from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York. Named after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke, they formed in the late summer of 1995 and released five full length albums, a live DVD, numerous live recordings, and EPs...
, Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
, Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
among others. While touring extensively the band played Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by WV Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio and the Voice of America's satellite radio service. Hosted by Larry Groce, the program showcases diverse music, from the traditional to modern...
on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, and were featured on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's Weekend Edition
Weekend Edition
Weekend Edition is the name given to a set of American radio news magazines produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It is the weekend counterpart to Morning Edition. It consists of Weekend Edition Saturday and Weekend Edition Sunday , each of which airs for two hours, from 8 a.m. to 10...
and World Café
World Cafe
World Cafe is a two-hour long, nationally syndicated music radio program that originates from WXPN, a non-commercial station licensed to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The program began in 1991 and was originally distributed by Public Radio...
, and XM Radio's Loft Sessions.
Members
- Phillip PricePhilip Price (musician)Philip Price is the lead singer and songwriter for the Northampton, MA-based band Winterpills, and also records and tours solo. He has also been involved in the New England-based bands Gay potatoes, The Maggies, Memorial Garage, and Feet Wet.-References:...
(vocals, guitar) - Flora Reed (vocals, keyboard)
- Dennis Crommett (guitar, vocals)
- Dave Hower (drums)
- Brian AkeyBrian AkeyBrian Akey is a musician and writer from Northampton, MA. He is the singer/songwriter and sole member of File of the Storm, an experimental recording project. He currently performs with Winterpills and Spanish for Hitchhiking...
(bass)
Albums
- WinterpillsWinterpills (album)Winterpills is the eponymous first studio album by the indie rock band Winterpills, released on November 8, 2005.-Track listing:# A Benediction# Laughing# Cranky# Threshing Machine# Want The Want# Pills For Sara# Found Weekend# Portrait...
(2005, Signature Sounds/Soft Alarm) - The Light DividesThe Light DividesThe Light Divides is the second studio album by the indie rock band Winterpills, released on February 27, 2007.-Track listing:#Lay Your Heartbreak#Hide Me#Handkerchiefs#Broken Arm#Shameful#Eclipse#July#A Ransom#I Bear Witness#June Eyes...
(2007, Signature Sounds/Soft Alarm) - Central Chambers (2008, Signature Sounds/Soft Alarm)
Singles
- "Take Away the Words" (radio promo, 2009, Signature Sounds)
- "Broken Arm" (7", 2009, Signature Sounds)