|
Adam Falkner
Typically, when you hear about the
history of bands, it goes something like this: get together, maybe it's
a lark, kind of don't know how to play instruments, learn as you go,
perhaps have some success, one member takes the limelight, stagnate,
grow apart, start fighting, someone decides to work with "better"
musicians, split up. Hailing from the UK, One eskimO is diligently
proving one rule certainly doesn't fit all. By today's standards, they
are nothing if not unique, both musically and as an entity, "a proper
band."
With Leontiou doing most of the writing
initially, and programming with Craigie Dodds, the band were very
meticulous in all the sounds created for their album. They had the
luxury of not being rushed, footing the expense for their recording and
gigging, developing their distinctive sound and being able to present
the music in the way they felt it should be.
All of the band members, Kristian
Leontiou, Adam Falkner on drums, Jamie Sefton on bass & horns and Peter
Rinaldi on guitar - are aware it's their strength as a unit rather than
as individuals that makes them an exceptional entity. That edict is
never more evident then when seeing the band perform live. Drummer
Falkner, experimental to a tee, triggers samples with his hands and
feet, even adding a "stomperine" to his gear. Sefton, remarkably playing
bass and horns (at the same time!), adds an element to One eskimO that
really does have to be seen to be believed.
Their self-titled debut on Shangri-La
Music, brings together a real sensibility with deep roots in ambient,
acoustic, electro and rock music to create a unique sound all their own,
One eskimO the sound of a band that is only just getting started.
|
 |
|
One eskimO hooked up with animators Nathan
Erasmus and Matt Latchford of Gravy Media who were able to take
Kristian's sketches and create a visual piece for an early One eskimO
track, "Hometime." Using old style animation, the video won a British
Animation Award in 2008 and helped them secure financing to finish their
record. The band took up another year crafting the album's complex
electronic sound and atmospheric quality before feeling truly satisfied
with its outcome. It didn't hurt that Toyota knew a hit when they heard
it and licensed "Hometime" for its Prius campaign in the United States,
giving the band a nice platform to launch the already highly anticipated
record.
While "Hometime" got them noticed
initially, it's the massive hit "Kandi" that's getting the band on shows
such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and KCRW's, Morning Becomes Eclectic &
WXPN's-World Cafe. Reaching #1 on the Mediabase AAA charts for 4 weeks
the last week of March, the song with the Candi Stanton "He Called Me
Baby" sample is on everyone's "must hear" list. Kandi is now crossing
into Pop, Alternative and many other radio formats, as well as getting
great sync licenses like TV show Bones and the Discovery Channel
campaign.
With reviewers at USA Today, Billboard
and Los Angeles Times raving about their debut record, the band has
spent the better part of the year performing it live while living out of
a tour van. With gigs opening for Gomez, Tricky, Tori Amos, Faithless,
Bob Schneider, Paolo Nutini, Michael Franti and performing at festivals
such as Coachella, Mountain Jam and Mile High in Denver, One EskimO is
broadening their audience one gig at a time. While lyricist Leontiou
misses the studio where his passion for sounds and writing isn't
confined to a promo schedule, the band agrees they're (finally!) having
the time of their life. There's never a dull moment.
|
