The Public (indie band)

The Public is a post-punk influenced indie rock band from New Orleans, LA. They are signed to Five03 Records in New York City, NY. The band's name, "The Public", is derived from the Manchester band, The Smiths' allusion to anonymity and the surrealist play, "El Publico" by Federico Garcia Lorca.

History of the band

The Public was formed in 2003 by drummer Bryan Besse and guitarist Jack Champagne. Singer/guitarist Travis Shuler soon joined the lineup and the trio began working on a few songs influenced by 80's uk goth/postpunk, 90's britpop and american underground alternative rock. A few months later with the band's first show already booked at the Howlin' Wolf, bassist Ryan Plattsmeir joined just in time to complete the group before it hit the stage.

The Public released an EP/Demo two months after forming called "We are the Public". This was a limited release and consisted of 6 songs, an acoustic demo, and a hidden heavily distorted cover of The Smith's, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" in the vein of shoegazer favorites My Bloody Valentine. The URL of The Public's website is based on the name of this demo: wearethepublic.com

On May 6th of 2005, The Public independantly released a full length "Saturn Missile Battery". The 10 song collection included "Connected by Wire" which also appeared that year on WTUL's "Songs from the Basement III: Into The Shed" and later on Pandora internet radio. There were two release parties for the album, one featuring The Public's live show at One Eyed Jack's and a listening/DJ party at The Whirling Dervish.

On August 29th, 2005 a few months following their debut release, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and The Public found themselves scattered by the storm. The band reunited in New Orleans in November of 05 and were one of the first local rock bands to return to the city and play regular gigs. They pooled their resources to buy a van and began touring, most notably playing a two week stint in New York City's East Village.

In Summer of 2006, The Public recorded the first incarnation of their follow-up full length, "No Love is Permanent". Its release was halted when singer Travis Shuler was unsatisfied with the production values of the recording. The band then sought out local producer Grant Curry (formerly of Pleasure Club) to re-record and produce the album. These plans were thwarted by a work-related accident which resulted in bassist Ryan Plattsmier having to have a finger re-attached.

At this point, The Public's future seemed uncertain, but Plattsmeir was able to recover and continue performing. During this break, Champagne and Shuler had recorded demo versions of several new songs and the group began incorporating this new material into the forthcoming album. With the help of the band's longtime friend Elizabeth Christiansen, they also started New Orleans' first regular Indie Rock dance party called ActionActionReaction after a lyric from XOXO (No Love is Permanent).

A few months into Plattsmeir's recovery, in August of 2007 at a show in Athens, The Public signed with New York City based independent record label Five03 records. Word of the band's live shows had reached label owner Tony Ramo.

The Public then travelled to NYC in February of 2008 to begin production on "No Love is Permanent". Producer Hillary Johnson, whose work includes acts as diverse as The Ramones, Rufus Wainwright, The Misfits, and Jeff Buckley, took the reigns and began working intensely with the band to articulate the sound they've cultivated over the last five years.

Most of the Rhythm tracks were done at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey (U2, Idlewild, Ryan Adams) and the lead guitars and vocals Translator in DUMBO. The Public returned to New Orleans to complete vocals and overdubs in their home studio at The Fountainebleu. "No Love is Permanent" is set to be released in Fall of 2008. A short film called "Still I Leave, Somehow Incomplete" is being produced by the band to document the recording.

ee also

* Punk rock
* Post Punk
* New Orleans

References

http://www.wearethepublic.com

http://offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_1377.shtml

External links