Idaho (band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Idaho


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Origin = Los Angeles, California, USA flagicon|USA
Instrument =
Genre = Slowcore, Indie rock, Singer/songwriter
Years_active = 1992 - present
Label = Caroline
Buzz
Idaho Music
Retrophonic
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.idahomusic.com/ Idaho]
Current_members = Jeff Martin
Past_members = John K. Berry
Dan Seta

Idaho is a rock band formed in 1991 in Los Angeles, California, founded as a duo by high school friends Jeff Martin and John K. Berry. They were signed to Caroline Records in December 1992 by Brian Long, then released the "The Palms" EP and "Year After Year" full-length in 1993. Idaho drew frequent comparisons to American Music Club and Red House Painters due to vocal, lyrical, and instrumental similarities. Idaho toured the U.S. with similar-minded artists like Red House Painters, Half String, Low, and Cranes in 1993-1995. Dan Seta joined as a multi-instrumentalist on "Three Sheets to the Wind", the band's third album, along with Terry Borden - bass ( later of the Pete Yorn band) and Mark Lewis (West Indian Girl) on drums. Seta and Lewis had previously been in the band Pet Clarke together, along with Geoff Gans and former Let's Active touring bassist Janine Cooper, who went on to join Downy Mildew. Idaho have played dates in Europe with Lali Puna and Dirty Three

Martin had recorded some solo songs (including "Never Back Again") in 1984 in the U.K., but a solo career never materialized. Idaho's music is traditionally categorized as slowcore or sadcore. The band has released seven full-length albums, as well as numerous EPs and singles, dating back to 1992. Idaho became primarily the vehicle of singer-songwriter Martin, who has performed the most recent of Idaho's albums almost entirely on his own. To this day, he remains the band's sole songwriter and principal musician. His foreboding four-string tenor guitar playing (he has had several such guitars custom-made for him) is a hallmark of most Idaho albums, though later releases rely more heavily on piano. 1998 album "Alas" featured vocals on a few songs by Melissa Auf der Maur.

Idaho's sonic stylings range from existentially introspective songs to cathartic screaming, though their music falls in the first category the majority of the time. Their latest release, "The Lone Gunman", often eschews the traditional song structure for more instrumental experimentation.

Martin has recently done music for U.S. television shows.

Discography

Albums

*"Year After Year" (1993, Caroline)
*"This Way Out" (1995, Caroline) (recorded in 1994)
*"Three Sheets To The Wind" (1996, Caroline)
*"Alas" (1998, Buzz)
*"Hearts Of Palm" (2000, Idaho Music)
*"Levitate" (2001, Idaho Music)
*"The Lone Gunman" (2005, Retrophonic)

Compilations, Live

*"People Like Us Should Be Stopped (Live, Volume 1)" (2000, Idaho Music) (Recorded Dec. 11, 1993 at Downtown Performing Arts Center in Tucson, AZ)
*"We Were Young And Needed The Money" (compilation of rare and previously unissued songs from '92 to '00) (2002, Idaho Music)
*"Vieux Carré" (compilation released in Germany) (2004, Kalinkaland)

EPs, Singles

*"Skyscrape" (b/w "Star") 7" (1993, Ringer's Lactate)
*"The Palms" (1993, Caroline)
*"Fuel" (b/w "Hail Mary") 7" (1993)
*"Drive It" (1994, Quigley)
*"Bayonet" (released with extra tracks in its 10" vinyl format) (1995, Fingerpaint)
*"Pomegranate Bleeding" (b/w "The Right Escape") 7" (1996, Caroline)
*"The Forbidden" (1997, Buzz)

External links

* [http://www.idahomusic.com/ Idaho]
* [http://www.slidingpast.com/ slidingpast.com, the official Idaho archive]
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=idaho Trouser Press entry]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:o6820roar48x~T0 Idaho at the Allmusic ]