Ludo (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Ludo


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Origin = St. Louis, Missouri
Genre = Power pop
Rock
Alternative
Label = Redbird Records
Island Records
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URL = [http://www.ludorock.com Official Ludo Website]
Current_members = Andrew Volpe
Tim Ferrell
Marshall Fanciullo
Tim Convy
Matt Palermo
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Ludo is an alternative rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. They are signed to a multi-album deal with Island Records.

History

Ludo gets their name from a character in the film "Labyrinth". [ [http://starrymag.com/content.asp?ID=3702&CATEGORY=Music&PAGE=1 Starry Constellation Magazine Interview with Ludo] ] It started when the duo of lead vocalist and guitarist Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell played occasionally around St. Louis. Deciding to pursue Ludo full-time, they expanded to a five-piece group in 2003 with Tim Convy on moog, bassist Marshall Fanciullo and drummer Matt Palermo.

Ludo recorded their self-titled debut album, "Ludo", and released it on their own indie label, Redbird Records in August of 2003. For the next few years, the band toured extensively with other midwestern bands, such as The Dog and Everything, Anything But Joey and Upside. This exposure brought them moderate indie success. The band returned to the studio in 2005 and recorded the EP "Broken Bride". Broken Bride is a rock opera about a man who travels through time to attempt to save his wife from dying in a car accident in 1989. The opening track, "Broken Bride: Part 1," was a song that originally stood alone before evolving into the full opera.

In recent years, Ludo has been putting on themed concerts at The Pageant in St. Louis, Mo. and The Blue Note in Columbia, Mo. These include HalLUDOween, A Very Ludo Christmas, and Cinco de Mustache. Their fun outlook and interactive shows gained the attention of major labels Capitol Records and Island Records.

Island Records and "You're Awful, I Love You"

In 2007, Ludo signed a five-album deal with Island Records that allowed them to turn Redbird Records into an imprint of Island. Part of the deal includes that any non-commercial material (i.e. Christmas albums or rock operas) would be released under the imprint. In spring 2007, Ludo headed to southern California to record their major-label debut with Maroon 5 producer Matt Wallace. On February 26, 2008, "You're Awful, I Love You" was released. The lead single was "Love Me Dead", a song written in 2004. Two music videos were made, an official version and a fan-participation video. They also performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 11, 2008. Also in 2008, "Love Me Dead" has been adapted to a commercial teaser for the show House, and was #10 on the No. 1 Alternative Countdown on Fuse the week of August 18, 2008.

Band Members

* Andrew Volpe - Lead vocals, guitar
* Tim Ferrell - Lead Guitar, back up vocals
* Tim Convy - Moog/synth back up vocals
* Matt Palermo - Drums, back up vocals
* Marshall Faniciullo - Bass

Discography

Albums

* "Ludo" (2004) [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wjfexq9aldjem Allmusic Album Review] ]
* "Broken Bride" (2005)
* "You're Awful, I Love You" (2008) [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fwxzwjldke Allmusic Album Review ] ] (#5 Billboard's Top Heatseekers Chart) #166 Billboard 200

Non-album tracks

* "Electra's Complex"
* "A Very Ludo Christmas"
* "Japan It!"
* "Oceanic Love"
* "Angel in a Hoodie"
* "Safe in the Dark"
* "Do Me"
* "Johnny Touchdown"
* "Cherokee Street"
* "Come Home"
* "Fantasy Unicorn"
* "Ghostbusters Theme" (cover)
* "Epic" (cover)

Videos

* "Hum Along"
* "Good Will Hunting By Myself"
* "Love Me Dead (Official)"
* "Love Me Dead (Fan Toothbrush Video)"
* "A Very Ludo Christmas for You"

Singles

* "Love Me Dead" (#8 US Mod Rock)

References

External links

* [http://www6.islandrecords.com/site/artist_home.php?artist_id=655 Official Site @ Island Records]
* [http://ludorock.com/ Ludorock.com]
* [http://www.myspace.com/ludorock/ Myspace Page]
* [http://braindeadmedia.com/Interviews.html/ Interview with Ludo]