Les Savy Fav

Infobox musical artist
Name = Les Savy Fav

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Img_capt = Outdoor Theatre, Coachella 2008
Background = group_or_band
Origin = New York City, USA
Genre = Indie rock
Post-punk revival
Dance-punk
Post-hardcore
Art punk
Years_active = 1995–present
Label = Frenchkiss
URL = [http://www.lessavyfav.com/ www.lessavyfav.com/]
Current_members = Tim Harrington
Seth Jabour
Syd Butler
Harrison Haynes
Andrew Reuland

Les Savy Fav (pronounced lay-SAH-vee-FAHV) is a New York City band that produces an idiosyncratic style of indie rock. Their style is heavily influenced by art rock and post-hardcore.

The group's original line-up, formed in 1995, all met while attending the Rhode Island School of Design.

The band is known for angular, abrasive guitar and bass melodies, complemented by singer Tim Harrington's educated, poetic lyrics sung or shouted over the instruments. Harrington's involved lyrics make broad-ranging academic references to such disparate topics as Stockholm syndrome, the architects of Carthage, and palimpsests.

The band has a highly-regarded live show due to the antics of frontman Harrington, including kissing multiple audience members and on-stage wardrobe changes. These antics, however, rarely seem to faze the rest of the band as they continue to play as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

The band started a planned hiatus in mid-2005, which led to speculation that they might have broken up, but lead Harrington confirmed that Les Savy Fav would return [http://web.archive.org/web/20060405170644/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/04-12/17.shtml] , and indeed they did, playing a notable live performance at the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2007. The band booked studio time in November 2006 to record their fourth full length, "Let's Stay Friends", which was released September 18, 2007. The band is running a video contest on YouTube for "The Equestrian," a song from their new album. [http://pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/37632/Exclusive_New_Les_Savy_Fav_Album#37632] [http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2007/07/ask_les_savy_fa.html] . The band performed live on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on January 31, 2008.

Bass player Syd Butler is also the owner of French Kiss Records.

Members

* Tim Harrington (vocals)
* Seth Jabour (guitar)
* Syd Butler (bass)
* Harrison Haynes (drums)
* Andrew Reuland (guitar)

Former members

* Gibb Slife (guitar)
* Pat Mahoney (drums) (now in LCD Soundsystem)

Discography

tudio albums

* "3/5" (1997, Self-Starter Foundation)
* "The Cat and the Cobra" (1999, French Kiss Records/Self-Starter Foundation)
* "Go Forth" (2001, French Kiss Records)
* "Let's Stay Friends" (2007, French Kiss Records)

EPs

* "Rome (written upside down) EP", (2000, Southern)

Live albums

* "After the Balls Drop", (2008, Frenchkiss) (Digital-only release)

Compilations

* "Repopulation Program", Les Savy Fav contribute "Raise Buildings". (1996, Load Records)
* "", Les Savy Fav contribute "No Sleeves". (2001, Arena Rock Recording Co.)
* "Inches", a compilation of singles from 1995-2004 (2004, Frenchkiss - re-released 2008 on Wichita Recordings)
* "Warm & Scratchy", Les Savy Fav contribute "The Equestrian". (2007, Adult Swim)

ingles

*"Split Single", with The Apes and The Mars Volta; Les Savy Fav contribute "Four Divided by One" (2002, Southern Records)
*"Accidental Deaths", features "Hit by Car" and "Hit by Train" (2006, Rococo Records)
*"Plagues & Snakes; Australian Tour EP", features "Raging in the Plague Age" and "Wake Up a Snake" (2006, PopFrenzy Records)
*"What Would Wolves Do?", features "What Would Wolves Do?" and "The Year Before The Year 2000" (2007, Wichita Records)
*"Patty Lee", features "Patty Lee" and "The Sweat Descends" (2008, Wichita Records)

Trivia

* Their song "Hold Onto Your Genre" is featured in the soundtrack to "MLB 2K7", as well as commercials for the game.
* The Derry/London based band Jetplane Landing included a song on their 2007 album "Backlash Cop" entitled "Why Do They Never Play Les Savy Fav On The Radio?"
* Their song "The Sweat Descends" appears on the online rhythm game "Audition Online" and on the soundtrack to "College Hoops 2K7".
* "The Equestrian" is featured in the soundtrack to "NHL 2K8".
* Tim Harrington disguised himself as a mosquito for the [http://www.nothingbutnets.net nothing but nets] campaign video.
* Their song Raging in the Plague Age appears in Grand Theft Auto 4 on ingame radio station Radio Broker.
* [http://www.spinner.com/2007/10/25/the-dl-les-savy-favs-tim-harrington-job-hunts/] In 2007, Tim Harrington acted in a skit for AOL's The DL where he interviewed for a job at AOL.

External links

* [http://www.lessavyfav.com/ Les Savy Fav official site]
* [http://www.frenchkissrecords.com/bands_lesSavyFav.html Les Savy Fav @ French Kiss]
* [http://www.epitonic.com/artists/lessavyfav.html Les Savy Fav @ Epitonic]
* [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=LSF%3ALSF+live+video+contest&search=Search All Les Savy Fav "Let's Be Friends" Contest Entries]
* [http://www.thequietus.com/2008/04/what-i-have-learned-les-savy-favs-tim-harrington-on-playing-live/ Tim Harrington speaks to the Quietus about his notorious onstage persona]