The Reputation

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Reputation


Img_capt = The Reputation outside the 46th Street Station in Philadelphia in 2005
Background = group_or_band
Years_active = 2001—2006
Origin = Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre = Indie rock
Label = Lookout! Records
Initial Records
Current_members = Elizabeth Elmore
Sean Hulet
Greg Mytych
Steve Van Horn
Past_members = Scott Rosenquist
Ben Kane
Chad Romanski
Matt Espy
Joel Root
URL = [http://www.reputationmusic.com www.reputationmusic.com]

The Reputation were an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was fronted by former Sarge singer-songwriter Elizabeth Elmore, with other positions filled by various members.

The band, which formed while Elmore was attending law school, released two albums between the years of 2001 and 2006, both of which were met with generally positive reviews. The band has toured the United States and the United Kingdom.

History

Following the disbanding of her old band, Sarge, Elmore enrolled in law school at Northwestern University.Schild, Matt. " [http://www.aversion.com/bands/interviews.cfm?f_id=152 Making a New Reputation] " Aversion.com, May 11, 2007. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] She embarked on a series of solo tours between classes, but after growing tired of performing solo Elmore recruited ex-Sarge drummer Russ Horvath and ex-Chisel bassist and law school classmate Chris Norborg to tour with. The group toured together and recorded a five song demo, but after a while Horvath and Norborg were no longer able to tour due to schooling. Elmore recruited friend and ex-Moreno guitarist Sean Hulet, ex-Moreno drummer Scott Rosenquist, and ex-Andiamo bassist Joel Root. The new group completed a tour of the East Coast.

Elmore requested a leave of absence from Northwestern Law School in 2001 to focus on the band. After ex-Nymb drummer Ben Kane replaced the unavailable Rosenquist, the group signed to Initial Records. Kane left the band, and former Sarge drummer Chad Romanski joined the group after several weeks of Elmore begging. The band completed a fall West Coast tour and began recording their debut album with Romanski." [http://www.reputationmusic.com/reputation.html Band Bio] ". reputationmusic.com. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] The band took on the name The Reputation at this time, a reference, according to Elmore, intended to be a "personal little 'fuck you'" aimed at certain members within the indie music scene who promoted "endless speculation" about Elmore's sex life. [Draper, Jimmy. " [http://www.sfbg.com/36/24/art_music_elmore.html Elmore's World] ". "San Francisco Bay Guardian", August 27, 2002. Received on June 20, 2006.]

elf-titled debut

"The Reputation", the band's self-titled debut album, was released in 2002 after the band spent much of the fall and winter of 2001 in the recording studio. The majority of the album was recorded in Chicago at Atlas, with the exception of a cover of Elvis Costello's song "Almost Blue," which was recorded with then-Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett on piano and production duties, as well as extra arrangements and recording on other tracks."The Reputation" liner notes.] Elmore, as she did with her work in Sarge, wrote all of the original songs and lyrics, and assisted with the production along with Matt Allison.

The album was well received critically. The "Los Angeles Times" gave the album 3.5 out of 4 stars, with reviewer Kevin Bronson saying that " [Elmore's] streaming anecdotes give the listener the feeling of walking right into the middle of life-altering events." [Bronson, Kevin. " [http://www.reputationmusic.com/reputation-latimes.html If This Rock Star Thing Fails, There's Always Law School] ". "Los Angeles Times", March 17, 2002. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] The "College Music Journal"'s Amy Wan called the album a "showcase for Elmore's powerfully biting lyrics and her passionate voice, dancing deftly between little-girl sweet and outright roar," [Wan, Amy. " [http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=33962 REPUTATION: The Reputation] ". "College Music Journal". Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] and The "Village Voice" gave the album an A-, with famed music journalist Robert Christgau praising the debut, saying that "Elmore left a great band to go to law school. Now she leaves a great law school to start a better band." [Christgau, Robert. " [http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0416,christgau,52834,22.html We Got A Lot] ". "Village Voice", April 20, 2002. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.]

Along with the positive feedback for the album, the band was able to secure its first permanent drummer in Matt Espy. The band would tour the United States and parts of Canada a number of times following the release of the album." [http://www.reputationmusic.com/past_dates.html Past tour dates] ". reputationmusic.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2007.] Along with the performance agenda in 2003, Elmore balanced touring, songwriting for their next album, and a return to law school while the band suffered the loss of yet another drummer, as Espy was forced to leave after a tenure of nearly a year and a half for personal reasons.

"To Force a Fate"

The band settled on their second permanent drummer, Steve Van Horn, shortly after Espy left following their round of touring. At the same time, the band began negotiations with Lookout! Records to release their follow-up. After a marathon run of shows and songwriting toward the end of 2003, the band recorded their second album. The sessions were difficult, with 14 hour recording days being balanced with Elmore attempting to finish remaining law school papers, combined with weekend tour jaunts to the East Coast. [Bowker, Tom. " [http://www.reputationmusic.com/reputation.html SOUND CHECK / Above the law] ". "Miami Herald". Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] The album was unique compared to other Elmore projects in that other members of the band assisted in the songwriting process. ["To Force a Fate" liner notes.]

"To Force a Fate" was ultimately released in April 2004 on Lookout! Records. [" [http://lookout.littletype.com/group-detail.php?item_group_id=4078 Reputation - to force a fate] ". Lookout! Records. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] The album received generally positive press, including favorable reviews in "Spin Magazine", calling the album "a bang of power-pop epiphany."" [http://www.reputationmusic.com/reputation.html Press] ". reputationmusic.com. Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] "Blender Magazine" gave the album four stars, stating that "Elizabeth Elmore, a law-school graduate with boy trouble to match her student loans, writes songs that are as much legal briefs as diary entries." [Catucci, Nick. " [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2059 The Reputation: "To Force A Fate"] ". "Blender". Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] "Entertainment Weekly" called the album "muscular yet lush," and gave the album a B+. The album would eventually reach #58 on the CMJ charts.

Post-album touring

The band spent 2004 and 2005 touring the United States for over nine months, including opening slots for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Grammy nominees The Killers, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, and the Donnas. The band's performance at South by Southwest in particular was covered positively in "Entertainment Weekly." [" [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,604995,00.html It's gettin' hot at South by Southwest] ". "Entertainment Weekly", April 2, 2004. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.]

2005 took the band overseas to tour the United Kingdom for the first time, as well as two separate two-month United States tours. In June 2005, bassist Joel Root left the band for personal reasons. They completed their summer tour with Stereo South bassist Greg Mytych, and planned to record a new album in 2006, but came to a halt due to mitigating factors, including the issues with Lookout! Records. [" [http://www.aversion.com/news/news_article.cfm?news_id=4772 Green Day Departure Hobbles Lookout] ". Aversion.com, August 2, 2005. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.] Elmore, in November 2006, posted a message to the band's official mailing list noting that the band had dissolved and no further plans had been announced. [Elmore, Elizabeth. " [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/TheReputation/message/11496 the band is over] ". groups.yahoo.com, November 2006. Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] Drummer Steve Van Horn has joined former Chicagoan and current Austin, TX based singer/songwriter Che Arthur's touring band.

Musical and lyrical style

The Reputation's music is influenced by that of Elmore's previous band, Sarge.Draper, Jimmy. " [http://wm02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ld9ds33qa3zg The Reputation] ". Allmusic. Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] The band also drew comparisons to the Fastbacks, Liz Phair, Neil Young, and Elvis Costello, the last of which the band covered with their version of the song "Almost Blue". Elmore drew influence from a wide variety of music, including post-hardcore, alternative country, 1970s singer-songwriters, indie rock, classical music, country music, bluegrass, and 1980s pop music." [http://lookout.littletype.com/reputation-lkb-grpcat.php The Reputation] ". Lookout! Records. Retrieved on September 6, 2007.] Other artists that Elmore noted as influences include Madonna, Debbie Gibson, Cyndi Lauper. While the band's first album used conventional punk rock instruments, "To Force A Fate" included more diverse instruments such as piano, strings, and horns.Loftus, Johnny. " [http://wm02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fnfexqrald0e To Force a Fate] ". Allmusic. Retrieved on September 2, 2007.] According to a review in Allmusic, "To Force a Fate"'s contains "thoughtful songwriting and dashes of indie rock anthemics".

The subjects of the band's songs are frequently related to Elmore's relationships. She stated "as far as I can tell, I am too brutally honest and opinionated for most people."

Members

The Reputation's lineup changed numerous times during the band's existence.

Final members

*Elizabeth Elmore - vocals/guitar
*Sean Hulet - guitar/vocals
*Steve Van Horn - drums
*Greg Mytych - bass

Former members

*Scott Rosenquist - touring drummer
*Ben Kane - touring drummer
*Chad Romanski - recording drummer, debut album
*Matt Espy - drummer
*Joel Root - bass

Releases

Albums

*"The Reputation" (2002)
*"To Force a Fate" (2004)

Compilations

References

External links

* [http://www.reputationmusic.com The Reputation's official site]
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