Cheap Girls were an American rock band from

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The band consisted of brothers Ian Graham (guitar, lead vocals) and Ben Graham (drums, back-up vocals), Jason Draper (Bass) and Adam Aymor (guitar). Formed in 2007, the band quickly began recording and touring, releasing their first album ''

Find Me a Drink Home ''Find Me a Drink Home'' is the first studio album by rock group Cheap Girls. It was released on April 22, 2008, on Bermuda Mohawk Records. Los Diaper Records released it on vinyl in May 2008 and Quote Unquote Records released it digitally on J ...

'' in 2008. Together they released four full-length studio albums. The band toured with bands such as

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

The Gaslight Anthem The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing vocals), ...

The Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...

, and

The Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...

across the US and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Their sound was often compared to The Replacements,

The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...

, and early

Smoking Popes Smoking Popes is an American pop punk band from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. They are composed of brothers Matt Caterer (bass), Josh Caterer (lead vocals/guitar) and Eli Caterer (guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Felumlee (drums). History ...

History

Beginnings

Brothers Ian and Ben Graham began playing in bands when they were 11 and 13, respectively. Playing local shows and small venues in the Lansing, MI region is how they met Adam, who was playing in a different band at the time. In 2007, after their previous groups disbanded, the three formed ''Cheap Girls'' with the idea of creating back-to-basics rock."Cheap Girls – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

The band began playing shows and writing the music that would become their first album, ''

''.

Debut album: ''Find Me a Drink Home'' (2007–2009)

Their first full-length album, ''

'', was released on April 22, 2008, through

Quote Unquote Records Quote Unquote Records is a donation-based online independent record label, founded and run by Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches frontman Jeff Rosenstock. The label is an example of Rosenstock's DIY ideals. Many of the l ...

."Quote Unquote Records Find Me a Drink Home"

. On August 2, 2012, it was announced that future pressings of ''Find Me a Drink Home'' and ''My Roaring 20's'' would be released by

Asian Man Records Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

''My Roaring 20's'' (2009–2011)

They toured the US extensively in support of ''Find Me a Drink Home'', which led to the release of their sophomore album ''

My Roaring 20's ''My Roaring 20's'' is the second studio album by American rock group Cheap Girls. It was released on October 9, 2009, through Paper + Plastick. The album was produced by Rick Johnson and the group. Recording Recording for the album began in F ...

'' via Paper + Plastick on October 9, 2009."Paper + Plastick My Roaring 20's"
. Paper + Plastick. Again, their album was followed with tours of the US, as well as Europe, including the United Kingdom. They also played

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival based in Chicago, Illinois, at Douglass Park. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest remains one of the largest independently owned m ...

and Gainesville's

The Fest The Fest is an annual music festival in Gainesville, Florida, United States, organized by Tony Weinbender, formerly of No Idea Records. It is a predominantly punk rock and pop-punk festival, though there are also a good number of indie rock, h ...

. The exposure landed the band an opening slot with Against Me! when they played a one-off show in Lansing, MI in 2010 while on tour with

Silversun Pickups Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. The band is composed of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester. The band released their debut EP, '' Pikul'', in July 2 ...

. In February 2011, the band went on a full US tour with Against Me!"Cheap Girls , Punknews.org"
Punknews.org

Rise Records signing and ''Giant Orange'' (2011–2013)

The band signed to Rise Records for their third LP, ''

Giant Orange ''Giant Orange'' is the third studio album by rock group Cheap Girls, released on February 21, 2012. It was the first release for the band after signing with Rise Records and is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. The album was ...

'', and released the album on February 21, 2012. It debuted at number 49 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart and was supported by a US tour with The Sidekicks. During this time the band also opened for The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me!,

Mustard Plug Mustard Plug is an American ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, consisting of Dave Kirchgessner (vocals), Brandon Jenison (trumpet), Jim Hofer (trombone), Nate Cohn (drums), Colin Clive (guitar/vocals), Mark Petz ...

, and

at shows across the US and Europe. In March 2012, ''

Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...

'' listed Cheap Girls as one of the "twenty must-see bands at SXSW 2012."

''My Roaring 20's Acoustic'' (2013)

On January 14, 2013, the band digitally released '' My Roaring 20's Acoustic'' through

. The album is an acoustic version of their 2009 release ''My Roaring 20's'' and was made available to download for free with an option to donate. All of the donations will go towards paying for Ian Graham's medical bills from a recent knee surgery."Cheap Girls – My Roaring 20's Acoustic"
Quote Unquote Records

''BARELY ALIVE in Grand Rapids, Michigan 12/30/12'' (2013)

On February 5, 2013, the band digitally released '' BARELY ALIVE in Grand Rapids, Michigan 12/30/12'' on their own record label, Business Casual. It is a live performance recorded at The Intersection in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, Michigan on December 30, 2012."RECOVERY! LIVE RECORD!"
Cheap Girls Tumblr Page.

Xtra Mile Recordings and ''Famous Graves'' (2013–2017 and breakup)

On February 19, 2013, the band posted a picture on their

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page from a studio in Grand Rapids, MI stating it was "day one" of demoing for their next album. In an interview with Lansing's ''

City Pulse ''City Pulse'' is a free, alternative weekly newspaper in Lansing, Michigan. It was founded by Berl Schwartz, a veteran journalist. History ''City Pulse'' was founded in August 2001. The editors consider the paper "alternative media" and often ...

'' published November 21, 2013, the band stated they have been recording and plan to release a new album in the spring of 2014. On January 15, 2014, it was announced that the band had signed to the independent UK-based label

Xtra Mile Recordings Xtra Mile Recordings are a British independent record label based in London, England. The label was founded in 2003 by Charlie Caplowe and they release an eclectic mix of genres with a focus on rock and folk. History The label first signed th ...

for a world-wide release of the album. On February 19, 2014, it was announced that the band's next album, '' Famous Graves'', would be released May 13, 2014. The first single from the album, "Knock Me Over," was made available online the same day. In support of the album, the band toured with Against Me! and

in the spring of 2014. A tour with Andrew Jackson Jihad and Dogbreth then took place in June 2014, followed by another stint with The Hold Steady throughout July and August. The band returned to Europe for a tour with

Joyce Manor Joyce Manor is an American punk rock band from Torrance, California, formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ebert. Since their formation, the band hav ...

and Great Cynics in November 2014. Following a spring 2015 tour of the US with Restorations and Chris Farren of

Fake Problems Fake Problems were a four-piece indie rock band from Naples, Florida. They released their first full-length album, ''How Far Our Bodies Go'', on Sabot Productions on April 27, 2007. Their second record, '' It's Great to Be Alive'', was released t ...

, the band posted on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that it was time to write another record. The band released a b-sides and rarities compilation, "God's Ex-Wife (Selective Rarities 2007–2014)," on September 16, 2016 on Asian Man Records. On January 20, 2017, Cheap Girls announced via their Facebook page that they had broken up. Ian Graham explained the band was a vehicle for exercising his worst personality tendencies, such as substance abuse and manipulating female fans, among others.

Members

*Adam Aymor – lead guitar (2007–2017) *Ben Graham – drums, backing vocals (2007–2017) *Ian Graham – lead vocals (2007-2017), bass guitar (2007–2016), guitar (2016-2017) *Jason Draper – bass guitar (2016-2017)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2008,

Quote Unquote Quote is a hypernym of quotation, as the repetition or copy of a prior statement or thought. Quotation marks are punctuation marks that indicate a quotation. Both ''quotation'' and ''quotation marks'' are sometimes abbreviated as "quote(s)". C ...

/ Bermuda Mohawk) * ''

'' (2009, Paper + Plastick) * ''

'' (2012, Rise Records) * '' My Roaring 20's Acoustic'' (2013, Quote Unquote)"Some Actual News, My Roaring 20's Acoustic, Etc."
Cheap Girls Tumblr Page. * '' BARELY ALIVE in Grand Rapids, Michigan 12/30/12'' (2013, Business Casual) * '' Famous Graves'' (2014,

)

7" records

* Art of the Underground Singles Series (2009, Art of the Underground Records) * Cheap Girls / Failures' Union Split 7" (2009, Bermuda Mohawk) * Cheap Girls / Above Them Split 7" (2010, All in Vinyl) * Cheap Girls /

Lemuria Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the di ...

Split 7" (2011,

No Idea Records No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. The label also organizes The Fest, an independently operated ...

) * Cheap Girls / Noise By Numbers Split 7" (2011, Suburban Home Records) * "Ruby" b/w "Living Like Hell" single

Live Session Releases

Pink Couch Sessions Pink Couch Sessions was a musical performance video series hosted by If You Make It. The series features primarily acoustic performances of independent DIY artists, primarily within the genres of punk, pop punk, folk punk, and indie pop. The websit ...

* KeroseneTrack on Germs of Perfection *

Daytrotter Daytrotter is a recording studio, music venue and subscription-based music discovery website located in Atlanta, United States. It hosts recording sessions with indie music acts. The original studio in Rock Island, Illinois, was founded in 2006 ...

Session * Nervous Energies Session * Live in the Hurley Studio"Hurley"
Hurley.com.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control 2007 establishments in Michigan Asian Man Records artists Punk rock groups from Michigan Indie rock musical groups from Michigan Culture of Lansing, Michigan Musical groups established in 2007 Rise Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 2017