Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band, formed in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

Mark Oliver Everett Mark Oliver Everett (born April 10, 1963) is the American lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometimes drummer of the rock band Eels. Also known as E, he is known for writing songs tackling subjects such as death, loneliness, d ...

, known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

E. Band members have changed over the years, both in the studio and on stage, making Everett the only official member for most of the band's work. Eels' music is often filled with themes of family, death, and unrequited love. Since 1996, Eels has released fourteen studio albums, seven of which charted in the ''Billboard'' 200.

History

E solo records

In 1991, Everett signed a contract with

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and released ''

A Man Called E ''A Man Called E'' is Mark Oliver Everett's 1992 major-label debut album, and the first on which he used the pseudonym "E". (As Mark Everett, he had previously self-released the limited edition LP ''Bad Dude in Love'' in 1985.) "Hello Cruel Worl ...

'' under the name E a year later. The single "Hello Cruel World" was a minor success. Touring to support the album, E opened for

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

. ''A Man Called E'' was followed by ''

Broken Toy Shop ''Broken Toy Shop'' is the second album by American singer-songwriter E (a.k.a. Mark Oliver Everett), released in December 1993 by Polydor Records. It was his last record as a solo artist before forming the band Eels. Track listing All songs ...

'' in 1993. This year also marked the beginning of E's collaboration with drummer Jonathan "Butch" Norton. After ''Broken Toy Shop'', E was released from his record deal with Polydor. E has performed two of the songs from ''Broken Toy Shop'' ("The Only Thing I Care About" and "Manchester Girl") for his own live shows with the Eels.

''Beautiful Freak''

Eels were officially founded when Butch and E met

Tommy Walter Thomas Edward Walter (born October 30, 1970) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his alternative rock band, Abandoned Pools, as well as being the former bassist and one of the founding members of Eels. Early years and the E ...

. The name "Eels" was chosen so that the band's records would be close to E's solo records in an alphabetical ordering, although it was too late once they realized that numerous

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

and

Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...

releases were in between. Eels became one of the first groups to sign a record deal with

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...

, followed by

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

. In 1996, the band released their debut album ''

Beautiful Freak ''Beautiful Freak'' is the debut album by American rock band Eels. It was released on 13 August 1996 and is the first album released by record label DreamWorks. Background ''Beautiful Freak'' is largely the solo work of musician Mark Oliver Evere ...

''. The singles "

Novocaine for the Soul "Novocaine for the Soul" is a song by American rock band Eels. It was released as the lead single from their 1996 debut album, ''Beautiful Freak''. Background Discussing the song's subject matter in 1996, Eels frontman E said, "Part of my probl ...

", "

Susan's House "Susan's House" is a song by American rock band Eels. It was released as the third single from their 1996 debut album, ''Beautiful Freak''. Content In his autobiography, Mark Oliver Everett states that Susan "wasn't a crazy girl, a rare except ...

" and "

Your Lucky Day in Hell "Your Lucky Day in Hell" is a song by American rock band Eels. It was the fourth single to be released from their 1996 debut album, ''Beautiful Freak''. Music video Around the same time, a video was released to promote the single, featuring v ...

" achieved modest national and international success, with the band winning the Best International Breakthrough Act award at the

1998 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 1998 was the 18th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 9 February 1998 at the London Arena in London. Performa ...

. In 1996 and 1997, Eels toured extensively to support the album, building their name as a live act in the United States and Europe. In September 1997, Walter quit the band. Released in May 2001, the motion picture soundtrack for the movie ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...

'' included the song "My Beloved Monster".

''Electro-Shock Blues''

Following the success of ''Beautiful Freak'', E experienced a difficult time in his personal life. His sister committed suicide, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. These events inspired Eels' second album, 1998's ''

Electro-Shock Blues ''Electro-Shock Blues'' is the second studio album by American Rock music, rock band Eels (band), Eels. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 21, 1998, and October 20 in the United States by record label DreamWorks Records, DreamWork ...

''. The album deals with many difficult subjects, including cancer, mental illness, suicide and death. The tragedy of Everett's father's death became prominent once more in the context of his mother's impending death and his sister's suicide, and as a result the song "Baby Genius" is written for his father

Hugh Everett III Hugh Everett III (; November 11, 1930 – July 19, 1982) was an American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his "relative state" formulation. In contrast to the then-dominant Cope ...

. Contributions to the album were made by

Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...

Lisa Germano Lisa Ruth Germano (born June 27, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Indiana. Her album '' Geek the Girl'' (1994) was chosen as a top album of the 1990s by ''Spin'' magazine. She began her career as a violinist ...

, Jim Jacobsen,

Grant-Lee Phillips Grant-Lee Phillips (born Bryan G. Phillips; September 1, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He led the group Grant Lee Buffalo in the 1990s, afterwards launching a solo career. He features as the town troubadour ...

, Dust Brother Michael Simpson, and

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

. The single " Last Stop: This Town" saw minor success, while "

Cancer for the Cure "Cancer for the Cure" is a song by American rock band Eels. It was released as a single from their 1998 album ''Electro-Shock Blues''. Release The song peaked at number 60 in the UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled ...

", the second single from the album, appeared on the soundtrack for '' American Beauty'' (1999). Still a three-piece band on stage, Tommy Walter was replaced by

Adam Siegel Adam Siegel (born March 9, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer (he has provided artwork and design for several releases by L.A. groups) from Venice, California, United States. KISS, B ...

. Part of the American leg of the tour was cancelled after the death of E's mother. They returned to tour Europe later in the year, to open for

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material * ...

''Daisies of the Galaxy''

In 2000, Eels released ''

Daisies of the Galaxy ''Daisies of the Galaxy'' is the third studio album by American rock band Eels. It was released on February 28, 2000, in the United Kingdom and March 14 in the United States by record label DreamWorks. Production When the band's label requeste ...

''. The album, which was recorded almost entirely in E's basement, is lighter and more upbeat than its predecessor. Everett noted, "if ''Electro-Shock Blues'' was the phone call in the middle of the night that the world doesn't want to answer, then ''Daisies of the Galaxy'' is the hotel wake-up call that says your lovely breakfast is ready". He was joined in the studio by Michael Simpson (

Dust Brothers The Dust Brothers are a pair of songwriters and producers consisting of E.Z. Mike ( Michael Simpson) and King Gizmo ( John King). They are famous for the sample-based music they produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on ...

(

Grant Lee Buffalo Grant Lee Buffalo was an American rock band based in Los Angeles, California, United States, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble ( bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another Los Ange ...

), and

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his car ...

(

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

). The first single, "

Mr. E's Beautiful Blues "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" is a song by the American rock band Eels, released February 14, 2000 in the UK, and is the first single to be released from their third album, ''Daisies of the Galaxy'' (2000). The single reached No. 11 on the ...

", was co-written by Simpson. The song was not intended to be on the album, but the record company insisted on its inclusion. Therefore, it was not featured on the track listing but was instead listed on the cover sticker as a bonus track, separated from the rest of the album by 20 seconds of silence. To promote ''Daisies of the Galaxy'', another tour took place across the United States and Europe, with the band also playing their first concerts in Australia. For these performances, Eels were transformed into a 6-piece orchestra, including

and Probyn Gregory. E also played some solo shows, opening for

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Apple has received numerous awards an ...

''Souljacker'' and ''Shootenanny!''

In 2001, ''

Souljacker ''Souljacker'' is the fourth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Eels (band), Eels, first released on September 19, 2001, in Japan and later on March 12, 2002, in the United States. Content Unlike some of Mark Oliver Everett's othe ...

'' was released, an album with a heavier feel and more rock-oriented sound than ''Daisies of the Galaxy''.

John Parish John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He has also worked with such artists as Eels, Aldous Harding, Tracy Chapma ...

, previously of

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

's band, co-wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the album and first part of the tour. After Parish became a father, he was replaced with

Joe Gore Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

for the American leg of the Bus Driving, Band Rocking Tour. Koool G Murder played bass and keyboards and joined Eels on tour. 2003 marked the release of the album ''

Shootenanny! ''Shootenanny!'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Eels, released in 2003 by record label DreamWorks. Background While lead singer Mark Oliver "E" Everett was working on the double disc '' Blinking Lights and Other Revelations'' ...

''. E now refers to the album as a break from recording the following ''Blinking Lights'' album. It was recorded live in the studio in only ten days. "Saturday Morning" was released as a single. Butch was replaced on drums by Puddin'. In 2003, Eels embarked upon another big tour, called the Tour of Duty. The live band consisted of E,

Goldenboy Goldenboy is an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California. Band name and roster Shon Sullivan is Goldenboy, named by Elliott Smith while touring with him in 2000. The first Goldenboy album, Blue Swan Orchestra, was released in October 2002 o ...

(guitar), Koool G Murder (bass) and Puddin' (drums). Later that year, E composed the score for the film '' Levity''.

''Blinking Lights and Other Revelations'' and ''Eels with Strings''

Eels' next album, ''

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations ''Blinking Lights and Other Revelations'' is the sixth studio album by American band Eels. It was recorded over the space of 1998 to 2004 and released on April 26, 2005 through record label Vagrant, his first album on a new label following Eels' ...

'', was released on April 26, 2005, and was the band's first release for new label

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home ...

. It is a 33-track double album. Contributions were made by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

, Peter Buck,

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including " ...

), Jim Jacobsen, and Butch. The first tour in support of the ''Blinking Lights'' album, billed as Eels with Strings, featured primarily performances by E on acoustic guitar,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

or piano, backed by Allen "Big Al" Hunter on piano and

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, Jeffrey Lyster (also known as Chet Atkins III or "The Chet") on guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

pedal steel The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can p ...

musical saw A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque f ...

and drums, and a string quartet consisting of

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ists Paloma Udovic and Julie Carpenter,

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

Heather Lockie and

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

Ana Lenchantin Ana Lenchantin is an Argentine-American cellist of French ancestry, known for frequent appearances with American rock bands such as Train, Into the Presence, The Eels, Gnarls Barkley, No Doubt, Arthur Lee and Love, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Na ...

. The tour resulted in a live album, '' Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall'', recorded in New York City. The performance includes tracks from all of their albums, and was released on CD and DVD on February 21, 2006.

''Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I'' and ''Useless Trinkets''

In early 2008, Eels released their first "greatest hits" compilation as well as a compilation of

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, rarities, soundtrack singles and unreleased tracks. '' Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I'' spans the first decade of the Eels, including singles from all their albums, as well as a DVD featuring music videos and one live performance video. ''

Useless Trinkets Useless may refer to: * ''Useless'' (film), a 2007 Chinese documentary by Jia Zhangke * ''Useless'' (EP), a 2000 EP by Unloco * "Useless" (song), a 1997 song by Depeche Mode * "Useless", a 2009 song by Cavo from ''Bright Nights Dark Days'' * " ...

'' contains 50 B-sides and rarities and a DVD of their

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

2006 performances. To promote the releases, the band went on a world tour, An Evening With Eels. This time, only the Chet joined E on stage, both playing a broad cross-section from the Eels repertoire on a variety of instruments. The concerts also featured the Chet reading excerpts from E's 2008 autobiography, ''

Things the Grandchildren Should Know ''Things the Grandchildren Should Know'' is an autobiography by Mark Oliver Everett, the front man of the independent rock band Eels. Everett spent a year writing the book between the release of the retrospectives '' Meet The Eels: Essential Eel ...

''. On this tour, the band released a live CD/DVD package of Eels' 2006 performance at the ''

London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...

'', '' Live and in Person!'', documenting a show from the second tour in support of ''Blinking Lights and Other Revelations''. The soundtrack of the 2008 comedy film '' Yes Man'' features nine songs by Eels, including "Man Up", a brand new song.

Concept album trilogy: ''Hombre Lobo'', ''End Times'', and ''Tomorrow Morning''

Hombre Lobo ''Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eels, released on June 2, 2009. Hombre Lobo is Spanish for "werewolf". On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood" available on Spinner.com, explai ...

,'' the seventh Eels studio album, was released on June 2, 2009. The album comprises twelve new songs. "Hombre Lobo" is Spanish for "wolf man" or "werewolf" and references E's unusually long beard, which he originally grew when writing the song "Dog Faced Boy". On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "

Fresh Blood ''Fresh Blood'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Steve Swindells. The album was originally released in late 1980 on the label Atco. The album was Swindells' first solo album following his departure from Hawkwind, due t ...

" available on

Spinner Technology *Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI * Spinner (MIT Med ...

, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. A

Jesse Dylan Jesse Byron Dylan (born January 6, 1966) is an American film director and production executive. He is the founder of the media production company Wondros and Lybba, a non-profit organization. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relat ...

-directed music video was released on April 29, 2009 as well. The album was released as a single-disc CD and a deluxe edition with a DVD. In September 2009, Eels released a music video for "That Look You Give That Guy", featuring Bobby Jr., E and ''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chef ...

'' host

Padma Lakshmi Padma Parvati Lakshmi (; born September 1, 1970) is an Indian-born American author, activist, actress, model, philanthropist, and television host. She has hosted the cooking competition program ''Top Chef'' on Bravo continuously since season 2 ( ...

. While promoting this album, Eels released the live EP ''

The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009 This is a discography of Eels and other musical projects of Mark Oliver Everett, such as MC Honky. Albums Studio albums Live albums Compilations Extended plays Singles Promotional singles *"Climbing to the Moon" (1998) *"3 Speed" (1998) ...

'' on October 14, 2009. That same day, the band's website announced that a new Eels album entitled ''

End Times Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...

'' would be released on January 19, 2010. It was largely recorded on a four-track recorder and is based on the themes of broken love. Three album tracks—"Little Bird", "In My Younger Days", and " A Line in the Dirt"—were made available as music videos or promotional downloads prior to the release of the album. Once again, Butch contributed drums to "A Line in the Dirt". On January 19, 2010, ''End Times'' was released. E made no comment on touring and there was no tour scheduled to begin. A second album was announced on May 20, 2010: '' Tomorrow Morning'' was described as the "final installment of a trilogy that began with ''Hombre Lobo'' and ''End Times''." The three albums respectively explore themes of desire, loss, and redemption. A world tour, the first since 2007's An Evening With Eels tour, was announced at the same time. This tour once again featured the Chet on various instruments, alongside Koool G Murder on bass, trilogy drummer Knuckles on drums and a new member, P-Boo, on guitar.

''Wonderful, Glorious'' and ''The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett''

On February 5, 2013, the 10th Eels studio album was released, entitled ''

Wonderful, Glorious ''Wonderful, Glorious'' is the tenth studio album by American alternative rock band Eels, released in 2013 by record labels Vagrant and E Works. The album was produced by band leader Mark Oliver Everett. A worldwide tour accompanied the album r ...

''. The first single from the album, "Peach Blossom", premiered on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

on November 6, 2012. A month later, on December 4, 2012, the official video was released on

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

. The second single, "New Alphabet", was streamed pre-release on December 12, 2012 on

On March 25, 2013, the band released a parody music video called "

Cold Dead Hand "Cold Dead Hand" is a single and accompanying music video created for Funny or Die by comedian Jim Carrey with The Eels, playing as "Lonesome Earl and the Clutterbusters". The title is a reference to a statement Charlton Heston made while acting as ...

" through

Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a reg ...

, with

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

replacing E on vocals. The song and video, set as a musical act during the variety program ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 199 ...

'', lampoons American gun culture, and specifically former

NRA The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while conti ...

spokesperson

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

. Eels' eleventh studio album, ''

The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett ''The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett'' is the eleventh studio album by American indie rock band Eels, released on April 21, 2014 by record label E Works. The album was produced by frontman Mark Oliver Everett. Reception ''The Caution ...

'', was released on April 21, 2014 on E Works Records. In April 2015, the band released the DVD and double live album '' Live at the Royal Albert Hall''. In 2015, Eels created their own version of

Melanie De Biasio Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brown ...

Presents - No Deal Remixed''. The track was later used to promote the 2017 film '' Alien: Covenant'', directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

, and appears during the entire in-universe short movie ''Meet Walter'' starring

Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Award ...

''The Deconstruction'' and ''Earth to Dora''

On January 17, 2018, Eels announced their 12th studio album, ''

The Deconstruction ''The Deconstruction'' is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Eels, released on April 6, 2018. The band's twelfth studio release follows a four-year period where front man Mark Oliver "E" Everett took a hiatus from music. The album has ...

'', to be released on April 6, 2018, their first in nearly four years. They also announced a supporting tour throughout the United States and Europe, beginning in Pomona, California on May 28, 2018. The album travels through many styles sonically, but its lyrics primarily deal with rebuilding one's life and looking back on what went wrong. Singles include (in release order) the title track, "Today Is the Day", "Premonition", and "Bone Dry". Styles present on the album include orchestral pop, power pop, psychedelic pop/rock, indie/alternative rock and post-modern pop. The band's next release was the single "Baby Let's Make It Real"/"Who You Say You Are", announced on September 1, 2020. These songs were featured on the subsequent studio album, ''

Earth to Dora ''Earth to Dora'' is the thirteenth studio album by American indie rock band Eels, released on E Works/PIAS Recordings on October30, 2020. It has received favorable reviews from critics. Recording and release Eels' previous album '' The Deconstru ...

'' (2020).

''Extreme Witchcraft''

On September 21, 2021, it was announced that the 14th Eels album would be called ''

Extreme Witchcraft ''Extreme Witchcraft'' is the fourteenth studio album by American indie rock band Eels, released through E Works/PIAS Recordings on January 28, 2022. It was preceded by the singles "Good Night on Earth", "Steam Engine", "The Magic", and "Amateur H ...

'' and would be released on January 28, 2022. The album was produced by E and John Parish in their first collaboration since 2001's ''Souljacker''.

Members

Eels have had a number of lineup changes supporting E since their formation, and in recent years the live band has often differed from the musicians on the albums. Koool G Murder has been credited on bass and production on recent albums, although Big Al has fulfilled the role of bassist during the live shows. ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:50 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals,_multiple_instruments id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_Albums id:Lines2 value:gray(0.75) legend:Live_Albums id:Lines3 value:gray(0.50) legend:B-Side_Album id:bars value:gray(0.93) BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2005 BarData = bar:Mark text:"Mark Oliver Everett" bar:Butch text:"Butch" bar:Knuckles text:"Knuckles" bar:Little-Joe text:"Little-Joe" bar:Tommy text:"Tommy Walter" bar:Koool text:"Koool G Murder" bar:Big-Al text:"Big-Al" bar:john text:"John Parish" bar:chet text:"The Chet" bar:P-Boo text:"P-Boo" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Mark from:01/01/1995 till:end color:vocals bar:Butch from:01/01/1995 till:26/04/2005 color:drums bar:Tommy from:01/01/1995 till:01/09/1997 color:bass bar:john from:01/02/2000 till:01/03/2000 color:guitar bar:Koool from:28/02/2000 till:end color:bass bar:Knuckles from:02/06/2009 till:31/12/2017 color:drums bar:chet from:26/04/2005 till:end color:guitar bar:Big-Al from:26/08/2011 till:end color:bass bar:Little-Joe from:01/01/2018 till:end color:drums bar:P-Boo from:17/08/2010 till:end color:guitar LineData = at:13/08/1996 color:black layer:back at:21/09/1998 color:black layer:back at:28/02/2000 color:black layer:back at:19/09/2001 color:black layer:back at:03/06/2003 color:black layer:back at:26/04/2005 color:black layer:back at:02/06/2009 color:black layer:back at:19/01/2010 color:black layer:back at:17/08/2010 color:black layer:back at:04/02/2013 color:black layer:back at:21/04/2014 color:black layer:back at:06/04/2018 color:black layer:back at:30/10/2020 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2000 color:lines2 layer:back at:01/01/2002 color:lines2 layer:back at:01/01/2003 color:lines2 layer:back at:01/01/2006 color:lines2 layer:back at:01/01/2013 color:lines2 layer:back at:24/04/2015 color:lines2 layer:back at:15/01/2008 color:lines3 layer:back

Discography

As E

*''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1993)

As Eels

*''

'' (1996) *''

'' (1998) *''

'' (2000) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2003) *''

'' (2005) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *'' Tomorrow Morning'' (2010) *''

'' (2013) *''

'' (2014) *''

'' (2018) *''

'' (2020) *''

'' (2022)

References

External links

* * *
Eels on SoundCloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eels 1995 establishments in California Brit Award winners DreamWorks Records artists Indie rock musical groups from California Musical collectives Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Los Angeles Vagrant Records artists PIAS Recordings artists SpinART Records artists