The Format is an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band formed by
Nate Ruess
Nate Ruess is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the founder and lead singer of the indie pop band Fun, and of The Format. As of 2015, he also performs as a solo musician.
Early life
Ruess was born the second child of Larry ...
and
Sam Means
Sam Means is an American comedy writer. He won three Emmy awards for his work on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', and wrote for both '' 30 Rock'' and '' Parks and Recreation'' on NBC as well as all four seasons of ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ...
. Their style can be considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music. Though Means and Ruess are the foremost members of the band, they have played, toured, and recorded with Mike Schey, Mark Buzard, Don Raymond, and for the DVD recording and summer 2007 tour,
The Honorary Title
The Honorary Title was an American alternative rock, alternative indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, United States. The band released their first self-titled Extended play, EP "The Honorary Title" in 2003 and then their fi ...
's drummer Adam Boyd. The Format chose their name to make fun of the music industry's inclination towards a cookie-cutter "format" for a hit. Formed in 2002, the band announced a hiatus on February 4, 2008. On February 4, 2020, they announced a return from their hiatus for a tour of special shows that were later cancelled.
History
Before forming The Format in February 2002, Means and Ruess, who had been friends since grade school, formed the band Nevergonnascore and released the EP "The Byron Sessions" which had generated some record label interest but not a deal.
The duo's first single, aptly titled "
The First Single" from their five-song demo, ''
EP'', became locally popular on
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
radio station
KEDJ and led to the duo signing with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
in 2002. Their first studio album, ''
Interventions + Lullabies
''Interventions + Lullabies'' is the first album and second release by American rock band The Format. Produced and recorded by R. Walt Vincent, it was released on October 21, 2003 on Elektra Records. While the album is considered to be quite r ...
'', recorded and produced by
R. Walt Vincent
R. Walt Vincent is a Los Angeles-based record producer, recording engineer, composer, and multi instrumentalist known for his work with indie rock icons Pete Yorn, Liz Phair and Tommy Keene.
Grandson of recording pioneer George Robert Vincent, fo ...
and released in October 2003, was very successful around the
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
area. The band's fan base grew due to word of mouth, the Internet, and extensive touring. The album sold over 100,000 copies in the US.
l
After Elektra folded, The Format released a second EP, ''
Snails
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...
'', with sister label
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in April 2005. As they began to work on their second full-length album, they drew on the influences of 1970s pop music, including
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...
,
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...
and
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
, and decided to collaborate with
Redd Kross
Redd Kross is an American rock band from Hawthorne, California, who had their roots in 1978 in a punk rock band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while Steve was still in middle school. With the additi ...
founder
Steven Shane McDonald
Steven Shane "Steve" McDonald (born May 24, 1967) is an American rock musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the Los Angeles alternative rock/power pop band Redd Kross. He is a founding member of the hardcore punk band Off! – serving a ...
whom they brought on as record producer.
But Atlantic Records executives were not impressed by the 1970s-pop-influenced demos and released The Format from its contract. Upon completing the album, ''
Dog Problems
''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...
'', Ruess and Means, with help from their management company, decided to release it themselves through their newly established imprint label: The Vanity Label. Two months prior to the album's release, an
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
version was leaked to the internet. In response, The Format decided to make the album immediately available digitally for only $7.99 via the
Nettwerk
Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.
Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...
Music Store, which led to the sale of over 2,000 digital copies prior to the album's official release.
''
Dog Problems
''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...
'' was released in stores on July 11, 2006. The day the album was released, an episode of
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''
My Super Sweet 16
''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age ce ...
'' featuring The Format aired, on which they performed at a birthday-graduation party for Priya and Divya Kothapalli from
Nederland, Texas.
Following the release of ''Dog Problems'', The Format gained more attention, receiving high marks from various publications, even topping some Best of 2006 lists. During this year, The Format toured near constantly, supporting their own album ''
Dog Problems
''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...
'' as well as supporting
The All American Rejects
The All-American Rejects is an American rock band from Stillwater, Oklahoma, formed in 1999.[Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...]
, were featured on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''Th ...
'' twice, co-headlined with
Guster
Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
on their Campus Consciousness tour,
and toured with
Reubens Accomplice
Reuben's Accomplice (styled Reubens Accomplice) is an American band from Phoenix, Arizona.
The group formed in 1994 at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix and released several 7" singles over the course of the 1990s, touring with DIY punk and emo a ...
,
Piebald
A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backgro ...
,
Limbeck
Limbeck is an American rock band that formed in Laguna Niguel, California in 1999. The group featured Robb MacLean on lead vocals and guitar, Patrick Carrie guitar and backing vocals, Justin Entsminger on bass, and Jon Phillip, who replaced Matth ...
,
Steel Train
Steel Train was an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with The Juliana Theory, Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Bare ...
, and
The Honorary Title
The Honorary Title was an American alternative rock, alternative indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, United States. The band released their first self-titled Extended play, EP "The Honorary Title" in 2003 and then their fi ...
.
On June 25, 2007, celebrating the one-year anniversary of ''
Dog Problems
''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...
'', The Format offered the album in its entirety, including the liner notes in PDF form, for free on their official website. The offer was valid from June 25 to July 16, 2007. As of July 10, 2007, 36,000 people had downloaded the album.
On February 4, 2008, The Format announced that they would be putting the band on hiatus, with Nate Ruess posting the following message on the band's website:
Means has completed solo work, including scoring the soundtrack to the film ''The Sinking of Santa Isabel'', as well as forming
Destry with former
Straylight Run
Straylight Run is an emo band based in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. The band released two albums, ''Straylight Run'' and '' The Needles the Space'', as well as three EPs, ''Prepare to Be Wrong'', ''About Time'', and ''Un Mas Dos''. In 2010, ...
singer Michelle DaRosa.
When asked about the band getting back together, Ruess acknowledged that "every one of us like to remain optimistic and hopeful that it one day could happen."
Following The Format's 2008 breakup, Ruess joined with
Andrew Dost
Andrew Paul Dost (born April 10, 1983) is an American musician, singer and is member of the indie rock band Fun., in which he plays several instruments, mainly the piano. He was formerly a member of the indie rock band Anathallo from 2003 to 200 ...
of
Anathallo
Anathallo was a band originally from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and then based in Chicago, Illinois. The band started practicing in the fall of 2000 and played their first show soon afterward. Their name is derived from a Greek word meaning "to renew, ...
and
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was pr ...
of
Steel Train
Steel Train was an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with The Juliana Theory, Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Bare ...
to form
Fun
Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment".
Etymology and usage
The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...
, a band that has gone on to more commercial success than any of its associated former acts, with the pop hits "
We Are Young
"We Are Young" is a song recorded by American band Fun, featuring American singer Janelle Monáe. It is the third track on the group's second studio album, '' Some Nights'' (2012). The song was released on September 20, 2011 as the lead singl ...
" and "
Some Nights" becoming some of the most popular songs of 2012. Fun began recording their debut album, ''
Aim and Ignite
''Aim and Ignite'' is the debut studio album by American indie pop band Fun. It was recorded at Appletree Studios.
Background
On February 4, 2008, The Format broke up. Soon after, vocalist Nate Ruess had called up Jack Antonoff, from the band ...
'', in September 2008 with producer
Steven Shane McDonald
Steven Shane "Steve" McDonald (born May 24, 1967) is an American rock musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the Los Angeles alternative rock/power pop band Redd Kross. He is a founding member of the hardcore punk band Off! – serving a ...
and arranger
Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, and Imperial Drag. He has also spent several years as a member of Beck's backing band, contri ...
; it was released on August 25, 2009.
On February 3, 2020, the band formally re-released their 2007 concert film ''Live At The Mayan'' to streaming services and vinyl (previously only available on DVD.) The band also reunited for a live screening of the film and their first acoustic concert in over 12 years. The next day, the band announced a reunion in the spring of 2020 with concerts in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
.
In March 2020, their tour (originally scheduled for March and April 2020) was postponed to July 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In June 2020, it was postponed again to July 2021. After a third postponement to March and April 2022, the tour was ultimately cancelled.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Interventions + Lullabies
''Interventions + Lullabies'' is the first album and second release by American rock band The Format. Produced and recorded by R. Walt Vincent, it was released on October 21, 2003 on Elektra Records. While the album is considered to be quite r ...
'' (2003)
*''
Dog Problems
''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...
'' (2006)
Compilations
*''Live at the Mesa Amphitheater'' (Limited Release live album, 2004)
*''
B-Sides & Rarities'' (The Vanity Label, 2007)
*''Live at the Mayan Theatre'' (The Vanity Label, recorded 2007, released 2020)
EPs
*''
EP'' (self-released, 2002)
*''
Snails
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...
'' (
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, 2005)
*''Live from the Living Room: Volume One'' (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*''And Now I Hope You're Alright - Live in California'' (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*''The Format Live: Exporting Insecurity'' (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*''Kenneth Room Sessions'' (The Vanity Label, 2016)
DVD
*''Live at the Mayan Theatre'' (The Vanity Label, 2007)
Singles
*"The First Single" (Elektra, 2003)
*"The Compromise" (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*"Time Bomb" (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*"Apeman" (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*"She Doesn't Get It" (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*"Dog Problems" (The Vanity Label, 2006)
*"Swans" (The Vanity Label, 2016)
*”Your New Name” (The Vanity Label, 2022)
Other songs
*"Swans" was written especially for the film ''
Moving McAllister
''Moving McAllister'' is a 2007 American comedy film starring Ben Gourley, Mila Kunis, Jon Heder, Rutger Hauer, and Billy Drago. The film was shot largely in Utah and St Johns County, Florida and was produced by Camera 40 Productions. It was rele ...
''.
*''
Listen To Bob Dylan: A Tribute'' (
Drive-Thru
A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word ''through''), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the Unite ...
, 2005) - "
Simple Twist of Fate"
*''Acoustic Live & Rare 2006 & Last Character Standing, Vol. V'' (
The Edge 103.9 fm) - "The Compromise (Acoustic)"
*''
A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas'' (
Immortal Records
Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...
, Vol 2: December 5, 2006) - "Holly Jolly Christmas"
*''Phoenix: We Love It'' - "Yeah Yeah"
[Leatherman, Benjamin]
"Stinkweeds Offers a Killer Comp of Local Music for Record Store Day"
''Phoenix New Times'', Apr. 17 2009
References
External links
Official siteWestern TreadThe Format's LiveJournal SiteInterview with LAistInterview with Synergy Magazine'Oceans' live video on Tub-O-PopcornInterview with The Marketing Fresh PeelInterview from Hate Something Beautiful(2005)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Format, The
Indie rock musical groups from Arizona
American indie pop groups
Atlantic Records artists
Elektra Records artists
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups disestablished in 2008
Musical groups reestablished in 2020