William John Tell is a
rhythm guitarist
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass gui ...
and
backing vocalist
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
for the piano-rock band
Something Corporate
Something Corporate (also known as ''SoCo'') was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their last line-up included vocalist and pianist Andrew McMahon, guitarists Josh Partington and Bobby Anderson, bassist Kev ...
. After leaving the band in 2004 for a solo career, William Tell was signed as a
New Door Records solo artist. His first solo record, ''
You Can Hold Me Down,'' was released on March 13, 2007. Tell earned a
J.D. degree from
USC Gould School of Law
The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated w ...
in 2014.
Biography
William John Tell learned to play guitar from his father (also named William Tell) at a young age and began writing his own songs as well. He met some of the members of
Something Corporate
Something Corporate (also known as ''SoCo'') was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their last line-up included vocalist and pianist Andrew McMahon, guitarists Josh Partington and Bobby Anderson, bassist Kev ...
through mutual friends and one night when they were all playing at the same nightclub, he was asked to temporarily fill in, as their
rhythm guitarist
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass gui ...
Richard Hernandez had left to study abroad. On March 27, 2001, Tell permanently joined the
Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records was a California-based independent record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. The label was partially responsible for popularizing the pop-punk/emo merger sound of the early to mid-2000s. After facing financi ...
piano rock band Something Corporate.
Tell witnessed the success of Something Corporate over the three years he played with them — through their EP ''
Audioboxer
''Audioboxer'' is the debut EP released by Something Corporate on October 2, 2001 by Drive-Thru Records. "Punk Rock Princess" was released as a single the following day.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Andrew McMahon, except "(Hurricane) The ...
'', released on October 2, 2001, to their full-length albums ''
Leaving Through the Window
''Leaving Through the Window'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by rock band Something Corporate. Following the success of the Drive-Thru Records-released '' Audioboxer'' (2001) EP, the band signed to their label distributor MCA R ...
'' (2002) and ''
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
'' (2003), as well as tours with bands like
New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing voc ...
.
During a break between touring for the band, Tell decided that he wanted to pursue his own solo career. On February 4, 2004, it was announced by the band that Tell had left. He returned home to California and began writing songs. His first song, titled "Radio Sound" (which later appeared on his debut album as "Sounds"), was about his mixed emotions dealing with leaving his friends and former band. Through the course of the next two years, Tell would continue writing and rewriting material, as well as recording.
Brian Ireland, drummer for Something Corporate, would come in to help him during the recording process and also play shows as part of Tell's band. One of Tell's many performances was the
Bamboozle Left The Bamboozle Left was an annual two-day music festival held in California from 2006 to 2009, based on The Bamboozle festival on the Atlantic coast.
2006
The 2006 festival was held at the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Field in Pomona, CA, on October 15 ...
festival in
Pomona, California
Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Pol ...
on October 14, 2006.
In 2006, Tell was signed to
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
'
subsidiary New Door Records as a solo artist and began putting the final touches to his debut album. He collaborated with another Something Corporate member,
Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon (born September 3, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. He was the vocalist, pianist and primary lyricist for the bands Something Corporate and main songwriter for Jack's Mannequin and performs solo both under his own na ...
, for the track "Fairfax" on the record. During January 2007, Tell recorded a practice session for the website Rehearsals.com and on March 13, 2007, Tell released his 10-track solo debut album titled ''
You Can Hold Me Down'' (named after one of the songs).
Personal life
In February 2012, Tell began dating former ''
The Hills'' star and fashion designer
Lauren Conrad. They became engaged in October 2013, and married on September 13, 2014, in California. Their son, Liam James Tell, was born on July 5, 2017.
Their second child named Charlie Wolf was born October 8, 2019.
Discography
Albums
* ''
You Can Hold Me Down'' (2007) #11 Top Heatseekers
EPs
* ''Lovers & Haters'' (2009)
Non-album tracks
* "After All", "Katie (Where'd You Go?)", "This Mess", "Yesterday is Calling" & "Young At Heart" (Acoustic)- released as bonus tracks to certain releases of ''
You Can Hold Me Down'' (2007)
References
External links
William Tell fansiteWilliam Tell official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tell, William
1980 births
Living people
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
California lawyers
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male musicians
People from Westwood, Los Angeles