Tapes 'n Tapes

Tapes 'n Tapes
Tapes 'n Tapes performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2007
Background information
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States
GenresIndie rock, neo-psychedelia, experimental rock, college rock
Years active2003–2012, 2019–2020
LabelsIbid Records, XL Recordings
Spinoff ofThe Hopefuls
Past membersJosh Grier
Jeremy Hanson
Matt Kretzman
Erik Appelwick
Shawn Neary
Karl Schweitz
Websitetapesntapes.com

Tapes 'n Tapes was an indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed in the winter of 2003 at Carleton College, the band are best known for their 2005 debut album The Loon, which featured the singles "Insistor" and "Cowbell". The band were stylistically compared to bands such as the Pixies and Pavement – and, at the time of their mid-2000s success, were compared to their then-contemporaries Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The band released three studio albums before quietly disbanding in 2012; they briefly reunited between 2019 and 2020.

History

Shortly after forming, Tapes 'n Tapes self-released a self-titled EP in 2004. After release of the EP, the band played with acts such as The Futureheads, The Streets, Metric, Calvin Johnson, and I Am the World Trade Center. Their debut album, The Loon, was released on Ibid Records in 2005. The band then signed to XL Recordings, who re-released The Loon on July 25, 2006.[1] Tapes singer Josh Grier says their first album was recorded "...in the winter time at a cabin in the Wisconsin woods with no running water or toilet paper. It was a lot fun to do it on our own and get a little crazy, but it was also frustrating since we didn't really know entirely what we were doing."

Tapes 'n Tapes first gained popularity after a series of write-ups on music blogs, first on EAR FARM then on sites such as Music For Robots and Gorilla vs. Bear, leading some to cite them as one of the earliest examples of a "blog band". However, it wasn't until The Loon received a favorable review from Pitchfork Media, including a "best new music" commendation, that the band started to find success. The band made its American television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman on July 25, 2006, performing the song "Insistor." In 2006 the band did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon. They also performed at the Siren Music Festival in July of that same year.

Tapes 'n Tapes performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2007, along with bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Björk. During their set at the 2007 Lollapalooza festival, the band played six new songs: "Demon Apple", "Blunt", "Icedbergs", "Headshock", "Le Ruse" and "Hang Them All".[2] "Icedbergs" was a new version of a song previously featured on the band's debut EP.

Later in 2007, the band was featured in a sketch on the MTV comedy program Human Giant. Aziz Ansari's character, a psychotic "Indie Marketing Guru" named Clell Tickle, pushed bloggers to feature MP3s of the band on their blogs. In October, the band announced they had finishing recording their second album, titled Walk It Off. Walk It Off was recorded by producer David Fridmann at his Tarbox Road Studio in Cassadaga, New York.[3] The album was released on April 8, 2008. Later that year, "Insistor" was featured in a scene in the film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.[4]

The band was honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[5] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the venue.[6] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.[7]

The band's final album, Outside, was released on January 11, 2011.[8] The band toured in support of the album before quietly disbanding in 2012. They briefly reunited in 2019 to play a reunion show, but their comeback was later halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[9] 		US Heat
[10] 		US Indie
[11] 		US Rock
[12] 		UK
[13]
The Loon
  • Released: October 28, 2005
  • Label(s): Ibid Records (US), XL Recordings (UK)
 — — 47 — 115
Walk It Off
  • Released: April 2, 2008
  • Label(s): XL Recordings
 116 1 14 — —
Outside
  • Released: January 11, 2011
  • Label(s): Ibid Records
 110 1 14 23 —
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

EPs

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
SCO
[14] 		UK
[13] 		UK
Indie
[15]
"Insistor"[16] 2006 41 76 5 The Loon
"Cowbell"[17] — — —
"Hang Them All"[18] 2008 62 —[A] 9 Walk It Off
"Freak Out"[20] 2010 — — — Outside
"—" denotes items not released in that territory or failed to chart.
Notes
  1. ^ "Hang Them All" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 79 on the UK Physical Singles Chart Top 100.[19]

Band members

Final line-up
  • Josh "Tapes 1" Grier – lead vocals, guitar (2003–2012, 2019–2020)
  • Matt "'n" Kretzman – keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals (2003–2012, 2019–2020)
  • Jeremy "Tapes 2" Hanson – drums (2005–2012, 2019–2020)
  • Erik "'n" Appelwick – bass guitar, backing vocals (2006–2012, 2019–2020)
Former members
  • Shawn "'n" Neary – bass guitar (2003–2006)
  • Karl "Tapes 2" Schweitz – drums (2003–2005)

References

  1. ^ "Pitchfork: News – April 27, 2006". Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2006.
  2. ^ Lollapalooza 2007 – A Day in the Life Archived 2007-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Pitchfork: Tapes 'n Tapes' Grier Checks in From the Studio Archived 2008-01-09 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Knight, Dan (July 24, 2006), Tapes 'n Tapes 'Insistor' (Short, Music), HSI London, retrieved April 8, 2022
  5. ^ "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Bream, Jon (May 3, 2019). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Marsh, Steve (May 13, 2019). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. ^ The Arizona Republic: Tapes 'N Tapes: 'Outside'
  9. ^ "Tapes n Tapes - Billboard". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Tapes n Tapes - Billboard Heatseekers". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Tapes n Tapes - Billboard Independent". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Tapes n Tapes - Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard.
  13. ^ a b "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 DJ T – Tzant". zobbel.de. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  14. ^ Peaks in Scotland:
  15. ^ Peaks on the UK Independent Singles Chart:
  16. ^ "Insistor by Tapes 'n Tapes on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Cowbell by Tapes 'n Tapes on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Hang Them All by Tapes 'n Tapes on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 06 April 2008 - 12 April 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Listen: Tapes 'n Tapes: "Freak Out"". Pitchfork. October 26, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
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