Silversun Pickups

Silversun Pickups

Somewhere around the year 2004, a group of young men formed a band. That band would cross the genre lines of Indie rock, shoegazing and dream pop. A motley crew of guys like this needed a name that was just as interesting. They called themselves the Silversun Pickups and never looked back.

Silversun Pickups is an all original member Indie rock conglomeration of Brian Aubert (guitars and lead vocalist), Nikki Monninger (bass and vocals), Chris Guanlao (drums) and Joe Lester (keyboard and sound manipulation extraordinaire). In the beginning, fusion guitarist Jack Kennedy (aka Kennedy) was also in the line up, but was fired for setting flame to Aubert's sweater.

Signed to the independent label of Dangerbird Records, the quartet released its debut EP called Pikul in 2005. This masterful creation was named after a friend that passed on and included six original tracks (except for Creation Lake by The Movies) followed by 17 untitled tracks (less than a minute each) and then a piece called Sci-Fi Lullaby.

The Pikul EP was followed by the group's first album, a 13 track work of art called Carnavas in 2006. Four of the thirteen tracks were released as singles with "Lazy eye" being the most successful. Another release, "Well Thought Out Twinkles" was also well received in the US.

Then in 2007, Silversun Pickups had a heavy year, releasing 3 more EPs for their fan's listening pleasure. "Remixes" was first, followed quickly by "The Tripwire Session: Live in Chicago" and an iTunes exclusive recording of "Live Session".

Silversun Pickups' break came when they started playing the renowned Silverlake Lounge and Spaceland, which was also close by. Club goers came and heard what these guys were doing and the band acquired a good sized following after the release of the Pikul EP, which was widely accepted and embraced.

The band was originally called "A Couple of Couples" when it originated in Los Angeles' Silver Lake music scene. Aubert, Monninger, Lester and Guanlao are all friends who have played together in one form or another since high school. It is said that the name Silversun Pickups was taken from a liquor store across the street from the club where they started out. However, ask the band members and they will readily tell you that it is merely a "state of mind" attributed to the late night requirements of an Indie band.

Recently, the band has released their second full length CD, Swoon, in April 2009. The single released was "Panic Switch" and it debuted at #92 in Billboard's top 100. On the Modern rock tracks chart (which also appears in Billboard magazine), the debut was much higher at #5. A second release, "There's No Secrets This Year" was not so fortunate and did not chart at all.

With the mixture of heavy, distorted guitars and harmonized vocals, the sound of the Silversun Pickups is reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins. Bands like "My Bloody Valentine", "Velvet Underground" and "Sonic Youth" have been noted as major influences on Silversun Pickups trademark sound.