Something Corporate

Infobox musical artist
Name = Something Corporate

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Origin = Orange County, California, United States
Genre = Piano rock
emo
Years_active = 1998–Present
Label = Drive-Thru, Geffen
Associated_acts = Firescape, Jack's Mannequin, William Tell, Streamline
URL = [http://www.somethingcorporate.com/ SomethingCorporate.com]
Current_members = Andrew McMahon
Josh Partington
Kevin "Clutch" Page
Brian Ireland
Past_members = William Tell
Reuben Hernandez

Something Corporate is a piano rock/emo band, hailing from Orange County, California. Although they categorize their music as 'piano rock', they are often associated with 'pop punk' as a result of the subject matter present in their songs. Signing on to Drive-Thru Records, known for their pop-punk bands such as New Found Glory, helped influence their 'pop-punk' image. They are currently signed to Geffen Records.

History

In September 1998, vocalist/pianist Andrew McMahon, bassist Kevin "Clutch" Page, and drummer Brian Ireland, former members of the band Left Here, merged with lead guitarist, Josh Partington, and rhythm guitarist, Reuben Hernandez, to form Something Corporate. The band's name is an extremely ironic testament to the members' disdain for "packaged", industry-driven artists. Not only did they believe that music was under corporate control but that the musicians only cared about making money. The band independently released a demo CD titled "Ready... Break" in September 2000. On March 27 2001, Something Corporate announced an official change to the band's lineup; Hernandez was permanently replaced by his temporary fill-in, William Tell.

The quintet soon signed with Drive-Thru Records and released the band's official debut effort "Audioboxer" on October 2 2001. It was promoted nationwide through tours, in-store performances at Tower Records stores, including an appearance on "The Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn on February 25 2002. The critically acclaimed EP (featuring the single "If U C Jordan" and its music video starring "American Pie's" Chris Owen) and a clause in Drive-Thru Records' distribution deal led to a signing with their distributor MCA, which later merged with Geffen Records.

On May 21 2002, Something Corporate's major label debut album, "Leaving Through the Window", was released, containing the singles "I Woke up in a Car" and "Punk Rock Princess". The album hit #1 on the "Billboard" Heatseekers chart, #1 on the "Billboard" Alternative New Artist chart and #101 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, while "Punk Rock Princess" hit #33 on the UK singles chart. To bridge the gap between "Leaving Through the Window" and their follow-up album, Something Corporate released a half-hour home video on DVD, titled "A Year in the Life" on November 5 2002. Furthermore, the B-sides compilation EP "Songs for Silent Movies", only available in Japan, was released on May 21 2003.

On October 21 2003, Something Corporate's second full-length record, "North", was released and debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200 with 42,000 copies sold. They launched the album with an appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live", performing the songs "If U C Jordan" and "Space", which remains the only single from the album. On February 4 2004, Something Corporate confirmed that William Tell left Something Corporate to pursue a solo career. Bobby "Raw" Anderson, formerly of the band, River City High, replaced Tell as the band's touring guitarist. On May 20 2004, Something Corporate filmed their concert at the Ventura Theater in Ventura, California. They released the footage as their second home DVD, "Live at the Ventura Theater".

In summer 2004, the band grew exhausted from spending years on the road and decided to take a break. The band promised the break would not be a permanent one. During the hiatus, Partington formed the band Firescape and recorded the five song EP "Rearden's Conscience" in 2005. McMahon went on to release an album entitled "Everything in Transit" with his side project, Jack's Mannequin on August 23 2005, a more piano-focused album, featuring Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee on percussion on seven out of the eleven songs. The day he finished recording, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, although he has since gone into remission. On tour, Jack’s Mannequin frequently plays old Something Corporate songs like “21 and Invincible,” “Punk Rock Princess,” “Me and the Moon,” and “The Astronaut.”

On October 14, 2006 the band reunited to perform three songs ("Konstantine", "I Woke Up in a Car" and "Hurricane") as the "special guest" at the Bamboozle Left festival in Pomona, California.

Currently, Something Corporate is in 'suspended animation'. McMahon told the Alternative Press in their January 2008 issue that he is more "nostalgically charged" to make a Something Corporate record than "creatively charged". [http://altpress.com/features/123.htm] .

In the February 6 interview with Lansing State Journal, Andrew McMahon discusses the future of Something Corporate. The interview states: "As for releasing a full-length with a tour in the classic sense, I don't see that happening. But we're all great friends, and I do see us putting together new material and hitting the road. The fans have been so supportive and such a huge part of our lives that I would feel horrible not to at least give them something."

In an interview with Alternative Press at the 2008 Bamboozle, McMahon said that he would definitely want to play a few shows and potentially record a couple new songs for the band's 10-year anniversary.

Discography

Albums

ingles

Non-album tracks

* "The Galaxy Sessions" (2001)
* "Konstantine" – alternate version, released on "Welcome to the Family" (2001)
* "Just like a Woman" (Bob Dylan cover) – released on "" (2005)

External links

* [http://www.somethingcorporate.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/soco Something Corporate's profile] at MySpace
* [http://www.purevolume.com/somethingcorporate/ Something Corporate's profile] at PureVolume
* [http://www.soco-online.net/ SoCo-Online.net] - Fansite featuring dozens of recorded shows, live video and unreleased songs
* [http://www.myspace.com/williamtell William Tell's profile] at MySpace
* [http://www.streamlineworld.com Streamline] - Brian Ireland's other band