Artist History What could you possibly need to know about a band called Sugarcult? The name says it all, right? Sugarcult. They're a sticky sweet pop band, of course. No? It must be some kind of drug reference. Guess again. A commentary on our fast-paced "sugar culture" of instant gratification? That's a stretch. Actually, the Santa Barbara, Calif. rock band took its name from the girls next door -- seven lesbians who lived across the hall from singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta back when the band formed in 1998. The "sugarcult," which is what the neighbor girls jokingly called themselves, seemed as good a name as any for a band about to play its first gig. "Three years later, that's still our band name," laughs Tim. "And people are pulling deeper meanings out of it than I ever intended!" Just the fact that these guys know seven lesbians might be enough to make them superstars in the mind of every teenage boy in America. But it's something else entirely that gives Sugarcult its staying power. Just ask guitarist Marko 72, a young veteran of punk bands Swingin' Utters, The Ataris, and Nerf Herder. "He's a natural," said Marko after seeing Tim perform an energized set as a trio with bassist Airin and drummer Ben Davis. "I saw this young guy up on stage in a ragged thrift-store suit and tie, singing these really cool pop songs and flooring the audience. I hadn't heard of him, but he seemed like he'd probably been at it for years. It turned out that was his first show ever, in his first band ever!" "We all immediately clicked and discovered a mutual admiration for the elements that make our favorite bands great," adds Tim. "I asked Marko to join even before hearing him play a note of guitar!" "What makes me excited about Sugarcult is that it's fun and escapist, but also emotionally deep on some level," explains Marko. "Escapist but deep" is not so much a contradiction as an illustration of the same multiple personality that comprises the band's mix of raw punk power and punchy pop finesse. It's no accident that Sugarcult is able to simultaneously share a bill with raucous punk bands and still proudly cite Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson as influences. "There's something about the energy that's packed into those two-and-a-half minute songs like Elvis Costello's 'Radio Radio' or Cheap Trick's 'Surrender' that shoot like bullets compared to a lot of today's popular music," says Tim. "But we're not interested in being retro," explains Airin. "We thrive on updating that certain common denominator that's stood the test of time, from the Beatles to the Ramones to Nirvana." With the help of producer Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Replacements), Sugarcult's debut LP avoids settling into the comfortable, predictable territory of a single genre. Instead, the band brings together the universal qualities from all the music they love. The record subscribes to the don't-bore-us-get-to-the-chorus approach of power pop, underlined with the don't-give-a-fuck spirit of late-'70s punk. "Matt reminded us that it's not how you record, it's what you record," says Ben. "Our mission now is to show that you don't have to be a hardcore punk band to put on a energetic show," Marko adds. "And at the same time, you don't have to be boring adult contemporary wankers to play catchy pop songs." Sugarcult's impact doesn't just come from their high-energy music, but also from lyrics like "It was you and I/ But mostly me" in the song "Lost In You," that reveal themselves to be more bitter than sweet. "In the past year I broke up with a girl, moved from Santa Barbara to Hollywood, and did just about everything I could to make myself feel really uncomfortable," says Tim. "It was frustrating and lonely at times, and all that comes out in the songs." It's there in "Stuck In America," a fiery anthem with cutting lines like "Everyone's talkin' bout blowing up the neighborhood/ All I ever wanted was to get away" about escaping the rut of youthful boredom and discontent. Pagnotta is an expert on the subject, moving between 13 different homes, attending four elementary schools, two junior highs and three high schools. But most of all, it's there in the songs about girls, or as Marko calls them, "revenge songs." "It's not fun when you break up with someone and feel like you're a little psychotic," elaborates Tim. "Some people may interpret our songs as being about someone who's blissfully in love. But my intentions were totally the opposite." In other words, what's sweet on the outside isn't always sweet on the inside. Their melodies may be candy for the ears, but the real flavor of Sugarcult will satisfy even the most discerning tastes. Poised to become the perfect new fix, Sugarcult are set to stick a safety pin through the heart and put cavities in the smile of today's rock music.

Group Members Tim Pagnotta (vocals/guitar) Marko 72 (guitar) Airin (bass/vocals) Ben Davis (drums/vocals)

Location Santa Barbara, CA - USA

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