Artist description After a whirlwind year of non-stop touring following the success of their major label debut album Welcoming Home the Astronauts, the Dallas group Flickerstick decided that they weren’t quite finished yet. This past July, Flickerstick packed the house at the landmark club Deep Ellum Live, where they captured the raw energy of their live show in front of the sold-out hometown crowd on their first live album. The result is Flickerstick’s Causing A Catastrophe- Live- the latest chapter in the story of one of the hardest working bands in rock. Causing A Catastophe- Live, will be released on November 26th through the band’s own indie imprint label, 226 Records in conjunction with Boulder, CO based label What Are Records? and includes popular Flickerstick staples such as “Coke”, “Smile”, “Chloroform” and their smash single “Beautiful”. The disc also contains a few brand-new tracks, “Believe” and “Telling All the World” and even a beautiful rendition of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”. While most fledgling bands strive to one day receive a Grammy, Flickerstick were nominated for an Emmy. As the winner of the breakthrough VH1 series Bands on the Run, the group converted national viewers seemingly overnight to its style of emotional rock. With their Epic Records debut Welcoming Home the Astronauts, the band confirmed what Texas-area audiences had known for years: Flickerstick makes music that matters. "It took a while for some of us to realize how much of a commitment music is," says singer Brandin Lea. "But if you're just trying to do it on the weekends, it doesn't work that way. You've got to play rock and roll with no net -- which basically means you can't do it as a hobby and expect it to work out. You can't do it as a second thing; you have to do it like there's nothing else in your life. It's gotta be more important than just about anything." That passionate attitude has helped Flickerstick sway audiences and critics alike. The band's indie release from 2000 was given a tune-up while still allowing the strong material to retain its raw potency on Welcoming Home The Astronauts. A brief return to the studio provided the band the opportunity to freshen up some of the vocal arrangements and to overdub a few guitar and keyboard parts. Flickerstick also added two new songs, the acoustic ballad "Execution By X-mas Lights" and the emotional piledriver "Smile," which gained the band even more exposure through its poignant video. Veteran sonic mastermind Tom Lord Alge (Weezer, Blink-182, Marilyn Manson) was enlisted to remix the project. "He's one of the best at what he does," guitarist Cory Kreig says. "The record is definitely more rock. Live, we're just an energetic, sweaty band, and then you listen to our (original) CD and it's like, 'Mmmm. That's not very rock.' But when you come and see us play, you're not going to watch a pop band; you're going to watch some crazy-ass rock and roll guys go nuts for an hour. And that's what we want our record to sound like. We want kids to be at home in their bedrooms playing air drums and air guitar." "I'm still a real big fan of 'Beautiful,'" Kreig reveals. "When Brandin and I wrote that song, we thought it was going to be super-indie and most people weren't going to get it. But come to find out, it's one of the most popular songs we've got. I have a sense of pride that this tune -- that we didn't think anybody was going to be into -- turned out to be such a great song for us."

Music Style Modern Rock

Musical Influences Doors, Supergrass, Radiohead

Similar Artists Superdrag, Third Eye Blind, Flaming Lips, Tripping Daisy, Supergrass, Radiohead, Travis

Artist History Flickerstick originated at the University of North Texas (in Denton), where singer-songwriter Lea first met guitarist Kreig. In 1997, Lea recruited his brother Fletcher to play bass, and together with veteran drummer Dominic Weir, the quartet started to consistently land gigs as Flickerstick. Additional guitarist Rex "El Dangeroso" Ewing was brought in two years later to allow the energetic Brandin more freedom as a frontman. The band spent the ensuing years establishing a name for itself in the competitive Deep Ellum music scene, performing relentlessly while anticipating a "big break." The door of opportunity cracked opened when a VH1 producer happened across an unsigned band compilation that featured Flickerstick's "Talk Show Host." Originally, the network sought Brandin and Fletcher (whose parents are both professional dancers) for a one-shot program on rock and roll siblings. The show stalled in pre-production, but Flickerstick was suggested as a potential act for the inaugural Bands on the Run. "The producers saw a throwback to old-school rock and roll like the Stones -- we're gonna fight, we're gonna drink, we're gonna probably be obnoxious," Lea remembers. "They really liked that end, and they knew we had the music to back it up. We knew that they kind of put us on the show because we're rambunctious." Flickerstick and three other unsigned acts were then tracked throughout the country for eight weeks, resulting in a reality-based program that combined the elements of Survivor and Road Rules with a bit of Star Search thrown in. Merchandise and ticket sales determined a portion of the contenders' success, while live showcases judged by fans and music experts decided the rest. After 16 compelling episodes, Flickerstick was pronounced the victor of VH1's pioneering series (which scored an Emmy nod in the Non-Fiction Program [Reality] category). "I have to attribute the show's success more than just to what goes on in other reality shows, because it's not like we were on some island doing some fantasy crap," Lea says. "We were a band before the show ... We were doing our jobs; somebody just filmed it. It's not like The Real World. What's anybody's job on The Real World? They don't have one. Their job is they want to get on a TV show. Our job is that we're a band."

Group Members Brandin Lea-Lead Vocals/GuitarFletcher Lea-BassCory Kreig-Lead Guitar/KeyboardsRex Ewing/GuitarDominic Weir-Drums

Instruments guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals

Albums Welcoming Home The Astronauts (Epic 2001), Causing a Castrophe - Live (226 Records 2002)

Press Reviews �impressive�smart, cleverly melodic pop songs.�Malcolm Mayhew-Ft.Worth Star Telegram�the band packs regional watering holes and music halls around the metroplex with its blend of hard psych-pop and theatrical, eye-catching stage show.�T. Erich Scholz-Dallas Observer

Location Dallas, TX - USA

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