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The Long Winters Information
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The Long Winters is an alternative rock / indie pop band from Seattle, Washington.
Singer/songwriter John Roderick's history is one of great mystery. His hyperbolic, tongue-in-cheek humour is a sword he keeps dangerously sharp via his overtly intelligent wit. However, it is this deep-rooted humour that makes it difficult to piece together the truths amongst half-truths and unrestrained exaggerations that John is capable of spewing -- all without even the slighest twitch of a facial muscle. There are very few independently confirmable facts concerning John's (and thus, the Long Winters') rich history, but what facts are known are well documented.
Born on September 13, 1968 in Seattle, WA, John was raised in Anchorage, Alaska from elementary school. Motivated by an unquenchable sense of curiousity and adventure, John joined a high school friend in fleeing Alaska to experience a less disconnected America.
After adventures that spanned continents and on more than one occasion, nearly ended John's life, Roderick participated in a number of moderately successful bands formed in and around his birthplace of Seattle, WA. Amongst these bands are the little documented Bun Family Players, the word-of-mouth sensation, the Western State Hurricanes, and college rock radio favourites, Harvey Danger.
In 2001 Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson suggested that he and Roderick record an album -- half being songs penned by John, and the other half by Sean. Chris Walla, of Death Cab For Cutie fame, had recently opened up the Hall of Justice studio in Seattle, and agreed that this "experiment" would be a great way to allow Walla to become accustomed to the studio's 24-track tape machine. John recruited Joe Bass of Sky Cries Mary and Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne to flush out several of the songs, and gradually the album evolved to feature only John's songs. After several months of on-again-off-again boughts of inspiration and recording, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm was finished.
John took off for New York almost immediately after the recording sessions had finished. He quickly began to pen new songs -- several of which would eventually be included on the Long Winters' sophomore album, When I Pretend To Fall. While in New York, John performed a number of solo shows before being contacted by Barsuk Records -- the label that would release The Worst You Can Do Is Harm -- who made it clear that they wanted John to tour to promote the release. Unable to afford the costs of putting together a band in New York, John began to formulate a plan that would bring him back to Seattle. Upon hearing of these plans, friend and sometime-roommate Chris Caniglia decided to nominate himself as the first member of John's touring act and moved back to Seattle with John. The duo left New York September 1st, 2001 and got into contact with former Western States Hurricanes drummer, Michael Shilling and auditioned Eric Corson for the role of bass player. Thus, The Long Winters were born.
At the band's first live gig, Sean Nelson offered to perform harmony vocals on a number of songs. He ended up casually performing with the band for their first few shows before committing to full-time enrollment. However, full-time enrollment is something that very few can lay claim to in regard to The Long Winters.
The original trio responsible for The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and Chris Walla) is often considered the original formation of the band. John and Sean, along with recruits Eric Corson and Michael Shilling are the core players behind When I Pretend To Fall, with Sean having replaced Chris Caniglia as the band's keyboardist. When I Pretend To Fall was received to critical and (albeit, limited) public adoration. John, Sean, Eric and Michael embarked on an ambitious series of tours throughout 2003 in support of the album, which saw the band touring North America with Barsuk Records labelmates Nada Surf and Death Cab For Cutie, and a monthlong European stint over the course of November. Michael Shilling eventually became burned out by the hectic touring and lifestyle of the band, and resigned in December of 2003.
Sean followed suit in March 2004, leaving the Long Winters to rekindle his former band. The split was obviously amicable -- John stated on The Long Winters' online message board that "Reuniting with Harvey Danger had an inescapable logic- we were just as excited about it as they were- and we cheered their reunion as friends and fans... In wishing Harvey Danger the best and most continued success we are obliged to lose him as a member of the Long Winters. Lose a member and gain a great band."
At the time of Sean's departure, The Long Winters had recently begun rehearsing with Michael Shilling's replacement for the band's 2004 tours, former Death Cab For Cutie percussionist Michael Schorr. Confronted with a double blow to the band's line-up, John quickly seized the opportunity to reinvent the band again -- especially with an east coast tour with The Pernice Brothers, a more fleshed out European tour, and a nationwide tour supporting The Decemberists that would take the band through the spring and well into the summer. Thus, the leaner three-piece version of The Long Winters was born, featuring John Roderick, Eric Corson, and Michael Schorr.
This extensive spring/summer 2004 tour took its toll on drummer Michael Schorr, who left the band shortly after its completion. John announced on the band's Message Board that Schorr "would prefer to concentrate on his other career of designing levels for first-person-player video games". (Schorr remains, however, as an active poster on the message board). John continued to do small promotional events and shows intermittedly throughout the latter half of 2004 and 2005, often previewing a handful of new Long Winters songs, and spent many hours tinkering in the studio.
The latest incarnation of The Long Winters features original members John Roderick on vocals and guitars, Eric Corson on bass and back-up vocals, Mike Squires pulling the double duty of guitar and keys, and Nabil Ayers taking over percussion. This line-up toured with Keane to support the most recent Long Winters' release, an EP released on October 11th, 2005 entitled Ultimatum, and are heading into the studio to record an as-yet-untitled LP that will be released in the first quarter of 2006. Both discs will be available through Barsuk Records.
The Long Winters Discography
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| 'Year' | 'Title' | 'Label' | | 2002 | The Worst You Can Do Is Harm | Barsuk Records | | 2003 | When I Pretend To Fall | Barsuk Records | | 2003 | Munich Records Singles Club (CD-S) | Munich Records | | 2005 | Ultimatum (EP) | Barsuk Records |
Current Members
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| 'Name' | 'Duties' | | John Roderick | Guitar, Vocals | | Eric Corson | Bass | | Mike Squires | Guitars, Keyboards | | Nabil Ayers | Percussion |
Former Members
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| 'Name' | 'Duties' | | Sean Nelson | Keyboards, Vocals | | Michael Shilling | Percussion | | Michael Schorr | Percussion | | Chris Caniglia | Keyboards, Vocals | | Darren Loucas | Keyboards, Guitar, misc. |
Contributors
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| 'Name' | 'Contribution' | 'Album' | | Jon Auer | Guitar | WIPTF | | Joe Bass | Percussion | TWYCDIH | | Peter Buck | Mandolin | WIPTF | | Dave Carter | Trumpet | WIPTF | | Katrina Cordi | Violin | WIPTF | | Kerry Downing Johnson | Viola | WIPTF | | Jennifer Faulkner | Vocals | WIPTF | | Jason Finn | Percussion | TWYCDIH | | Craig Flory | Tenor Sax | WIPTF | | Ben Gibbard | Percussion | TWYCDIH | | Nathan Harrison | Tambourine | WIPTF | | ? Horning | Writing | WIPTF | | Robbie Lodermeier | Percussion | TWYCDIH | | Scott MacCaughey | Boomerang Haromonica | WIPTF | | Sean Ripple | Vibrophone | WIPTF | | Jim Roth | Pedal Steel | TWYCDIH | | Steve Scalfati | Alto Sax | WIPTF | | Mike Simpson | French Horn | WIPTF | | Joe Skyward | Bass | TWYCDIH | | Sarah Standard | Viola | WIPTF | | Ken Stringfellow | Ghost Piano, Vocals, Production | WIPTF | | Megan Thompson | Vocals | WIPTF | | Chris Walla | Organs, Bass, Mellodio Horn, Guitars, Vocals, Drum Machine | TWYCDIH / WIPTF | | Christa Wells | Vocals | WIPTF | | Blake Wescott | Tambourine | WIPTF | | Stephanie Wicker | Vocals | TWYCDIH / WIPTF | | Gloria Wu | Vocals | WIPTF | | Brian Young | Percussion | TWYCDIH | | Bart ? | Organ | WIPTF |
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