Bio: Updated November 2002
Tim Pagnotta (vocals / guitar)
Marko 72 (guitar)
Airin (bass / vocals)
Ben Davis (drums / vocals)
Formed in 1998 in Santa Barbara, CA, Sugarcult set to work with the following
ingredients: 4 guys, 3 chords, 2 guitars and 1 van. Armed with a batch of
energized songs, the band toured the west coast generating a healthy buzz,
selling their two indie records and homemade t-shirts out of the back of
their van.
In Spring 2001, after signing with Ultimatum Music, Sugarcult entered Rumbo
Studios in Los Angeles to record their debut album with producer Matt Wallace
(the Replacements, Faith No More). The album, titled, "Start Static", was released on August 21, 2001 (and was recorded in the same room as Guns 'n'
Roses "Appetite For Destruction" and No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom"). As of
November 2002, "Start Static" has sold more then 150,000 copies and climbing!
Sugarcult have been on the road since Summer 2001, doing what they love best,
playing lots and lots of shows. The band played the Vans Warped Tour in 2001
and 2002, on the second stage on the Blink 182 - New Found Glory Tour, and
have done entire US Tours with Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Good Charlotte,
Unwritten Law, Less Than Jake and The Ataris. The band has also played a ton
of radio station festivals around the country, at the Decibel Music
Conference in Trinidad, West Indies and at the Lifebeat / MTV Music Video
Awards Pre-Party in New York City with The Hives and Jimmy Eat World.
Sugarcult's sound 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 70's punk.
Standing out from the hordes of modern rock bands, Sugarcult sticks close to
the raw essentials of all great rock 'n' roll: energy, attitude and style.
However it's the well-crafted songs and melodic hooks that really set
thisband apart.
"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 singer/guitarist and chief songwriter Tim Pagnotta. Guitarist
Marko 72 adds, "We like to merge the old with the new. We're not interested
in being retro. We thrive on updating that certain common-denominator that
has stood the test of time from the Beatles to the Ramones to Nirvana."
Having lived in 13 different homes, gone to four different elementary
schools, two different junior highs and three different high schools, Tim
(now 24 years old) found music and songwriting at a young age as his only
source of stability. "He's a natural," says Marko after seeing him perform
live. "I see 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!" Tim adds,
"We all immediately clicked and discovered mutual admiration for the elements
that made our favorite bands great. I asked Marko to join before even hearing
him play a note on guitar." Bassist Airin Older and drummer Ben Davis, both
of whom handle the vocal harmonies, round out the band's lineup.
Sugarcult's energized live shows are packed with youthful adrenaline, loud
guitars and a visual style that culminates in an attractive spectacle in
touch with the original danger of rock 'n' roll, but with a healthy sense of
humor about it all.
With their third single and video for "Pretty Girl (The Way)" climbing the
charts, Sugarcult are set to stick a safety pin through the heart and put
cavities in the smile of modern rock.
SUGARCULT HIGHLIGHTS:
RECORDING:
Sugarcult’s debut album, "Start Static", was produced by Matt Wallace (The
Replacements, Faith No More) at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles. "Start
Static" was released August 21, 2001, and has now sold over 150,000 units.
The record is currently selling 5,000 units per week.
RADIO:
Sugarcult’s first single "Stuck in Amercia" went to radio on August 6th and
was #2 Most Added at Modern Rock and #1 on Specialty Show charts across the
board (Hits, VA, FMQB).
"Stuck in America" reached #38 on the R&R Modern Rock Chart. The song was on
over 50 radio stations including Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis,
Boston, Phoenix, San Diego, etc.
Second single "Bouncing Off the Walls" was released February 3rd and was #2
Most Added at Modern Rock radio. The song reached #34 on the R&R Modern Rock
Chart and was also added to over 50 radio stations including Chicago, Denver,
Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, San Diego, Phoenix, Washington DC, Nashville,
etc.
"Bouncing Off The Walls" was also the lead single for the soundtrack
"National Lampoon’s Van Wilder". The soundtrack includes - Sum 41, Jimmy Eat
World, Living End, American Hi Fi, N*E*R*D, etc.
"Bouncing Off the Walls" was produced by Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World,
Blink 182) and features a guest appearance by Chris Shiflett, guitarist of the Foo Fighters.
Third single “Pretty Girl (The Way)” was released to radio on July 29 and is
already on over 55 modern rock stations; including New York, Chicago,
Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC,
Miami, Houston, San Diego, etc. The song is currently #28 on the R&R Modern
Rock Chart.
VIDEO:
Video for "Stuck in America", directed by Shawn Foster, received airplay on
MTV, M2, MTV-X and Much Music USA. Sugarcult were featured on MTV’s
"Spanking New Music Week".
Video for "Bouncing Off the Walls", directed by Steven Oritt, features actors
Tara Reid and Ryan Reynolds. The video made a debut on MTV’s TRL on April 4.
The video reached as high as #12 for several weeks on the MTV2 Countdown.
Video for “Pretty Girl”, directed by Steven Oritt, was shot on the Caribbean
island of Trindad (West Indies). The video is now airing at Much Music and
MTV2 (now 8 weeks of solid Medium rotation).
DVD:
In October, Sugarcult released a DVD titled “Action”. The DVD features all
three music videos, behind the scenes footage, a photo gallery, an unreleased
song and a live video for the song “You’re The One”.
TOURING:
Sugarcult formed in 1998 and have consistently toured nationally from 1999 -
2002.
Sugarcult toured on the 2001 and 2002 Warped Tours. The band has also done
tour dates with Blink 182 and national tours with Unwritten Law, Less Than
Jake, Good Charlotte, Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger. Sugarcult have also
performed on numerous radio festivals throughout the U.S., at the Decibel
Music Conference on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and at the Lifebeat /
MTV Music Video Awards Pre-Party in New York City with The Hives and Jimmy
Eat World.
PRESS & TV:
Sugarcult press coverage includes CNN, MTV, Billboard, LA Times, New York
Post, Access Hollywood, etc.
Sugarcult will be performing on the Late Late Show with Craig Killborn on CBS
November 28th. The show is watched on over 3 million homes.
Sugarcult will be hosting MTV2’s Rock Show November 25-29.
Sugarcult songs have appeared in the TV shows "24" (Fox), "Roswell" (WB),
"Wasted" (MTV) and "Road Rules" (MTV).
PRESS QUOTES:
Ready, Set, START STATIC: Praise for the debut album by SUGARCULT
"The menacing spirit of punk rock has been enveloped by a kinder, gentler pop sensibility these days. Serving up infectious, Cheap Trick-meets-Elvis Costello sounds from its recent album, 'Start Static', Sugarcult is an energetic whirlwind of hooks and harmonies." - LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Crunchy twin guitars and tight vocal harmonies are hallmarks of the band's mostly brief, very to-the-point power-punk anthems that features hooks, hooks and more hooks. Engaging, snot-nosed punk, poppy, fun and infectious." - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"The menacing spirit of punk rock has been enveloped by a kinder, gentler pop sensibility these days. Serving up infectious, Cheap Trick-meets-Elvis Costello sounds from its recent album, 'Start Static,' Sugarcult is an energetic whirlwind of hooks and harmonies."
- LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Crunchy twin guitars and tight vocal harmonies are hallmarks of the band's mostly brief, very to-the-point power-punk anthems that feature hooks, hooks and more hooks. Engaging, snot-nosed punk, poppy, fun and infectious." - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"3 of 4 stars. Sugarcult's pop aesthetic is snatched from the British age of
New Wave, when Elvis Costello was butting heads with Joe Jackson for the
angry-young-man crown...Nearly every song has the potential to be a single."
-- NEW YORK POST
"Smart, punchy power-pop hooks...its wildly rich assortment of songs are
guaranteed to kidnap three and a half minutes' worth of attention from
today's easily distracted rock fans." -- CMJ
"A thunderous kickoff was provided by Sugarcult, whose breakneck set was well
received." -- (Warped Tour) -- MTV
"Band to Watch...Punky love songs that skip from happiness to the edge of
disaster." -- CNN
"Breakthrough Artist & Record of the Week...Sugarcult's energized punk-pop
rock sound simply will not allow listeners to sit still." -- R&R
"Standouts included melodic-pop-punk outfit Sugarcult." (Warped Tour) --
DAILY VARIETY
"Strong showings included Sugarcult." (Warped Tour) -- HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"There was promising talent - Sugarcult." (Warped Tour) – LOS ANGELES TIMES
"One of the best - if not the best - acts of the day was Sugarcult." (Warped
Tour) -- CALGARY SUN
"We witnessed a packed club full of young girls pumping their fists in the
air and singing along to every word by a band that boasts far superior
songwriting power than ay act currently casuing estrogen meltdown on MTV." --
LA NEW TIMES
"Underneath the sweet, crunchy coating lies something far more complex and
emotional...a vengeful perspective that's anything but saccharine." -- LA
WEEKLY
"Surf punks with English degrees...(Sugarcult) fill the airwaves with their
own brand of clever wretchedness, constantly veering between hardcore and pop
punk...aerobic, bombastic drumming, nimble guitar work, and (lead singer Tim)
Pagnotta's sneering vocals." -- AMAZON.COM
"Power pop at its best...worth a second, third and fourth listen." -- PHOENIX
TRIBUNE
"The band has identified its goal-creating a poppy, driven record leaving a
lasting impression with listeners...documented clearly in the here and now."
-- ROCKPILE
"The album is full of crackling vigor, and a tasty yet brawling sound that
falls somewhere between a sneer and a grin, concocted locally but with global
ambitions." -- SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS
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