The Slip
www.theslip.com
Who: Two brothers and a childhood friend.
Instruments: drums, bass, classical and electric guitars, voices, synth, cuica, dulcimer, 6-string bass, tape recorders, PVC tube xylophone, steel drum, shaker, Wurlitzer, 1976 Ford break drum, Boomerang, foam brush, ball bearings, cymbals
Style: Rock and Glow; mix of vocal and instrumental “not-pop”; dynamic songs, lyrical improvisation.
After nine years of touring and self producing records, Boston trio The Slip has whittled down their musical prowess into a powerful sound that combines pictoral songwriting and instrumental ingenuity. They create deeply moving sonic textures with the slightest gestures and complete the sound with an array of mystifying and revelatory lyric. This music is potent, fresh, and ready to be heard.
A BRIEF TIMELINE
1995 – Andrew(drums), Marc(bass) and Brad(guit, vox) drop out of Berklee School of Music. They plunge into the fertile Boston underground of artists, poets, actors and musicians.
1997 – “From the Gecko”, The Slip’s debut album is released. Sold mostly on tours over the following two years, the album sparked a large grassroots fan base for the band.
1997 – Summer: Andrew studies in Mali, West Africa, Marc plays jazz in Spain, Brad experiments with red.
1998 - Band embarks on their first short tour through the Midwest. Watch "Waiting for Guffman" while stuck in a blizzard in Missouri. 1999 - The band tours for real, playing in just about every region of the country. They nearly escape jail in Utah and one member is foiled by a mysterious whoopie cushion for weeks.2000 – They release their second album, "Does", on Butch Trucks’(Allman Brothers) Flying Frog Records and continue to tour like fools.
2001 – To Japan, where the band is met with overwhelming glee. They have returned three times since, multiplying their audience each time. Their last visit was in April of 2004, when they played a sold out(1300 capacity) show at the brand new Shibuya-O East Theatre.
2001 – They co-host the Sustainable Living Awareness Community(SLAC) Fest in Southern RI with the Apeiron Foundation.
2001 – Play the Newport Jazz Festival. By now, the East and West Coasts, as well as Chicago, Boulder, St. Louis, Austin, Cleveland, etc., are secure with regularly packed houses and happy promoters. Sold out shows at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and Yoshi’s in San Francisco.
2002 – “Angels Come on Time”, their most recent studio album, is released on Rykodisc. It is awarded “Album of the Year” by Relix magazine. Songs like “Sometimes True to Nothing” and “Sorry” become classics. After nine months of great press, there is a complete office overhaul. The band splits from the label.
2003 – Play Bonaroo and Bumbershoot Festivals.
2003 – They release “Alivelectric” and “Aliveacoustic”, a companion set of stellar recordings from around the country. The CD’s boast groundbreaking artwork by the now infamous Mr. The Cake. They also launch their own label, two.one.six records.
2004 – What will become of these modern troubadours? Rumors abound: a new album, visits to Brazil, strange collaborations with hobo poets. The Slip, riskier and more accessible than ever, are still broadening their audience.