Floater (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Floater | |
|---|---|
 From left: Peter Cornett, Rob Wynia, and Dave Amador
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| Genre(s) | Rock, Alternative Rock |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Label(s) | Elemental, Typhon |
| Associated acts | Drumattica, Riverboat, Rob Wynia |
| Website | www.floater.com |
| Members | |
| Dave Amador Peter Cornett Robert Wynia |
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Floater is an American rock band currently based in Portland, Oregon. They are well known for their progressive concept albums, stylized storytelling, devoted fanbase, and intense live performances.
Contents |
[edit] Band members
- Robert Wynia — vocals, bass
- Peter Cornett — drums, percussion
- Dave Amador — guitar
[edit] Biography
Floater was formed in Eugene, Oregon in 1993 by singer/bassist Robert Wynia and drummer Peter Cornett. This was after they had left the band Henry's Child in the same year.[1] They quickly recruited guitarist Dave Amador after spotting a posting of his at a local guitar shop. The new trio recorded a six-song demo which impressed the record label Elemental. They were signed soon after. Their first full-length album, Sink, was released in 1994 and contained some songs from the demo. Shortly thereafter, a second full-length album was released, Glyph, which increased the band's popularity in the Pacific Northwest and allowed them to tour further east into Arizona, Utah and Texas.[2]
With the popularity of their song "The Sad Ballad of Danny Boy", and the help of a soon-to-be defunct national radio station,[who?] airplay increased because of the inevitability of the station's demise. The disc jockeys took chances playing what they actually wanted to hear because they knew they couldn't lose their jobs over it. The station finally shut down, but not before grabbing scattered fans from all across the nation.
During these first few years, Floater received nominations to the preliminary level of the Grammys from NARAS in 1995 under Best Rock Performance for Sink and in 1996 under Best Alternative Performance for Glyph.[3] Floater was also playing popular venues like the WOW Hall in Eugene, and La Luna and the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.
Just before Floater released their third album, Angels in the Flesh and Devils in the Bone, the band moved to Portland, Oregon where they remain today.
For their New Year's Eve show in 2000/2001 at the Aladdin Theater, Floater began their experimentation with acoustic sets. A part of this performance would be released on their second live album, Live at the Aladdin. In 2004, they released their first acoustic album Acoustics. This would coincide with an increase in acoustic performances abroad. Now, quite often, Floater plays back-to-back shows with one electric set and one acoustic set.
Floater's 2006 release, Stone By Stone, is their most critically acclaimed record to date.[4] The album itself marks a time of increased effort to tour more extensively in the western United States. Floater has expanded greatly, playing larger venues in some cities, like The Showbox in Seattle, Washington and the McDonald Theatre in Eugene, Oregon. They have also been playing more cities than usual along their tours through Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Sink (1994)
- Glyph (1995)
- Angels in the Flesh and Devils in the Bone (1998)
- Burning Sosobra (2000)
- Alter (2002)
- Acoustics (2004)
- Stone By Stone (2006)
[edit] Live albums
- The Great Release (1999)
- Live at the Aladdin (2001)
- Floater Lives (2004)
- Acoustic Live at the WOW (2008)
[edit] Other
- Stiff & Restless (1993?1994?, demo tape)
- Sink (1994, demo tape)
- Northwest Post-Grunge (1994, compilation)
- Hits Rock - New Sckoool, Volume I (1994?/1995?, compilation)
- Danny Boy plus three (1995, radio edit)
- Nail Promotional 95/96 (1996, compilation)
- Subject to Change (1996, compilation)
- Angels in the Flesh... Radio Edits (1998, radio edit)
- Launch CD #46 (2000)
- Northwestern Presents... Rock Stars Attack! (2000, compilation)
[edit] Covers
Floater adds further variety to their live performances by adding in various cover songs into the set list, and integrating verses into their own songs.
- Waiting for the Sun by The Doors is featured on their album Burning Sosobra.
- Under the Milky Way by The Church at their live acoustic performances.
[edit] Samples
Samples are used extensively in both their live performances and their earlier albums. Samples from the early albums tend to be from films, while samples from later albums are created by the band specifically for album inclusion. The samples from the first albums come from classic movies such as Apocalypse Now, THX 1138, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Last Temptation of Christ, old radio programs and various episodes of The Twilight Zone.
[edit] Side projects
- Sentenced to Life - Probably sometime around 1996, Rob Wynia and Pete Cornett collaborated with Keith Brown to develop a short-lived side project.[5] Allegedly, a demo tape of this exists but has not seen the light of day. At the time of this collaboration, Keith Brown was a part of the band Threscher. Keith would eventually go on to play several shows with Floater as a guest performer, filling in on acoustic guitar.
- Drumattica - A tribal/dance electronic groove band featuring Rob Wynia and Dave Amador.[6]
- Riverboat - Peter Cornett's side project.[7]
- Rob Wynia's MySpace Page - The spoken word and atmospherics of Rob Wynia.[8]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Floater.com (official website)
- Floater (band) at Allmusic
- Sun, Sky, Stone, Floater fansite
- Floater's former official website
- Rob Wynia's MySpace, Wynia's spoken word/atmospherics
- Henry's Child MySpace Henry's Child myspace page
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