Silversun Pickups (also simply known as SSPU) is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, signed to Dangerbird Records, and headed by Brian Aubert. They released their debut Pikul EP in July of 2005, and their full length album Carnavas on July 26, 2006.
The current band lineup consists of Brian Aubert (lead vocals/guitar), Nikki Monninger (bass/vocals), Christopher Guanlao (drums), and Joe Lester (keyboards). The band members are friends who had played together previously or in mutual friends' bands. They got their start in many of the most important L.A. clubs and began to draw a strong following upon the release of the Pikul EP.
Brian Aubert (left) and Nikki Monniger (right) warming up in CopenhagenThe band originated in L.A.'s much-vaunted Silver Lake music scene, home of Elliott Smith, Rilo Kiley and others[1]. Their name comes from a liquor and convenience store near their house at Sunset and Silver Lake Blvds in Los Angeles. In interviews, however, the band often say their name is more of "a state of mind," [2] supposedly from living so close to everything an L.A.-based indie rock band would need late at night. For Pikul, fellow Silverlaker Tanya Haden was enlisted to play cello[3].
The band finished a three-week tour opening for Australian rockers Wolfmother on December 9, 2006, and later toured with OK Go and Snow Patrol on their U.S. spring tour, which ended on April 10, 2007. The Pickups played at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California on April 27, 2007. They played at Live 105's BFD festival on June 9th, 2007. They also played the KROQ Weenie Roast on May 19th, 2007 and KJEE Seaside Beach Ball in Ventura, CA on June 8th, 2007, and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas on December 9, 2007 and finished the year off at the 99x Mistle Toe-Jam concert on December 16th with The Shins, Silverchair and Modest Mouse.
The band toured the UK and Ireland while Carnavas was released there on May 28, 2007. They opened for the Foo Fighters in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Dublin, Ireland.
During Autumn 2007, they were touring Europe as the Kaiser Chiefs' openers.
Joe Lester is a former member of Pine Marten. The band also is associated with the now-defunct L.A. recording studio / cult-of-brotherhood "The Ship", along with The Movies, Sea Wolf, Pine Marten, Great Northern, and Earlimart. The ballad "Creation Lake", sung by Nikki on Pikul, is actually a cover of a song by The Movies.
The band's sound, often encompassing multiple overdubs of distorted guitars, is frequently compared to that of The Smashing Pumpkins[1][2][3][4], although the band members have said they are heavily influenced by other artists as diverse as My Bloody Valentine, the Velvet Underground, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, and Secret Machines as well as numerous other artists with lesser publicity.
Information taken from Wikipedia
Lord Legacy
Listen to them
Now this band has a very good vibe about them, they really sound like early Smashing Pumpkins. Their songs run the gamut from slow and creepy, to heavy, to even uplifting maybe.
