LP Outsiders
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LP Outsiders

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The best kept secret in music

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"St. Louis Post Dispatch"

LP Outsiders regroup with new members, sound, plans...

September 20, 2001
LP Outsiders, perhaps St. Louis' finest funk-acid jazz band, saw a mass exodus from its ranks this summer with the departure of four members. But group co-founder Chris Swan, the band's singer and trumpet player, says LP Outsiders is not a done deal.
In fact, the band has written a new song called "The New Crown" about all it has gone through lately. Swan says the song could serve as the title track to the band's next CD, which it plans to release next spring. "That's the theme of the band right now. We're taking on a new crown, and putting the past behind us, stepping up a notch and coming together stronger," says Swan. "Alot of skeptics are saying the band is over, since half the band is gone. But they couldn't be further from the truth."
LP Outsiders had been building up a quiet momentum behind the release of its "All Purpose Crackers" Cd. Then drummer Mike Golafshar and his wife, singer/flutist Pam Golafshar, left followed by singer/trumpet player Russ Mohr and bassist Jason Van Deman.
The Golafshars decided they wanted to move on with their lives, which for them meant relocating to Portland, Ore.
"Once that happened, that stirred up things in other people," Swan said. "Russ is also married, and it was time for him to move on. It was time for him to do other things with his life. And after they left, we actually asked (newcomer) Jason to leave the band."
"When it came time to rebuild, we knew we had to start over, but not stop. And we knew we wouldn't be working with him (Van Deman). But it was really mutual. He understood, and he had been contemplating quiting. So that was the hard one," says Swan.
Remaining in the band are Swan, keyboardist Joe Liedtke and guitarist Tony Esterly. After the others split, the remaining members began spending more time together and became closer friends. "We decided we weren't going to quit. The band had to go on. We regrouped," says Swan.
New to the band is drummer Luke DeJaynes and bassist Ramiro Vasquez. Swan says the new drummer is "awesome. We're lucky to have him." He's someone the band knew during its early days, while the members were attending Greenville College in Illinois. Vasquez played on "All Purpose Crackers," and the band had been trying to get him as a regular member ever since.
The band is currently seeking a female singer who can play an instrument, preferably a flute or horn.
Swan says LP Outsiders is making progress in the face of the losses, including more touring and the recording of that upcoming release.
"We really want to showcase the new album, the new band and the new sound. We're changing a little bit. We're still going to do the same thing, but there's going to be more of a mix of styles," he says, pointing out an increased hip-hop element.
"And the energy is more raw. There's some emotions we wanted to get out, and we're stepping it up," he says. - Kevin C. Johnson


"The Industry"

LP Outsiders- All Purpose Crackers
April 2001
The votes are in and the LP Outsiders scored big in all categories with their latest release All Purpose Crackers. Every Lounge member was lost deep inside the grooves of the R&B/Jazz/Hip-Hop/Pop tracks produced by the group. Comments ranged from "This CD is great" to "I loved the funky groove. The sound really hooks you from the first beat." With All Purpose Crackers on the shelf, it seems no one has time for a Ritz. - Listening Lounge


"St. Louis Post Dispatch"

Forget about all those unfortunate rumors you've heard about funk/hiphop/acidjazz band LP Outsiders. The St. Louis band is not only very much alive but is still kicking, and it's prepared to demonstrate this in tonight's CD-release party for "The New Crown."
"We get that all the time," LP Outsiders keyboardist-vocalist Joe Liedtke says of false reports about the band's demise. "For a while it was hard to book shows because people would think that. But we never broke up. We took a break to find new people. That happens with any band."
Questions about the status of LP Outsiders surfaced after the alarming exit of four of its seven members in 2001--drummer Mike Golafshar and his wife, singer-flutist Pam, trumpet player Russ Mohr and bassist Jason Van Deman.
"I think the others got burned out on it, which is easy to do when you're doing what we were trying to do," says Liedtke. The departures were difficult for LP Outsiders. "We had shows lined up. We basically had to start over. We had to rebuild ourselves and our sound. That was a hard thing to deal with. We wanted to keep the name, and keep the same feel. But it messed us up for a while emotionally. When you spend so much time with people, it's like a boyfriend-girlfriend or marriage relationship. But you get through it."
But that's all old news for LP Outsiders, which formed in 1996 at Greenville College and saw its fast roll slowed after the splits. Now, nearly two years after its most troublesome period, the band is finally back and in fine form. There's a streamlined line-up on tap, featuring original members Liedtke, Chris Swan(aka Luppy, vocals and trumpet) and Tony Esterly(guitar) and newer players Luke DeJaynes(drums) and his brother Mark DeJaynes(bass).
"The New Crown," two years in the making, is LP Outsiders' first release since 2000's lauded "All Purpose Crackers." The title is reflective of what the band is experiencing these days.
"It's like we're starting over again, doing things our way now- me, Luppy and Tony, the three main parts of the band. We have a vision of what we want to do. We're starting over and doing our thing, taking the reins ourselves."
The band's first instinct after the members left was to re-create what they had before. "We looked for a girl singer to try to fill that element. But then I just started singing instead, filling in on the high parts. I do some of the girlie parts," he jokes. Then they realized paring the band down might be the better way to go. "It's easier to work with less people."
Though there may be much that's new with LP Outsiders, Liedtke says, "It's definitely the LP Outsiders, with our mixture of jazz, funk and hip-hop. But now it's more groove-oriented than before."
The addition of the DeJaynes brothers, sort of a package deal, brings new energy to the band. "Luke's given us a real jelling of the sound. He's go this smooth-jazz taste to him that fits in well. He's a jazz drummer with lots of chops. He remind me of the drummer from Dave Matthew Band(Carter Beauford). He's a real hard hitter, really solid."
As for Mark, Liedtke says "He's the youngest, and having him is kind of cool because he is really young. He has a fresh mind."
The first song the band is pushing from "The New Crown" is "Cocoa." The song is about a woman, Liedtke says, who is "hot on the outside, cold on the inside. The song is pretty self-explanatory, about how you get played at the clubs by a girl. We shot a video, and the concept has one girl going around playing everyone to get what she wants. She's a playagirl."
The band will market "Cocoa" to hip-hop/urband radio.
Now that "The New Crown has come to fruition, Liedtke says the bandmates are feeling a real sense of accomplishment. "We're excited about having it done because we spent so much time to get it done."
"The New Crown" is available at www.lpoutsiders.com and at local record stores. Other upcoming LP Outsider gigs include Cafe Eau on June 21, Pridefest on June 28 and Soulard Ale House on June 27-28.

- Kevin Johnson


Discography

The New Crown(May 2003)
All Purpose Crackers(2000)
Shakes, Steaks and Hotcakes(1998)
Just add Sugar(1997)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

OK, another band bio. Frankly, you're probably sick of reading them and we're sick of writing and re-writing this one. All LPO wants is for you to dig their music, buy their records, and come to their shows. But to fill up the rest of this page, here's some history on the band. This is the LP Outsiders and "The New Crown."
LP Outsiders began in the fall of 1996 at Greenville College in Greenvillle, IL with a group of mostly music majors who came from radically different musical backgrounds. The band was born through a monthly talent show at the school. With a solid foundation in hip-hop, funk and jazz, each member brought his or her musical influences to the table. Working with such producers and songwriters as Matt Bronleewe (Natalie Imbruglia, Jars of Clay, Plumb) and Robbie Nevil ("C'est La Vie") had also influenced the style that was the early LP Outsiders.
LP Outsiders' professionalism has brought them a number of opportunities. In the summer of 1997, the band took on management from Dave Steunebrink (Peter King, Matt Bronleewe), and that winter they signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific Entertainment (Spice Girls, LA Reid). This led to the opportunity to appear on the Warner Sunset/Atlantic soundtrack for the major motion picture "Three to Tango." Also, ASCAP chose LP Outsiders as one of the three unsigned bands to perform at their showcase at Nashville's NEA extravaganza '99, and in that same summer LP Outsiders was listed by Hits! Magazine as one of the top ten unsigned bands in the nation. Luppy's trumpet abilities opened the door for him to play on Natalie Imbruglia's "Sometimes," which appeared on her multi-platinum CD single for "Torn." Also, LP Outsiders was chosen to be featured on "2 Hour Tour," a Disney Channel production of a behind-the-scenes music documentary series. They spent three days filming for the program with Universal recording artists 98degrees and the show aired all through the month of April 2000.
LP Outsiders' exciting live performances have been witnessed all across the nation as headliners and also opening for many national touring acts. They joined platinum recording artists Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on several tour dates, as well as performing with Might Mighty Bosstones, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, The Roots, Culture Club, Cowboy Mouth, Everything, The Atomic Fireballs, Vitamin C, GRITS, DC Talk, The Drifters, and 98 degrees. Also, at NEA extravaganza '98, LP Outsiders was listed in the program as one of the top 30 bands out of 480 to see at the festival.
As the band progressed and continued to win over fans across the country, all was not grand within. In the summer of 2001, four members of the band decided it was time to move on with other things in their life and quit the band. This was devastating to the remaining few but this was not going to stop LP Outsiders from going on. And that's exactly what they did. Now with a few new editions to the band, LP outsiders is better and stronger than ever. Completely focused and re-energized, it's now all about "The New Crown," the latest and greatest project from LP Outsiders. "The New Crown" is an album full of raw hip-hop meets jazz and funk. Letting go of all the hindrances and barriers of their past, LP Outsiders came together to make "The New Crown" to represent the future of of this amazing band. We could write and write about how good we think the band is, but you have to decide that for yourself. So just check out the CD and make up your own mind. LP Outsiders has released all 4 albums under Luped Up Records, the band's self-run independent recording company. There is no doubt this band is going to become a standard in any music lovers' collection, changing the face of hip-hop and music in general along the way. The only question is do you want to be a part of it? To become a part of it go to http://www.lpoutsiders.com for more info!