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Selfhelp....shapeshifts from fine tuned orchestrated rock/pop pieces to fabulous displays of rock prowess without sounding techy or uninviting.
The harmonies are lush and everyone in the band lends very creative parts that compliment each other. Nobody looks like they're punching a time clock either, they're having fun......
Bill Mike (minneapolis 2008) - Art to Starve by
Discography
Simplesong-single (released Dec 2007)
Selfhelp EP (summer 2009)
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Bio
Selfhelp began in 2000 as a collection of songs.
Schoen(Divorcee, Rhombus, Liars Club), having been primarily an instrumental composer, found himself with new sounds and new songs. A steadily growing heap of lyrically driven music, personally themed, & embedded in unmistakable musical structures. Sounds like... progressive pop?
The path to a band was mounted in minneapolis 2001 at Seedy Underbelly studios with owner/producer John Kuker. Originally, the idea was to make a record of the new music, building the band during the process. 3 weeks and 3 drummers later Schoen emerged with neither band nor record. The sessions were wrought with problems, the most significant having been in the approach. Such a piecemeal treatment of the music extracted it's essential energy.
So Schoen recruited drummer George Marich(12rods). The two who had been playing together in Steve Roehm's(New Standards) nerdy, punk-pop band Rhombus. Rehearsing commenced and they soon incorporated the many-headed Benji Conklin(jiNdra, Brian Herb)around 2002. Benji's mutiple talents found him playing keyboards/bass/sampler/vox in at least as many incarnations of the group & the music. Benji finally settled into the bass player slot in 2005.
Selfhelp was an actual band at this point but something integral to the music was missing in performance. Sequences were then abandoned for a live keyboard player in the form of speshal K(karin ou-yang).
Finally, this band has been performing regularly in the Twin Cities at venues such as: the Turf Club, 7th Street Entry, Kitty Cat Klub, the Fine Line, etc.
Initially a 5 piece, the group is now a very focused quartet.
The first Selfhelp single "simplesong" was released in late 2007 and a forthcoming EP is due Summer 2009.
The group is currently booking dates for a Summer tour.
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