The Ringers

By Doug Miller

Headlocks, lava, high kicks, lipstick, grease and pimples.

Those are the words that pop out of the mouths of the members of the Los Angeles-based band called the Ringers when they're asked to describe their music.

In other words, when you're talking about the Ringers, you're talking about irreverence, humor and old-fashioned, good-time rock 'n' roll.

The four-piece group was on hand at the famed CenterStaging facility in Burbank, Calif., recently, and they delivered a day of rehearsing and interviews that were filmed in high-definition for broadcast on CenterStaging's state-of-the-art, behind-the-scenes Web site, rehearsals.com.

They also delivered plenty of laughs.

For example, the band's three guys named Joe –- lead singer Hursley, lead guitarist Robinson and bassist Stiteler, shared a nice moment during their rehearsals.com interview when they were asked about how they collaborate in the studio.

"We're all pretty vocal about (the fact that) if we're not ready with a song, if one of isn't ready and the rest of the band is, we aren't gonna play it in front of anyone," Stiteler explained. "We've got to all be secure and confident about it."

Hursley then jumped in with an appropriate, if bizarre, analogy.

"Yeah," Hursley said. "It's like a nunchuck builder, you know? You can have two pieces of wood, but if you can't find the chain ..."

To that, Robinson completed the three-Joe answer with aplomb, saying, "You can't do your stunts without the chain."

And when the Ringers are on stage, there are plenty of stunts.

Along with the fourth member of the quartet, drummer –- and brother of Joe –- Patrick Hursley, the Ringers have been making a name for themselves with shows on the L.A. rock club scene and an 19-song epic of a debut album, Tokyo Massage III, that has garnered critical acclaim.

A recent Internet report of one of their concerts revealed the following: "We love these guys. Classic, quirky, punk like Talking Heads, Blondie, Pixies and Devo. Extremely entertaining, smart and all over the stage and the club.

"The tall Mr. (Joe) Hursley dove into the audience and plowed through the crowd with skitzy, frenetic energy and a dramatic textured voice that can go idiot savant in a split second.

"Violent fun. Clearly taking influence from The Stooges, as in Iggy, Moe, Larry and Curly Joe."

That influence has translated to some big-time success, including a major motion picture with Universal called "Accepted" that featured the Ringers in a showcase and on the soundtrack alongside such luminaries as the Hives, the Pixies, Modest Mouse, Chemical Brothers, Weezer and Citizen Cope.

They played the prestigious South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, and the CMJ in New York.

And the influential L.A. radio station Indie 103 has set the Ringers up with showcases at clubs such as the Viper Room where they were heard by industry heavyweights.

The current plan for the Ringers is to keep polishing their act and see where their CD and their growing talents take them. At least that's what it seems like Joe Hursley is saying when he answers a question dealing with that topic.

"We feel like the best way to get our album out there is touring, because our show is so high energy," Joe Hursley said. "And now that we have a product to push ... you know, we're selling the album for 12 bucks for 19 songs.

"It's like 15 cents a song, and then you get a sticker, too, that we take back once we give it to you. But you get it with the album. And a pin. So, 13, 14 bucks, you get your pin, you stick it, like a Ringers starter pick.

"I was saying to the gardener, 'Hey, you want to mow the lawn, here's your lawnmower, here's the gas, find your own edger,' and by that we mean, you know, a CD player."

Joe Hursley finally gets serious, or about as close as he can possibly come to doing that, when asked about what the future might hold for the Ringers.

"My Grandpa Jack told me, 'If it is to be, it was up to me,'" Joe Hursley said. "And that's kind of like my mantra. You go see these other bands, and you go see these other people, and people you've admired your whole life, and you kind of ask yourself, 'What's different from them?' You're given all the tools within. and it's kind of all about scratching, scratching the scab and just bleeding, you know?

"And so, you can have a Band-Aid. But we choose not to." - rehearsals.com

First saw these glam-slammer LA boys about a year ago. We said it then and we’ll say it again; they take inspiration from The Stooges, Iggy, Moe, Larry and Curly. They never fail to rock our fishnets off. Joe, Joe, Joe and his cousin baptized their new CD, “Tokyo Massage III” with an amazing show at the Viper at the end of September . . . The kick off was one of the hottest, sweatiest gigs in memory. It was wall-to-wall friends, family and fans. The Ring a Dinger’s started their set with the age-old Japanese custom. Joe handed out hot towels to his band mates. It was a total love fest from then on. - SugarBuzz Magazine

Hollywood’s Viper Room returns to Austin on March 15 and 16 . . . Over two days, the venue will take over the Apple Bar (125 5th St., Austin) -with confirmed shows from Valient Thorr, The Ringers, Oliver Future, Dirty Sweet, The Ruse and more. This year's The Viper Room at SXSW will feature some of the club's most prominent acts . . . The first night kicks off with performances from: Valient Thorr, the legendary Venusian rock 'n rollers; The Ringers, Austin expatriates whom have hit it big with their LA career at the Viper; and others. - Music News by Patrick Luce

For those who hold to the time-honored conception that rock ‘n’ roll music should be, above all things, sleazy, sexual and dangerous, there are plenty of examples worth citing: Guns N’ Roses, the New York Dolls, the Stooges … Go ahead and add the Ringers to that list. Hailing from Los Angeles, the American capitol of all things sleazy, the Ringers, will be bringing their throwback brand of glam rock to Flagstaff. Next Thursday, anyone whose idea of a good time equals beer in the can and sweat on the dance floor may be well-served by heading over to (Where else?) the Monte Vista Lounge to catch these boys in action.
Decked out in colorfully shambolic thrift-store duds, with enough strut and shirtless cavorting to make Iggy Pop himself proud, Joe Hursley’s acrobatic stage antics serve as the centerpiece of the Ringers’ live show. In his self-penned bio on the Ringers’ Web site, Hursley opines, “Sometimes I get bursts of energy and all I can do is grind my teeth and do a high kick - Flagstaff Live by James H. Bodden

Those are the words that pop out of the mouths of the members of the Los Angeles-based band called the Ringers when they're asked to describe their music.
In other words, when you're talking about the Ringers, you're talking about irreverence, humor and old-fashioned, good-time rock 'n' roll.
"We're all pretty vocal about (the fact that) if we're not ready with a song, if one of isn't ready and the rest of the band is, we aren't gonna play it in front of anyone," Stiteler explained. "We've got to all be secure and confident about it."
Hursley then jumped in with an appropriate, if bizarre, analogy.
"Yeah," Hursley said. "It's like a nunchuck builder, you know? You can have two pieces of wood, but if you can't find the chain ..."
A recent Internet report of one of their concerts revealed the following: "We love these guys. Classic, quirky, punk like Talking Heads, Blondie, Pixies and Devo. Extremely entertaining, smart and all over the stage and the club.
"The tall Mr. (Joe) Hursley dove into the audience and plowed through the crowd with skitzy, frenetic energy and a dramatic textured voice that can go idiot savant in a split second.
"Violent fun."
That influence has translated to some big-time success, including a major motion picture with Universal called "Accepted" that featured the Ringers in a showcase and on the soundtrack alongside such luminaries as the Hives, the Pixies, Modest Mouse, Chemical Brothers, Weezer and Citizen Cope.
And the influential L.A. radio station Indie 103 has set the Ringers up with showcases at clubs such as the Viper Room where they were heard by industry heavyweights.
"We feel like the best way to get our album out there is touring, because our show is so high energy," Joe Hursley said. "And now that we have a product to push ... you know, we're selling the album for 12 bucks for 19 songs.
"It's like 15 cents a song, and then you get a sticker, too, that we take back once we give it to you. But you get it with the album. And a pin. So, 13, 14 bucks, you get your pin, you stick it, like a Ringers starter pick.
"I was saying to the gardener, 'Hey, you want to mow the lawn, here's your lawnmower, here's the gas, find your own edger,' and by that we mean, you know, a CD player."
"My Grandpa Jack told me, 'If it is to be, it was up to me,'" Joe Hursley said. "And that's kind of like my mantra. You go see these other bands, and you go see these other people, and people you've admired your whole life, and you kind of ask yourself, 'What's different from them?' You're given all the tools within. and it's kind of all about scratching, scratching the scab and just bleeding, you know?
"And so, you can have a Band-Aid. But we choose not to." - Do512: What to do in Austin by Doug Miller

By: Skye Breiling and Daphne Yang

http://www.944.com/articles/local-uprising-the-ringers-on-the-rocks/

These modern days, the ever-expanding pool of new musical talent is like a rolling tsunami with a crest that just never seems to break. Even to the consummate music obsessor, wading through washed up flotsam and jetsam of either too derivative, copycat or just plain awful music, can prove to be quite the task. Most of us turn to online music purveyors such as Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan and local blogs, to help us sort through the wreckage to find that one baby seal that's still alive and kicking.

The Ringers may just be one of those wide-eyed baby seals, but let's be clear that this is no PETA campaign. The group is paying their dues. And while they're known around the LA scene as guys with huge humble hearts, The Ringers play the type of rock n' roll that's difficult to stuff into a genre. Which is what makes their fans so dog-eared loyal. It's the type of attitude that ended up pulling other positive movers and shakers into their orbit. It's what got the band into SPIN magazine, gigs with some of the industry's biggest acts, residencies at the Viper Room and OC's popular underground music venue, Detroit Bar, an episode on Miami Ink, and a performance in the widely accessible comedic feature film Accepted (2006) as the only unsigned band to play in the movie and on the soundtrack.

Their second LP, Headlocks and Highkicks, is a raw but polished and unpretentious gem. It's difficult for many artists to balance originality for radio playability but H&H displays this beautifully. Songs like "Verge of Attack", and "Tell Me All About It" are driving songs with introspective lyrics. Patrick Hursley pulls double duty as Joe (the singer's, not the bassist's OR guitarist's) cousin and full tilt drummer. What sets them apart from the rest of the flotsam is the distinct happiness that permeates their live shows. There are only a handful of other bands that come to mind who do this – Matt & Kim, and Dan Deacon being two. All three have the same uplifting cathartic feel to their raucous live shows.

To the unseasoned audience member, the first show can deliver quite a shock. Singer Joe Hursley tends to hurl objects arbitrarily, spit into the air, and unleash his testosterone moves on an unsuspecting crowd. It has garnered him attention for possibly being the second coming of Iggy Pop. This comparison alone should entice the uninitiated to enjoy the spectacle. Instead of opting to add more instruments, or conforming to trendy styles (bassist Joe Stiteler sports a denim tuxedo and mini-mullet), The Ringers have played to their strengths of great lyrics, catchy melodies, and finger flicking guitar work by axe handler, Joe Robinson.

The Ringers want fans to smile, and thrash about like a 300 lb. metal head. As Stiteler describes it, “The tight musical synchronicity and ferocious energy stay the same, while the stage interaction and audience participation remain unscripted and frenetic.” More succinctly, Robinson quips, “Our live show is a sure ticket to audio and visual whiplash.”

- 944 Los Angeles

By: Mikael Wood

http://spin.com/articles/ringers

The Ringers have played plenty of memorable shows since frontman Joe Hursley, 29, and bassist Joe Stiteler, 29 -- community-college pals from Austin, Texas, who moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting -- formed the live-wire garage-punk outfit four years ago. There was that one time they inadvertently rocked a skinhead bar in Ventura, and another, equally frightening incident when guitarist Joe Robinson, 31, accidentally bashed Hursley in the noggin with his instrument. "I could feel this liquid coming down my head," the singer remembers over margaritas at an L.A. Mexican joint. Adds Robinson, "You definitely would've died of blood loss if you'd kept going."

The most unusual, though, was the night they played one song for six hours while filming a minute-long concert scene for the 2006 Justin Long comedy Accepted, in which Hursley portrayed a shell-shocked army vet. Director Steve Pink decided to hire the rest of the ringers after Hursley convinced him to catch a show. "They have such great energy," Pink says. "Kind of a Stooges vibe."
Indeed, it's easy to imagine Iggy Pop admiring some of Hursley's moves: Onstage at L.A.'s Roxy in September, the singer hocks a loogie not on the crowd but on himself, and barely flinches when hundreds of tiny firecrackers get flung the band's way. While there are traces of the Stooges' gunked-up punk on the ringers' second album, Headlocks & Highkicks (Fort Mason), these guys also harbor affection for arena-size choruses and handclap-ready grooves. Fans of Jet and Electric Six are advised to check out the cheeky pop basher "Holy Zipper," which finds Hursley dreaming up a tryst with a hot nun.
At home in Hollywood, the band, including drummer (and Hursley's cousin) Patrick Hursley, 25, are beginning to build a following big enough to justify the singer's outsize antics. But Patrick insists that the Ringers were bouncing off the walls the first time he showed up for practice. "It sounded like shit," adds Robinson, "but at least we looked great!"

FAST FACTS:
-- Joe Hursley also fronts White Gold, a fictional glam-rock trio invented for the Got Milk? campaign.
-- The Accepted gig wasn't the Ringers' only marathon-length show: They were motion-captured to be the onscreen band in Guitar Hero: World Tour. - SPIN Magazine