the united

"The four-man United (formerly Crippled Nation),one of the best unsigned hard-rock bands to emerge in recent years,headline this homegrown emo bill at Elvis' former karate dojo, the Hitone Cafe. Four Stars"

June Isssue 2006 pg. 90. - Spin

New name with a new musical attitude


The United: ' Four guys united trying to make music'

By Rachel Hurley
Special to The Commercial Appeal
May 26, 2006

The band name Crippled Nation conjures images of distress and turmoil, an association that landed the band in the emo-metal classification along with groups like Linkin Park.
This comparison might have been spot-on at one time, when the band was playing sell-out shows at The New Daisy and attracted a development deal with Madonna-owned Maverick Records. But the four musicians in the current lineup -- Jeremy Stanfill, 25, on vocals, guitar and keys; James Godwin, 24, on bass; Chris Mitchell, 26, on guitar; and John Emerson, 24, on drums -- aren't so angry anymore.


So, after 10 years as Crippled Nation, the band will play its first show under its new moniker, The United, when it opens for This Is Goodbye Saturday night at the Hi-Tone. The show is included in Spin Magazine's "Spin Out" column, which highlights regional "don't miss" shows. The United is described there as one of the best, unsigned hard-rock bands to emerge in years, and the show's go-see urgency is rated at four stars.
Crippled Nation came into being when high school friends Stanfill and Godwin began practicing at Stanfill's house after school while they attended Craigmont High together. The band played some of their first shows at the Alternative Restaurant that used to be on Cooper Street. They played with ska punk bands like Clinched Fist and Monkeytail. They recall changing their name every week, until one afternoon they heard, or misheard, a lyric -- what they thought was "Crippled Nation" actually was "broken foundation."

For five years they had an evolving roster with six members; Stanfill started out as the drummer.

Crippled Nation put out One Crazy Summer, their first EP, in 2001. A friend of theirs at the South by Southwest festival in Austin in 2002 passed on their e-mail address to someone at Maverick. Michael Goldberg flew them to California to play a showcase, then they were invited back to California to record tracks with Jeff Pillson, bass player for heavy metal act Dokken, as their producer. They made the most of their trip, staying at the Hyatt House, aka The Riot House, and attending celebrity parties and the 30th anniversary of The Rainbow Room. But negotiations fell apart in the end.

"In hindsight, they were trying to turn us into part of the machine; it would have been a huge mistake," says Emerson. "It was a blessing in disguise that it didn't work out."

But it also was a definite bump in the road, and the band subsequently lost two members.

"If we would have gotten that record deal, we would probably all hate each other and not like what we're doing," Stanfill says. "We were riding that wave where we thought we had made it, and then we got over it and started writing again."

Their music began to change because, well, they had changed.

In 2004 they released their first EP as a four-piece with the optimistic title Still Standing. In 2005 they released the Smithseven-funded Fortunate Accident, another nod to the situations in their life. Their sound has changed from a hard rock screamfest to more thoughtful, soul-fused rock. Stanfill's scratchy yelling has morphed into a fluid, confident singing voice. Their new sound has been compared to Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, even a bluesier Radiohead.

"Changing our name was something that we talked about for years," Godwin says. "That was us wearing diapers, and now we're wearing pants."

The new name is no mystery: "We're four guys united trying to make music," Stanfill says. "Basically, we play triumphant type rock, and it's really positive."

Their immediate plans are to follow the lead of Lucero, a hard-touring Memphis band they look upon as their mentors.

"We think they've just gone about it the proper way, and we have the utmost respect for that," says Mitchell. "They've been good examples."

"And they're really nice dudes," adds Godwin.


Music preview

This Is Goodbye with The United and Chase Pagan

Saturday at the Hi-Tone. ($5). Doors open 9 p.m. 1913 Poplar. 278-8663. hitonememphis.com


- The Commercial Appeal