|
 Here Come The Handcuffs... By The Handcuffs with Marty Wombacher The Handcuffs embody the spirit of rock music's uninhibited, sexy and overbearing appeal. A perfect blend of style and energy. They do not sound like anyone else, but at the same time they seem very familiar. They are influenced by everything good that sells and anything good that doesn't. Rock music is loud (not just in volume, but in its nature), pompous and fun - and The Handcuffs embrace every reckless minute of it. Chloe F. Orwell, the designated blonde of the duo, is the lead singer whose stage presence and vocal stylings ooze sex and scorch and rock and roll. She can slide from a corduroy growl to a shimmering silky sigh in a Detroit second. Brad Elvis, the other half of The Handcuffs, is a black-haired, four-handed drummer whose manic-panic style paints a 747 jet rhythm to every Handcuffs tune. Brad is also the chief songwriter (although Chloe is known to have a song or two stashed in her boots) and one of the visionaries of the duo. Bam! The Chicago-based pair originally teamed up several years ago when Brad recruited Chloe as lead vocalist and contributing songwriter for his band Big Hello, which released three critically acclaimed CDs, played hundreds of shows and received airplay on college and commercial radio all over the globe. Their potent creative chemistry earned the duo praise from fans and critics alike for their musicianship and showmanship plus accolades in the mainstream and alternative press throughout the world, including the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Columbus Dispatch, Illinois Entertainer, The Herald-Review, The Big Takeover, Punk Planet, Amplifier, Sound Affects (Sweden), Jem (Japan), Mojo (U.K), Bucketfull of Brains (U.K.) and countless others. The Handcuffs evolved from Brad and Chloe's desire to explore a broad sonic territory, while still believing in the power of a great radio hook. Their songs are fresh yet timeless; edgy yet accessible; skillfully crafted yet easily memorable. Their influences range from Sparks to Bowie, Eno to Beck, PJ Harvey to the Pixies, Franz Ferdinand to Zeppelin, White Album to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with some Blur, Blondie and Bacharach tossed in for good measure. You could spend all day trying to name that tune, but by nighttime it would still be The Handcuffs. The duo started out making boombox demos with Chloe on guitar or bass and Brad often singing the lead vocals and keeping time on a cardboard box or whatever was handy. Proper studio sessions, with the help of additional guest instrumentalists, followed and The Handcuffs recorded more than three albums worth of material. Then came song placement in television shows and films, followed by a self-produced music video (with more on the way), all of which seemed to help get the buzz in motion - not only in Chicago, but in other parts of the country, as well. With plans to release their debut CD, they finally decided to put a live band together. To complete their line-up, Brad and Chloe have welcomed three powerhouse musicians to help them deliver the rock. Enter guitarist & keyboardist Lennie Dietsch (formerly of Reprise recording artists Lotus Crown and bassist for Chicago's Ladies and Gentlemen), who came to Chicago from Alaska via Los Angeles, and bassist Emily Togni, a Tennessee-by-way-of-Arkansas native, who earned her stripes with Chicago's recently disbanded but highly regarded Rockit Girl. Our most recent addition is talented multi-instrumentalist Ellis Clark (from the acclaimed Chicago-based band Epicycle) on keyboards and additional guitar. All three contribute to the mix with spot on backing vocals (and a musical open-mindedness that is vital to The Handcuffs sound and vision). Prolific writers and producers, The Handcuffs have recorded the aforementioned three albums worth of songs with Mike Hagler (Wilco, the Pulsars, Neko Case, the Mekons) at Kingsize Sound in Chicago (and more material has been written and is patiently waiting to be put on disc). Their debut CD "Model for a Revolution" (OOFL Records) is now available. Their songs have been placed in numerous films and television shows, including all seasons of MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills; 8th & Ocean, Pimp My Ride and Next, also on MTV; A&E's documentary style reality programs Rollergirls and Paradise City and the Sundance and SXSW award winning documentary The Education of Shelby Knox by New York production house and champions of free thinking Incite Pictures (the documentary also ran on the prestigous P.O.V. series on PBS). The Handcuffs have also been receiving airplay from their debut CD on Los Angeles commercial radio station KROQ by legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and on WLUW in Chicago, considered to be one of the most innovative community stations in the country. The Handcuffs' goals for the future: keep writing, keep recording, keep evolving.
Brad: We met at a newsstand. I looked over and saw Chloe, and she was wearing a jacket that was almost the same as the one I was wearing. Chloe: We both had on purple suede, and we were both buying the same paper, the Weekly World News. We just kind of stood there staring at each other. Finally, Brad asked me if I sing, which was weird, because, you know, I do. Then, I asked him if he collected sticks. Brad: I told her no, but that I'm a drummer. We shared a taxi and we've been together ever since. Chloe: The next step was a lot of phone calls to each other about what we both liked and disliked in a band. We really connected on all levels. On every detail we saw eye to eye. Brad: Even though I was a little taller. Chloe: And he still is. Brad: Once we realized that, we became good friends, which always helps when being in a band together. You know, gotta' get along and be on the same page. And like the same food. Chloe: Then it was time for lunch, and we both enjoy eating food, so that was good. In fact, we were going to call our first tour, "And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Crumbs" tour, but to do that, we had to have a backing band. Brad: So we auditioned lots and lots of players and fired them all before dinner. Then suddenly it was Tuesday and guitarist Lennie and bassist Emily conveniently fell onto our laps. Not at the same time, mind you, but a few hours apart. But once we were together, then we really were and so be it. Chloe: So now we have a really rocking band, and at the end of a very long day, we all get along quite well. Brad: With our last project, Big Hello, the plan was pretty much the standard: Put a band together, write songs, learn songs, play gigs, record a CD, play more gigs, record another CD, more touring, and hope for some kind of radio play, etcetera. For The Handcuffs we pretty much did things backwards and a little more unorthodox, and that seemed very logical to us. Chloe: Not only did our musical vision change, but so did the way we went about presenting the whole package - and it just fell into place, even before we started playing gigs. A lot of our visibility came just from our own word of mouth, handing out Handcuffs buttons at the El stop, asking people to check out our website and video, passing around demos to friends and contacts - which eventually led to stuff like the T.V. exposure and getting played on KROQ in L.A. Image: Chloe: From the beginning we were very conscious of the Handcuffs look, so I saved up and bought us a mirror. Brad: We've always had a look or vibe about us individually and together going back even before The Handcuffs. Whether standing in line at the Burrito House at 2 a.m. or at the newsstand borrowing the Weekly World News, people always asked who we were or if we were in a band. We've never been asked if we were chemists or spider monkeys. Well, there was that one time. Chloe: I think it was Halloween. Brad: 2004. Chloe: We kind of do have a recognizable thing about us. In fact, now that we are becoming a household name, our families are starting to recognize us. Songs: Chloe: Even though we both write songs, Brad is the most prolific one with the bulk of material at the moment. He has hundreds of songs. He is always writing in a notebook or on napkins and putting ideas on his portable recorder. Brad: Yeah, right now I'm half way finished with a song I haven't started yet. It's called Big Fake Love. It's going to be a good one. If not, it will probably be a hit song. Chloe: We do like a bit of variety in our music. We don't have one specific style that we rewrite over and over. We get bored easily and we like trying different types of songs that we haven't done before. It keeps it interesting for us and the listener. In fact, it makes me hungry just talking about it. Brad: We're always checking out new sounds and music, old and new. We get inspired by all kinds of music from all different time zones. Like today we were listening to Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66, Queens of the Stone Age and L.L. Cool J. Chloe: Yesterday it was 22 Jacks, Marianne Faithful's Broken English album and Sondre Lerche. Oh, and our rehearsal tapes. Brad: When Chloe and I got together and discussed what we really wanted in a band and songs, we really did connect on all levels. We were anxious to get started and immediately began working on Handcuffs songs in our apartments. We made boom box recordings with Chloe on guitar or bass and me singing the lead vocals and banging on a cardboard box. Chloe: We didn't have a backing band for The Handcuffs yet and we really didn't have anyone specific in mind for the project, but we knew what kind of sound we wanted. Brad: We gathered some additional players, recorded a dozen songs and celebrated with dinner at the Burrito House at 2 a.m. Chloe: We have a good name, good songs, good recordings. Now what? Brad: To the Burrito House! To be continued... Marty Wombacher is a New York City-based writer and the author of 99 Bottles of Beer Off the Wall: A Crazed Guide of One Man's Journey to 99 Bars in New York City in Seven Days. He is also the editor-in-chief of Fishwrap and Marty magazines. |
|
||||||||
