Southern California's rock group Quayle has one of the most ironic band names because its members, currently ranging in age from eighteen to twenty years old, weren't even of legal voting age when Dan Quayle was on the bill as Vice President. Bassist Billy Coker explains, "We had been calling ourselves Spud Puddle in the past, and we decided to change our name at the last minute before our new record came out. We started asking around for ideas, and someone suggested 'Quayle.' We didn't know what it meant, but we liked it."
Quayle's last minute name change came about for two reasons. First, they didn't want to be confused with the band Spud Gun. The more important reason, though, was that they released a record as Spud Puddle (Linoleum) on Brainstorm Records last year that was significantly different in style than their oriented pop punk band, but they've since evolved their music into a more melodic hard-edge pop rock sound. Some have called them a mix of Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Superdrag, though comparing them to such vastly different bands is a testimony to the hard-to-pin-down originality of their music.
To help with the stylistic transition, Quayle left their Whittier, California homes (on the border between Orange County and Los Angeles) and went to Front Page Studios in Burbank. There, the band recruited their twelve song self-titled record with its hard-edge yet detailed attention to melody and strong pop hooks.
The aspect of Quayle that really makes them stand apart, though, is the fantastic song writing. Producer Michael Knott commented, "[Quayle vocalist] Nick Garrisi is one of the most talented young singer/song writers I've ever had the privilege to work with." This can be seen in their songs like "Pretender," which is about a guy who gets caught up in his own lie to the point that he gets sick of it. This person never wanted people to know his true feelings or circumstances, so now he's stuck behind a mountain of lies.
Other examples of excellent song writing include "Man on the Moon," which talks about improper motivations behind bands ("Singing to the man on the moon when I should be singing to you") and the sarcastically bitter "Leaves Boys" about the type of girls who find guys, walk all over them, and then walk away. Coker volunteers, "Nick's had a couple of girls that really dumped him."
Since their inception back in 1994 (while everyone was still in high school), Quayle has played with bands like Plank Eye, Mortal, Fold Zandura, Starflyer 59, Stavesacre, and even played Cornerstone 1996. Now, since finishing he record, Quayle did a two week tour of Japan, and they'll soon begin their first full national tour. While they say doing a national tour can't be any crazier than recording with Michael Knott, Quayle will finally have the chance to prove their producer right by letting the rest of the world hear their remarkable songs and powerful, edgy rock pop sound.
Discography
