Pete Yorn

born on 27/7/1974 in Montville, NJ, United States

Pete Yorn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pete Yorn

Peter Joseph "Pete" Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is known for playing the bulk of the instruments on his records.

Early history

Yorn was born in Montville, New Jersey, the son of Joan, a former school teacher and real estate agent, and Lawrence K. Yorn, a retired dentist.[1] His brother Rick is a major talent manager in Hollywood,[2] while his brother Kevin Yorn is an entertainment lawyer. Yorn was raised Jewish.[3] He grew up in Montville, New Jersey, where he attended Montville Township High School.[4][5]

Breakthrough

Yorn was encouraged enough to maintain a focus on music while attending Syracuse University (class of 1996) where he was a major in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. After graduating, Yorn moved to Los Angeles, where he began to attract a following with his performances at Cafe Largo. He was signed to Columbia records in 1999. Shortly after, film producer Bradley Thomas (Kingpin & There's Something About Mary) liked Yorn's act enough to request Yorn send him some rough demos for possible inclusion in the Farrelly Brothers' film Me, Myself and Irene. Soon after, Yorn landed a job scoring all of the music to the film and also contributed the songs "Strange Condition" and "Just Another" to the film and its soundtrack.

After experiencing this taste of success, Yorn released his 2001 LP debut, entitled musicforthemorningafter, which went gold on the strength of the album's lead single, "Life on a Chain." Rolling Stone Magazine named Yorn one of "Ten [artists] to Watch in 2001" and gave the album a favorable four-star rating.

Yorn went on to release the 2003 album Day I Forgot which has sold over 300,000 copies to date and scored a third radio hit with the song "Come Back Home."

In 2006, Yorn released his third album, Nightcrawler and toured extensively in support of it. He preceded every show with an instore acoustic appearance at an indie record shop in the town he was passing through. All of these instore performances were recorded, thus creating an extensive series of Live EP's. (complete list of instore EP's below). Nightcrawler was named one of the top 20 records of 2006 by Paste magazine.

Guitarist Peter Buck of the band R.E.M. has made appearances on several Pete Yorn recordings, including instrumentation on the single version of "Strange Condition" and a number of songs from the Day I Forgot LP. Yorn has worked with producers R. Walt Vincent, Brad Wood, and Ken Andrews of Failure and Year of the Rabbit, in addition to several other producers including Scott Litt, Butch Walker and Sonic Youth producer Don Fleming.

Yorn has shared bills with the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Crowded House, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Coldplay, The Dixie Chicks, Semisonic, and Sunny Day Real Estate, among others.

Yorn has played at Carnegie Hall on two occasions as part of tributes to Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Yorn gave the 2011 commencement address to the Visual and Performing Arts class at his alma mater, Syracuse University.

Yorn's song, "Lose You" can be heard just before the ending credits of the episode "Simple Explanation" during Kutner's funeral on the Fox show House, MD.

The Trilogy

Pete Yorn's third studio release, Nightcrawler, completes a conceptual trilogy of sorts,[6] which spans his first three albums (EPs not included); beginning in the morning with the musicforthemorningafter LP, continuing through the day with the Day I Forgot LP, and arriving at nightfall with the Nightcrawler LP.

In September 2006, in an interview with silentuproar.com, Yorn elaborated on his true intentions behind the trilogy, remarking that it was at least partially a conscious trilogy but wasn't meant to be taken too seriously: "I didn't mean like a Star Wars trilogy where it's one story at all." Yorn expressed that the "trilogy" was more of a diary of sorts; a person gaining new life experiences and simply commenting on them in linear order. "So it's a sort of continuing analysis of those topics, and the Nightcrawler LP would represent a later phase," Yorn said.[6]

Subsequent releases

In 2008, Pete Yorn recorded and released a new song, entitled "American Blues Vol. 1." A music video was shot for the single, and the song itself was released for free on Yorn's official website for a short period of time. Concerning the song, Yorn has said "I wrote American Blues Vol. 1. on the 4th of July after reading the morning paper. It's unlike any song I've ever written. I was moved by how much negativity I was reading about and how even groups were boycotting Independence Day because they were so disgusted with the state of our Nation. I was hoping things would improve...they obviously haven't yet...but I know they will in time."[7]

Yorn appears on Canadian artist Matthew Good's 2009 album Vancouver performing backing vocals.

"Can't Hear Anyone," a song that Yorn wrote during the Nightcrawler sessions, was recently used for a Mercedes-Benz commercial and was released as a digital single on March 31, 2009.

Columbia Records released his Mike Mogis-produced album, entitled Back & Fourth on June 23, 2009.[8]

Yorn toured with Coldplay as an opening act through summer 2009 and collaborated with actress/musician Scarlett Johansson to record a project entitled "Break Up." The album was released on September 15, 2009, and its first single"Relator"was released digitally on May 26, 2009. The record has since gone Platinum in France.

Yorn released a self titled album on September 28, 2010. This record was released by Vagrant Records, and produced by Frank Black of The Pixies. It received a favorable 8/10 stars in Spin magazine and 4/5 stars in Mojo. He toured North America and Europe in support of this record February 14 June 12, 2011.

In November 2012, Santa Monica-based radio station KCRW began spinning songs from a new record by a band called The Olms. DJ Jason Bentley has reported that Yorn is indeed a founding member of this group. On January 8, 2013, NPR's flagship station KCRW released a track by The Olms titled, "Wanna Feel It."[9] The Olms' self-titled debut album was released on June 4, 2013 by the newly relaunched Harvest Records.[10] On September 15, 2013, Yorn and The Olms performed along with Vampire Weekend at the iTunes Festival in London. An EP was released of the performance in conjunction with a documentary centered around their first tour which premiered on November 12, 2013.[11]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album US FR CH RIAA Certification
2001 musicforthemorningafter 111 - - Gold[12]
2003 Day I Forgot 18 - - -
2006 Nightcrawler 50 - - -
2009 Back and Fourth[13][14] 32 - - -
2009 Break Up (with Scarlett Johansson)[15] 41 18 58 Platinum (France)
2010 Pete Yorn 66 - - -

Live albums

  • Live at the Roxy (2001) #131 US
  • Live from New Jersey (2004)

EPs

  • Sunset EP (2000)
  • Westerns EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Electric Fetus, 5/6/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rhino Records, 6/20/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Salzers Records, 6/22/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Fingerprints, 6/23/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Dimple Records, 6/24/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Waterloo Records, 6/28/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Keif's, 6/30/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 7/1/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from The Exclusive, 7/2/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Singing Dog Records, 7/6/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Ear X-tacy, 7/7/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from New World Record, 7/8/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record Archive, 7/10/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Bull Moose, 7/11/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Newbury Comics, 7/12/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record & Tape Traders, 7/13/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Schoolkids Records, 7/15/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Grimey's, 7/17/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Criminal Records, 7/18/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lasers Edge, 7/19/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Homer's, 7/21/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Twist & Shout, 7/24/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Barts CD Cellar, 7/25/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Graywhale, 7/26/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Easy Street, 7/28/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Music Millennium, 7/29/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rasputin Music, 7/31/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lou's, 8/1/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Zia Record Exchange, 8/2/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Olsson's, 8/8/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Plan 9, 8/9/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from A/K/A, 8/11/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 8/12/06 EP (2006)
  • You & Me Acoustic: Live from Luna Music, 8/16/06 EP (2006)
  • Live from SoHo iTunes-exclusive EP (2007)
  • The Demos EP: Garage Sessions Vol. 1 (2009)<
  • Paradise Cove EP (2009)[16][17]

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
Germany US Modern Rock Adult Top 40
2001 "Life on a Chain" - - 35 musicforthemorningafter
2001 "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" - 28 - musicforthemorningafter
2002 "Strange Condition" - 36 34 musicforthemorningafter
2003 "Come Back Home" - 32 - Day I Forgot
2003 "Crystal Village" - - 28 Day I Forgot
2006 "For Us" - 38 - Nightcrawler
2007 "Alive" - - - Nightcrawler
2009 "Don't Wanna Cry" - - - Back and Fourth
2009 "Relator" 100 - - Break Up
2010 "Precious Stone" - - - Pete Yorn

Non-album tracks

  • "Hunter Green"  Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1
  • "Suspicious Minds" (Dusk Version)  "Suspicious Minds" CD Single
  • "Suspicious Minds" (Dawn Version)  "Suspicious Minds" CD Single
  • "I Feel Good Again"  Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 2 and Concert Series Volume 1
  • "Do They Know It's Christmas?"  The Year They Recalled Santa Claus
  • "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"  We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones
  • "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" (Buzzcocks cover) Shrek 2 soundtrack
  • "Red Right Hand"  Hellboy soundtrack
  • "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"  Just like Heaven soundtrack
  • "Skinny, Mean Man"  Say Anything's In Defense of the Genre
  • "It Never Rains in Southern California" Stuck on You soundtrack
  • "Undercover"  Spider-Man soundtrack
  • "I Belong"  Open Season soundtrack
  • "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Alice in My Fantasies," "I Feel Good Again," and "Chimes of Freedom"  Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1
  • "Splendid Isolation"  Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon

Unreleased songs

  • "Farmer vs. River"
  • "Model American"
  • "When She's Mine"
  • "You Never Knew"
  • "James in Liverpool"

Videography

  • "June" (2001) directed by Steven Orrit
  • "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" [Directed by Malik Sayeed]
  • "Life on a Chain" (2001) [Directed by Sam Bayer]
  • "Strange Condition" (2002) [Directed by Marcos Siega]
  • "Come Back Home" 2004 directed by AV Club
  • "Crystal Village" 2004 directed by AV Club
  • "For Us" (2006) [Directed by Robert Hales]
  • "American Blues Vol. 1 (2009)
  • "Sans Fear (2010) directed by Eric Ernest Johnson

Backing band

Yorn's current touring band is:

  • Mark Noseworthy  guitar
  • Scott Seiver  drums
  • Zak Shaffer  bass guitar

Yorn's Back & Fourth touring band was:

  • Max Goldblatt  tambourine
  • Joe Kennedy  piano, keyboards, and harmonica
  • Mark Noseworthy  guitar
  • Jonny Polonsky  guitar and mandolin
  • Scott Seiver  drums
  • Zak Shaffer  bass guitar

Pete Yorn's Nightcrawler era touring band was Minibar, hailing from Britain and including the following members:

  • Malcolm Cross  drums
  • Sid Jordan  bass guitar and backing vocals
  • Joe Kennedy  piano, guitar, and backing vocals (not part of Minibar)
  • Simon Petty  backing vocals and guitar
  • Tim Walker  guitars

Pete Yorn's former backing band went by the name Dirty Bird and includes the following members:

  • Luke Adams  drums
  • Terry Borden  bass guitar and backing vocals
  • Jason Johnson  guitar
  • Joe Kennedy  piano, guitar, backing vocals
  • R. Walt Vincent  bass guitar
  • Scot Coogan  drums

Pete Yorn's "eternal bandmates":

  • Joe Kennedy  piano, guitar, and backing vocals
  • WAZ  bass guitar, guitar, and back vocals
  • Rick Yorn - drums

References

  1. WEDDINGS;Julie Silverman And Kevin Yorn, The New York Times, July 7, 1996.
  2. {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
  3. [1]
  4. Hicks, Robert. "Montville's Pete Korn[sic travels at his own pace"], Daily Record (Morristown), August 11, 2006. Accessed February 23, 2011.
  5. "Hall of Fame Member profile: Pete Yorn".
  6. 6.0 6.1 {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
  7. {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
  8. Pete's Facebook page
  9. Hear The Olms A New Project from Pete Yorn
  10. [2]
  11. http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/music-news/check-in-with-pete-yorn-s-new-project--the-olms--in-exclusive-tour-documentary-film-195207057.html
  12. [3]
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External links

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This page was last modified 15.05.2014 15:44:34

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