Walk off the Earth
| Walk off the Earth | |
|---|---|
 WOTE live at the Sound of Music Festival, June 2012 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Burlington, Ontario |
| Genres | Indie rock, alternative rock, experimental rock, ska, reggae, rap |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Columbia Records[1] SlapDash Records |
| Associated acts | Gianni and Sarah G Spot Tornado The Creepshow |
| Website | walkofftheearth.com |
| Members | Gianni Luminati Sarah Blackwood Ryan Marshall Mike Taylor Joel Cassady |
| Past members | Pete Kirkwood |
Walk off the Earth is a Canadian indie band that formed in 2006 in Burlington, Ontario, and has gained success around the world by making low-budget music videos of covers and originals. The band built its fan base independently with no help from record labels, booking agents, or management. In February 2012, the music industry publication Crazed Hits reported that the band had signed a recording contract with Columbia Records.[1] The band is best known for its covers of popular music on YouTube, making use of uncommon instruments such as the ukulele and the theremin, as well as looping samples. The band's recorded music and videos are produced by member and multi-instrumentalist, Gianni Luminati Nicassio.
Contents |
Career [edit]
The band's first success came from covering the songs of The Gregory Brothers. The video of the band's cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" became rapidly popular on YouTube in early 2012, gathering over 127 million views in four months[2] and received positive responses from both Gotye and his co-singer on the song, Kimbra.[3][4] The band has also covered "Someone Like You" by Adele, "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, "Payphone" by Maroon 5, "Roll Up" by Wiz Khalifa and dozens of other tracks.[5] In December 2012, the band released an original single titled "Gang of Rhythm".[6] On March 11, RollingStone magazine streamed their unreleased R.E.V.O. LP in its entirety. It received rave reviews from thousands of fans and social bloggers. The full length R.E.V.O. album was released on March 19, 2013, followed by a tour based around the Album.
Members [edit]
- Gianni Luminati – Bass, Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo, Drums, Vocals, Theremin, Beatbox, Xylophone, Piano, cajon
- Sarah Blackwood – Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Banjo, Glockenspiel, Tambourine, Xylophone, Piano, Vocals,
- Ryan Marshall – Guitar, Bass, Trumpet, Piano, Harmonica, Vocals
- Mike "Beard Guy" Taylor – Piano, Organ, Vocals, Xylophone, Trumpet, Melodica, Didgeridoo
- Joel Cassady – Drums, Vocals, Bass
- Touring members
- Past members
Personal life [edit]
On 29 January 2013, band members Gianni and Sarah spread the news via Youtube that they were expecting a baby together.[7]
Popularity [edit]
- The Band's cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" - with accompanying video where all five members are shown playing on one guitar - went viral in early 2012, and has so far gained over 150 million hits on YouTube.[8]
- Ellen DeGeneres featured the band on her January 23, 2012 show where they played live, again on one guitar.
- The band's cover of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" with four of the five members and guest beatboxer KRNFX using only vocals (in the style of a capella) and uploaded to YouTube on January 1 of 2013 has since gone viral.[9]
- Sarah Blackwood is featured as a guest vocalist on Danish Rockabilly Metal band Volbeat's, newest album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. The track is called "The Lonesome Rider".
- Their Hit song "Red Hands" has hit radio stations in America, Canada and Australia.
Awards and nominations [edit]
| Year | Award ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Juno Awards | Breakthrough Group of the Year | Nominated |
| Video of the Year - Little Boxes | Nominated |
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- 2007: Smooth Like Stone on a Beach
- 2010: My Rock
- 2012: R.E.V.O. EP
- 2012: "Vol.1"
- 2012: "Vol.2"
- 2013: R.E.V.O. LP
Singles [edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | BEL (Vl) |
BEL (Wa) |
CAN | DEN | FRA [10] |
IRL | NED | SUI | SWE | US | UK | ||||
| "Somebody That I Used to Know" | 2012 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 13 | 12 | 80 | 48 | 9 | 54 | 45 | 109 | 80 | R.E.V.O. | |
| "Red Hands" | 2013 | 9 |
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| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||
Production [edit]
The band's studio albums "My Rock" and "Smooth Like Stone on a Beach" were both recorded and produced by band member Gianni Luminati Nicassio in his private studio in Burlington, Ontario. In an interview with MTV's Brenna Ehrlich, Sarah Blackwood mentioned that the band's upcoming third album is being co-produced by Gianni Luminati and Tawgs Salter.
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Columbia signs Walk off the Earth". Crazed Hits. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (9 January 2012). "Gotye Cover Inspires Russell Crowe To Pitch To Walk off the Earth". Noise11. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Twitter post by Gotye". Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ Cashmere, Paul (8 January 2012). "Kimbra Impressed With Gotye Cover By Walk off the Earth". Noise11. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ CTV Edmonton (Jan 13 2012). "Ont. band Walk Off the Earth has viral YouTube hit". CTV News. BellMedia. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ "Gang of Rhythm by Walk Off The Earth". Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ^ "BIG NEWS from Walk off the Earth!!!". Walk off the Earth. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Walk off the Earth cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know"
- ^ "Walk Off The Earth’s "I Knew You Were Trouble" Cover Goes Viral". Metro Lyrics. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ LesCharts.com French and European chart positions for Walk off the Earth's version "Somebody That I Used to Know"
- ^ "Canadian digital download certifications – Walk Off the Earth – Somebody That I Used to Know". Music Canada.
- ^ "Canadian digital download certifications – Walk Off the Earth – Red Hands". Music Canada.
