Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy | |
|---|---|
| File:FiF Logo.png | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Denver, Colorado |
| Years active | 1995–2003 |
| Members | Reese Roper Keith Hoerig Micah Ortega Dennis Culp Andrew Verdechhio Leanor Till née Ortega Nathaneal "Brad" Dunham Sonnie Johnson |
| Past members | Scott Kerr |
Five Iron Frenzy (also known as "Five Iron" or simply FIF) was a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado.
History
Five Iron Frenzy started as a local side-project of Roper, Hoerig, Ortega, and Kerr's band Exhumator. Never taking themselves too seriously, the band's name began as an inside joke. Although the original intent was for the band to stay local and help grow the local music scene, Five Iron Frenzy (FIF, or Five Iron) signed to Frank Tate's 5 Minute Walk records in 1996 and was touring nationally within a year.
In 1998, songwriter and lead guitarist Scott Kerr left the band on friendly terms and started his own project, Yellow Second. Private auditions were held for a small selection of candidates to replace him, including trombone player Dennis Culp, but ultimately it was decided that Sonnie Johnston of Jeffries Fan Club would replace Scott in the lineup. Scott's final appearance and the introduction of Sonnie Johnston with the band occurred at the album release party for the band's first EP, Quantity is Job 1, on November 3, 1998 at the Aztlan Theater in Denver, Colorado.
They reached the peak of their fame around 2000, with the release of All The Hype That Money Can Buy. In December 2002, they announced that they would be breaking up after a final tour. They played their final show on November 22, 2003 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, which was recorded. This show had an attendance of over 4,000 people.
The story behind the name
Excerpted from an interview between Jesusfreakhideout.com and Keith Hoerig.
Jesus freak Hideout: What's the story behind the name "Five Iron Frenzy"?
Keith Hoerig: We got the name Five Iron Frenzy from a roommate of most of ours. He was kind of paranoid, and afraid that if he went outside on this particular night he was going to get jumped by some people. He had a golf club to defend himself and he said something to the effect of it being like "putter mayhem". Scott looked at the golf club he was holding, and noting that it was a five iron said, "No, more like a Five Iron Frenzy." The name stuck.
Style
Five Iron Frenzy's music was influenced most heavily by ska, and punk. The band's performance style grew from the subcultures of third-wave ska, punk rock and heavy metal music, but had a somewhat tamer attitude than many similar bands. Scott Kerr wrote or co-wrote most songs on the first three full-length releases. After he left, the band began to explore a wider variety of musical influences, incorporating diverse influences such as Latin and swing into their musical palette. Dennis Culp's musical direction became more prominent, although the composition duties were spread more evenly amongst band members. Song lyrics and vocals were handled by Roper. Both Culp and Leanor Ortega penned lyrics to several of the band's songs. Production and engineering for every album was led by Masaki "Saki" Liu, a good friend of the band, at his One Way Studio. After the release of Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo, FIF's sound leaned more towards horn-tinged hard rock than ska, although all of the original horns were still intact.
Goals
Five Iron Frenzy never received any significant music industry awards, and received relatively little attention in mainstream media. Their biggest national exposure came after the band's tenure, on the TV show Boston Legal in October 2005 [1]. They stayed with the small 5 Minute Walk label for all eight of their albums. On their final tour, Reese Roper continued his habit of forgetting entire verses to many concert standards. After clarifying that instead of "breaking up" they were more aptly "quitting," Five Iron's final sixty shows were named the "Winners Never Quit Tour". This self-deprecating humor is evident in much of their work. While the band's evolving musical style and skill showed dedication to their artistry, their fanbase remained strongest among those who enjoyed the quirkiness displayed at every show and on every album. They often performed their concerts while wearing full costumes. On one tour, they told fans to bring sock puppets on stage and help sing along. The socks were then donated to a local homeless shelter, showcasing the band's dedication to helping those less fortunate. Their fanbase was diverse, ranging from the socially and religiously outcast to the parents of teenage fans. As a result, people from a variety of social and religious backgrounds considered their views genuine and thoughtful.
The manner in which the band displayed their Christianity sometimes put them at odds with both Christian bookstores and general-market outlets. They however found financial stability in a place that allowed them to critique both Christian and non-Christian culture. Recurring themes were the continuing injustices done to the Native American people ("Banner Year", "The Day We Killed", "Old West"), the evils of consumerism ("Fistful of Sand", "Vultures", "American Kryptonite", "Giants"), Christian hypocrisy and homophobia ("Fahrenheit," "Four Fifty One"), the shortcomings of the band ("So Far So Bad", "Eulogy", "The Untimely Death of Brad", "That's How the Story Ends", "Where Is Micah?") and from time to time joyous songs about finding renewal in their faith ("Second Season", "Every New Day", "On Distant Shores").
Discography
- It's Funny but Not Very Creative (1996) - 7" vinyl
- Upbeats and Beatdowns (1996)
- Our Newest Album Ever! (1997)
- Miniature Golf Courses of America (1998) - 7" vinyl
- Brad Is Dead (1998) - 7" vinyl
- Quantity Is Job 1 (1998) - EP
- Proof That the Youth Are Revolting (1999) - live album
- The Phantom Mullet (2000) - 7 vinyl, Philmore (Our Finest Hour) split
- All the Hype That Money Can Buy (2000)
- Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo (2001)
- Cheeses...(of Nazareth) (2003) - anthology of unreleased and joke songs
- The End Is Near (2003)
- The End Is Here (2004) - live album (final show)
Charts
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Our Newest Album Ever! | The Billboard 200 | 176 |
| 1999 | Proof That The Youth Are Revolting | The Billboard 200 | 190 |
| 2000 | All The Hype That Money Can Buy | The Billboard 200 | 146 |
| 2004 | The End Is Here | Top Heatseekers | 13 |
Final Line-Up
- Reese Roper - Lead Vocals
- Micah Ortega - Lead Guitar, Vocals
- Sonnie Johnston - Guitar
- Keith Hoerig - Bass
- Andy Verdecchio - Drums, Vocals
- Nathanael "Brad" Dunham - Trumpet
- Dennis Culp - Trombone, Vocals
- Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega - Saxophone, Vocals
Former members
- Scott Kerr - Guitar, Vocals
Other Projects
Exhumator
- Exhumator was a garage-metal band made up of Reese Roper, Keith Hoerig, Micah Ortega, and Scott Kerr. Five Iron Frenzy originally started as a side project of Exhumator. They released a single track, "Spam Jam," on the compilation Green Manna (Fifty280 Records).
Brave Saint Saturn
- Brave Saint Saturn, a studio side-project which is done as a trilogy of albums telling the story of stranded astronauts, is expected to release one more album in addition to the two releases already out.
Guerilla Rodeo
- Guerilla Rodeo was a short-lived pop-punk band consisting of members of Five Iron Frenzy (Reese Roper and Sonnie Johnston), Ace Troubleshooter (John Warne and Josh Abbot) and the OC Supertones (Ethan Luck). The band only recorded a three song EP before the members moved on to other projects, such as Roper.
Roper
- Lead vocalist Reese Roper has been signed on to 5 Minute Walk Records under a band fittingly named Roper. They released their debut album shortly after entitled Brace Yourself for the Mediocore
Yellow Second
- Founding member Scott Kerr is in another band known as Yellow Second which once also included drummer Andrew Verdecchio, although in late 2005 the band announced their breakup.
Dennis Bayne
- Trombone player Dennis Bayne Culp released one album under his first and middle names, Dennis Bayne. The album contains acoustic guitar and vocals performed by Dennis, representing his musical interpretation of certain Psalms.
Dance Mexican Dance
- After embarking on a spoken word poetry tour with Reese Roper and Pigeon John , saxophonist Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega-Till was briefly involved in an electronica project called Dance Mexican Dance alongside husband Stephen Till, who is the rhythm guitarist for Roper. Dance Mexican Dance has since been renamed His Love Fellowship. The Tills are also heading a T-shirt company called A Size Too Small.