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polarboy

Polarboy

Alternative Rock
Nashville, Tennessee, USA

“In the nineteen nineties a group of twee schoolboy punks, Polarboy, began getting firmly up the collective nose of the Nashville white-soul cognoscenti. Much more loathed than loved, and reveling in their outsider status, Polarboy attracted a dense little coterie of followers who duly set up a nationwide tour funded by busking, and the refrigerators of those fans' generous parents. Driven half-mental by their experiences the group came home, ditched their indie twiddling and embarked upon a new course of songwriting so sickeningly mainstream that it led to a long career being spoilt stupid by the radio and recording industries of the English speaking world. Limos to the private jet, ponds full of cash, week-long parties in Beverly Hills, that sort of thing. By 2002 the thing had run it's cliched course; the group's fortunes were dwindling and, held hostage by a record label that had gone out of business but would not release their grip, the band members put the band into cryogenic suspension and set about writing two LPs; a Pol Buckingham Alone affair and an entirely different Joe Nawrocki electronic pop masterpiece. When forced by penury, politeness, or acute fear they can sometimes also be heard to trawl out tired versions of their withered hits. Polarboy now lives a quiet life of standing up and sitting down.” (from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Polarboy/282388888655?v=info&tab=page_info)

Pol Buckingham - Vocals, guitars
Joe Nawrocki - Lead guitars
Rob Wilson - Bass
Matt Loftis - Drums

Polarboy found success early in their career, and soon had to either stop playing music (because too many shows were booked) or quite college. So they quit college and moved to Nashville in the Spring of 1997/ In Nashville, they recorded a demo, which was picked up by Rustproof Records and released as Back from Nowhere. They were one of the first three initial bands on Rustproof, along with Broomtree and Plaid). The band went about touring to support this release.

A tour with My Friend Stephanie went so bad that My Friend Stephanie just quit four shows in and went home. Polarboy had to explain for the rest of the tour why My Friend Stephanie was not on the tour any more. One of their tour buses broke down in McAlister, Oklahoma and they left it there in a junkyard. A fan found it, put it in front of the skating rink he owned, and painted it up as a Polarboy memorial.

In 2000 the band released 4008, but conditions were changing at Rustproof. Originally the label was distributed through Pamplin. However, the label switched to Diamante and realized that if they signed a dozen bands, they could get a lot of money from distribution.

By 2002, the record label was broke and out of business. However, they were still hanging on to contracts to make money. Any record label that showed interest in Polarboy would quickly hear from Rustproof demanding money. For example, the band was in talks with Atlantic Records, but Rustrporrof showed up wanting thousands of dollars and Atlantic said no.

Everyone kind of went their own way, making their own records - but not as Polarboy. In 2005 the contract expired, but they just haven't gotten back together since the.

Discography

1996 Polar Boy
1998 Back From Nowhere Rustproof Records
2000 4008 Rustproof Records

Polar Boy

1996 Independent

  1. 4 Leaf Clover
  2. Sunshine
  3. Lume
  4. Everything
  5. Expectations
  6. The Weird Song
  7. Angels
  8. My Favorite Distraction

Back From Nowhere

1998 Rustproof Records

  1. I'll Try
  2. Do You Think?
  3. Nickels For Green-Eyed Girls
  4. Back For More
  5. In My Shoes
  6. One Bad Date
  7. Four Leaf Clover
  8. Babystarr
  9. Do What You Can
  10. What I Need

“What at first was a demo becomes a chart topping and award nominee for rising rock band Polarboy. Whether Christian or not this album aims at the heart of what effects us all: relationships, family, fears, failures, and success. With a sound reminiscent of old U2 and REM combined with the new sounds of Wallflowers and Counting Crows, Polarboy takes basic rock into the new millennium.” (from http://www.amazon.com/Back-From-Nowhere-Polarboy/dp/B00000E7LO)


4008

2000 Rustproof Records

  1. Lower
  2. Everytime
  3. Night Drives
  4. At Least I Tried
  5. Nothing Left
  6. Longer Weekend
  7. Mountain Man
  8. In the Name of
  9. Train Song
  10. Fall
  11. Bria

polarboy.txt · Last modified: 2022/11/13 19:19 by admin