Roman Candle

Roman Candle
Roman Candle outsie of the venue Water Rats (London 2007).
Background information
Origin	Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Indie rock Indie pop Alternative
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Carnival Recording Company V2 Records Hollywood Records, Outlook Music.
Website	romacandlemusic.com
Members
Skip Matheny Logan Matheny Timshel Matheny

Roman Candle is an indie rock band from Chapel Hill, NC, composed of Skip, Logan and Timshel Matheny. They have released two studio albums, several touring EP's, toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, and played in various other bands / live acts. Roman Candle was founded in 1997 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band, who all attended UNC-Chapel Hill, recorded and performed there for 10 years before moving to Nashville, TN in 2008.

History

Roman Candle started playing shows around Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1997. Most early shows involved (current band members) Skip and Logan Matheny and various musicians from around town sitting in. Eventually a regular lineup formed, including Skip's wife Timshel on fender rhodes and farfisa. They sold over 400 copies of a self released cd of demos in 2000, and signed to Trevor Pryce's Outlook Music Company in October 2001.

Their record "Says Pop" was released by Outlook in May 2002. The band toured across the U.S. in support of Says Pop, gathered an enthusiastic fanbase, and were named in Rolling Stone magazine, as Chapel Hill's "darling" band on the rise. During this time they met producer Chris Stamey (The db's, Yo la tengo, Ryan Adams, R.E.M.), and signed to Hollywood Records' fledging college music division (also signed, were The Polyphonic Spree and Patrick Park). Hollywood recruited Stamey to rework the songs on Says Pop, for a major label release, re-titled "The Wee Hours Revue" in 2003. However, Hollywood, uncertain about the "college division" of their label, decided to shelf Roman Candle's album for 2 years.

During this time, the band continued to tour, write and record music, and became a part of Chris Stamey's "mod squad," a famed group of studio / touring musicians around Stamey's studio, Modern Recording. Roman Candle band members toured in support of Stamey's records, "A Question of Temperature" (with Yo la Tengo) and "Travels in the South".

Also during this time the band was discovered by famed BBC DJ, Bob Harris and invited to play multiple times on BBC Radio 2.

In 2006 V2 Records bought "The Wee Hours Revue" masters from Hollywood and released the record to widespread acclaim in June 2006—including praise from The Boston Globe, Pitchfork Media, and making Paste's Top 100 album's of 2006 -- They were no. 38. Editor of Paste (magazine) Josh Jackson even cited the album as one of the top 10 most overlooked albums of 2006. Even as late after the release as April 2007, Harp Magazine, journalist Mark Kemp named The Wee Hours Revue One of the best roots-rock records of the decade. The band toured throughout 2006 in support of the record, including tours with The Whigs, The Avett Brothers, Bird Monster, Indigo Girls, Aimee Mann, The Psychedelic Furs and a date at Radio City Music Hall.

In 2007 they continued to tour the U.S. and the U.K., including a pair of live performances on BBC radio 2.

In November 2008, the band announced from their website that they had signed to a new label, Carnival Recording Company, and that they would be releasing 4 eps, accompanying the release of their next full-length. The first of these ep's, "Eden was a Garden" was released in digital and vinyl formats on Dec. 4, 2008. The second ep "They Say" was released on March 9, 2009.

Their most recent record, "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear," was released on May 12, 2009. The title is taken from Rainer Maria Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus.

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2009)

• The name Roman Candle is taken from U2 song, "Promenade" off the record The Unforgettable Fire. Singer, Skip Matheny, thought of it while sitting in a UNC class taught by (Wordsworth scholar) Mark Reed.

• The band's original record label owner, Trevor Pryce is a Pro-Bowl defensive tackle (formerly of the Denver Broncos) currently playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Trevor was himself a DJ signed to EMI before beginning his NFL career.

• During the time The Wee Hours Revue was being shelved by Hollywood, country singer Thad Cockrell, gave a copy of the record to BBC Radio 2 DJ Bob Harris (radio). He called the record, on the air, one of the best rock and roll records he'd heard in years. Harris has since invited RC to play on his show multiple times.

• When the band opened up for The Soundtrack of Our Lives, lead singer Ebbot Lundberg called them from the stage "the best opening act he'd seen in years."

• When Skip and his wife Timshel graduated from UNC, they moved to Portland Oregon and worked as a forklift driver and a dishwasher at an art college (respectively).

Side projects

Members of Roman Candle have produced / performed on the following records

• Chris Stamey: Travels in the South (Yep Roc Records 2003) - performed on album

• Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell: Begonias (Yep Roc Records 2005) - performed on album, wrote "Waiting in June" which appears on album.

• Patrick Park: Everyone's in Everyone (Curb Appeal Records 2007) - performed on album

• Keegan DeWitt: & the Sparrows (Dual Coast records 2007) - Produced and performed on album.

• Members of the band have also performed on unreleased recordings by Ryan Adams, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, Thad Cockrell, and Otis Gibbs.

• Members of the band have produced and engineered recordings by Thad Cockrell.

• Roman Candle members are known touring with various artists: most notably:

Chris Stamey, The Rosebuds, Thad Cockrell, Caitlin Cary, Keegan DeWitt, Nate Snell, Courtney Jaye

• The band has twice toured nationally with the Indigo Girls.

Discography

• Oh Tall Tree in the Ear (Carnival Recording / Mag-pie records, 2009)

• Why Modern Radio is A-OK ep (Carnival Recording / Mag-pie records, 2009)

• They Say ep (Carnival Recording / Mag-pie records, 2009)

• Eden was a Garden ep (Carnival Recording / Mag-pie records, 2008)

• The Wee Hours Revue (V2 Records, 2006)

• Says Pop (Outlook Music, 2002)

References

• "The Independent" Cover Story
• Official website
• Roman Candle at V2 North America's website
• Pitchfork Media
• The Boston Globe
• Harp Magazine (interview with Chris Stamey)

External links

• The Band's Official Website
• Roman Candle at V2 North America's website
• Pitchfork Media's Review of "The Wee Hours Revue"
• The Boston Globe on "The Wee Hours Revue"
• Paste Magazine Review of "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear"