Recently the world of music videos has seen tons of artists turning their song into a short movie. Think of Panic! At The Disco and The Killers latest videos. However, when was the last time you watched a lead singer perform in his own video like he's in Broadway musical? Singer, Andrew Volpe, of the band Ludo definitely hits that note in their one-shot video for "Love Me Dead" that features several fascinating escapades in the background. It could be the best music video I've seen since OK Go hit those treadmills.
My Story
Ah, clever bands. We love them, don’t we? Bands like Harvey Danger and The Presidents Of The United States Of America, who know how to put out a quirky, left-of-center single that just grabs our heart. Of course, clever bands are also like that girl we met in class, who wasn’t super hot, but was pretty funny. So we got her number and talked to her on the phone a couple times. Maybe nailed her once (before we’d seen her dorm room and all those crazy stuffed animals) and then she got terribly clingy. So we stopped answering her calls and started sitting in the back of the class, making a bee-line for the door every time the damn thing was over. But then she got wise and started sitting in back too, showing up half an hour early just to make sure she could catch us. So we started ditching the class altogether and wound up failing the final, all to avoid talking to this chick who was once pretty fun to talk to but had slowly turned into a stalker…
Yeah, clever bands are sort of like that. We love ‘em and we ditch ‘em, and very few can ever transcend “fun to talk to” and reach the “fun to hang out with longterm” status. Not that its never happened. Hell, we’ve all practically married Weezer. So the question is: will Ludo, the newest clever band to come down the pike, get under our skin like Rivers Cuomo and his pals, or will we spend a night of passion with them and then wind up changing our cell providers?
Their Story
Ludo formed in St. Louis, Missouri as an acoustic duo in 2003, the combination of vocalist/guitarist Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell. The group drew their name from the gentle giant in Jim Henson’s fantasy film Labyrinth. The ranks of the band swelled over the next year, growing to include bassist Marshall Fanciullo, drummer Matt Palermo and moog-player Tim Convy.
The band recorded their self-titled indie debut in 2004. Ludo was released that spring on the group’s Redbird Records. The album was met with positive reviews and kicked off a strenuous period of touring by the band. The next year, they recorded the EP Broken Bride, a rock opera. Even more touring followed.
By 2007, Ludo’s interactive live shows and indie albums had drawn the interest of several major labels. That year, they signed a 5-album deal with Island Records, which would keep their Redbird label as an imprint. In late 2007, the band entered the studio with producer Matt Wallace (who worked on Maroon 5’s debut, as well as several albums with Faith No More) to record their first album for Island. The set was slated for a February 2008 release. The lead single, “Love Me Dead”, impacted radio the month before and has made some waves on Modern Rock stations. The video is also making the rounds.
Following their Island debut’s street date, Ludo toured for the entire month of March, including a showcase at SXSW and shows opening for the reunited Presidents Of The United States Of America. For future tour dates, check out Ludo’s official site.
The Album
On February 26, 2008, Island and Redbird Records released You’re Awful, I Love You, the second full length album by Ludo and their major label debut. The album features the hidden tracks “Goodbye Bear” and “The Boat Song”. The iTunes digital version contains the bonus track “Japan It!”.
Ludo - Love Me Dead
My Story
Ah, clever bands. We love them, don’t we? Bands like Harvey Danger and The Presidents Of The United States Of America, who know how to put out a quirky, left-of-center single that just grabs our heart. Of course, clever bands are also like that girl we met in class, who wasn’t super hot, but was pretty funny. So we got her number and talked to her on the phone a couple times. Maybe nailed her once (before we’d seen her dorm room and all those crazy stuffed animals) and then she got terribly clingy. So we stopped answering her calls and started sitting in the back of the class, making a bee-line for the door every time the damn thing was over. But then she got wise and started sitting in back too, showing up half an hour early just to make sure she could catch us. So we started ditching the class altogether and wound up failing the final, all to avoid talking to this chick who was once pretty fun to talk to but had slowly turned into a stalker…
Yeah, clever bands are sort of like that. We love ‘em and we ditch ‘em, and very few can ever transcend “fun to talk to” and reach the “fun to hang out with longterm” status. Not that its never happened. Hell, we’ve all practically married Weezer. So the question is: will Ludo, the newest clever band to come down the pike, get under our skin like Rivers Cuomo and his pals, or will we spend a night of passion with them and then wind up changing our cell providers?
Their Story
Ludo formed in St. Louis, Missouri as an acoustic duo in 2003, the combination of vocalist/guitarist Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell. The group drew their name from the gentle giant in Jim Henson’s fantasy film Labyrinth. The ranks of the band swelled over the next year, growing to include bassist Marshall Fanciullo, drummer Matt Palermo and moog-player Tim Convy.
The band recorded their self-titled indie debut in 2004. Ludo was released that spring on the group’s Redbird Records. The album was met with positive reviews and kicked off a strenuous period of touring by the band. The next year, they recorded the EP Broken Bride, a rock opera. Even more touring followed.
By 2007, Ludo’s interactive live shows and indie albums had drawn the interest of several major labels. That year, they signed a 5-album deal with Island Records, which would keep their Redbird label as an imprint. In late 2007, the band entered the studio with producer Matt Wallace (who worked on Maroon 5’s debut, as well as several albums with Faith No More) to record their first album for Island. The set was slated for a February 2008 release. The lead single, “Love Me Dead”, impacted radio the month before and has made some waves on Modern Rock stations. The video is also making the rounds.
Following their Island debut’s street date, Ludo toured for the entire month of March, including a showcase at SXSW and shows opening for the reunited Presidents Of The United States Of America. For future tour dates, check out Ludo’s official site.
The Album
On February 26, 2008, Island and Redbird Records released You’re Awful, I Love You, the second full length album by Ludo and their major label debut. The album features the hidden tracks “Goodbye Bear” and “The Boat Song”. The iTunes digital version contains the bonus track “Japan It!”.
Ludo - Love Me Dead
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