Cordalene is: Mike Kiley - vox/gtr Jamie Olson - gtr/vox, Jim McGuinn - bass jOe bOyle - drums Cordalene likes to f**k sh*t up. Not in some faux-angry, rap/rock way, and not in any punk-as-anarchy (but really just fashion) way. They are actually a really reliable group of guys, and almost always on time at their gigs, which they realize is incredibly un-rock. But they f**k sh*t up in the sense of their art. They try to write songs that sound and are about something new. They want to develop their own sound, and be the most exciting live act you've ever seen. They want to change the face of rock music. That said, they know they haven't gotten there yet. They sometimes still write songs about girls. Their live shows are transcendent only some of the time - but that's more than most bands can claim. Their music feels instantly familiar, but no one can seem to pinpoint their sound - Cordalene is not one of those "this meets that plus a little of you-know-who" bands. They sound like no one else, but after you hear them it feels as though this music has always been in your head. Maybe that's their secret. Cordalene started in early 2002 when Jamie Olson and Jim McGiunn limped out of an earlier lineup's implosion into the voice and writing of Mike Kiley. Mike and Jim had known each other as the two newest boyfriends to fill out a social circle of artists, dancers, and musicians, organized around a Philadelphia performance space known as the Parlour (where Cordalene currently rehearses). "I heard Mike sing at about 2am down at the beach, and his voice and the passion of his singing were so incredibly real - even though he'd never been in a band," says McGuinn. A few weeks after picking up Kiley, the band got an email from a drummer that professed a love both Led Zeppelin and Cocteau Twins. It was the music school trained Joe Boyle. "Joe's not only an amazing drummer, but the best guitarist and bassist in the band, even though we don't let him play any of that wanky jazz ," joked Olson about his bandmate. It didn't take long for the new lineup to gel - recording their first EP within weeks of forming, and quickly moving up to play the biggest venues in Philadelphia - including a show in front of 15,000 at the Tweeter Center with Weezer. Some of the national bands that have helped Cordalene along the way include My Morning Jacket, Rooney, Dashboard Confessional, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, OK Go, Something Corporate, Juliana Theory, D4, Electric Six, American Hi-Fi, Feeder, Sloan, Ultimate Fakebook, Shatzi, Nerfherder, and Duvall. Cordalene plays up and down the eastcoast, has organized shows to help out of town bands get into Philadelphia, and wants everyone to know about their favorite bands like the Red King, Capital Years, Pilot Round the Sun, Pepper's Ghost, Army of Me (DC), Hissyfits (NY), and Persona. In April 2002, Cordalene went into Indre Studios and cut a six-song demo (in only six hours!) that turned into their red EP on their own Manic Pop Thrill label. It sold out, so they just re-issued it. Now Cordalene has a new EP on Manic Pop Thrill. It's blue and it has four songs. It was also recorded in just one day, completely DIY: fast, exciting, and loud. It is the essence of Cordalene, mid-2003. Good things have been happening to Cordalene lately. They placed the blue EP's "Imaginary" on the 2003 Warped Tour Compilation on Side One Dummy Records. They played the Philadelphia Warped Tour date, even though they don't at all think they are a punk band. They have a version of "Who Loves the Sun" on the Lou Reed tribute CD After Hours, and a version of "I'm a Boy" on an upcoming Who tribute Who's Forgotten Now?, even though they don't at all think they are a cover band. Says Mike Kiley about being in a band - "Often I see people play and it's either too much or not enough. They are either looking at their shoes, or they become a tired schtick. It's hard to find an honest connection with an audience - to be exposed, yet confident." Adds McGuinn, "it's about everything that's real - pop music is the urgent communication of an idea within a single 3-minute song. I don't buy into technique - for me it's all about emotion and putting your entire being into your music and letting it resonate." cordalene@cordalene.com. Manic Pop Thrill Records 834 Ellsworth, Philadelphia, PA 19147