Death From Above 1979

Death From Above 1979 Artistfacts

  • 2001-2006, 2011-
    Sebastien GraingerVocals, drums
    Jesse F. KeelerGuitar, bass
  • The members Death From Above 1979 have said that they met at a Sonic Youth concert, but that may or may not be true. As a joke, the band likes to make up stories about where they met. Some of the places they've told journalists they met include in prison, on a pirate ship, and at a gay bar. The band claims they also lived together in an empty funeral home at one time.
  • Death From Above bassist Jesse F. Keeler is known for being very reclusive. Keeler lives in the East York area of Toronto with his wife and daughter, but stays out of the public eye whenever possible. He even records in his home studio to avoid being seen around Toronto.
  • The group released their first EP under the band name Death From Above. They soon discovered that the name belonged to James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. Apparently, Murphy had been using the name for a side project for quite some time. After a legal dispute with New York label DFA Records, Death From Above was forced to add "1979" to their moniker. In 2017, the band reverted back to their original Death from Above name.
  • On August 3, 2006, bassist Jesse F. Keeler announced that the band had officially broken up. He claimed they had decided to split nearly a year before but did one last tour so that the people around them could earn enough money to cover Christmas presents for their families. The reason for the split was disputes over musical style and creativity.
  • Death From Above 1979 vocalist/drummer Sebastien Grainger is the co-owner of a music studio. He part owns Giant Studios in Toronto, Ontario with Jimmy Shaw from the popular Canadian indie rock band Metric.
  • Sebastien Grainger played drums on the K-OS song "Sunday Morning." He also appears in the song's video, playing the part of a homeless man recruited to play drums in the rapper's band.
  • Keeler produced and composed tracks for the Mortal Kombat movie reboot.
  • They've oscillated between the names Death From Above 1979 and Death From Above. Asked by NME for the duo's reasons for dropping the '1979' from their name, Keeler replied: "A couple of years ago we dropped it from our tour posters. No one noticed so we kept doing it."

    Grainger added: "The final straw was when I was making the art for our single 'Freeze Me.' I wanted to write the name out in ice, so I went on Amazon and ordered an ice cube tray in the alphabet. It came and there were no numbers. That was that."
  • It took a while, but they established a rapport in their songwriting that keeps them on the same page. "We're also at a point where we can complete each other's sentences in songwriting," Grainger told Songfacts in 2021. "That wasn't always the case. At the beginning, I just took whatever he gave me and went, 'OK. I'll write on that.' But now we're comfortable enough with one another musically that we can interchange."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."