• 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

More Songfacts:

VeronicaElvis Costello

"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Sour TimesPortishead

The eerie percussion and guitar for Portsihead's "Sour Times" was sampled from Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident," music composed by the Argentine composer for an episode of Mission Impossible.

Pretty In PinkThe Psychedelic Furs

"Pretty In Pink" by Psychedelic Furs was released in 1981. Five years later, it inspired a movie of the same name starring Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer. The song was remixed for the re-release to have more pop appeal.

Crazy KidsKesha

Kesha (known at the time as Ke$ha) was still pretty wild when she released her song "Crazy Kids" in 2012. It's about one of her birthday parties that got a little out of hand.

Going HomeKenny G

A 1989 track by Kenny G, "Going Home," is the unofficial national closing song in China. The tune is played at the end of train rides, the end of school days, and when malls are about to close.

I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)Jay-Z

"I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" by Jay-Z borrows four bars from Notorious B.I.G's "The World Is Filled." Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls attended Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn, New York, at the same time.

Editor's Picks

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

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

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.