Cincinnati, your kindred souls are visiting you on Sunday. The Whigs, a garage-rock band with a rock 'n roll heart from Athens, Georgia are stopping by the 20th Century Theatre to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and play songs from their latest release, Enjoy The Company. Not familiar with The Whigs? Here's a primer:
Number of years as a band: 11
Number of band members: 3 -- Singer/guitarist Parker Gispert, drummer Julian Dorio, and bassist Timothy Deaux
Number of full-length records: 4 -- Enjoy The Company, In The Dark, Mission Control, Give 'em All A Big Fat Lip
Number of frat houses in which The Whigs recorded an album: 1 -- the band's first record, Give 'em All A Big Fat Lip was recorded at Ross Crane House, a fraternity in downtown Athens, GA
Number of record labels the band has worked with: 2.5 -- The Whigs have released albums with ATO Records and most recently New West Records, and in their early days RCA courted them as part of a "development deal". But the band had a negative experience with the major label and chose to write and record their first album on their own.
High-Profile Bands Toured With: Lots -- Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, The Hold Steady, Drive By Truckers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Dead Confederate to name a few.
Number of awesome pictures The Whigs have posted to Instagram: 374. No, really, every single one of their pictures is interesting and deserves a "like".
Last time in Cincinnati: Kings of Leon and Black Keys tour, 2010
Length of the first track on Enjoy The Company: 8 minutes, 16 seconds. An impassioned declaration of resilience, it was originally planned to be the last track on the album (as most epic tracks are). But by the end of the recording process, the band knew it had to go first. The band's frontman, Parker Gispert, told Rolling Stone, "We had played the song a few times live and it just got gnarly whenever we played it at a show," he says. "Rather than truncate it for the record we just figured, let it hang loose."
Bands the producer of Enjoy The Company (John Agnello) has also worked with: Dinosaur Jr., The Thermals, The Kills, Drive-By Truckers, Social Distortion, Sonic Youth
Raddest review of Enjoy The Company: Paste Magazine, who called it, "An impressive set of booming interstate anthems."
Reasons you should come see them today at 20th Century Theatre: Plenty, but here are the biggest reasons -- The Whigs' music pairs well with the copious amounts of booze you're probably consuming; The band doesn't come to Cincinnati that often, and you don't want to miss seeing great rock 'n roll when you have a chance.
