Splitsville

In the beginning we just wanted to have fun...

Our first album was recorded in Paul's basement on borrowed equipment and borrowed time: three practices to get ready, three days to record, twelve songs full of harmonies, hooks, pop culture,and not much else. This was our cartoon stage. We were laughing at our power pop roots, and what we lacked in musical proficiency we made up with energy. Splitsville USA sold a few copies, got us a couple of good reviews, and gave us a reason to go on our first tour; a whirlwind, super-low budget trip through the smallest towns in the Midwest.

Not six months after we completed recording the first album, Splitsville moved out of the basement and into a friend's garage. Brian Whaley's Whale Tail Studio was the birthplace of Amateur Hour; a seventeen minute concept album that may best be described as "the bastard child of Sergeant Pepper and Tommy with attention deficiency disorder". To date this recording has not been available for sale and was only recently performed live in it's entirety.

Next came the E.P. which became the basis for the Complete Pet Soul. Not simply a loving tribute to the Beach Boys and the Beatles, two major influences, it marked our first time at Invisible Sound Studios with Dave Nachodsky, ex-Greenberry Woods and present Splitsville sound guru, and set a precedent for future recordings. (A bit of trivia: the E.P. was financed by a series of radio commercials we wrote and recorded for Baltimore's "alternative" newspaper). This 4-song E.P. was originally released as a free promo under the name Pet Soul.

We recorded two studio albums for Big Deal records before that New York indie label gave up the ghost. The first of these was Ultrasound, featuring fourteen or fifteen fast and furious pop tunes, the record garnished some more good reviews, a fantastic tour with the ladies of Shonen Knife, and a couple of trips around the States including two stops in L.A. for the national pop festival, Poptopia.

We followed up with Repeater, a more crafted and cerebral outing. This time we had the luxury of six weeks to record and Dave's production skills were really put to the test. To promote the album's release we did another national tour and a handful of high profile shows in the area before the label's financial ruin put a crimp in our plans of world domination.

In 2001 The Complete Pet Soul was released to international critical acclaim. The album featured six new songs, as well as our cover of Burt Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," which is featured in the movie Get Over It starring Kirsten Dunst and Sisqo. The new songs were recorded with Andy Bopp (Love Nut/Myracle Brah) at his home studio, and the CD has been released through Air Mail records in Japan and Houston Party records in Europe.

Air Mail also released our 'best of' album Bulk Rate, which includes live tracks, re-mixes, and a previously unreleased cover of "Our Love Was" by the Who.

In the fall of 2001, Splitsville became a four-piece. With the addition of Tony Waddy on lead guitar and vocals, we have been able to add songs previously unperformed in our live set. We enjoyed a second trip to Spain, which included local and national radio interviews in several cities, numerous print interviews and a live concert taped for Spanish national television. The fifteen-show, thirteen-date tour was a big success.

During the summer of 2002, we headed back to Invisible Sound Studios and Dave Nachodsky to begin recording new songs for what would become our fifth full-length album, Splitsville Incorporated. After what seemed like an eternity, the record was completed the following summer, licensed to Houston Party Records in Spain, and subsequently released in the US, Europe, the UK, and Japan in late November 2003. Reviews from fans and critics from around the world have been incredible. This has also been reflected by album sales in the US and abroad. Incorporated made it onto several "Best of 2003" lists and promptly sold out in the US within the first month of release.

The dawn of 2004 meant another long-awaited trip to Spain. This time we had nine shows in twelve days which included some cities that weren't visited on previous tours (La Coruna, Malaga, Murcia, Huelva, Algeciras) as well as cities that have been successes in the past (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Castellon). We did national television, print and radio just like last time and the response was even more overwhelming than before.

As we continue to promote the new record, we'll be playing several US cities this year, hitting college and national radio as hard as possible, and trying to get back to Spain this summer to play some festivals and shows in the bigger cities.

Left to right: Matt Huseman, Brandt Huseman, Tony Waddy, Paul Krysiak