The Pillbugs
Biography
The Pillbugs are an American rock group playing a mix of psychedelic, progressive. and power pop influenced music that emerged on the indie scene in the late 90s. Based in Toledo, Ohio, band members Mark Mikel (vocals/guitar/keyboards), David Murnen (vocals/percussion), Mark Kelley (vocals/bass), Scott Tabner (guitar), and Dan Chalmers (drums/vocals) released three albums under the credo "the world's most psychedelic band." Their debut thirty-two track CD, titled just 'The Pillbugs' in 1998, was...
The Pillbugs are an American rock group playing a mix of psychedelic, progressive. and power pop influenced music that emerged on the indie scene in the late 90s. Based in Toledo, Ohio, band members Mark Mikel (vocals/guitar/keyboards), David Murnen (vocals/percussion), Mark Kelley (vocals/bass), Scott Tabner (guitar), and Dan Chalmers (drums/vocals) released three albums under the credo "the world's most psychedelic band." Their debut thirty-two track CD, titled just 'The Pillbugs' in 1998, was the first double CD set in history to contain all new original music by a rock band.
Proverus Records re-released the first album in 2003 along with a new sophomore release "The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream." This CD contained a 3-D Viewmaster reel of the band's album artwork and promo shots. This is the only known rock CD to contain a Viewmaster reel.
In 2004, The Pillbug's third and widely-considered poppiest album "Happy Birthday" was released on the Proverus label.
Their fourth album "Buzz for Aldrin" was released in June 2007. Then they signed with Rainbow Quartz and their album "Monclovia" was released Oct. 30, 2007.
In early 2008, the band began work on their next album. On May 3, 2008, bassist/vocalist Mark Kelley died after a 9-year struggle against lung cancer. Everybody Wants a Way Out, the band's second album on Rainbow Quartz, was released in November 2008.
The Pillbug's sound immediately brings to mind the colorful music of the late 1960's and especially evokes the spirit of British groups like The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Critics have been hard pressed to say anything negative about the group's music except for the fact that it is very retro-oriented. Fans are devout and claim that is only the surface of deeper riches..
On April 2012: The entire Pillbugs catalog is NOW available on itunes! Make it your own! Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.