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Five Iron Frenzy
| Genre: |
| Ska/Swing, Rock |
| Members: |
| Dennis Culp (trombone), Nathanael "Brad" Dunham (trumpet), Keith Hoerig (bass), Sonnie Johnston (guitar), Jeff "The Girl" Ortega (saxophone), Micah Ortega (guitar), Reese Roper (vocals), Andrew Verdecchio (drums) |
| For fans of: |
| Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, MU 330 |
| Label: |
| Five Minute Walk |
 Discography
The End Is Here (2004)
The End Is Near (2003)
Cheeses… (2003)
Electric Boogaloo (2001)
All The Hype That Money Can Buy (2000)
Live: Proof That The Youth Are Revolting (1999)
Quantity Is Job 1 (1998)
Our Newest Album Ever (1997)
Upbeats and Beatdowns (1996)
If you like this artist, try …
The O.C. Supertones, The Ws, The Insyderz, Brave Saint Saturn
INTERVIEW
Still Frenzied
Christian Music Today
Five Iron Frenzy wrapped up its final tour-ever-Saturday before 3,600 frenzied fans at a sold-out Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The band has decided to call it quits, but we had a chance to reminisce with them just a few days before it all ended.
[ Go to more interviews ]
 REVIEW
The End Is Here
Christian Music Today
The popular ska-rock band goes out in style with their spirited, fun, and passionate final release. Plus a live album of one of their last shows.
[ Go to more reviews ]
Biography (courtesy of Five Minute Walk Records)
Five Iron Frenzy, the octet from Denver, Colorado, has been attracting passionate and eclectic fans since their inception in 1995. Formed out of the unlikely ashes of an industrial/thrash band called Exhumator, Five Iron Frenzy quickly made a name for themselves in the Denver club scene. After playing 60 shows in their first few months of existence, they began receiving attention from several established labels and ultimately signed with 5 Minute Walk Records in Concord, CA, which released their debut album in late 1996 entitled "Upbeats and Beatdowns".
According to a writer at The Boston Globe, Five Iron Frenzy creates music which "captures the tangy, horn-soaked spirit of ska, while spotlighting a terrific singer and a positive religious message". Evidence of this can be found on their 4 full-length albums ("Upbeats and Beatdowns," "Our Newest Album Ever," "Proof That The Youth Are Revolting," "All the Hype That Money Can Buy") and their E.P. ("Quantity is Job One"). In addition to this they have been featured on numerous compilations, and have released 3 seven inches, one independently, one on 5 Minute Walk, and one on Asian Man Records.
These releases have helped Five Iron to gain the respect of music lovers everywhere, and have helped the band to enjoy both critical and commercial successes. Phantom Tollbooth magazine said FIF's last album, "All the Hype … ", was "Unbelievable … and could well go down in history as one of the greatest Christian albums of all time." Real Magazine, speaking of the same album commented that FIF had "[proved] their staying power as an innovative and prophetic band." And their forthcoming album "Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo," promises to be their best. The band is more focused, energetic, and aggressive than ever before. Musically landing somewhere in between the rawness of Rocket from the Crypt and the melodiousness of Chicago, "Electric Boogaloo," which comes out Nov 20 on 5 Minute Walk Records, will certainly earn them more critical accolades.
And FIF's success is not limited only to the realm of the critics. With the release of "Electric Boogaloo" FIF will have sold over 500,000 copies of their 6 CD's. This has helped most of the band's releases to appear on Billboard Magazine's "Heatseeker" chart, with their last album debuting at #6. In addition, they have broken into Billboard's Top 200 in the past, and hope to again with the release of "Electric Boogaloo," which will please long time fans of the band as well as help them gain new ones.
In addition to recording, Five Iron is also renowned for their incessant touring. Besides having appeared in 46 of the 50 states, they have also crossed international boundaries to bring their music to fans in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. They participated in the "Ska Against Racism" tour with the likes of Less Than Jake, The Toasters, The Blue Meanies, Mustard Plug and MU330, and have also toured with bands such as The Supertones, The W's, The Mad Caddies, and Switchfoot. In addition, the band has also performed spot dates with an diverse variety of bands including Face To Face, The Hippos, MxPx, The Pilfers, Buck-o-nine, Sixpence None the Richer, POD, Tilt, The Pietasters, Save Ferris, and many others. The energy of their live show was certainly one of the factors in helping them to win the readers choice award for "Best local ska band" from their home town arts and entertainment weekly, Westword, for 2 years running.
The bands fans can catch one of Five Iron's energetic live performances this Fall as they will be headlining the 2 month long, nationwide, "Electric Youth Tour." Also featuring Relient K, Ace Troubleshooter, John Rueben, and Issac, this tour promises to be one of FIF's best live performances. The band is excited to be on the road again showcasing their new material and, with top notch production, FIF should please both old and new fans alike with their live show.
With the release of Five Iron Frenzy2: Electric Boogaloo, Five Iron will continue to earn the respect of their fans and peers, to create crowd rousing, lyrically thoughtful songs, and to remain honest examples of ordinary people wrestling with life and faith.
Interviews
Christian Music Today 01/05, Still Frenzied
Christian Music Today 11/03, The End Is Here
Christianity Today 05/24/99, Where No Ministry Has Gone Before
Campus Life March/April 1999, ska mania
Reviews
Christian Music Today, The End Is Here
Christian Music Today, The End Is Near
Christian Music Today, Cheeses…
Christian Music Today, Electric Boogaloo
Campus Life Hot Release, All the Hype That Money Can Buy
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