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ALOKE is an American
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band that was formed by Christian Zucconi, Paul DeCourcey and Alex Charpentier in Ossining,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, in 2004. During their career, the band released one live album and three
EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, before disbanding in the summer of 2009. Thereafter, Zucconi formed
Grouplove Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vocals), a ...
, which gained popularity with ALOKE song, "Colors You Have" (renamed "Colours"). At one time, ALOKE was described as "shoveling out creepy, loud, grueling beauty" and "the fiercest, hardest working, loudest band in NYC".Aloke - Pretty Activity
/ref>


History


Background

The founders of the band – Christian Zucconi, Paul DeCourcey and Alex Charpentier – grew up in
Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...
and played together in a school band.Aloke seeks musical 'Nirvana'
/ref> Prior to ALOKE, Christian played bass in
Pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
, fronted by his friend and actor
Michael Pitt Michael Carmen Pitt (born April 10, 1981) is an American actor, model, and musician. In film, he has appeared in ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (2001), ''Bully (2001 film), Bully'' (2001), ''Murder by Numbers'' ...
.Pagoda Biography AllMusic
/ref> During his time in Pagoda, Zucconi filmed a music video for their "Happy Song", which captures him as a band member. Zucconi also played additional guitar on "Death to Birth" from Pagoda self-titled debut album. Later on, ALOKE opened several times for Pagoda. Paul DeCourcey played in
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band The Skizmatics. Their only record, "No Heroes" EP, was released on Beer City Records in 1996. Alex Charpentier was a drummer for
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
band
Awkward Thought Awkward Thought is a New York hardcore punk band that was formed in the 1990s. History After numerous compilation appearances and two demo tapes, Awkward Thought released their first full-length album ''Mayday'', consisting of seventeen songs, ...
. After they were joined by Alex Walker, the future ALOKE guitarist, the band recorded and released "Fear Not" EP. They were soon joined by DeCourcey, and afterwards this line-up recorded the infamous studio album " Ruin a Good Time", which was released on March 25, 2003.


Formation and first releases (2004–07)

The band was formed as a trio in the summer of 2004 and played its first shows in such venues as
Rothko Mark Rothko ( ; Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903February 25, 1970) was an American abstract painter. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular regions of colo ...
and
Pianos A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal tempe ...
. After a while, they released self-titled
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, which included five songs. ''Crusher Magazine'' wrote that songs are "sounds like
hey Hey, HEY, or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the ...
could've been lifted from the Nirvana box set",Aloke Review
/ref> while ''
The Deli Magazine ''The Deli'' was a Brooklyn-based independent music magazine, with both print and online editions, as well as a blog (still active) that covers local music scenes and their emerging artists. Magazine In its print version, ''The Deli'' was a qua ...
'' reviewer stated that EP "showcase a talented
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
/
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
combo with some interesting influences blessed by good songwriting skills and a genetic tendency to avoid banality and… explode!".The Deli - Music Recipes from the Big Apple
/ref> Both magazines noted the opening track "You Did It… Again", which "evokes the angular stance of
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
" and "will help you regain self-esteem". On January 29, 2005, the band released their second EP titled "Not So Nonsense". One of the songs from the album, "Fire in the Stove", was later re-recorded by Zucconi as an instrumental, while writing score for Jennifer Venditti documentary ''
Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
''. A few months later, in August, they put out another self-release, live album "One Day We Will Kill You", which was recorded in front of small audience and mixed at Excello Recording Studios by Hugh Pool in April 2005.Aloke on Gatehouse Anchor.com
/ref> The entire album also was allowed to download for free on official site. The following year, on May 2, the album was released on Pretty Activity and Gatehouse Anchor on CD and vinyl, respectively.
/ref> Vinyl version, unlike CD, does not include tracks "Love Is Distance" and "All That Ever Was". While promoting the album, ALOKE released three music videos for the songs "Nameless", "Pennywhistle" and "Dirty". The thought process for filming the video for
digital single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...
"Nameless" was that the band "wanted it to look and feel like how our live shows are sweaty, cathartic and lots of energy".Indie Music Interview: 10 Questions with ALOKE
/ref> "Pennywhistle" was partly filmed in the
deserts of California The deserts of California (also known as the California deserts and the California Desert or Deserts or Desert region) are the distinct deserts that each have unique ecosystems and habitats. The deserts are home to a sociocultural and historical " ...
, while "Dirty" was completely done in the band's rehearsal space.


Alex Walker and new recordings (2007–08)

Alex Walker grew up with the rest of the band members and prior to joining ALOKE, he had already played with DeCourcey and Charpentier in
Awkward Thought Awkward Thought is a New York hardcore punk band that was formed in the 1990s. History After numerous compilation appearances and two demo tapes, Awkward Thought released their first full-length album ''Mayday'', consisting of seventeen songs, ...
. Besides that, Walker played in
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
chamber group
Electric Kompany Kevin R. Gallagher is a guitarist who plays both the electric guitar and the classical guitar. As a classical guitarist, he has received top honors at some of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world, including the 1993 Guitar Foundatio ...
and Do Shadows Savage?, which had previously opened for ALOKE on a few occasions. Walker joined the band mid–summer 2007, and after that, the quartet rode to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, to record a new album. Recording sessions took place in Electrical Audio Studios and was produced by famed
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
, who has worked with musical acts such as
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
,
Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...
and
PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
, among many others. Overall, the band recorded 18 songs, 13 of which was scheduled for release on the new album, "What a Sight It Shines at Night". But, instead of a full-length album another EP was released, "I Moved Here to Live", which included five recorded with Albini songs. Hannah Hooper, Zucconi's girlfriend with whom he later formed
Grouplove Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vocals), a ...
, made the cover artwork for that EP. Over the next year and a half ALOKE toured frequently and took a part in such events as
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
and Safe to Swim Weekend.


Charpentier's departure, Anthony Kapfer, and break-up (2008–09)

In mid 2008, Alex Charpentier left ALOKE to pursue his dream of becoming the understudy for Dr. Frank N. Furter and the remaining band members continued performing as a trio, with Walker temporarily switching to bass, while DeCourcey took control on drums. In the first months of 2009
Anthony Kapfer
joined the band and sat behind the drum set.Anthony Kapfer The Living Room
The Deli - Kitchen - Elance
/ref> Two weeks after Kapfer auditioned for the band, they played
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
. In May the new line-up was set to record another extended play with Matt Labozza producing it. Although, it was not meant to be: a month later the band played its last show and disbanded, while all that was recorded remained unreleased. After break-up, Christian Zucconi formed
Grouplove Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vocals), a ...
. Grouplove adopted some of the ALOKE songs, "approached from a whole new angle", including "Gold Coast", "Itchin' on a Photograph", and "Colors You Have" (renamed "Colours"). The band released two studio albums, '' Never Trust a Happy Song'' in 2011, and its follow-up '' Spreading Rumours'' in 2013. Besides that, Zucconi participated in side-projects, such as Back Off Track and solo-project Little Million. Paul DeCourcey played for a while with Zucconi in Back Off Track and thereafter decided to focus his musical career on honing his craft as a Luthier and designing and crafting hand-made guitars. Since then, he opened up "Division Street Guitars", a shop in Peekskill, NY, where he repairs and builds custom guitars. Alex Charpentier, after his departure from ALOKE, played some time in
Star Fucking Hipsters Star Fucking Hipsters is an American punk rock band from New York City who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk Supergroup (music), supergroup" and feature members from numero ...
. In 2011, Walker, along with Charpentier and Jake Siegler, formed FORE, which released a self-titled instrumental album, putting it for free on
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
. The same year, Walker served as touring bassist for
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
-based
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Family of the Year Family of the Year is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. It consists of members Joseph Keefe (vocals/guitar), Sebastian Keefe (drums/vocals), James Buckey (guitar/vocals), and Christina Schroeter (keyboard/vocals). The ...
.Alex Walker Interview: From New York to LA GuitarInternational.com
On April 9, 2012, Walker released an extended play under the pseudonym Tutti Mondi, taken after the FORE song. In 2013, Walker played guitar on Galaxy of Tar EP entitled "Barreta" and Harry and the Henderson's EP entitled "Grooming the Bone". Anthony Kapfer began performing stand up comedy. He has appeared on NBC's Seeso show The Comedy Show Show, and on the Fox show Laughs. In 2011, he released and album of morbid kids songs for adults called Songs For Children To Cry To. In 2015, he released the first ever all animated stand-up comedy special called ''Anthony Kapfer: The Animated Stand-Up Comedy Special''. He also released a book called ''Book: The Book'', in 2016. All of these releases are available a
Anthony Kapfer.com


Reunion (2015–present)

In April 2015, it was announced that the band will reunite and release a full-length album, containing songs that were recorded back in 2007 at Electrical Audio Studio,
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, by the producer
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
. The next month, an extended play ''ALIVE'' was released, which contained three songs from the upcoming album. On June 3, ALOKE played their first concert since the break-up, which took place at the Boot & Saddle,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and one more the next day at Baby's All Right,
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. New album was released on July 17, having the same name as the EP On the day of its release, the band played a show at Echoplex,
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Set lists for the above concerts also included unreleased songs, including "Flushot" and "Walk Right Into the Sun". On June 22, 2017, ALOKE played one-off concert at the Satellite,
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.


Band members


Current members

*Christian Zucconi – guitar, lead vocals (2004–2009, 2015–present) *Alex Walker – guitar, vocals (2007–2009, 2015–present) *Paul DeCourcey – bass, vocals (2004–2009, 2015–present) *Alex Charpentier – drums (2004–2008, 2015–present)


Past members

*Anthony Kapfer – drums (2009)


Timeline


Discography

; Extended plays * ''ALOKE'' (2004) * ''Not So Nonsense'' (2005) * ''War Child (Promo 2007)'' * ''I Moved Here to Live'' (2008) * ''ALIVE'' (2015) ; Studio albums * ''Alive'' (2015) ; Live albums * ''One Day We Will Kill You'' (2006) ; Non-album songs * "It's Been a While" * "Mikey's Song" * "Walk Right Into the Sun" * "Flushot" * "Creepster" * "Laughing and Crying" * "On the Backs of Whales"ALOKE's Songs
/ref> * "Rocks in My Head" * "Run Around Town" * "As Far As We Go" * " Colors You Have" * "Immigrant Son" * "Head Inside a Suitcase" * "A Taste of Hootenanny" * "I Don't Wanna Go Home" * "Gimme Some Armor" * "Right Where You Are" * " Itchin' on a Photograph"ALOKE MySpace
/ref> * "Naughty by Nature" * "All Across the World Today"ALOKE All Across The World Today @ SXSW 2009
/ref>


References


External links

*
Aloke
on
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Post-hardcore groups