World Leader Pretend - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Amidst the rum and ramshackle structures of mid-city New Orleans stands an old hotel, a brokedown relic of the busy Southern streets of the 1960s. Overhead the interstate casts noise and shadow, and down below sit forsaken Cadillacs, probably unmoved for decades. And though each of its eight stories reeks of stale beer and bathroom, its walls seep a certain indescribable charm.
Inside these halls of faded glamor and former exuberance, World Leader Pretend has made a home. The floor is well-littered: sleighbells, a tipped-over lamp, a little black book, dried-out coffee cups, a glockenspiel, and a pair of perfectly shined shoes. With careful steps, these scrappy and spirited gentlemen enter daily to write, arrange, and rehearse their sweet music, and to sort through their overactive imaginations and aesthetic hunches.
While not a likely setting for a pop band, it suits this gang well. World Leader Pretend has always been a maverick crew in New Orleans, a city where trumpets outnumber people two-to-one and jazz and jam bands are heralded while all others are mostly left to their own devices. The antique city's insularity and lack of a trendy scene gave the boys freedom from seductions to compete or conform, leaving them to develop their own unique charm over the years and, ultimately, make something beautiful.
The result is Punches, a collection of 14 pop songs with a rock flair and a soul feel, an homage to the music that had surrounded them for so many years, blasting from front porches on the racially integrated uptown streets, crackling from their busted tube radio, and intimating through the walls of their ragtag '60s hotel.
Punches espouses the grandiose orchestrations of blue-eyed soul, the raw intimacy of Stax records, and the playful crooning of vocal legends of yesteryear. Its combination of haughty glamor and heartbreaking honesty allows for a glimpse into a world of the boys' own creation.
World Leader Pretend is taking their own little universe of fractured glamor and slipshod sincerity on the road this spring, and inviting all to drop by. And although these gentlemen remain humble and earnestly unassuming, they're hedging their bets that you'll want to stay.
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/18/2005
Band Website: we aint got one of those
Band Members: Keith Ferguson - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Arthur Mintz - Drums
Alex Smith - Bass

Sounds Like: Click The Links Below To Watch The 'Bang Theory' Video
Windows Media: Hi || Med || Lo
QuickTime: Click Here

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Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

2nd Annual Thanksgiving Musical

The air is drier. The leaves are falling (sort of). This can only mean one thing - the time has come for a second installment of Thanksgiving: The Musical Trilogy. That..s right, World Leader Pretend ...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:32:00 PST

Pitchfork's Review of "Punches"!

Pitchfork is one of the toughest critics out there on the net and it's a battle to get a rating above 5.0. Well WLP managed! Check it out HERE! ...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Tue, 28 Feb 2006 07:29:00 PST

Guess what band picked "Punches" as their .1 album of 2005!

Click HERE to find out.
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:05:00 PST

WLP to host Subterranean on MTV2!

Matt and Keith from WLP are set to host Subterannean on MTV2 on Sunday, December 11th at 12 Midnight EST. Check your local listings for more information or log on to mtv2.com. Spread ...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Fri, 02 Dec 2005 03:10:00 PST

Listen to "Punches" this week in The Booth!

OK, so most of you probably already own the record (sure hope so) but for the next week, you can stream the album over at The Booth!. Please tell all your friends to check it out so they can hear "Pun...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Tue, 15 Nov 2005 03:42:00 PST

Thanksgiving Musical

On November 23 WLP will be presenting their First Annual Thanksgiving Rock n' Roll Musical (somewhat based on the story of thanksgiving) starring Bryan Spitzfaden. The show will be at Tipitina'...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Sat, 12 Nov 2005 02:56:00 PST

upcoming shows in Nashville and Philly!

WLP fans in Philly and Nashville take note... The 11/17 Philadelphia show at World Cafe (Upstairs) is a FREE and late show at 11pm. See WLP live in Nashville as part of the WRLT concert series at 3rd ...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Thu, 10 Nov 2005 02:06:00 PST

WLP IS ON THE RADIO!

Tune in to hear interviews and acoustic performances (all times local):Sun., Nov. 6Madison, WI: 4-5 pm WSUM Support Your Scene University ...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Sat, 05 Nov 2005 07:33:00 PST

WLP's Voodoo Music Experience Performance!

VH1 will bring exclusive performances from day one of the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans to viewers through its broadband network Vspot beginning today, Friday, November 4th! Coverage from the...
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Sat, 05 Nov 2005 07:31:00 PST

World Leader Pretend live on woxy.com November 4th.

Make sure you remember to check out World Leader Pretend live on woxy.com Friday November 4th at 2pm Eastern. Tell your friends too!
Posted by World Leader Pretend on Thu, 03 Nov 2005 01:50:00 PST