The Personals are an Austin-based trio who combine indie rock, powerpop, garage, and punk to create infectious 3-minute songs that are both unusual and instantly relatable. A self-titled EP was released in May 2006 at a tour kickoff show at the historic Austin bar Hole in the Wall. During the 2006 South by Southwest Music Festival, the band played three shows in four days, including an official festival party. During SXSW '07 the band played three times, earning some new fans in the process. The Austin American-Statesman newspaper featured the Personals on its Lifestyle cover page in May and July 2006, and group’s shows also have been recommended in the Austin Chronicle.
Songs off the EP are being played regularly on radio in Texas and the Midwest. In anticipation of the band’s June tour stop in Chicago, lead music writer Bob Mehr wrote in the Chicago Reader:
"One of the more pleasant surprises at this year's SXSW was Austin's Personals, who delivered one of the most inspired sets of spitfire rock-n-roll I heard all week. Guitarist-vocalist Adam White, bassist (and part-time Chicagoan) Erin Black, and drummer Kristen Brown mostly bow at the altar of early-80s SoCal power-pop bands like 20/20 and Paul Collins Beat, though they scuzz up and buzz out their melodies with a raw insouciance. White’s reedy voice conveys a desperation that recalls the Undertones’ Feargal Sharkey, and Black and Brown bring a rhythmic pugnacity to the tunes."
The Personals are known for the energetic chemistry between band members on stage – and for their professionalism and work ethic off stage. They have played most recently with Grand Champeen, Midori Umi, Just Guns, and the Militant Babies, and were among a handful of bands to help turn Trophy’s Bar into South Austin’s indie-rock headquarters. After the unequivocal success of a summer tour of the Midwest, the Personals are ready to hit the road again as soon as possible. The post-tour e-mails below are just two of many.
“I got a great new CD in the mail today. I’m so excited. It is fucking fantastic. You guys are amazing. Believe me, I have jaded ears and you guys rock. My 5-year-old was dancing around the room with me. I can't wait to see you live. Come to Oklahoma and stay awhile.â€
-- Roscoe, 52, Stillwater, Oklahoma
“I think I'm going to evaporate your CD, if that's possible. I've been playing it non-stop … thanks you guys!! I think I've memorized every single lyric and I still dance on my bed with a brush and sing it. It sounds dumb, but it's just so fun. I love your music!!â€
-- Kaitlin, 17, Green Bay, Wisconsin
A brief history of the Personals: Frontman Adam White has been performing and writing songs since he was a teenager in Wisconsin, and the influence of seminal Midwestern indie rock bands like the Replacements and Husker Du is evident in his music. He and bass player Erin Black met in 2002 through a record store flyer began playing together, almost accidentally evolving into an ideal creative/business partnership behind the scenes.
At a Trophy’s show in January 2005, Nashville/Portland transplant Kristen Brown, saw a four-piece incarnation of the Personals and fell in love with the band. She hadn’t played drums since high school but bought a drum kit anyway and learned their songs on her own. When Adam and Erin decided to rework the Personals as a three-piece, Kristen came on board and the band played its first show in January 2006. The response from fans old and new was overwhelming, as well as motivating for the band, which converted Adam’s garage into a rehearsal/recording space last spring and bought a van for touring.
Erin relocated to Chicago, managing the band from her new home base for the better part of a year. In April of 2007 the band brought on new bassist Erich von Erich, a friend of Adam's from Wisconsin. The two of them have been playing music together in some fashion since 1989 and are happy to be sharing a stage for the first time in many years. The Personals are shopping for a label to release their current EP and have plans to record their first full-length album.
Send a shout-out to Erin, whom we miss, and definitely check out her Chicago band Hidden Mitten!!
