Malbec was an American indie rock band, formed in 2003. Malbec was noted as on the forefront of bands which integrated sequenced hip-hop beats with modern pop stylings; their musical style includes influences from Southern hip hop, Britpop, classical compositions and folk music.[1]

Malbec
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
GenresIndie rock, hip hop, indie pop
Years active2003–2010
LabelsSongs Music Publishing, Double O Buffalo
Past membersPablo Signori
Samantha Barbera
Nick Ruth
Sidney Miller
Mark Pontius

Malbec disbanded in 2010 and notably began the music careers of Foster the People drummer Mark Pontius, hip-hop producer Speakerbomb (Freddie Gibbs), pop songwriter and producer Nick Ruth (Zara Larsson, Kelly Clarkson, Night Terrors of 1927), among others.[2] Members Samantha Barbera and Ruth would go on to form Beginners in 2014.[3]

History edit

Malbec began in 2003 and officially formed in early 2004 in Los Angeles, California.[4] Malbec was made of friends Pablo Signori, Nick Ruth, and Sam Barbera, who met at Indiana University, in addition to Sid Miller and Mark Pontius.[5] Their name is nod to frontman Pablo Signori's family origin in Argentina.[6] Malbec self-released their debut EP Malbec in February 2005, produced by Tony Fagenson.[7] They released their sophomore EP in April 2006. This record, Keep It A Secret, was produced by Richard Gibbs and Rick Parker.[8]

In 2007, they signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing[9] and were heard on a number of television shows and movie soundtracks, including One Tree Hill, Flight of the Phoenix, Long Way Round, The Omen, Palo Alto and in the episode "Chuck vs. the Colonel" in NBC's Chuck.[10][11] They are also featured on Fox's show VIP Passport, Kyle XY, Dirty Sexy Money,[12] My Best Friend's Girl.[13] They have also had placements in MTV's 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Teen Mom 2, as well as ABC Family's 2011 show, The Lying Game. Malbec also recorded "Given the Times" in Simlish for the 2007 Electronic Arts game The Sims: Pet Stories 2.

Malbec released their self-produced full-length debut album Dawn of Our Age in March 2008.[14] From December 2008 to April 2009, Malbec released a series of five EPs in five months, called the Answering Machine EPs. They wrote, recorded and released a new EP every month.[5] In 2012, the EPs were released as a sixteen-track album.

Malbec toured with Mutemath, Mat Kearney, OneRepublic,[15] Under the Influence of Giants, Phantom Planet, Rock Kills Kid, Copeland, The Knux, and Tally Hall.[16][17]

In December 2009, Malbec parted ways with their original drummer, Mark Pontius, who left to found the indie pop band Foster the People.[18] The rest of the band remained together and worked on new music, including two collaborations with The Knux, "F@&k You" and "Fruits." They disbanded in 2010 and released an EP of unreleased material Last Dance in December 2011.[3][19][20]

Members edit

  • Pablo Signori – vocals, piano, guitar
  • Samantha Barbera – bass guitar, backing vocalist
  • Nick Ruth – guitar, backing vocals
  • Sidney Miller – keyboards, programming
  • Mark Pontius – drums

Discography edit

Malbec EP (2006) via Double O Buffalo[21]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Closer"Tony Fagenson3:42
2."Blue"Tony Fagenson3:34
3."Go"Tony Fagenson3:50
4."Solstice"Tony Fagenson4:30
5."Rectangle"Tony Fagenson4:34
6."Hidden Track"Malbec4:46

Keep It A Secret EP (2007) via Double O Buffalo[22]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Given The Times"Richard Gibbs3:53
2."The Visit"Rick Parker3:34
3."21"Richard Gibbs3:52
4."Keep It A Secret"Richard Gibbs3:34
5."Given The Times (Simlish Version)"Richard Gibbs3:56
6."21 (Acoustic Version)"Malbec3:52

Dawn Of Our Age (2008) via Double O Buffalo[23]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Dawn Of Our Age"Malbec4:37
2."Irene Song"Malbec3:03
3."Summer"Malbec3:25
4."Was It"Malbec3:50
5."Stranded In The Spotlight"Malbec4:07
6."Tell Me"Malbec3:24
7."Prison House Poet"Malbec4:21
8."Quiet Night, Quiet Places"Malbec2:59
9."Consider It Done"Malbec3:33
10."Survivor"Malbec3:39
11."Heaven"Malbec2:43
12."America"Malbec4:27
13."Been A While"Malbec4:08

Answering Machine EP #1 (2008) via Double O Buffalo[24]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Intro Message"Malbec0:36
2."Answering Machine"Malbec2:50
3."The Interlude"Malbec0:42
4."World Cup"Malbec4:52
5."Message from Sid"Malbec0:30
6."The Truth"Malbec3:35

Answering Machine EP #2 (2009) via Double O Buffalo[24]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Story Of A Broken Heart"Malbec2:42
2."Jen Message"Malbec0:35
3."Falling Off"Malbec4:16
4."Free"Malbec5:00

Answering Machine EP #3 (2009) via Double O Buffalo[24]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Home"Malbec4:15
2."Pictures In Magazines"Malbec2:47
3."Steven Message"Malbec0:29
4."When We See"Malbec3:50

Answering Machine EP #4 (2009) via Double O Buffalo[24]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Dancing The Night Away"Malbec3:29
2."Goon Message"Malbec0:21
3."You're Coming Around"Malbec3:14
4."Riley Message"Malbec0:31
5."Casualty Of Love"Malbec4:04

Answering Machine EP #5 (2009) via Double O Buffalo[24]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Unus Vita"Malbec4:21
2."Pfeffer Message"Malbec0:11
3."It Won't Feel Right"Malbec4:22
4."Something Wicked This Way Comes"Malbec3:31
5."Joseph Message"Malbec0:33
6."In The End"Malbec3:00

Last Dance EP (2011)[20]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Victorius"Malbec3:42
2."Downslide"Malbec3:14
3."Babylon"Malbec3:24
4."Waltz with Orion"Malbec3:29

References edit

  1. ^ "Malbec :: Dawn of Our Age". malbectheband.com.
  2. ^ "Nick Ruth". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  3. ^ a b Bronson, Kevin (2014-03-18). "Ears Wide Open: Beginners". buzzbands.la. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  4. ^ "Malbec". OurStage. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  5. ^ a b Potts, Ricky (28 January 2009). "Artist Interview: 1-on-1 with Malbec". Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. ^ ♫ Malbec - Malbec. Listen @cdbaby, retrieved 2019-12-05
  7. ^ "Malbec - Malbec". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  8. ^ "Malbec - Keep It A Secret". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  9. ^ "SONGS Music Publishing". SONGS Music Publishing. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  10. ^ "Malbec on Chuck". wordpress.com. 21 April 2009.
  11. ^ TV.com. "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Colonel". TV.com.
  12. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "My Best Friend's Girl". 19 September 2008 – via Amazon.
  14. ^ "Malbec - Dawn Of Our Age". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  15. ^ "OneRepublic with Malbec at House of Blues Los Angeles Tickets | Tue, November 20". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  16. ^ "Malbec Gigography, Tour History & Past Concerts – Songkick". www.songkick.com.
  17. ^ Bronson, Kevin (Sep 22, 2005). "BUZZ BANDS". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ Martens, Todd (June 26, 2011). "Foster the People: Pumped up, indeed". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ^ Bronson, Kevin (2011-11-16). "Video/premiere: Nicholas Ruth, 'Try Again'". buzzbands.la. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  20. ^ a b Last Dance, retrieved 2019-12-05
  21. ^ "Malbec by Malbec on Apple Music". apple.com. 1 January 2004.
  22. ^ "Keep It a Secret - EP by Malbec on Apple Music". apple.com. 1 January 2007.
  23. ^ "Dawn of Our Age by Malbec on Apple Music". apple.com. 2 March 2008.
  24. ^ a b c d e "Answering Machine - EP by Malbec on Apple Music". apple.com. 1 December 2008.

External links edit