|
still believing in the power of a great radio hook
The Handcuffs embody the spirit of rock music's uninhibited,
sexy and overbearing appeal. A perfect blend of style and energy. They
do not sound like anyone else, but at the same time they seem very familiar.
They are influenced by everything good that sells and anything good that
doesn't. Rock music is loud (not just in volume, but in its nature),
pompous and fun - and The Handcuffs embrace every reckless minute of
it.
Chloe F. Orwell, the designated blonde of the duo, is
the lead singer whose stage presence and vocal stylings ooze sex and
scorch and rock and roll. She can slide from a corduroy growl to a shimmering
silky sigh in a Detroit second.
Brad Elvis, the other half of The Handcuffs, is a black-haired,
four-handed drummer whose manic-panic style paints a 747 jet rhythm to
every Handcuffs tune. Brad is also the chief songwriter (although Chloe
is known to have a song or two stashed in her boots) and one of the visionaries
of the duo. Bam! |
|
The Chicago-based pair originally teamed up several years ago when Brad recruited
Chloe as lead vocalist and contributing songwriter for his band Big Hello,
which released three critically acclaimed CDs, played hundreds of shows and
received airplay on college and commercial radio all over the globe. Their
potent creative chemistry earned the duo praise from fans and critics alike
for their musicianship and showmanship plus accolades in the mainstream and
alternative press throughout the world, including the Los Angeles Times, LA
Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Columbus Dispatch, Illinois Entertainer,
The Herald-Review, The Big Takeover, Punk Planet, Amplifier, Sound Affects
(Sweden), Jem (Japan), Mojo (U.K), Bucketfull of Brains (U.K.) and countless
others.
The Handcuffs evolved from Brad and Chloe's desire to explore a broad sonic
territory, while still believing in the power of a great radio hook. Their
songs are fresh yet timeless; edgy yet accessible; skillfully crafted yet easily
memorable. Their influences range from Sparks to Bowie, Eno to Beck, PJ Harvey
to the Pixies, Franz Ferdinand to Zeppelin, White Album to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
with some Blur, Blondie and Bacharach tossed in for good measure. You could
spend all day trying to name that tune, but by nighttime it would still be
The Handcuffs.
Tennessee-by-way-of-Arkansas
The duo started out making boombox demos with Chloe on guitar
or bass and Brad often singing the lead vocals and keeping time on a cardboard
box or whatever was handy. Proper studio sessions, with the help of additional
guest instrumentalists, followed and The Handcuffs recorded more than three
albums worth of material. Then came song placement in television shows and
films, followed by a self-produced music video (with more on the way), all
of which seemed to help get the buzz in motion - not only in Chicago, but in
other parts of the country, as well. With plans to release their debut CD,
they finally decided to put a live band together.
 |
To complete their line-up, Brad and Chloe have welcomed
three powerhouse musicians to help them deliver the rock. Enter bassist
Emily Togni, a Tennessee-by-way-of-Arkansas native, Chicagoan Ellis Clark
on guitar and formerNew Jersey girl Alison Hinderliter on keyboards (who
also plays with acclaimed Chicago band the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir).
Prolific writers and producers, The Handcuffs have officially
released two albums, recorded with Mike Hagler (Wilco, the Pulsars, Neko
Case, the Mekons) at Kingsize Sound in Chicago, with the third scheduled
for releasein late summer 2011. Songs from the debut CD "Model for
a Revolution" and their follow-up "Electroluv," (in addition
to many unreleased tracks) have been placed in numerous feature films
and television shows on the CW, MTV, VH1, A&E, E!, Showtime, PBS,
FUSE, Fuel, ABC and NBC, including Gossip Girl, Roadtrip Nation, Jersey
Shore, The Hills, The City, Laguna Beach, Margaret Cho's The Cho Show,
Celebrity Rehab and many more. The Handcuffs are also featured on the
soundtrack of the Sundance and SXSW award winning documentary The Education
of Shelby Knox by New York production house and champions of free thinking
Incite Pictures. |
The Handcuffs have been receiving airplay on dozens of
college, commercial, satellite and internet radio stations throughout the
world, including KROQ (Los Angeles), InterFM 76.1 (Tokyo), WXPN (Philadelphia),
M3 Radio (NewYork City), Onda Madrid (Spain), WKQX (Chicago), WLUW (Chicago),
GOLDIE'S GARAGE (Sirius Satellite), KEUL (Girwood, AK), WECS (Willmantic,
CT), KWAR (Waverly, IA), WLFR (Pomona, NJ), KCSU (Ft. Collins, CO), WCUR
(West Chester, PA), WCBN (Anne Arbor, MI), WLOY (Baltimore, MD), KUNM (Albuquerque,
Santa Fe) and many more (a more extensive list can be found under the "Archives" heading
on the news page). The band also performed at CMJ in New York City this past
year where they debuted songs from their most recent album. The Handcuffs'
goals for the future: keep writing, keep recording, keep evolving.
website: thehandcuffs.com
facebook: facebook.com/thehandcuffs
twitter: twitter.com/thehandcuffs
|
