John
LaMonica - vocals, guitars, beats
John LaMonica, the artist now known as TIEBREAKER, attempted
to dissappear in October of 2005. Without warning, his band's
fall tour was cancelled, his website was shut down and his management
was left with no contact information whatsoever. After rumors
of his death began circulating among fans of his previous bands
(My Spacecoaster, Death At Sea, The Polyphonic Spree), it seemed
that someone should set the record straight as to his whereabouts
and what seemed like a random vanishing act. Only, no attempt
was made, at least on his part.
TIEBREAKER's lineup weathered numerous incarnations following
it's inception in 2001. After four yeas, the band was still no
closer to being a finalized unit. Interest in the band and its
iconic central figure seemed to spread tirelessly, mostly via
word of mouth, among devoted fans and on the internet. A few major
labels even made attempts at snatching up the singer/songwriter
after the release of How Shall They Hear?(Spune/Velvet
Blue Music). Originally released under the TIEBREAKER moniker
one press outlet commented that the EP contained "songs so
sparse and frail they can only be described as haunting"
and many other critics echoed this sentiment. One of whom was
director/actor, John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Itch).
At his request, TIEBREAKER was included on the soundtrack
for the film Shortbus which also featured Yo La Tengo, The Hidden
Camera's and Animal Collective. Around this time LaMonica began
making unannounced appearances at the Toronto International Film
Festival, The Knitting Factory in New York, and SXSW in Austin
as the official festival kickoff DJ. These performances brought
about many questions concerning LaMonica's two year hiatus. Was
there new material? A major label deal? Rehab? The truth might
well have be stranger than all the above. It seems that, around
the time of his "disappearance" the artist known as
TIEBREAKER simply pulled the plug and hit the road. Without
so much as a farewell concert, LaMonica packed up his belongings
and couch surfed his way across the country. From Texas to Seattle,
California to New York, DC to Canada, and so on. He finally ended
up in none other than Salt Lake City where he has apparently decided
to stay put, at least for now.
The rebirth of John LaMonica's musical output has commenced.
Choosing to freely release Memory Vs., this past summer
and now issuing the long-awaited A Minor Miracle full length
at October's end, it seems a brighter future is ahead.
Click here to download Memory
Vs. for free.
Click here to download A
Minor Miracle from iTunes.
Critics on TIEBREAKER:
"unlike anything I'd heard in Dallas music--dangerously
soulful, raucous and rich...a marvel of lo-fi longing, softly
strummed heartache in search of a silver lining"
- Dallas Observer
"sparse slowcore recalls Idaho and/or Rocky Votolato"
- Lawrence.com
"brooding, yet lighter than air, immaculate yet organic,
gospelish yet solemn acoustic-based pop with techno accompaniment
"
- Fort Worth Weekly
