""The toughest thing to do is write a hit song and the easiest thing to do is act like a rock band," says OneRepublic singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder. "But we had a hit song before we had an album and we can't pull off the 'rock god' thing. We do everything backwards.
OneRepublic's hit "Apologize" was not even the song's original version, but a remix heard on Timbaland Presents: Shock Value. The original appears on Dreaming Out Loud, the band's debut album, released November 20, 2007, on Timbaland's Mosley Music Group imprint via Interscope Records. That's right, OneRepublic is a full-on rock band executive-produced and on a label headed by a super-producer best known for hip-hop (Missy Elliott, Jay-Z) and who has branched out into pop (Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado).
"It sounds insane," says Tedder, who produced a couple of songs on the album, largely produced by Greg Wells (Deftones, Mika, Pink). "But Timbaland is the single most musical guy I've ever met, no matter the genre. That's why we said, 'Let's do it.' If you do things for the right reason, good things happen."
A few years ago, Tedder had another choice - either go down the road of writing and performing "pop" tunes as a solo artist or try to strike out in his own direction making music he felt could connect on a more personal level. He chose the latter.
He had performed on a singer/songwriter show on MTV and was given a recording contract at the epicenter of all things pop during the era of boy bands and pinup princesses. "But how could I ever take myself seriously," he says, "if I was embarrassed by what I was singing? There are a lot of artists who want to make you shake your ass on the dance floor, but only a handful that connect on a deeper level. I wanted more than just a catchy tune. There's nothing like a good pop song, but there's a fine line between accessibility and credibility, and that's the line I want to walk."
Fortunately, Timbaland saw him perform on the MTV show and called to say he wanted Tedder to work with him. For a 21-year-old who quit his job at a Pottery Barn warehouse in Nashville, vowed to never take another non-music gig, and sold his car so he could buy recording equipment, being taken under Timbaland's wing was a dream come true for Tedder. He calls the next two years in studios from New York to Los Angeles to Miami "Producer 101" because it was like going to college for production.
Tedder's father had been a singer/songwriter in the 70's for acts like gospel star Sandi Patty. Tulsa-born Tedder took up piano at age three and singing when he was seven.
Studying the art of songwriting by deconstructing hits chord by chord, he became enamored with songwriters as diverse as Diane Warren and Bono. Yet he also had a desire to be center stage. "It's the typical lead singer insecurity--I wanted the spotlight but not all of the responsibility. I was finding my own voice, but I knew that for the songs I wanted to do, the vehicle had to be a band."
Thus, in 2003, after his MTV experience and subsequent tenure with Timbaland, he returned to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he had spent his senior year in high school, and recruited classmate and guitarist Zach Filkins. The Iowa-born Filkins had spent his formative years, from 7 to 15, in Barcelona, Spain, where he intensely studied classical guitar. Back in the States for a couple of years in Illinois, he then relocated to Colorado Springs, where he met Ryan on the soccer team. Though they went their separate ways after graduation-- they kept in touch.
When they reunited, they moved to L.A., and promptly fell on hard times. "I'm not proud of it," Tedder admits, "but to buy groceries I had to write bad checks."
Given such dire straits, a couple of early band members exited and were replaced by guitarist Drew Brown and drummer Eddie Fisher. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Brown saw his first concert as a 10-year-old in 1994. "My dad took me to see Weezer and Teenage Fanclub. He threw me in the mosh pit so I could get the full experience."
When his former band's drummer went to L.A. and joined OneRepublic, Brown followed. "I told my parents, 'I'm not coming home. Send more money.' I'm just not cut out for anything more responsible than being in a rock band. Only recently my dad stopped regretting taking me to that concert."
The Oregon- and California-raised Fisher had a similar inspiration. A kid who was always beating out a rhythm tapping pencils on desks, he didn't become serious about the drums until he was in 7th grade and saw a U2 concert at Tempe Stadium in Arizona. It happened to be the 1987 performance recorded for the Rattle and Hum album and film. "It moved me so much that I sacrificed everything to be in music," he says.
What followed for OneRepublic was a short-lived deal with Columbia, and upon the deal's termination, the band was contemplating whether or not to continue, when, out of nowhere, OneRepublic became one of the most popular bands on MySpace. "Maybe the music climate changed," says Tedder. "All of a sudden we were getting e-mails from kids saying that because of one of our songs they didn't commit suicide or they got through their parents' divorce. We finally connected with the audience. We said to ourselves, 'We can't quit now.'" When Timbaland launched his Mosley Music Group label with Interscope, he was quick to sign OneRepublic as his first rock act.
Meanwhile, Tedder has continued with his production work on pop and hip hop under the pseudonym "Alias." Even now, some industry insiders do not realize that Tedder and Alias are one and the same.
His credits include writing, and singing on, three tracks for Paul Oakenfold's Grammy nominated A Lively Mind, penning and producing "Do It Well" for Jennifer Lopez, "Bleeding Love" for Leona Lewis and "He Said, She Said" for Ashley Tisdale, and co-producing and co-writing "Love Like This" for Natasha Bedingfield with The Runaways. He's also worked on tracks for Baby Bash, 2Pac, Chris Cornell, Bubba Sparxxx, Blake Lewis, YouTube phenomenon Esmee Denters, and produced and wrote songs for the acclaimed 2006 indie film Step Up. "I've written and produced from the poppiest of pop to rock to heavy hip-hop to electro," Tedder says. "That's my job, but OneRepublic is the big picture."
That picture gained a new sound with the band's most recent addition. Orange County-native Brent Kutzle has played bass in hardcore and pop punk bands, but has also played the cello since the fourth grade. " I made myself a promise to never join a band where I wasn't able to play both instruments. I could never give up celloÉI really love playing it." Using effects such as delay, reverb and looping, Kutzle has transformed the sound of the cello for a rock band.
Clearly, OneRepublic is an unusual rock band. "One difference (from) other groups is that we're always rotating instruments," Kutzle points out. "I might play keyboards, and Ryan bass, or I play cello, Ryan piano, and Drew, bass. Sometimes we forget who plays what on a song." For OneRepublic, it's all about the song.
Says Tedder: "If I'm not getting goosebumps when I write the chorus, then others aren't going to either. I want that 'hair standing on end' feeling. They may have simple melodies but our songs are about real life. It's complexity wearing the mask of simplicity."
Songs on Dreaming Out Loud are about what you want versus what you have, why you're not where you want to be, and how to get where you want to go. That the band members have reached where they have wanted to go seems weird even to them.
"We figured we would do what we love and not make any money," says Brown. "But we've blown past wherever we thought we'd get. We are now able to perform music that is getting heard by a pretty broad audience. This is bigger than us." Tedder agrees: "This is about affecting people in a positive way. This is about trying to make a difference in people's lives and hearts the way so many bands and songs did for us."
Maybe OneRepublic doesn't do everything backwards after all. Perhaps this is one band that has it exactly right."
Hi everyone out there in MySpace land, been a while since I've posted an update personally, too long if you ask me, so here it goes- a little update on my injury and upcoming shows and what not.
I'm currently laying on my back with my left ankle elevated watching reruns of Top Chef and that show w/ the guy that eats weird food all over the world (I've recently become a big fan of the food network- strange but fascinating channel). Anyway, you're probably tired of hearing it but the REAL story of what happened regarding my injury in Michigan last week is as follows:
About 90 minutes before our show I was walking to the showers to clean up, I took a few steps, pivoted and "snap!" My achilles tendon ruptured completely, my leg collapsed and I screamed bloody murder. 30 minutes later I was in the emergency room where my leg cramped again, my calf muscle balled up and I experienced the worst pain of my life, I will spare everyone the details, but lets just say my definition of pain has permanently been altered. ****At this point we were supposed to go on stage in 1 hour and believe it or not I was considering doing it- there were approx. 6,000 people at 7:30 waiting for a show and I was convinced we could pull it off..... then the pain meds kicked in.....within a few minutes I had trouble forming complete thoughts and realized there was no way I could get through a show.
So, for everyone at that show in Michigan last week I am truly sorry for how the cancellation went down- it was so close to our actual performance but now you know why. The injury occured at 6:30pm- the show was at 8:15pm and at 7:30pm I was still considering doing it. My surgeon said a torn achilles can happen to anyone, it has nothing to do with physical shape or strength or much of anything. I run 3-4 miles a day about 6 days a week so I can ure you it wasn't from me trying to do something I'm not physically capable of. I had surgery in Detroit the day after the injury by one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country (Dr. Plomaritis) - he handles all the professional sports teams in Detroit- and though it's only been 6 days, based on my current condition he says I'm already way ahead of the curve in terms of recovery, and I'm relatively pain free, thank God.
What does this mean for all our upcoming shows??????
After the surgery the doc ordered me to stay on my back, leg up, for 10 days (I'm SO sorry to the people from Crocs- esp the promoter, and the students at the Universities we had to cancel as well as the LiveNation promoter for the S. Carolina show). I have NEVER seriously injured myself and I played every competitive sport that exists from elementary thru college. As the doc put it, "It's a freak injury, anyone can do it at anytime."
HOWEVER, starting May 9th we will be flying to the UK to resume our first show at Shepherd's Bush in London and I can't tell you HOW excited I am/we are to be back performing- and this show looks like it will def be a sell out, which makes it even more fun. After the UK we will be back in the States picking up where we left off- all dates from May 12th on will remain, no cancellations predicted.
I am asking everyone to bare with us, while we will still be giving 120% at our live shows, I cannot put any weight on my left foot/leg so there won't be much running around for me- you will probably see a tamer version of Ryan as I will have my butt firmly planted on the piano bench for the entirety of our shows.....for at least 3 months. The doc says it will be 6-8 months til I am back to 100%- a ruptured achilles is the worst muscle/tendon injury you can have in terms of recovery time. oh well.
Now for positive news- THANK YOU to everyone that supported our 2nd single "Stop & Stare"!!! You guys helped take that tune to 1 in countries all over the world and we honestly couldn't believe it as it was happening-"could not believe it!"....YOU have helped us forever avoid the 'one hit wonder' label...and we're only just beginning! "Stop & Stare" has had its run, now it's about time for us to put out a new song- and that song is "Say" (All I Need).
****"SAY" (ALL I NEED)- NEXT SINGLE-- We shot the video in Paris about a month ago, and we have been waiting to put this song out for ages- it's one of the last songs we recorded for the Dreaming Out Loud album, and it is the personal favorite of most of the band. This song is about being happy with what you have in life, and not obsessing over what you don't have. Whether it's a person or relationship, love, or success, or even fame- living in LA for 5 years I've seen people trade everything they hold dear to get something or someone they 'think' they need- something they think will make their lives better, make them count. The irony is, it usually doesn't. To me the song is about stripping away the b.s., being honest, and finding out for yourself what's really important....and for each person that answer is different. And that's what I love about music and about songs- to each his/her own. Sometimes 2+2=4. Sometimes 2+2=5. A good song should meet people where they're at, regardless of age or genre. That is our goal, and will continue to be our goal with each and every song we put out; we made an album for people that use music as the soundtrack to their daily lives, not for critics. If you're reading this- we wrote this album for people like you. Thanks for allowing us to continue, song by song.
I have seen our calendar for the rest of 2008, and while I can't specify all the upcoming dates/shows/cities right now- I "can" say that if you live in a major (and some minor) city anywhere in the "world" (europe, asia, america, canada, etc...) we will be performing in your city/country this year. Our pports will be full by November pretty much. Sorry to be a bit of a tease, but we will be posting a TON of European, Asian and N. American dates this summer. Until then, take care of yourself, tell someone about 1R and CHEERS!!!
We thank you for your words of encouragement. Ryan had surgery and is recovering well. He flies home today and will rest for the remainder of this week.
To Clear up some confusion about what happened, Ryan had hurt himself playing Basketball just 3 hours before we were to play at CMU. We took him to the hospital and waited to hear the outcome from the Doctor and Ryan of what he was physically able to do. He was completely drugged and unable to perform let alone the pain that he was feeling. As soon as we realized this, Mark our amazing tour manager, told the Crocs team 30 minutes before we were to play about the situation and told them that we had to cancel. At that time we had to coordinate with Crocs and have them cancel our part of the show. we apologize for the trouble that we have caused.
To the Gentleman commenting on our website calling us nut bags. I want to say something brash and just rip you a new one. but to be honest. we understand how frustrating it must have been for you. So to you we say sorry!!! and we will make it up. and in the future before you bash us.. get the facts!!!
To all of our Amazing Friends/fans..........THANKS FOR CARING!!!!!
o Everyone!! well we have to inform you that Ryan has injured himself playing basketball. We had to cancel the CMU show which we apologize a million times over and will for sure reschedule another show in Michigan. Ryan tore his achilles and is in a crazy amount of pain. please pray for him and us as a band for we have been busting our es since Nov 07. We are looking to continue asap according to Ryan of course but we will make sure he is healed 100% before we continue. 08 has been rough but we are troopers and look forward to giving you a ROCK show! until then we are sorry and hope you understand. we love you and thank you in advance for understanding!!!!!! e~
Hey Everyone!! We will be playing at the OC Fair on Saturday, July 12th. Tickets to the general public go on sale this Saturday April 19th. We are offering special PRESALE tickets to all our fans starting TODAY. CLICK HERE to PURCHASE your tickets.
Hi everyone- we got NEWS! So we just got back from a short European tour (after finishing the 1st leg of our American tour), and we even squeezed in the taping of the video for our 3rd single in France.....we’re not saying ’yet’ what the 3rd single is going to be but we’d love to hear your thoughts/guesses on our page- leave us a comment w/ your guess. We’d like to thank ALL our American AND European fans for coming out to our shows and helping us sell out nearly every venue we played- it was humbling, amazing, tiring, and the coolest part of being in this band.
We’re headed to Australia and New Zealand for a 2 1/2 week tour-we fly out tonite!! but we’ll be back in the states April 10th kicking off our spring college tour throughout the midwest, south and east coast, followed by a west coast run. Can’t wait to see the Aussies and the Kiwis!
******Stop and Stare!! - We want to thank EVERYONE who has supported this song so much over the past few months- you’ve pushed it all the way into the top 10 and well beyond which is astounding for us- THANK YOU for helping us prove we are much more than one song!! (u probably know the song we speak of). We wanna tell u a cpl things- 1st, the band (all five of us)....found out last nite through some text messages from friends that "Stop and Stare" was the featured song during the final scene on the season premiere of The Hills last night! Shocking to all of us, cuz we honestly had no idea that was happening. Mad TV love- which is cool by us. So.......MTV will of course replay The Hills premiere about 200 times in the next 7 days- so...try and catch it! (IF u like the show, of course).
Last but not least- for those of you who like Stop and Stare- u can give us one final push (which would be GREATLY appreciated by the five of us) by calling or emailing your local radio station....if you ain’t hearin it enuf OR wanna hear it more - If you help us out.....we will buy you a powdered donut...and maybe even a gl of Yoo-Hoo. Yum!
We’ve got loads more news comin atcha over the next cpl weeks- crazy stuff that we can’t even believe is happening- you guys rooooooooock. thanks for sticking with us for all these years- we hope each of you can make it to a show in 2008-
peace-
cheers-
ciao-
1R
Hey guys, How’s everything going on your side? We just got home last night from possibly the most fun European tour ever, and we’re pumped to be home for a whole day and a half. We’re going to Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday with this band called Maroon 5 and then we’re putting the hurt back on the south and a lot of the states through April, so look out. Fathers lock up your sons. We just got done shooting a music video in Paris that we’re excited to reveal, though we have no idea when we’re going to be able to. In the meantime, see if this can hold you over...
Today, March 10th begins OneRepublic's 52 Bands / Artist of the Week on MTV!
There will be 10-11 hours of spots on MTV that run throughout this week featuring OneRepublic performances and interviews.
As MTV's Artist of the Week, they're showing off their lighter side by making fun of the Spinal Tap-type moments they've encountered along their bumpy road to success — which have apparently included run-ins with wizards, wenches, ...read more HERE!
The National Hockey League (NHL), in conjunction with Gibson Guitar, is holding an on-line auction featuring three autographed Gibson guitars, signed by 2008 NHL All-Star players, performers and hosts, including rock sensation OneRepublic, Usher, Wyclef Jean, Jonas Brothers and Ne-Yo. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Usher's New Look Foundation, a non-profit program established to expose young people to the business side of sports and entertainment. The guitars will be available for bidding until Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET. Each autographed guitar comes with a Letter of Authenticity from the NHL.
These tickets don't go on sale to the general public until February 2nd. We are offering presale tickets to our myspace friends first, so make sure to purchase your tickets NOW before they sell out!!
OneRepublic will be stopping by MTV Studios in Times Square this Monday, February 4th for a taping of TRL. To request tickets please email trlcasting@mtvstaff.com with "OneRepublic" in the subject. Please include name, age, location, phone, and number of tickets in your email. Must be 16-24 and available in NYC Monday morning.
Below is a list of some upcoming shows that don't go onsale to the general public until Saturday 1/26. We are offering presale tickets to our myspace friends first, so make sure to purchase your tickets now before they sell out!!!
PRESALE tickets are available online NOW for the following shows:
February 18, 2008 - Sauget (St. Louis), IL @ Pop's Nightclub
February 19, 2008 - Maplewood (St. Paul), MN @ Myth
February 22, 2008 - Deroit, MI @ Filmore Detroit
February 24, 2008 - Idianapolis, IN @ Murat Centre-Egyptian Room
February 25, 2008 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
February 27, 2008 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
February 29, 2008 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
OneRepublic will be signing copies of their debut CD "Dreaming Out Loud" at Independent Records in Denver on Friday, January 18th at 4pm. Store address and information is below. If you are in the area, make sure to come by and meet to the band!
Friday, January 18th, 2008 4 PM Independent Records 937 E. Colfax Denver, CO (303) 863-8668
Merry Christmas!! It's finally here! In our last blog we spoke of how busy we were, and it hasn't let up until now. We just flew into Los Angeles from our last show at the 930 Club in DC, and for those of you lucky suckas who were there, thanks for making our last show of 2007 one of the best of 2007! Needless to say, this year has been a turning point for us and if we were to thank everyone who helped us get this far, this blog would be a bit more book-like than you would want. So we will just send out a blanket "thanks" to all of you who have helped and supported us, making the past four years completely worthwhile. Now, we can stand on stages all over the world and listen as the crowd sings our songs with us. Best wishes to everyone, happy new year, and we can't wait to see you all in 2008.
Below is a list of some upcoming shows that go onsale to the general public this weekend. We are offering presale tickets to our myspace friends first, so make sure to purchase your tickets before they sell out!!!
PRESALE tickets are available online WEDNESDAY 12/19
at 10AM EDT for the following shows!!
January 31, 2008 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Live February 1, 2008 – Boston, MA @ Paradise February 2, 2008 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero February 6, 2008 – Toronto, ON @ Mod
You guys took us to no. 1 with "Apologize" and now we need your help getting our second single, "Stop and Stare," to the top of the charts! If you live near one of the stations below, please call in and request "Stop and Stare."
OneRepublic is giving you the chance to win a 27" HDTV, their new album, Dreaming Out Loud, and new music from Maroon 5, Blake Lewis and more! Click the banner to enter!
OneRepublic will be performing "Apologize" tomorrow morning on "The Today Show". The Performance will be at approximately 9:45 am, so make sure and tune in to NBC!
Our debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, is FINALLY in stores and on iTunes TODAY!!! We are humbled by the overwhelming response from you guys already. Thank you for your continued support – we couldn't do it without you!!!
We would greatly appreciate your help in three ways – 1) Buy it (but, of course, you knew that already!), 2) write a review at the iTunes store and on Amazon.com, and 3) tell all of your friends!
Interact
We are hosting an exclusive listening party/chat room on our brand new website: www.onerepublic.net. Connect with other 1R fans to discuss your favorite tracks from the new album and anything/everything OneRepublic!
CDKey
Already GOT "Dreaming Out Loud"? Put the CD in your computer and CLICK HERE to get the remix of "Sleep" FOR FREE!
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