The Distillers Bio
Punk rock power trio THE DISTILLERS could be the musical equivalent of Evel Knievel. Scarred but strong, this indestructible band has scaled some career-defining jumps of late. Yet smartly, the group has forgone the debris and broken bones that always plagued Evel. With conviction and focus and just two albums in a few short years, THE DISTILLERS have succinctly knocked the music world on its respective ass.
Fronted and founded by twenty-two year old Australian singer/guitarist Brody Armstrong, THE DISTILLERS have caught a bolt of lightning in the months following the February release of Sing Sing Death House. A life raft of heartfelt punk amid a sea of nu metal dreck, the record chronicles Brody, drummer Andy Outbreak and bassist Ryan playing music as they define it -- a salvation from the anger, alienation, abuse and resentment in the world.
Steering the band with her gritty slurred phrasing and searing, urgent guitar riffs, Brody's all for doing it her way. "I don't really give a fuck about what people think," she recently told MTV, another outlet giving props to the band. Her autobiographical anthem, "The Young Crazed Peeling," attests to that outlook. It's the story of an unhappy young woman who leaves behind a broken, working class Melbourne home and an abuse-addled past for the liberating California sun. Oh yeah, she finds a man who treats her right along the way.
And although her husband happens to be punk veteran/Rancid singer Tim Armstrong, Brody says that connection has mostly been influential in keeping THE DISTILLERS focused. "One thing we've learned from Rancid is how to keep your family functional," she says. "Do what you want to do and don't take shit from anybody." Words to live by.
Keeping things running smoothly in the recording studio was Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion, and Epitaph pioneer) who helped in producing Sing Sing Death House. A lot has changed for The Distillers since the February release of Sing Sing. The departure of guitarist Rose was taken in stride, as the band didn't loose a step and keeping live performances tighter, and more action packed than ever before as a three piece. The family is defiantly functioning at 100% and The Distillers are gaining momentum, like a freight train with no brakes, they're not stopping till they get there.
