The Colourist

The Colourist
Background information
OriginOrange County, California, U.S.
GenresIndie pop, indie rock, power pop
Years active2009–2016, 2021–present
MembersAdam Castilla
Justin Wagner[1]
Past membersKollin Johannsen[2]
Maya Aoki Tuttle
Websitethecolouristmusic.com

The Colourist is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2009 by Adam Castilla, Maya Aoki Tuttle, Justin Wagner, and Kollin Johannsen.[3][4] The band has been inactive since Aoki Tuttle's departure in December 2016; a social media post in late 2021 hinted at the band resuming activity, but they have not released any new music since the announcement.

History

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2007–2012: Beginnings

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Castilla and Aoki Tuttle met while performing in the band Paper Thin Walls, who rose to notoriety after being chosen to play the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion concert in London.[5] The name "The Colourist" was borne out of a conversation with a friend of the band—a film student working with a film colorist at the time. Because the name was not already used, the ensemble decided to use the British/Canadian spelling for aesthetic and availability reasons.[6]

After years of performing concerts in their hometown, the ensemble captured the eyes of major record labels during their residency at Los Angeles' Bootleg Theater. In July 2012, the band signed a record contract with Universal Republic Records.

In 2013, the band's debut single "Little Games" became the No.1 song on Hype Machine.[7]

2012–2014: Debut EP and studio albums

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In late 2012 and early 2013, the ensemble spent five months in Eagle Rock, California recording fourteen songs with producer Carlos De La Garza,[8] twelve of which went on the full-length studio album. Weeks after the recording was complete, the quartet performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.[3][9] On August 20, 2013, the band released their debut EP Lido.[10][11]

On March 25, 2014, The Colourist also released their debut studio album, The Colourist.[12]

2014–2015: Inversions and Will You Wait for Me

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In October 2014, the ensemble released their first remix EP entitled Inversions.[13]

On March 5, 2015, radio station KSRY FM in Los Angeles published the single "When I'm Away."[14] Laura Neumayer of The Eagle Online describes the song as "complete with a groovy guitar riff reminiscent of The Lighthouse and the Whaler's "Venice."[15]

On May 25, 2015, "When I'm Away" was featured as the theme song on a television commercial for Hulu.[16] At that time, it was announced that the tune will be featured on Will You Wait for Me, the third EP from the ensemble.[14]

On July 23, 2015, "Romancing" was released streaming on several outlets, including indieshuffle.com,[17] as the 2nd single from the EP.

On November 9, 2015, the group announced via their Facebook page that they are working on new music,[18] with a subsequent post early the next year that Johannsen and the ensemble would be parting ways.[2]

2016–2020: Hiatus and side projects

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On December 18, 2016, the group announced Aoki Tuttle's departure from the band.[19] Following it, the band went on a hiatus from 2016 through 2021.

2021–present: Reunion and recent developments

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On November 2, 2021, the band announced on their Twitter page they've reunited,[20] and in December 2021, they revealed they are in the studio working on new music.[21] On June 3, 2022, Aoki Tuttle confirmed on Twitter that her departure was so that she could pursue voice acting and still maintains a closeness with the band. She further hinted at "surprises" with the group in the future, implying a possible future collaboration.[22] The tweet has since been deleted.

Appearances

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Television appearances

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In 2013, The Colourist starred in a national commercial and ad campaign for Nokia, which aired on primetime television for three months. The commercial featured the band playing their single "Little Games" to a packed audience at LA's Opheum Theater.[23]

In March 2014, the band's sold-out performance at The Troubadour in LA was featured on Last Call With Carson Daly[24]

On May 21, 2014, The Colourist appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to perform their 2nd single "We Won't Go Home".[25]

Other Appearances

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In October 2015, it was announced that "Little Games" would be featured on Guitar Hero Live, by Activision.[26] It also featured with the St. Lucia remix version in the EA Sports football video game, FIFA 14.[27]

Band members

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Current members

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  • Adam Castilla – lead vocals, guitar (2009–present)
  • Justin Wagner – keyboard (2009–present)[1]

Former members

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  • Kollin Johannsen – Bass guitar (2009–2016)[2]
  • Maya Aoki Tuttle – drums/lead vocals (2009–2016)[28]

Discography

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Trivia

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In October 2015, Aoki Tuttle recorded the song "Back 2 U" with Raeko (the alter ego[37] of Jason Suwito from Sir Sly).[38][39]

References

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  1. ^ a b Biography by James Christopher Monger. "The Colourist | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "the Colourist – You guys are our lifeline, our family, and..." Facebook. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Kohn, Daniel (April 11, 2013). "The Colourist Are Stamping Their Passport to Rockstardom at Coachella". Blogs.ocweekly.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  4. ^ "Adam Castilla – Orange County". Ocweekly.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "O.C. band gets gig of lifetime". The Orange County Register. January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "Follow Friday: The Colourist". Baeblemusic. May 17, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Introducing… The Colourist | Bearded Magazine: The Home of Independent Music". Bearded Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "Carlos de la Garza | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "About The Colourist". MTV. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  10. ^ Bowman, Cathy (September 16, 2013). "The Colourist: Creepy is cool". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  11. ^ "The Colourist to Join The Naked And Famous on Tour". Universal Music Group. August 28, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d James Christopher Monger. "The Colourist | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  13. ^ "Inversions – The Colourist". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  14. ^ a b "The Colourist's Debut New Song, 'When I'm Away' – New Music Discovery". ALT 98.7. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Eagle". theeagleonline.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  16. ^ "Hulu TV Commercial, 'We Got It' Song by The Colourist". iSpot.tv. May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  17. ^ "[LISTEN] The Colourist – Romancing :: Indie Shuffle". indieshuffle.com. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  18. ^ "the Colourist – Timeline Photos – Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  19. ^ "the Colourist – Timeline". facebook.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  20. ^ @thecolourist (November 2, 2021). "We're back. We've missed you ;)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ @thecolourist (December 16, 2021). "thank you for your patience" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ @mayatuttle (June 3, 2022). "I technically left @TheColourist in 2017 to pursue voice acting, but I still very much support the project. All of us founding members are friends. Keep an eye on the Colourist in the coming year. I think there are some surprises in the works. You never know what might happen 😏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "AT&T Nokia Lumina 1020 TV Spot, 'Concert' Song by The Colourist". iSpot.tv. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  24. ^ ""Last Call with Carson Daly" Carrie Brownstein/The Colourist/The Casket Girls (TV Episode 2014)". IMDb. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  25. ^ ""The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" Jeff Foxworthy/The Colourist (TV Episode 2014)". IMDb. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  26. ^ "Here Are the 200+ Songs Available in 'Guitar Hero Live'". highdefdigest.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  27. ^ Arts, Electronic (September 17, 2013). "FIFA 14 Soundtrack Reveal". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "Instagram post by The Colourist • Dec 18, 2016 at 9:02pm UTC". Instagram. December 8, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  29. ^ "Vater Percussion". vater.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  30. ^ Timothy Monger (February 25, 2014). "The Colourist". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  31. ^ "The Colourist – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  32. ^ "The Colourist – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  33. ^ "The Sometimes Surreal, Always Entertaining World Of The Colourist". Baeblemusic.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  34. ^ "The Colourist – Say You Need Me (The Colourist Remix) [TMN PREMIERE]".
  35. ^ "the Colourist". Facebook. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  36. ^ "THE COLOURIST RELEASE "WHILE I'M AWAY"". skopemag.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  37. ^ "Raeko & Mating Ritual team up on "Everybody Knows" – EARMILK". EARMILK. July 30, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  38. ^ "Back 2 U (feat. Maya Tuttle)". Hype Machine. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  39. ^ "Sir Sly – Timeline Photos – Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
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