Office (band)
| Office | |
|---|---|
| Origin |
Chicago, Illinois Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Genres | Rock, pop, indie rock, psychedelic, electronic |
| Years active | 2000–2008 |
| Labels |
Quack!Media Former label - Scratchie Records New Line Records |
| Members | Scott Masson - guitar, vocals, piano Erica Corniel - drums, vocals Justin Petertil - piano, keys, vocals, and percussion Tom Smith - guitar, vocals Colin DeKuiper - bass |
| Past members | Alissa Noonan-Hacker - bass Jessica Gonyea - synth, percussion, and vocals Jamie Harper - bari sax, flute John D. Martin III - tenor sax, accordion Brad Miner - bass Toby Worscheck - drums, drum machine |
Office is a Chicago-based pop band that was active in the 2000s.
The project began as a public performance and artistic outlet for songwriter, sculptor, and painter Scott Masson while attending College of Goldsmiths, in London, UK. Upon returning to America after his student exchange program ended, Masson continued to use Office as a vehicle for his songwriting and art at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Masson maintained the band with various friends and performers as collaborators, preferring to call it a "project" or "hallucination." The latest iteration of the project appeared onstage at SXSW, on MTV, at Lollapalooza and elsewhere dressed as if going to work in "business attire and black mini dresses."
Office developed a cult following in the 2000s, particularly in and around Kalamazoo, Michigan and later in Chicago, Illinois, promoting a sound that has been described by Spin as "handclaps and sunny harmonies." Masson recorded and self-released the debut Office album under his own publishing company, Public Treatments, and began promoting it in Kalamazoo in 2001. "At its peak, he said people were coming to his house at 2 a.m. asking for a copy."
Masson self-produced a few other lo-fi albums with musician friends after moving to Chicago in 2002, including The Iced Tea Boys and the Lemonade Girls and Glass Corvette. In 2004, Masson recruited guitarist Tom Smith, bassist Alissa Noonan-Hacker, and drummer Erica Corniel to recreate the band as an indie-pop outfit wrapped in retro business attire pastiche. This lineup performed as a four-piece throughout the Midwest for two years, until Jessica Gonyea, formerly one of Office's onstage "dancing secretaries", became a member of the band on keyboards, percussion, and backing vocals.
Their song "Wound Up" was downloaded over 322,000 times as the Single of the Week on the iTunes Music Store in May 2006, helping their 2005 album, Q&A, reach number 14 on the iTunes album charts, briefly beating Tom Petty and Neil Young in the Top 20. Q&A held a spot in the iTunes top 100 in 2006. During this time the band was performing shows at South by Southwest music festival, CMJ, Mobfest, Midwest Music Conference, a set at Lollapalooza in 2006. In October 2006, the group signed with Scratchie Records, an independent label owned by James Iha, former guitarist of the Smashing Pumpkins.
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