We Are the Union

We Are the Union (abbreviated as WATU)[2][5] is an American ska punk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan formed in 2005.

We Are the Union
Former trombone player Matt Belanger in 2006
Background information
OriginAnn Arbor, Michigan, United States[1]
Genres
Years active
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewearetheunion.net
Members
  • Reed Wolcott
  • Brandon Benson
  • Ricky Weber
  • Brent Friedman
  • Jeremy Hunter
Past members
  • Matt Belanger
  • Tony Weinbender
  • Jim Margle

History

Formation and Who We Are (2005-2008)

Formed in August 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2005,[1] the band formed due to them being "unhappy with the current state of ska music."[2] Their debut album, Who We Are, was released in 2007.[17]

Great Leaps Forward, You Can't Hide The Sun and break-up/hiatus (2010-2013)

Who We Are would be followed by albums Great Leaps Forward in 2010[18] and You Can't Hide the Sun in 2012.[19] In 2013, We Are the Union announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus,[20] stating: "We've decided to take a hiatus from active status. […] We were a band. Maybe someday we will be again. We've had some amazing times, and we truly appreciate those of you who've contributed to our existence. We've never been a supercool hype band or uberpunx beardy band, so we thank each and every one of you who listened to our music over the years.".[12]

Reformation, Self Care and recent activity (2018-present)

Following the two-year hiatus,[21] Jeremy Hunter of the YouTube channel Ska Tune Network joined the band in 2015,[22] and they released their forth studio album, Self Care, in 2018. Following this album release, the band would go on to appear on Audiotree,[23] and release new singles in 2020[24]

Influences and musical style

We Are The Union cites Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Slapstick and This Is A Standoff as influences.[2] More recently, We Are The Union has been inspired by indie pop and pop music. [7]

Band members

Current members
  • Reed Wolcott[6] - guitar, lead vocals (2005-2013, 2015-present)
  • Brandon Benson[6] - bass, backing vocals
  • Ricky Weber[6] - lead guitar
  • Brent Friedman[1] - drums
  • Jeremy Hunter[15][14][13] - trombone, backing vocals (2015-present)[22]

Former members
  • Matt Belanger[6][25] - trombone
  • Tony Weinbender[6] - unknown, possibly trombone
  • Jim Margle[6][26] - drums

Discography

Adapted from the bands Bandcamp, Spotify, Tumblr and YouTube accounts[27][28][29][30][31][32]

Studio albums

Extended plays
  • The Grow Up Or Shut Up EP (2006, out of print)[30][41]
  • The Gun Show Must Go On (2009, digital only)[9][30]
  • Graveyard Grins (2011, digital only)[30]
  • You Can't B-Side The Sun (2014)[42]
  • Keep It Down (2015)[43]

Singles
Year Title Album
2015 "Call In Dead"[44]
Keep It Down
2018 "What's Wrong With Me?"[45]
Self Care
"A Better Home"[46]
2020 "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad"[8][47] Non-album single
"Your Way, Your Time"[7][48] Non-album single
"You're Dead / Vampire Ska"[49] Non-album single
"I'm Working Retail For Christmas"[50] Non-album single

Demos
  • The Grow Up Or Shut Up EP (2006, out of print)[30][41]

Live albums
Title Album details
We Are The Union on Audiotree Live[51]
  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Self-released, Audiotree
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

YouTube releases
  • Dust on the Hourglass (Acoustic In-Studio) (2018)[52]

Music videos
  • This is My Life (And It's Ending One Minute At A Time) (2008)[53]
  • We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat (2012)[54]
  • Call In Dead (Lyric Video, 2015)[44]
  • A Better Home (Lyric Video, 2018)[55]
  • Dust on the Hourglass (Acoustic In-Studio) (2018)[52]
  • What's Wrong With Me? (Lyric Video, 2018)[56]
  • Your Way, Your Time (2020)[7][57]
  • Pre-Expatriate (2020)[58]
  • You're Dead / Vampire Ska (2020)[59]
  • I'm Working Retail For Christmas (2020)[60]

Compilation appearances
  • Fall Sampler 2012 (2012, Paper and Plastick Records)
    • Features the track "Dead End" from You Can't Hide The Sun[61]
  • 2013 Summer Sampler (2013, Paper and Plastick Records)
    • Features the track "Dust on the Hourglass" also from You Can't Hide The Sun[62]

References
  1. "We Are the Union -- Audiotree". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  2. "We Are The Union : 1 of 8". Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Tumblr. Unhappy with the current state of ska music, We Are The Union decided to stick out their own necks and tried to change things for the better in the summer of 2005. Getting a paycheck is not on their agenda. Instead of following typical ska punk conventions, WATU takes a harder-nosed approach to the genre. With influences ranging from Philadelphia/New Jersey favorites Lifetime and Kid Dynamite, and bands like Slapstick and This Is A Standoff, they rage with the best of them while still retaining a heightened sense of melody. Their love for fast music, horns and their incredibly short attention spans are a simple explanation for why WATU sound the way they do.
  3. "We Are the Union - You Can't Hide The Sun". Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via punknews.org.
  4. "Wannabe Reviews We Are The Union's 'Self Care' - Glide Magazine". Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via Glide Magazine. In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Self Care, the punk and ska band We Are The Union, in his signature six-panel comic strip form.
  5. "We Are The Union | WMUC's Entirely Smooth". Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via entirelysmooth.wordpress.com. I absolutely love WATU, and you’ll find that out very quickly by either listening to the show or poking around this site. Just a great combination of ska, punk and hardcore, these guys have a huge potential to break out soon. Great Leaps is also a phenomenal record that should be picked up by any fan of ska or punk
  6. "Interviews: Reed Michael Wolcott (We Are The Union)". Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via punknews.org.
  7. "20 NEW SKA Releases in 2020". Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via YouTube.
  8. "We Are The Union - Behind The Memes (Part 2)". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. "We Are the Union - The Gun Show Must Go On". Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via punknews.org.
  10. "We Are The Union | Album Discography | AllMusic". Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via AllMusic.
  11. "We Are The Union Interview". Event occurs at 3:15. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
  12. "Break-ups: We Are the Union (2005-2013)" – via punknews.org.
  13. "JER (Skatune Network, We Are The Union) releases debut single; album out in 2021" – via BrooklynVegan. Jeremy Hunter, who built up a following doing ska covers of non-ska songs as Skatune Network, and who plays in We Are The Union, and who has also lent their talents to music by Jeff Rosenstock, Omnigone, and others, makes their own music as JER.
  14. "Skatune Network releasing ska covers album of 'Undertale' video game soundtrack" – via BrooklynVegan. Jeremy Hunter also recently debuted their solo project of original music, JER, and they play in the band We Are The Union who recently released two great new songs.
  15. "Practicing for the we are the union // Skatune network show on December 21st". Ska Tune Network. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
  16. Ochoa, John. "This Person Is Determined to Make a Ska Version of Every Song, Ever". Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via Vice.
  17. "We Are the Union "Who We Are" Vinyl Re-Issue". Bad Time Records. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  18. Schultz, Brian. "We Are the Union - Great Leaps Forward". Alt Press. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  19. "Album Premiere: We Are the Union, "You Can't Hide the Sun"". Alt Press. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  20. Mandell, Xan. "Interviews: Reed Michael Wolcott (We Are the Union)". Punk News. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  21. Chiasson, Alex. "We Are the Union Premiere Two New Songs, Announce "Keep It Down" EP". Boston Ska (dot) net. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  22. Hudson, Nick. "Gainesville musician runs successful "Skatune Network" YouTube channel". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  23. "We Are the Union -- Audiotree". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  24. Sacher, Andrew. "We Are the Union deliver super catchy ska-punk on new single "Your Way, Your Time"". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  25. "THE SUICIDE MACHINES - "Hey Ska (f/ Matt from WE ARE THE UNION)" Live at THE FEST 9 10/29/10". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  26. "We Are The Union Recording Update - Drums". Jim Margle. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
  27. "Music | We Are The Union". Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Bandcamp.
  28. "Video | We Are The Union". Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Bandcamp.
  29. "We Are The Union, Spotify" – via Spotify.
  30. "Releases | We Are The Union". Retrieved May 4, 2020 – via Tumblr.
  31. "We Are The Union - YouTube". Retrieved Jan 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
  32. "We Are The Union - Topic - YouTube". Retrieved Jan 29, 2020 – via YouTube.
  33. "Who We Are | We Are The Union" – via Bandcamp.
  34. "We Are The Union - Who We Are (Full Album)". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  35. "We Are The Union – Who We Are (Full + Bonus Track)". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  36. "Great Leaps Forward | We Are The Union" – via Bandcamp.
  37. https://open.spotify.com/album/67wFQKytRPwMM4AR80zwcb?si=T1TtSzcxTMyixN-tOVMJ1A
  38. https://wearetheunion.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-hide-the-sun
  39. "Self Care - album by We Are The Union" – via Spotify.
  40. "Self Care | We Are The Union" – via Bandcamp.
  41. "We Are The Union - Grow Up Or Shut Up". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube. Off their first EP "Grow Up or Shut Up."
  42. "You Can't B-Side The Sun | We Are The Union". Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Bandcamp.
  43. "Keep It Down by We Are The Union on Spotify". Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Spotify.
  44. "We Are The Union - Call In Dead (Lyric Video)". Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  45. "Spotify - What's Wrong With Me?". Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Spotify.
  46. "Spotify - A Better Home". Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Spotify.
  47. "Spotify - Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad". Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Spotify.
  48. "Spotify - Your Way, Your Time". Retrieved October 28, 2020 – via Spotify.
  49. "You're Dead / Vampire Ska - song by We Are The Union". Retrieved October 28, 2020 – via Spotify.
  50. "I'm Working Retail For Christmas - song by We Are The Union". Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via Spotify.
  51. https://open.spotify.com/album/53c9j1IR5hTxh5PsGgkzkl?si=-oXWKmehQ22qNFQ6byJaEQ
  52. "We Are The Union - Dust on the Hourglass (Acoustic In-Studio)". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  53. "We Are The Union "This Is My Life" Apocalypse Productions". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  54. "We Are The Union "We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat" Apocalypse Productions". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  55. "We Are The Union - A Better Home (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  56. "We Are The Union - What's Wrong With Me? (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  57. "We Are The Union - "Your Way, Your Time" (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  58. "We Are The Union - "Pre-Expatriate" (Official Video)". Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
  59. "We Are the Union release "You're Dead / Vampire Ska video | Punknews.org" – via Punknews.org.
  60. "We Are The Union release "I'm Working Retail For Christmas" video | Punknews.org" – via Punknews.org.
  61. "Spotify - Dead End" – via Spotify.
  62. "Spotify - Dust of the Hourglass" – via Spotify.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.