Line #60 Music/Pleaserock


1	Pleaserock is an independent music collective operating out of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, Georgia. Originally established as the band Y-O-U in UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}} in 2000 by Nick Niespodziani and Peter Olson, they relocated to ATL in the hopes of actually getting somewhere with their music. Two cheaply-produced [=CDs=] (a self-titled debut & the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' album) and a few quirky gimmicks later, that dream became a reality of sorts. The most prominent of the collective's quirky gimmicks was their assortment of different identities, something a local music article called "alias rock". At least one core member of Y-O-U plays in nearly all of the alias groups. Amongst the Pleaserock aliases ([[GrammarNazi alii?]]) are...
2
3	!!Y-O-U [[note]](defunct as of 2009)[[/note]]
4	The original identity of the group, an experimental rock band that focused on original music. Y-O-U released five records--three and a half new music, one-half a "best of", and one soundtrack collaboration--between 2003 and 2009 before the band was retired, partly because they were having trouble getting bookings in that form, partly to focus on some of the more-successful aliases.
5
6	'''Discography:'''
7	* ''Y-O-U'' (2003)
8	* ''Music/StrongBadSingsAndOtherTypeHits'' (2003, with The Brothers Chaps)
9	* ''Everything is Shifting'' (2005)
10	* ''Flashlights'' (2007)
11	* ''The Long-Playing EP'' (2009)
12
13	!!Yacht Rock Revue
14	A nautical-themed ensemble which plays "smooth" rock covers, with varying degrees of sincerity. By far the most financially-successful alias, it has 2 spinoffs of its own: The more easily-transportable Yacht Rock Schooner, and remix duo Yacht Rock [=DJs=].
15
16	'''Discography:'''
17	* "A Yacht Rock Holiday: Christmas Vacation/Mele Kalikimaka" single (2009)
18	* "Can't Wait for Summer/Good Thing" single (2012)
19	* ''Live at the Georgia Theater'' (2012)
20	* ''Yacht Rock Revue'' (2013)
21	* ''Live in Boston'' (2019)
22	* ''Hot Dads in Tight Jeans'' (2020)
23
24	!!Indianapolis Jones
25	A new original prog-rock venture fronted by Niespodziani.
26
27	'''Discography:'''
28	* ''Indianapolis Jones'' (2014)
29	* ''Chaos and Light'' (2017)
30
31	!!Please [=PleaseRock=] Me
32	A cover band which plays nothing but [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] music, including all four Beatles' solo work.
33
34	!!Constantly Awesome (formerly The Tupperware Party)
35	A cover band which plays almost exclusively private engagements, like weddings, corporate events, what have you.
36
37	!!Nespo Johnny
38	The marquee under which Nick Nespodziani makes solo appearances playing Y-O-U songs as well as new material. Has released a live album for free download.
39
40	!!Nigels With Attitude
41	An Music/{{XTC}} tribute band.
42
43	!!Main Street Exiles
44	A Music/{{The Rolling Stones\|Band}} tribute band.
45
46	!!The Greater Vavoom
47	An original funk-dance band.
48
49	!!Three Dawgh Stephens
50	A "sandal rock" trio "led" by "visionary" musician "Dog Stevens." (The band is comprised entirely of fictional characters and is the subject of a series of comedy videos. An [=MP3=] of their "smash hit" "Furry Little Muskrat Woman" is floating around the Internets somewhere.)
51
52	!!Rock Fight
53	A series of audience-decided "battles" between tribute sets to two artists.
54
55	!![[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Limozeen]]
56	Strong Bad's favorite HairMetal band.
57
58	!!Uno Dos Tres Catorce
59	Billed as "the biggest Music/{{U2}} tribute band in the world...in terms of raw poundage."
60
61	!!The Ill-Eagles
62	An Music/{{Eagles}} cover band.
63
64	!!John Macentoeshka and the Mosseknuckles [[note]](defunct as of 2004)[[/note]]
65	A Europop quintet which played unannounced sets in public places.
66
67	!!The Flying Wallabies [[note]](defunct as of 2004)[[/note]]
68	Not a band, but a "competitive" jump rope team (and the subject of another series of comedy videos).
69
70	!!Other
71	Some recent aliases (alii?) feature no Y-O-U members at all: The [=REMakes=] (an Music/{{REM}} tribute band), the After Party (a cover band for private events), the Whiskey Gentry (a bluegrass band), and the Atlanta Funk Society (playing funk from the 60s to the 80s).
72	----
73	Core members (aka Y-O-U members) and which other aliases they perform in:
74	* Nick Niespodziani/"Lenny Koggins" (2000-present) - Vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, percussion [YRR, PPM, CA, NWA, TDS, Limozeen, Indy Jones, Mosseknuckles, RF, FW]
75	* Peter Olson/"Saul Pimon" (2000-present) - Vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, percussion [YRR, PPM, CA, TDS, Limozeen, Mosseknuckles, RF, FW]
76	* Mark Cobb/"Dog Stevens" (2000-2022) - Vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards [YRR, PPM, CA, TDS, Limozeen, MSE, NWA, Mosseknuckles, Vavoom, RF, FW]
77	* Mark Bencuya (2008-present) - Keyboards, vocals [YRR, PPM, CA, NWA, Limozeen, MSE, RF]
78	* Clay Cook (2005-2006) - Keyboards, guitar, banjo [RF, CA]
79	* Matt Sonnicksen (2000-2004) - Guitar, keyboards [Mosseknuckles, FW]
80	* Eric Harlan Park (2002-2004) - Keyboards [Mosseknuckles, FW]
81
82	In the Yacht Rock Revue, they are joined by:
83	* Greg Lee - Bass, vocals
84	* David "Saxman" Freeman - Saxophone, keyboards
85	* Mark "Monkey Boy" Dannells - Guitar, vocals
86	* Keisha Jackson - Vocals
87	* Kourtney Jackson - Vocals
88
89	----
90	!!'''Tropes present in the Pleaserock catalog:'''
91	* AdaptationExpansion: The live Limozeen concerts feature two "cousins" of the Chaps-created Palaroncini brothers, adding keyboards and rhythm guitar to the band's lineup.
92	* AffectionateParody: Yacht Rock Revue often dips towards this in their shows.
93	* AnimatedMusicVideo: One for "LA Lindsay" done in Flash by Creator/TheBrothersChaps [[note]]done for free as an exchange for doing the Strong Bad Sings album [[/note]], one for "National Straitjacket" done in [=PowerPoint=] by the band, and one for "Moviekiss: The Lite Brite Remix" done with a Lite Brite by Nick's sister.
94	* ChristmasSongs: Y-O-U did four and put them up for free download. Yacht Rock Revue did two and they're available for digital purchase. Indianapolis Jones contributed a song to an Atlanta-area Christmas compilation album. And Three Dawgh Stephens did...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ4_RAx2OUE this]].
95	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: ''Flashlights'' has songs including parts played on typewriter and broken glass.
96	* FakeBand: Three Dawgh Stephens.
97	* FakeOutFadeOut: The ''Flashlights'' version of "Moviekiss", and [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Taranchula's]] "Moving Very Slowly."
98	* GenreRoulette: Y-O-U performed just about every kind of rock music imaginable, and the surviving aliases still cover a ''lot'' of ground.
99	* LyricalDissonance: "All Arranged" is a children's lullaby...about shadow governments manipulating every event on the planet.
100	* {{Mockumentary}}: The Flying Wallabies and Three Dawgh Stephens are each subjects of them.
101	* MoodWhiplash: "LA Lindsay" and "Glad I Found You".
102	* OneSteveLimit: Averted. The last Y-O-U lineup had 2 Marks, and the Yacht Rock Revue has 3 Marks. Cobb started putting a "[[LuckyCharmsTitle ?]]" in front of his name on album art, press materials, etc. ([[DontExplainTheJoke "Question Mark", get it?]])
103	* PrecisionFStrike: Only two Y-O-U songs, "Shadows on the Page" and "National Straitjacket" contain explicit language, and they're both on the same EP, ''Everything is Shifting''.
104	* PutOnABus: When Eric Park and Matt Sonnicksen left the group almost simultaneously, the band's website joked that [[BlackComedy they were both hit by the same Greyhound bus, each on different streets]].
105	* SeriousBusiness: Jump roping to the Flying Wallabies.
106	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Dog Stevens is the character; Three Dawgh Stephens is the band.
107	* StepUpToTheMic: Niespodziani handles all of Y-O-U's lead vocals and the lion's share for the Yacht Rock Revue, but a few YRR songs give leads to Olson, Lee (on his original tune "Good Thing"), and Bencuya (on his composition "Cartoon Butterfly"). And the golden voice of Dog Stevens is drummer Cobb.
108	* StylisticSuck: The Mosseknuckles and Three Dawgh Stephens. Averted with the Yacht Rock Revue; their kitschy personas are an act, but they mostly play the music straight.
109	* WritingAroundTrademarks: The Tupperware Party was hit with a cease-and-desist letter from the Tupperware company, hence the name change.

Context Music / Pleaserock