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The First Single

Album: Interventions and Lullabies

Released: Aug 7, 2008

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The First Single
4:26
1,310,183 plays
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A Good Time At Your Expense D
4:06
430,138 plays
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Dead End
4:08
1,260,310 plays
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She Doesn't Get It
3:51
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Faith In Fast Cars
3:57
525,951 plays

Total Plays: 17,062,900 / Plays Today: 374See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Indie / Pop / Rock
Location Phoenix, Arizona, US
Profile Views: 6699150
Last Login: 9/24/2010
Member Since 7/26/2004
Website www.theformat.com
Record Label The Vanity Label
Type of Label Unsigned
Bio
...... ...... .... .. ...... ......"Dog Problems"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..iTunes.. ..hellomerch.com.. ...... ...... ......"Interventions and Lullabies"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..iTunes.. ..hellomerch.com.. ...... .. .. ...... ......"Snails EP"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..iTunes.. ..hellomerch.com...... ...... ......"EP"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..iTunes.. ..hellomerch.com........ .. .. ...... ......"Live: Exporting Insecurities"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..WerkShop........ ...... ......"And Now I Hope You're Alright - Live In California"..ORDER NOW AT:.. ..iTunes.. ...... .. ...... .. ...... .. ...... .. ..............PURCHASE "THE FORMAT LIVE AT THE MAYAN THEATRE" AT ..HELLOMERCH.COM...... .. ..The Format Live @ The Mayan - Snails...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ......Add to My Profile.. | ..More Videos.... .."The Format, Live At The Mayan Theatre" - DVD Trailer...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ......Add to My Profile.. | ..More Videos.... ...."She Doesn't Get It" Video.... Directed by Travis Kopach.. ..The Format - She Doesn't Get It...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ......Add to My Profile.. | .. More Videos.. .... ...."Dog Problems" Video.... Directed by Geoff Oki, produced by ..Nylon Motion.. ..The Format -...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ......Add to My Profile.. | .. More Videos.. .... ...."The Compromise" Video.... Directed by Bryan Lee, produced by ..Nylon Motion.. ..The Format...... .. .. .. .. .. .. ......Add to My Profile.. | .. More Videos........ .. .. ...... .. ...... .. ........ ...... .. .. .. ........
Members
Check out Nate's new band ..Fun.... .. Be sure to check out Sam's merch store, ..hellomerch.com.. . He just finished writing/recording music with friends - Marko, Don, Patrick (Limbeck), Jeff (Reuben's Accomplice), Ian (El Oso Negro) - for a movie called "The Sinking of Santa Isabel". More info TBA ASAP. .
Influences
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Sounds Like
.. .. .. ...... ....Time Bomb.... .. .. ...... ....She Doesn't Get It.... .. .. ...... ....Oceans.... .. .. ...... ....The Compromise.... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ......follow theformat at http://twitter.com....

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Sep 17

The Format
featured a new track:

Snails

by The Format
on Snails - EP
*B@b3y!*, haleyy™, ♥Jennifer♥ and 5 Others liked this.
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Sep 17

The Format
featured a new track:

You're Not A Whore (by The Real Partners)

by The Format
on B-Sides and Rarities
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Sep 17

The Format
featured a new track:

She Doesn't Get It

by The Format
on Dog Problems
Aucoin Dauterman, Wu Carin, Zach v3.0 and 2 Others liked this.
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Sep 17

The Format
featured a new track:

For You

by The Format
on B-Sides and Rarities
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Videos

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The Format Live @ The Mayan - Snails

00:00 | 72543 plays | Oct 30 2007

Photos

Music

Dog Problems (Bonus Track Version)
13 Songs | Sep 9, 2011
Snails - EP (Bonus Track Version)
7 Songs | Sep 7, 2011
And Now I Hope You're Alright: Live in California - EP
6 Songs | Sep 7, 2011
B-Sides and Rarities
18 Songs | Sep 7, 2011
Interventions and Lullabies
12 Songs | Jun 10, 2010
B-Sides and Rarities
18 Songs | Oct 23, 2007

Comments

Bio:

	"Dog Problems" ORDER NOW AT: iTunes hellomerch.com		"Interventions and Lullabies" ORDER NOW AT: iTunes hellomerch.com
	"Snails EP" ORDER NOW AT: iTunes hellomerch.com		"EP" ORDER NOW AT: iTunes hellomerch.com
	"Live: Exporting Insecurities" ORDER NOW AT: WerkShop		"And Now I Hope You're Alright - Live In California" ORDER NOW AT: iTunes

PURCHASE "THE FORMAT LIVE AT THE MAYAN THEATRE" AT HELLOMERCH.COM

The Format Live @ The Mayan - Snails

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"The Format, Live At The Mayan Theatre" - DVD Trailer

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"She Doesn't Get It" Video
Directed by Travis Kopach The Format - She Doesn't Get It

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"Dog Problems" Video
Directed by Geoff Oki, produced by Nylon Motion The Format -

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"The Compromise" Video
Directed by Bryan Lee, produced by Nylon Motion The Format

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Attention downtrodden rock bands everywhere: If you think getting dumped by your girlfriend is rough, try getting dropped by your record label. Twice. Although they're still barely in their twenties, that's exactly what happened to Sam Means and Nate Ruess, otherwise known as The Format. However, instead of letting the experience destroy them, the band has transformed the ordeal into something positive. (Hell, they threw parties both times it happened.)

"It sort of mockingly turned the whole major-label side of the music business into a dance," explains Ruess about one of Dog Problems' most telling songs, "The Compromise." "There's a line, 'I can feel your feet touching mine,' which pretty much explains it all in the sense of 'if you're not willing to play the game, we'll just find someone else.' And that's quite alright with me." Although the band was inundated with major-label offers after their split with Atlantic, they decided to release under their own Vanity Label imprint, distributed by Sony/BMGa move that allowed them to make the album they wanted to make.

"It was great," says Ruess, describing the process of recording Dog Problems with producer Steve McDonald (Red Kross). "I'd go into the studio, make decisions and never have to hear things like, "I don't know if that has enough octane," he continues, laughing. "I feel like on the last record, we were pressured to make an album full of singles, and this time we could just do whatever we want." It's true; six of the songs on Dog Problems have full orchestration (three of which are arranged by Jellyfish mastermind Roger Manning), and while the band may not have felt pressured to write singles, well, nearly every song on the disc could be one.

However, the label issues are only part of the story behind Dog Problemsand hearing Ruess explain the album's title is the best way to understand where much of the album's emotional content came from. "The title Dog Problems comes from the fact that every time my longterm girlfriend and I got back together, we'd get a dog, thinking that it would save our relationship," Ruess explains. In fact, you can actually trace Ruess' tumultuous relationship through the songs on the album: "Matches" sets the scene and "I'm Actual" recounts the events actually going down, while songs toward the end of the disc have a sentimental and almost philosophical bent"Snails" in particular, which uses the animal as a metaphor for making the most of the time we have with our loved ones.

But even if you don't know what each song is about, the medium is also the message. With its horns and complex arrangements, "Dog Problems" has the scope of an elaborate show tune; "Oceans" is so instantly recognizable that it's difficult to believe you haven't heard it before; and "She Doesn't Get It," features a guitar intro based on Bruce Springsteen's "Growin' Up," but quickly morphs into a hook-filled anthem reminiscent of the band's pop-friendly peers. Ghosts of XTC, Harry Nilsson and, of course, The Beatles haunt the rest of Dog Problems, but the album also takes profound inspiration from Brian Wilson. "The new album is definitely a pop record; that's the only way I can describe it," admits Reuss, clearly referring to a time before Britney Spears and boy bands co-opted the term to sell SUVs.

However, despite all this, the most amazing part of The Format's still unfolding story is the way they've survivedno, thrivedin the face of adversity. In the past three years, the band has shared the stage with Motion City Soundtrack, Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional and kept their fans updated via "The Living Room" section of their Web site, where they've posted acoustic versions of Dog Problems songs to tide over their growing legion of listenersand somehow without MTV or radio play, their fanbase has grown exponentially.

So, how does it feel with the album finally set for release?

"It's so exciting," Ruess beams. "We were worried that since the record was delayed for a year, maybe people had forgotten about usbut our fanbase has tripled." He pauses, trying to articulate three years worth of work into one sentence. "I don't know how any of this has happened, but I feel like this is just the beginning."

.. ..

Member Since:

July 26, 2004

Members:

Check out Nate's new band Fun

Be sure to check out Sam's merch store, hellomerch.com . He just finished writing/recording music with friends - Marko, Don, Patrick (Limbeck), Jeff (Reuben's Accomplice), Ian (El Oso Negro) - for a movie called "The Sinking of Santa Isabel". More info TBA ASAP. .