THE NEW HEATHERS
Biography
In the summer of 2009, Tim Ferrell, Tim Convy, and Matt Palermo entered the studio and announced the formation The New Heathers. "It all just kind of worked out," says Ludo guitarist and Heathers' front man Tim Ferrell. "I was writing a lot of songs that didn't really fit for Ludo. We finally had some time off and fortunately for me, Tim and Matt were anxious to record and play some shows as well."
Why "The New Heathers?" When the trio was still unnamed, Convy came across an article about Winona Ryder declaring that there was a sequel in the works to her 80's teen dark comedy Heathers. "I'm a big fan of that movie, so I kept looking for details,” said Convy. “As it turns out, every few years Wynona declares they're making a sequel, but no one else involved with the film knows what she's talking about, and no one's actually planning to make the sequel...ever!" Convy brought the name to his band mates and within days Ferrell came across "The New Heathers" in the book he was reading at the time, Jack Keourac's Dharma Bums. They took it as a sign.
So armed with a name, they set out to find a sound. "It'll sound something like Ludo, 'cause it's us playing, but Tim's songs and voice are pretty different from Andrew's," says Palermo. Ludo fans have heard Ferrell's work before; he's penned several Ludo songs including "Topeka", a fan-favorite from You're Awful, I Love You. But the six songs on the EP entitled The Fuel, The Fire, The Spark are different not only from Ludo tracks but from each other. "Agatha" starts the release off with guitar noises and slides into a throwback soul song about hopeless love, complete with a dueling guitar fade-out ending. "Mr. Green Blades" is prog-y and invokes Queen and Rush while the title track could be a lost Johnny Cash tune. "Start" is a socially-conscious Ramones-style anthem, "Hammer & Chisel" borrows from The Decemberists and "Santa Rosa" is equal parts Wilco and Simon and Garfunkel.
But all of the influences are united by two things: Ferrell's simple, sincere vocals and the production of Jason McEntire. "We wanted it to be simple, stripped down, and to feel very live. We did it all in seven days," says McEntire who was also at the boards for Ludo's Broken Bride as well as albums for Ha Ha Tonka and Son Volt. The Fuel, The Fire, The Spark is available now and the trio hopes that it will be the first of many releases.
Discography
The New Heathers
The Fuel The Fire The Spark
2009
CDBABY | ITUNES
