Blue Island Tribe
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Don’t freak out now—the title of Blue Island Tribe’s latest EP The 5 Hits of Ecstasy may be a clever double entendre, but it’s not about drugs. Well, not really, unless you consider the powerful, hypnotic sway the Iowa based reggae-rock band holds over its thousands of fans across the Midwest.
Driven by their mantra “You can’t argue with crazy,” these six ambitious musicians launched the band while attending the University of Northern Iowa in the early 2000s after deciding that the world simply needed more fun. They have since spread the fun on four previous discs and anywhere from 100-200 annual gigs.
And the EP name? Purely exciting and innocent. It developed after drummer Mike Schminke couldn’t remember how several of the new songs—all in their primitive stages—started. The title track “Ecstasy,” whose laid back romantic and soulful exuberance reflects the band’s new sonic vibe after a spell of growth and transition, launches with five hits in unison, so bassist Brandon Clark would always tell him “5 hits of ecstasy.” They added “The” because, well, they can and the other guys—lead singer Frey, lead guitarist John Schminke, rhythm guitarist Kelly Powers and saxophonist Garrett Thielking—couldn’t argue with it.
The 5 Hits of Ecstasy was recorded at Sonic Factory Studios in Des Moines and features key contributions by members of the popular Midwestern based college rock band The Nadas. The EP was mastered by John Mailoux of Bongo Beach Productions, whose credits include Sugar Ray, Dispatch, and State Radio.
Driven by their mantra “You can’t argue with crazy,” these six ambitious musicians launched the band while attending the University of Northern Iowa in the early 2000s after deciding that the world simply needed more fun. They have since spread the fun on four previous discs and anywhere from 100-200 annual gigs.
And the EP name? Purely exciting and innocent. It developed after drummer Mike Schminke couldn’t remember how several of the new songs—all in their primitive stages—started. The title track “Ecstasy,” whose laid back romantic and soulful exuberance reflects the band’s new sonic vibe after a spell of growth and transition, launches with five hits in unison, so bassist Brandon Clark would always tell him “5 hits of ecstasy.” They added “The” because, well, they can and the other guys—lead singer Frey, lead guitarist John Schminke, rhythm guitarist Kelly Powers and saxophonist Garrett Thielking—couldn’t argue with it.
The 5 Hits of Ecstasy was recorded at Sonic Factory Studios in Des Moines and features key contributions by members of the popular Midwestern based college rock band The Nadas. The EP was mastered by John Mailoux of Bongo Beach Productions, whose credits include Sugar Ray, Dispatch, and State Radio.
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Featured Tracks
| Endless Summer | 2:44 |
| FULL TRACK Down | 3:26 |
| FULL TRACK Jump and Shout | 3:03 |
| FULL TRACK Ecstasy | 3:56 |
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The 5 Hits of Ecstasy
Blue Island Tribe
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weebestie wrote:
Check this.... http://www.last.fm/music/All+the+Kings+Men+%28Taft%29/From+the+Trench
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tj311 wrote:
I've seen you twice now in the last two months by accident....both shows have been very impressive
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scooterstyden wrote:
I love yall much love no worries this is scott I worked at the maple inn osage iowa seen ya live and was fortunate enough to be brought back to dads band house.it was one of the best times I ever had,hope it happens again.blessings to BIT
Videos
News
BIT Summer Tour Blog #3
22 Jul 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/blueislandtribe
After having a blast in Boulder we headed to Denver. Kate
scored us a bunch of free tickets to a Colorado Rockies game so we
spent a beautiful summer day at the ballpark enjoying $8 hot dogs,
…
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22 Jul 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/blueislandtribe -
21 Jul 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/blueislandtribe -
21 Jul 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/blueislandtribe
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Recent Activity
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superangela, Soydberg, mat_luke and 2 other people added Blue Island Tribe to their libraries. last month
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superfeminista tagged Blue Island Tribe with ‘reggae’. last month
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Vulgaira, russ_harris, agness557 and 9 other people added Blue Island Tribe to their libraries. December 2011
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DeborahBrown tagged Blue Island Tribe with reggae-rock, dub, california reggae and one other tag. July 2011
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79anthony, pbvie and angelidimarmo added Blue Island Tribe to their libraries. June 2011
- Blue Island Tribe posted a news item ‘BIT Summer Tour Blog #3’. May 2011
- Blue Island Tribe posted a news item ‘BIT Summer Tour Blog #2’. May 2011
- Blue Island Tribe posted a news item ‘BIT Summer Tour Blog #1’. May 2011
- Blue Island Tribe posted a news item ‘What do Billboard, Pollstar, and Radio & Records all have in common?’. May 2011
- Blue Island Tribe posted a news item ‘SXSW, 311, New House, New Logo, and Much More!’. May 2011
