Lincoln (Band)
Lincoln was a New York-based alternative rock band active from 1996 to 1998. Its original lineup consisted of Chris Temple (vocals, guitar, keyboards and principal songwriter), Gonzalo Martinez (drums), Dan Miller (guitar and keyboards) and Danny Weinkauf (bass). The band released one album, Lincoln, in 1997, and toured extensively as an opening act for They Might Be Giants in 1997 and 1998. Following Lincoln's breakup, both Miller and Weinkauf joined They Might Be Giants.
Contents
History[edit]
In the mid-1990s, Chris Temple moved to New York City and began performing regularly as a solo singer-songwriter. After recording a demo with some backing musicians, including Nils Lofgren and Andy Newmark, he was encouraged to form a band. In 1995 or early 1996, Temple placed an advertisement for a bassist and drummer in The Village Voice. Danny Weinkauf responded and brought in drummer Gonzalo Martinez. After performing a few shows as a trio, Weinkauf recommended adding guitarist Dan Miller, who he had met and played with a few years earlier. By early 1996, the group was regularly performing at downtown New York clubs, including Sin-é and Brownies.
The band released its only album, Lincoln, on Slash / London Records in July 1997. According to Temple, the name Lincoln was a reference to the Lincoln Continental. The group chose it because the word represented something "both really big and really little."[1] It was not intended as a reference to They Might Be Giants' second album, Lincoln. John Flansburgh discussed the coincidence in a 2000 interview:
I think that was one thing they really loathed about touring with us. It was really strange, because for us it was like "Rush, with special guest 2112." It was like, "What is that, some kind of tribute band?" They were their own thing. It was just a strange unfortunate coincidence. Unfortunate for them, unfortunate for us, too. I think there were a percentage of people who would think we were playing the album.
Lincoln first opened for They Might Be Giants on September 4, 1997, at New York University. Temple recalled the show in a 1997 interview: "I know [the crowd] was there to see the Giants, but when we walked out to play, there was a fuckin' sea of kids. A sold-out crowd of 1,100 people. I thought, 'Whoa, what have I gotten myself into?'" The band supported They Might Be Giants on tour from September to December 1997. They also opened for Mono Puff on September 20. Around this time, the band came to be represented by The Hornblow Group, which also manages They Might Be Giants.
Immediately following their 1997 tour with They Might Be Giants, Lincoln toured as the opening act for Marcy Playground in January and February 1998. Miller left the band mid-tour on February 2, the day of a show at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[2] He recalled in a 2005 interview:
I quit the band in Winston-Salem, NC, in a scene that can be replicated by watching the hotel outtakes from The Song Remains the Same. I believe the hotel still has a lien on my house. I hitched home and [several months later] was sitting on the sofa filling out applications for the Devry Institute when the phone rang. It was Flans [John Flansburgh] asking me if I wanted to go on tour with the Giants. When I awoke from hitting my head on the ceiling I started learning the tunes.
Lincoln continued as a trio following Miller's departure and again opened for They Might Be Giants on tour from April 3 to May 3, 1998. These appear to have been the band's final shows. On May 16, Weinkauf performed his first show with They Might Be Giants as a substitute bassist. After playing a few more shows with the band over the following months, he was asked to join permanently on July 30. Miller began regularly performing with Mono Puff in June and joined They Might Be Giants on September 4, at the beginning of the band's tour in support of Severe Tire Damage.
After several months of inactivity, Temple formally announced Lincoln's breakup in late September 1998.[3] Martinez subsequently became the drummer for Marcy Playground, and Temple pursued a solo career. In a 2013 interview, Weinkauf reflected: "That band had a lot of musical potential but was not destined for success. Touring in a van opening for other acts and following them across the country in their busses (where you can sleep while you travel) is a very hard way to live. It can bring out the worst in people and it certainly did with us. The band started breaking apart after about 1.5 tough years."
Discography[edit]
- Lincoln (Album)
- Blow (Single)
- Lincoln (Sampler)
- Stop (Single)
Songs[edit]
- Basketball
- Blow
- Carnie Francis
- Carversville
- Don't Be That Way
- Do What You Want
- No Money, No Honey
- Shotgun Supreme
- Smashing
- Sore
- Stop
- Straight
- Sucker
- Taller
- To Build A House
- Unhappy
- What Up
- Wish You Were Dead
- Your Best Enemy