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News Release
Contact: John Benson, Campus Activities Board
(815) 753-1580
March 18, 2004
Pop-rock extravaganza to invade Northern Illinois University
DeKalb – Northern Illinois University will host Phantom Planet with special guests Mates of State and Steriogram at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 16, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom on NIU’s DeKalb campus.
Phantom Planet plays garage rock with gravity to bring fans back to earth. The energetic vibe and complex riffs outline Phantom Planet’s new self-titled album on Epic Records, which peaked at No. 4 on CMJ’s college radio chart. The new album boasts quite a different sound than their earlier release “The Guest,” which featured the hit single “California,” currently the theme song on the hit FOX-TV show “The O.C.” Phantom Planet is made up of Alexander Greenwald, vocalist; Sam Farrar, bass; Jacques Brautbar, guitar; Darren Robinson, guitar; and Jeff Conrad, drums.
The girl-boy, keyboard-and-drums duo Mates of State have been touring the United States with fury promoting their new album, “Team Boo,” on Champaign-based Polyvinyl Records. In 2001, members Kori Gardner (keyboards and vocals) and Jason Hammel (drums and vocals) quit their day jobs as teacher and cancer researcher, respectively, to go full time with the band and since have toured the United States, Europe and Japan, and released two more full-length albums and five 7-inch records. The music of Mates of State takes a harmonic and lighthearted approach to indie rock, reminiscent of The Magnetic Fields and The Postal Service.
Capitol Records recording artists Steriogram play an alternative, rap-influenced brand of rock. From New Zealand, Steriogram is touring the western United States with Yellowcard and Something Corporate before joining Phantom Planet on the road. The band’s major label debut “Schmack!” is scheduled for release April 20.
Tickets go on sale Monday, March 29, at the NIU Holmes Student Center Box Office, or charge by phone at (815) 753-3146. Tickets are $10 with a valid NIU student I.D. and $17 for general public. For more information, call the NIU Campus Activities Board at (815) 753-1580 or visit www.niu.edu/cab. This event is Student Association allocated and open to all.
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