Last November`s EPK

With a diverse brew of quirky yet
memorable pop rock music
accompanied by honest and thought
provoking lyrics, Last November has
an ever-growing internet presence,
coupled with word of mouth buzz
from devoted fans, that is quickly
pushing this young Atlanta-based
band to true heights.
Lead singer and guitarist Luke
Pilgrim began performing at the early
age of eleven, and quickly began
honing his songwriting skills. By the
age of fifteen, he had completed
writing, recording, and producing what would become Last November’s debut album, “All the Gory
Details.” It was released independently in 2005, then picked up by Southern Track Records, an
independent label founded by legendary music publisher Bill Lowery, in 2006. “All the Gory Details”
was welcomed in the music industry with open arms, receiving rave reviews, garnering multi-formatted
airplay on over 200 national radio stations, and features on television on shows such as MTV’s “The
Real World.”
Pilgrim and Last November headed back into the studio in 2007 to write and record their sophomore
album for Southern Tracks Records, “Over the Top or Under the Weather.” Recorded and mixed at
the renowned Southern Tracks Studio in Atlanta, (home to such artists as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple
Pilots, Train, The Bravery, and Bruce Springsteen), “Over the Top or Under the Weather” had some
heavy-hitting names behind it. Pilgrim’s talents flourished under the guidance of platinum-selling
producer Steven Haigler (Brand New, Fuel, Oleander, Pixies, As Tall as Lions) and mastered by
Rodney Mills (Butch Walker, Pearl Jam, Drive-By Truckers, Lynyrd Skynyrd), as his music
matured with intricate melodic vocals, edgy guitar inventions. His experienced songwriting revealed
new vulnerability and openness. “When I was in high school, I used to sit around with my friends with
acoustic guitars and sing songs from Brand New’s album ‘Deja Entendu,’” says Pilgrim. “Working with
Steven Haigler was a pretty surreal experience for me and the guys in the band.”
Released in the spring of 2008, “Over the Top or Under the Weather” proved to be the perfect follow up
to Last November’s first album. “The Bumper Sticker Song,” the first single and music video off the
album, captured the attention of the band’s impressively growing fan base. “The song is about finding
someone who can love you in spite of your flaws, weird hang ups, disorders, and overall neurotic
obsessive nature,” shares Pilgrim. “I actually get emails from people asking if I really have A.D.D. or
O.C.D. and I usually just tell them, those are only a couple of my many disorders.” Other songs on the
album, including “Jesus had Breakfast in Bed,” and “Butter Me Up,” rock the crowd, while “Sunday
Afternoon” creates a lush landscape of baroque pop that is both hauntingly catchy, and intelligent.
Most recently, Last November was nominated for a 2008 New Music Weekly Award for “New Top 40
of the Year.” They also released their latest single and music video entitled “Seventeen at Three in
the Morning,” a power pop ballad that is quickly becoming the anthem for every teenager in America.
The single is currently being played in heavy rotation on over 65 radio stations nationwide, with
numbers growing daily.
With 2009 on the horizon, Last November is a band that cannot be stopped. They have already shared
the stage with bands Plain White T’s, Cake, Pink, Train, The Working Title, The Bravery, The Almost,
Mute Math, Family Force 5, Interpol, They Might Be Giants, Chris Cornell, and more. Last November
plans on touring nationally to promote “Over the Top or Under the Weather” throughout spring and
summer 2009, and have a national high school tour in the works.
THE BAND
LUKE PILGRIM – Lead Vocals & Guitar
If you ask lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Last
November Luke Pilgrim where he is going, he will respond
“to the top!” Then, if you ask him “which top?” he will
respond, “to the very top!” This saying, taken from perhaps
one of Luke’s greatest musical influences The Beatles, has
become a motto for the budding artist. Luke has been making
a name for himself as the wonder kid of music for the past five
years of his life, launched by the release of his band’s first
album “All the Gory Details” in 2005, and has continued
through the release of his latest album, “Over the Top or
Under the Weather” in 2008. Luke was born in Gainesville,
Georgia, and was raised in Cleveland, Georgia, otherwise
known as the home of The Cabbage Patch Kids. As a child,
he was always interested in art, asking his parents for
paintbrushes, and drawing pencils, instead of toy trucks or
cars. By age 11, his parents gave him his first guitar, a gift
that would prove to breathe life into one of Luke’s purest
talents, songwriting. Throughout his adolescence, Luke
immersed himself in artists that guided him in songwriting;
The Eagles, Tom Petty, Elton John, and of course, The
Beatles. He also dabbled in other instruments, playing
percussion in the school band [he can still play the drums],
piano, bass, and even the banjo.
In high school, he started playing with a few guys, which would eventually evolve into Last November.
Luke wrote most of the songs from the 2005 release “All the Gory Details” when he was 15 years old,
and since then, has honed his songwriting skills to become a lyrical expert. “Lyrically, I have been
influenced by Conor Oberst, and even John Mayer” says Luke. “My lyrics are always based on different
things, it depends on what is going on in my life. Sometimes they are based on real people or events,
and sometimes they are fictitious. Our new album ‘Over the Top or Under the Weather’ is kind of a
party album, it is all about fun, but has lots of depth to it as well. I am always writing, even if it is just a
line or two a day. Since I write as it comes to me, I have to go back and sort through all the nonsense
later when I sit down with a guitar.” In 2008, Luke tapped into another talent, filming music videos.
Last November recently shot their music video for the single “Seventeen at Three in the Morning,” on a
HD Cannon XHA1 camera, where Luke drew the storyboards, wrote up a shot list, filmed, directed, and
edited the video. “We got clearance to shoot in my old school in Cleveland, and we were able to shoot
the pep rally and gym scenes in this 100 year old gym close to Helen, Georgia,” shares Luke. “We did a
casting call online so everyone in the video was a volunteer. Kids drove from all over to participate;
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, you name it. We did all our own lighting, make up,
shooting, and editing, even the catering! It was quite an experience.” Some would call Luke a jack-ofall-trades, talented in everything he does, a true gem in an oversaturated music industry. For Luke, he
just wants to make good music, and entertain his fans. However when all is said and done, Luke Pilgrim
is a musician that is undoubtedly, on his way to the top.
TAYLOR WOODRUFF – Drums & Vocals
The importance of the drummer in a band is
unparalleled. They keep the strong beats that keep a
song together, provide a foundation for the band to
follow, and are essentially, the backbone of the band.
Drummer Taylor Woodruff, one of the only remaining
original members of Last November, lives up to his
title to the T. Born and raised in Gainesville, Georgia,
Taylor began playing percussion in the 6th grade. He
immediately fell in love with the instrument, learning
to play anything and everything that fell into the
percussion category, including the vibes and marimba.
“My parents have always been so supportive of my
passion for music. They bought me my first drum set
and whenever I play live locally, they are always there
to cheer me on” says Taylor. In high school, he was
part of the marching band and concert band, and it was
during this time that he met lead singer and guitarist of
Last November, Luke Pilgrim. “Luke already had a
band going, so I started playing with him, and we hit it
off, from there, Last November was formed” says
Taylor. Taylor brings to the table the musical
influences of Nirvana, Metallica, Blink 182, and his
favorite artist Rush. He says his favorite part of being in a band is getting to travel and meet new
people, and that he has met some of his best friends on the road. Currently, in conjunction to playing
with Last November, he is attending The University of Phoenix and is working towards getting a
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
TYLER AYERS – Bass
Born in Snellville Georgia, Tyler Ayers, bass player for Last
November, has been burning up the stage since he was thirteen
years old. Growing up in Grayson, Georgia, Tyler knew early on
that he was meant to be a musician. “I picked up the bass when I
was 12, after failing miserably at sports,” he shares. “I realized
that after a pickup basketball game with a band we were playing
with a few months ago that I really haven’t gotten any better at
sports over the years. I think music must be my calling!” Tyler’s
parents supported their son in his decision to become a musician,
encouraging him to go for his dreams. Tyler attended Grayson
High School and Atlanta Christian College for a short time,
however decided that his music career was the most important
thing in his life, and decided to move to Atlanta to pursue music
full time. Tyler went on to live the life of a true musician, living
out of his car for four months after the move, while working,
playing music, and looking for a place to call home. Eventually,
he did find a place to call home, as well as two members of Last
November, Luke and Taylor. Four days after they all met, Tyler
was playing bass in the band. Tyler says he has a wide variety of
musical influences including classic rock greats Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Foghat, and .38 Special –
all of which he has taken pieces of to bring his own flavor of rock to the band. In addition to bass, Tyler
also plays the guitar and mandolin.
ZACH BAXTER – Guitar & Keys
Born and raised in Oakwood, Georgia, guitarist and keyboardist
Zach Baxter was seemingly destined to end up in the band Last
November. He began playing music at the age of 7, when he was
enrolled in piano lessons. After a few years he lost interest in the
keys, and decided to pick up a guitar. Both instruments would
stay with him throughout adolescence into adulthood, and would
become his passion and part of the driving force for the band Last
November. Zach never went to school for music. His biggest
musical influence he had growing up was James Hetfield of
Metallica, and it was what he took from Hetfield’s music, and his
natural born talents, that have carried him to where he is today.
The first concert Zach attended was a show put on by Last
November at a festival in Gainesville, Georgia. Their sounds,
stage presence, and lyrics drew him in, and he instantly became a
fan. For years he watched the band grow, and in April 2008, with
the departure of the band’s keyboardist, Zach had his opportunity
to audition. His talent showed. He immediately clicked with the
group, and quickly became their fourth member.
Zach credits hard work, and not getting caught up in materialistic things, for the success he has found
and the position he is in today. He is known for his big heart, and his life motto is “never say never.”
When asked what direction he feel’s the music industry is moving in, he says “it is spreading out to the
point where anyone can do what they want with their music, and they have easy outlets to get the word
out. It is a bittersweet kind of thing.” Zach’s personal style of music is vast, however his favorite band
currently is Bring Me The Horizon. He says that the sound on the latest Last November album “Over
the Top or Under the Weather” is like the new face of good old rock n roll.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE BAND
Guitarist and Keyboardist Zach Baxter’s nickname is Mickey PZ
Bassist Tyler Ayers also plays the mandolin
Drummer Taylor Woodruff is a huge Star Wars fan, and has a large collection
of Star Wars figurines
Lead singer Luke Pilgrim grew up in Cleveland, Georgia, otherwise known as
the home of The Cabbage Patch Kids and Babyland
There are two versions of Last November’s single “Seventeen at Three in the
Morning,” due to the fact that the first version was recorded when Luke was
sick, and although that version did make it onto the album, a second version
was cut, mixed, and released on national radio and iTunes.
The band speaks mostly in movie quotes. All members are movie buffs.
PRESS
“These guys are truly talented musicians. From the lyrics to the full songwriting and
definitely the live performance, I honestly feel like Last November is a band on the verge
of dominating your airwaves.” – Marti Jackson The Tiger FM 95.9 WTGZ Auburn, Alabama
“This is a band that is on the verge of taking things to the next level, and ‘Over the Top or
Under the Weather’ is as good a calling card as one could wish for these days…” –
Charleston South Carolina Post and Courier
“Last November mixes it up a tad- ok, maybe more than a tad. On their debut release, they
give you a little of this and a little of that. You never know what you’re going to get with
each song.” – Rachel Fredrickson, Hybrid Magazine
“It seems to be clear, however, that Last November is no longer hiding. One of their most
popular songs, ‘Where do we go from here?’ echoes their sentiments about growing out of
Cleveland, what they call a ‘small town.’ With their talent and quickly growing popularity,
the answer to that questions seems inevitably clear: Wherever they want.” - Lee Ferran,
The Gainesville Times / Get Out
“Their show can be compared to the likes of Coheed and Cambria while their youth
enables them to display unrestrained talent. They are a riotous act with just enough rock
star to intimate future fame.” – Angela Morris, Performer Magazine
TIP SHEET
BAND MEMBERS
Luke Pilgrim – Guitar & Vocals
Tyler Ayers – Bass
Taylor Woodruff – Drums & Vocals
Zach Baxter – Keys / Guitar & Vocals
DISCOGRAPHY
All The Gory Details – 2005
Over the Top or Under the Weather - 2008
MEDIA
Music Video for “Seventeen at Three in the Morning”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20oDXi_r5sI&fmt=18
Music Video for “The Bumper Sticker Song”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7iTK4MzMtg
Music Video for “Sniper”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0DsVLpFJ8&feature=related
ON THE INTERNET
MySpace: www.myspace.com/lastnovember
Website: www.lastnovember.com
CONTACT
MLC PR
30423 Canwood Street Suite 240
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
818.706.8080
[email protected]
www.monaloring.com