With their debut album Madeline, The Fort Collins, Colorado band explores mortality, drug use, suicide, loss, brutal breakups and the trappings of suburbia. The band had to face the subject of death on what should have been one of the best moments of their career, the national release of their first album. On July 1, 2008, the day their album was released, bassist/guitarist Johnny Schou tragically passed away at the age of 22 years-old.
Formed in 2005, Tickle Me Pink includes Sean Kennedy (lead vocals, bass), Stefan Runstrom (drums), Steven Beck (guitar, vocals) and Joey Barba (guitar). Tickle Me Pink has built a loyal following by playing hundreds of live shows and independently releasing two EPs, If Only We Were Twenty One And Up (2005) and Half Seas Over (2006), and their debut full-length, Madeline. Selling out the 650-capacity Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, Tickle Me Pink has become one of the biggest bands in Colorado.
The urgency and depth of Tickle Me Pink is best captured with the title track of their new album. "Madeline" is a cautionary tale of substance abuse, documenting the death of the album's namesake heroine. Kennedy states, "Madeline represents my friends who have gone off of the deep end. It illustrates how sorry I feel that my impact on some of my friends has not been more positive. Every activity shared in the song may have been fun at the time, but ultimately brought Madeline to her death. Living with the thought that you might have been the final straw is a tough mental battle."
The single, "Typical" is now impacting Alternative.
The band has announced plans to move towards the future following the passing of band member Johnny Schou. Singer Sean Kennedy shared, "Johnny always wanted to bring purpose to other people's lives. He had a quiet leadership that lives in all of us as a band. His legacy is in his music and every show we play we are sharing a piece of Johnny's heart with our listeners. Not only would he want us to carry on, but we owe it to him." He continued, "We have had to do some major soul searching as a band. We not only have lost a band member, but our best friend. The process is just beginning. We will never be able to replace Johnny, but through this tragedy we have all grown even closer together and are going to make him proud." Drummer Stefan Runstrom added, "Following a period of mourning over the loss of a great friend, it was only natural to want to move on. For two weeks, we were wrapped up in what seemed to be an enormous setback for our band. Now, it's proven to be more of an opportunity to unite and see something through till the end."
Tickle Me Pink has enlisted long-time friend Joey Barba to join them on the road as guitarist. On this selection, singer Sean Kennedy offers, "Joey has been a long time band friend. His old band, The Brotherhood of Dae Han, and Tickle Me Pink have grown up playing shows together. Through this, we have all made a special bond, especially with Joey. He appears on our nationally released live DVD on a few songs, and was in the studio with us during some of the recordings. Joey is not only a brilliant player; he is a great friend to us and was to Johnny. Johnny would want it this way if he could somehow have a say." Drummer Stefan Runstrom adds, "Joey has been a great friend of ours and Johnny's since the very beginning. In addition to being an amazing musician with reputable songwriting ability, he is also one of the nicest guys I know."
In moving towards the future, Kennedy concludes, "It is somewhat ironic that many of our songs deal with death and a higher purpose. We don't think it is a coincidence that these songs came about on our record. We want to let the world know how short life is; embrace the ones you love and treasure each moment without regret."
Upcoming Tour Dates:
7/28 SACRAMENTO, CA THE BOARDWALK
7/30 PORTLAND, OR HAWTHORNE THEATER
7/31 SEATTLE, WA EL CORAZON
8/01 BOISE, ID THE BIG EASY
8/02 SALT LAKE CITY, UT AVALON THEATER
8/03 DENVER, CO CERVANTE'S MASTERPIECE BALLROOM
8/04 ALBUQUERQUE, NM SUNSHINE THEATER
8/05 TEMPE, AZ THE CLUBHOUSE
8/15 LOUISVILLE, CO DOWNTOWN STREET FAIR (W/O SKSK & FINCH)
8/16 FORT COLLINS, CO BOHEMIAN NIGHTS @ NEW WEST (W/O SKSK & F)
8/25 LAWRENCE, KS THE BOTTLENECK
8/26 OMAHA, NE SOKOL AUD
8/27 ST. PAUL, MN STATION 4
8/28 CHICAGO, IL METRO
8/29 DETROIT, MI ST. ANDREWS HALL
8/30 CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES
8/31 BUFFALO, NY XTREME WHEELZ
9/02 CAMBRIDGE, MA MIDDLE EAST
9/03 NEW YORK, NY IRVING PLAZA
9/04 BALTIMORE, MD RAMS HEAD LIVE!
9/05 SAYREVILLE, NJ STARLAND BALLROOM
9/06 PHILADELPHIA, PA TROCADERO THEATER
9/07 NORFOLK, VA NORVA THEATER
9/09 CHARLOTTE, NC TREMONT MUSIC HALL
9/10 NASHVILLE, TN ROCKETOWN
9/11 ATLANTA, GA MASQUERADE MUSIC PARK
9/12 LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL HOUSE OF BLUES
9/13 ST. PETERSBURG, FL STATE THEATER
9/14 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL CULTURE ROOM
9/16 METAIRE, LA THE HIGH GROUND
9/17 HOUSTON, TX MERIDIAN
9/18 DALLAS, TX HOUSE OF BLUES
9/19 SAN ANTONIO, TX WHITE RABBIT
9/20 AUSTIN, TX ANTONES
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