SexTapes is alternative future rock. Some say they sound like Hef’s Playmates caressed by the hand of Led Zeppelin, NIN and Muse while Jane’s Addiction blasts from John Bonham’s iPod. Take their newly released album for a spin and decide for yourself.<br /> <br /> SexTapes features co-writer/founding member Kelly Wheeler on guitars, Marko Fox<br /> on bass, Angelo Palazzo on live rhythm guitar & keyboards, Ryan Brown on drums and<br /> co-writer/producer Chris Pitman on lead vocals and guitar synth.<br /> <br /> SexTapes originated out of sheer perverse amusement with a series of informal jams by<br /> Wheeler and Fox in a cluttered garage. There, amid a bewildering array of audio electronics in every conceivable condition, sonic experiments progressed with slated vocalist Pitman’s enthusiastic blessing, even though he was about to embark on a mammoth world tour as an integral part of Guns N’ Roses (Pitman’s side project).<br /> <br /> Pitman is actually a member of Guns N’ Roses (GNR), playing multiple instruments for<br /> studio recording/live in-concert, and is credited with co-writing and co-producing on the<br /> album, “Chinese Democracy.”<br /> <br /> In addition to the GNR tie, SexTapes band members have quite a shared history:<br /> Prior to Jane’s Addiction’s formation, Wheeler played bass with then-roommate Perry Farrell in Psi-com, a regular in the L.A. Underground scene. Afterwards he brought on Karmageddon with drummer Danny Carey of Tool. Palazzo eventually replaced the bassist and continued to play in bands with Wheeler and Pitman, as well as Brown. Pitman and Carey were also band mates, both in their defiant K.C. days at the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music, and later in Zaum with Fox. Pitman added synth textures on Tool’s multi-platinum album “Aenima,” while Fox performed vocals on Aenima’s “Die Eier Von Satan.”<br /> <br /> With the addition of Brown, the band moved from the garage into a spacious North Hollywood studio and began cherry-picking from Wheeler’s early demos. While keeping in mind their goal of creating an originally addictive sound, they started laying down music tracks.<br /> <br /> Finally back from the road with GNR, Pitman began recording vocals and adding roughly shimmering guitar synths, which at times, are reminiscent of his masterful arrangements on Lusk’s “Free Mars.” To fill out their live show, they turned to their friend, Palazzo for live rhythm guitar and keyboards.<br /> <br /> Recorded at The Pass Studios in Hollywood where alternative rock legends Smashing<br /> Pumpkins recorded “Zeitgeist” and The Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded “Stadium Arcadium,” the debut album was produced and mixed by Chris Pitman. All songs are written by Kelly Wheeler and Chris Pitman.<br /> <br /> SexTapes is available at iTunes (worldwide), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sextapes/dp/B001IKQ5XC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1227640230&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/SexTapes-Explicit/dp/B001IBO3B2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1227643088&sr=8-2">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.sextapesband.com/store.html">SexTapes Store</a>, <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=KGRPNMHHLLEY3KC4D3HFAHI?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=SexTapes&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960">Best Buy</a>, <a href="http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=SexTapes">Barnes & Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?type=0&catalogId=10001&simple=1&defaultSearchView=List&keyword=SexTapes&LogData=%5Bsearch%3A+14,parse%3A+19%5D&searchData=%7BproductId%3Anull,sku%3Anull,type%3A0,sort%3Anull,currPage%3A1,resultsPerPage%3A25,simpleSearch%3Atrue,navigation%3A0,moreValue%3Anull,coverView%3Afalse,url%3Arpp=25&view=2&all_search=SexTapes&type=0&nav=0&simple=true,terms%3A%7Ball_search=SexTapes%7D%7D&storeId=13551&sku=686506325429&ddkey=http:SearchResults">Borders</a>, <a href="http://www.fye.com/viewfdsearch.htm?moreHitsFromSite=&category=&similarTo=&similarType=find&breadCrumb=&oldQuery=&begin=&page=&sortBy=&path=&searchBy=&seeAll=&profile=&query=SexTapes">fye</a>, <a href="http://www.samgoody.com/viewfdsearch.htm?moreHitsFromSite=&category=&similarTo=&similarType=find&breadCrumb=&oldQuery=&begin=&page=&sortBy=&path=&searchBy=&seeAll=&profile=&query=SexTapes">SamGoody</a>, <a href="http://www.wherehouse.com/search.jsp?page=1&type=music.keyword.buy&query=SexTapes&image.x=12&image.y=12">Wherehouse</a>, and more.
