Thing-One

With a discography that plays like several different bands rolled into one, Thing-One started out as a live hip-hop group that incorporated rap, rock, soul, and jazz, before morphing into an indie rock band with dancy overtones. Similar sounding to Dismemberment Plan or Arcade Fire by the time of their third release, at the band's formation in 2003, leader Joey Palestina was practically solely influenced by rap. Inspired by Nas, GZA, Biggie Smalls, and a lesser-known rapper named Esthero, Palestina and his buddy Spencer Miles started freestyling at a basement party in Glen Ridge, NJ. What started as a gag quickly evolved into an actuality, and after playing shows as a live hip-hop band complete with a female backing vocalist, their first EP, Before the Road, was released in 2004. Plucky and beat-based with emo-centric lyrics that revolved around adolescent fears about getting dumped and the uncertainty of post-collegiate life, this five-track record was rounded up into their first full-length, ...Miles from the Road, in 2005. After a move to Brooklyn, the group started to progress musically and became enamored of bands like Ra Ra Riot, Mooney Suzuki, and Apes & Androids. Guitarist Adam Arcano was recruited and along with Miles Palestina, Spencer Miles, and drummer Tim Alworth, their second full-length, GhettoSkylineSuburbanFarmland, was completed in 2008.