Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we're doing
something a little different. We're not chasing
the latest viral flash in the pan, you know,
or breaking down how the biggest stadium acts
run their empires. No, today it's really about
the long haul, the architecture, if you will,
of just sticking around, making a life in music.
Exactly. We're diving deep into how a band survives.
how they play the long game in rock and roll.
Specifically, we're looking at the incredible
persistence of the figs. Yeah, it's a fascinating
case study, really. It touches on like... professional
flexibility, knowing who to work with, and maybe
most importantly, knowing when to just take control
yourself. So our mission today, especially for
you, the learner, is to figure out how this American
rock band started way back in 87. 1987. Right.
How they don't just, you know, exist for almost
40 years, but actually stay creative, stay relevant
without necessarily being on pop radio every
single day outside that constant mainstream glare.
It's really something. And we've got, well. A
mountain of source material here. Discographies,
timelines. There's a sheer amount of stuff they've
put out. It's kind of staggering when you lay
it all out. It really is. We're talking the figs
from Saratoga Springs, New York. Active, like
you said, since 1987. That's 37 years as of right
now. Think about that timeline. It stretches
from, what, the Reagan years, end of the Cold
War, all the way through grunge, the internet
boom, Napster, streaming. right up to now and
the output just doesn't stop we're looking at
13 studio albums officially but then they're
all the eps the singles the collaborations It's
a huge body of work. And their sound. It sits
in that really cool intersection. You know, it's
got that raw garage rock thing happening. But
also these really smart, kind of sophisticated
pop hooks. Definitely. Garage rock meets pop
rock is a good way to put it. Okay, first fun
fact. A little nugget to start us off. They weren't
always the Figs. Ah, right. The original name.
They started out as the Sonic Undertones. The
Sonic Undertones. It sounds very, like, late
80s, doesn't it? Maybe a bit punkier? Yeah, totally.
They changed the name, obviously. But that core
energy, that engine, seems like it was there
from the start. And here's something that I think
is immediately crucial to understanding how they
lasted this long. It's this kind of dual track
career they built. Explain that. What do you
mean by dual track? Well, on one hand, you've
got their own records, the Figs albums, the EPs,
consistently putting out music under their own
name, feeding that dedicated fan base they built
over years. Okay, standard band stuff. Right.
But running alongside that, and this is key,
they built this incredibly important long -term
professional relationship. Since 1996, that's
almost 30 years now, they've been the go -to
backing band for the rock legend Graham Parker.
Graham Parker. Wow. Okay, that's significant.
Hugely significant. And they've also toured with
Tommy Stinson from The Replacements. Okay, so
right away, that paints a different picture.
They're not just, you know, a band trying to
make it on their own songs. They're also these
highly respected working musicians that... that
other established artists trust and rely on.
Exactly. It's like the ultimate professional
validation, isn't it? When someone like Graham
Parker hires you, not just for a tour, but for
decades, that speaks volumes about their skill,
their reliability, their adaptability. Yeah,
it frames them as like serious industry players,
even if they aren't always headlining arenas
themselves. Yeah. If you're taking notes on how
to build a long career, maybe that's lesson one.
diversify, have more than one way to be a musician.
Absolutely. So what we're going to do today is
trace that whole journey. We'll look at how they
went from being high school buddies making DIY
tapes in an attic. Literally in an attic. We'll
get to that. Yeah. To having a moment with major
labels, forging that vital connection with Graham
Parker, and then ultimately taking the reins
completely by self -releasing their massive back
catalog on their own label. It's a real arc.
Let's unpack this model of longevity piece by
piece. Let's do it. Okay. Section one. The foundational
years, we're talking 1987 to roughly 1993. The
early days, the DIY spirit. Right back to the
beginning. Saratoga Springs, 1987. And it's pretty
much the classic garage band story, you know.
It starts with friendship. Mike Dent on guitar,
Pete Donnelly on bass, Guy Lyons on drums. And
the key thing is... They all went to high school
together. Yeah. And that shared history, that
bond you forge when you're teenagers starting
something together. I mean, sometimes that's
the glue that holds a band together through everything
else. Bad tours, label problems, whatever. If
that core friendship is solid. It gives you something
to fall back on. Yeah. But interestingly. The
lineup wasn't totally stable right out of the
gate. There were some early shifts. That's right.
Guy Lyons, the original drummer, he actually
left the band for a little while in 1989. Okay,
so just two years in, who replaced him? P. Hayes
came in on drums. Got it. P. Hayes. But here's
where you see that adaptability thing start to
emerge really early on. Because Lyons came back
in 1992. Ah, okay. So, awkward situation. Did
Hayes get pushed out? No, and that's what's cool.
They didn't just revert back. Hayes stayed on
drums. He was solid. And Guy Lyons, the returning
original member, switched to lead guitar. Oh,
interesting. So they became a four -piece. Exactly.
They used his return to actually expand their
sound, create this fuller two -guitar lineup.
That four -piece structure, djent, donnelly,
haze, and lions, that's what really defined their
sound for the next several years, right up until
97. That's smart. Instead of conflict, they found
a way to integrate everyone. It's like evolution.
Not replacement. Precisely. And this period,
especially 92, 93, this is where that DIY do
-it -yourself ethic really shines. Our source
material calls their first records monuments
to self -sufficiency. And they really were. We're
talking cassette releases. Remember cassettes?
Oh, yeah. The ultimate indie format back then.
Cheap to make, easy to sell at shows. Their first
full -length albums came out on cassette through
the small indie label Absolute. A go. First one
was Ginger in 1992. And the notes say it was
recorded like throughout the year in different
places in New Jersey. Which tells you everything,
right? It's not like they booked two weeks in
a fancy studio. It was probably more like grab
a weekend here, use a friend's basement there.
Gorilla recording, basically. Whatever it took
to get the songs down. But the next one, 1993's
Ready Steady Stoned. This one really captures
that romantic, scrappy indie image. Where was
it recorded? In the Donnelly's attic. Uh -huh.
Amazing. A full album tracked in somebody's attic.
I mean, if you've ever tried to even just record
vocals in a regular room, let alone drums, doing
a whole album in an untreated attic space, that
takes serious dedication. Absolutely. It shows
that drive. Lack of a big budget wasn't going
to stop them. They were going to make the record,
period. And you have to imagine that environment,
that lo -fi reality. It probably set right into
the sound, right? For sure. The description we
have is that these early records were full of
aggressive punk and shimmery pop tunes. That
raw recording process probably meshed perfectly
with that youthful energy. They weren't trying
to sound slick. They were leaning into the garage
vibe. So by 93, they've kind of established all
the core pieces, haven't they? Stable, adaptable
lineup. Check. A sound that mixed punk energy
with pop hooks. Check. And two albums out made
completely on their own terms through sheer force
of will. Yeah. And that foundation is so important
because when the bigger industry starts sniffing
around, which happens next, they aren't just
some new band waiting to be molded. They already
know who they are. They know they can make records
themselves. Right. That gives them leverage or
at least a strong sense of identity when they
step into the major label world. Exactly. It's
a kind of armor, really. Okay. So that brings
us to section two, the major label interlude.
And crucially, the Graham Parker connection.
This is... Roughly 1994 to 1998. Yeah, the mid
-90s. And with that groundwork laid, that buzz
they'd built themselves, it's kind of inevitable
that bigger labels would notice time to step
up. First stop was Imago Records. Right. They
signed with Imago, and that led to the 1994 album
Lo -Fi at Society High. Lo -Fi at Society High.
Love that title. it's great isn't it it's like
they're acknowledging their roots even as they're
moving into a you know slightly higher society
situation with a bigger label did it work did
you get the more attention yeah the sources say
it definitely generated wider recognition and
deepening industry interests it was the next
logical step the launch pad and that launch pad
took them very briefly to capital records ah
capital one of the big ones a legacy label As
often happens in this business, right? Yeah.
Their time there was short. Impactful, maybe,
but short. Very short. And this is, I think,
a really important lesson for you, the learner,
about just how volatile the major label world
can be. In 1996, they released Band of Macho.
Band of Macho. Okay. And that turned out to be
their only album for Capitol. Wow. One album
and done. Pretty much. It's that classic major
label story, right? If the first record doesn't
immediately explode commercially, the label often
just cuts bait, moves on to the next thing, the
investment disappears. So you see that instability
really clearly there. One album deal, boom, gone.
High risk, high reward, I guess. Exactly. But...
and this is a huge but, the silver lining of
that whole Capitol experience turned out to be
massive for their future. It was during that
time that they connected with Graham Parker.
The legend himself. How did that happen? Was
he on Capitol too? Yeah, Parker was also signed
to Capitol around then. And the source material,
interestingly, calls him a forgotten man at the
label at that time. Meaning, like... Capable
wasn't really pushing his records. That's the
implication. An established, respected artist,
but maybe not the current priority for the corporate
machine. And it seems like maybe that shared
experience, both the Figs and Parker feeling
a bit. underappreciated or misunderstood by the
label is what drew them together they found kindred
spirit that makes perfect sense this younger
band full of talent maybe feeling chewed up by
the system connects with this veteran artist
who's maybe feeling a bit sidelined himself yeah
and Parker recognizing their talent their energy
their musicianship it just clicked it formed
this artistic bond that as we've said turned
out to be way more valuable and way more lasting
than that capital contract ever was. So this
collaboration with Parker, you'd say this is
probably the single most important external factor
in their whole longevity story. Arguably, yes.
Outside of their own songwriting and drive, absolutely.
And we see the proof pretty quickly. The first
official documentation of them working together
is from 1997 on that Bloodshot Records release,
the last rock and roll tour. The last rock and
roll tour. OK. And just think about that contrast
again for you listening. One album on Capitol
then dropped versus this artistic partnership
with Parker starting around the same time, 96,
which is still going strong in various forms
decades later. it's night and day isn't it stability
versus volatility and what did that parker gig
give them practically speaking well it became
a crucial safety net they weren't just a backing
band they became his backing band his trusted
unit that means steady touring work a reliable
paycheck exposure to parker's dedicated audience
all completely separate from whether their own
latest album was a hit or not it's a parallel
career almost yeah artist track and high -level
sideman track exactly a really smart diversification
now back inside the band itself This period also
saw the final big lineup change for the core
group, right? It did. Guy Lyons, who'd come back
and switch to lead guitar, he left the band permanently
in 1997. Okay. After about five years in that
four -piece configuration. Yeah. His departure
came after they recorded the album The Figs Couldn't
Get High, which actually saw them return to their
indie roots. Oh, back to Absolute A -Go -Go.
Yep. Released on Absolute A -Go -Go in 1998.
And it was professionally done, produced, and
arranged by Andy Chernoff. you know, from the
Dictators. Oh, wow. Andy Chernoff. Okay, cool.
Yeah, recorded at Mixolydian Studios. So even
going back indie, they were operating at a high
level. So the big major label experiment ends,
Guy Lyons leaves, and they land back in the indie
world. But now is that core trio, Mike Gent,
Pete Donnelly, Pete Hayes. And that trio formation,
Gent, Donnelly, Hayes, that's the lineup that
would really carry them forward, proving to be
incredibly stable. And as we'll see, unbelievably
prolific. They were ready for the next chapter.
All right. Section three, the prolific trio years
and creative maturity. We're looking at roughly
1999 to 2006 now. Yeah, the lineups locked in
as a three piece and they just hit the ground
running at the turn of the century. They started
putting out a ton of music, mostly on a label
called Hearbox. It really showed how powerful
they were as a trio. And we're talking serious
volume, right? Not just like an album every few
years. Oh, yeah. High volume, but still with
professional quality. Between 99 and 2002 alone,
they had several key releases. They kicked it
off in 99 with an EP called For EP Fans Only.
For EP Fans Only, love it. Recorded with some
quality people, Andy Kravitz, Howard Billerman,
mastered at Zippo Recording Studios in Massachusetts.
Zippo, okay, so they're using proper studios
now. Definitely moved beyond the attic phase.
Absolutely. They figured out how to get professional
results within that indie framework. They clearly
like Zipper because they went back the next summer,
in 2000, for the full -length album Sucking In
Stereo. Sucking In Stereo, great title. Produced
and engineered by the band themselves, along
with Brian Charles. So they're taking more control
in the studio, too. Keeping that DIY control,
just with better gear. Exactly. Then in 2001,
another EP, Badger. This one seemed a bit more
pieced together, recorded in a few different
spots. Cue Division, Amazing Barn, Peligro Audio.
Which shows that... Flexibility again, right?
They can make it work wherever they are. Likely
fitting recording around touring schedules. Must
be. And Peligro Audio seems to have become a
bit of a go -to spot for efficiency because they
went back there later that year and into 2001
to, as the source says, crank out the album's
slow charm. Crank out suggests speed and efficiency.
Yeah, working with producer Timo Ayer. So those
three releases on Hearbox for EP fans only, Sucking
In Stereo, Slow Charm, plus the Badger EP, they
really cement the power of that trio lineup.
Gent. Donnelly, Hayes. They totally found their
groove, super efficient writing and recording,
no distractions. Okay, so they're firing on all
cylinders as a trio. But the next phase, maybe
2003 to 2006, that's where things get really
interesting artistically, right? They start to
stretch out. Massively. They move beyond just
those tight pop punk songs. And they did it with
two albums back to back that are like polar opposites.
It was a real demonstration of their range. Let's
start with the first one. 2004's Palais. Palais.
Yeah, this was a statement piece, a huge sprawling
album. 25 songs. 25. Yeah. Spread over two LPs
or two CDs. Yeah, it was them just letting loose,
maturing, basically saying, we don't have to
make a neat little 12 -song album if we don't
want to. It was ambitious. And the recording
itself reflected that sprawl, didn't it? It wasn't
done in one place. Not at all. They recorded
it across four different locations. Mike Jentz
Basement in Providence, Camp Street in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, Brick House in Norristown, Pennsylvania,
and a place called Palais Royal in Bryn Mawr,
Pennsylvania. Wow. So the making of the album
was a journey in itself. It really sounds like
it, doesn't it? Like they were gathering ideas
and sounds from all over. It feels like an album
that collected years of road -tested material
and studio experiments. They were comfortable
enough to just go big. Maximalist figs. Totally.
And that artistic ambition also led to something
really cool for the fans, a serious collector's
item. Ah, the vinyl edition. Exactly, the deluxe
silk screen vinyl version of Palais. It came
out in December 2004, released by a label called
Sue Intense Records. And it was super limited,
only 250 numbered sets. 250 worldwide, that's
tiny. Yeah, instant rarity. Came in three different
vinyl colors too, red, blue, and yellow. When
a band does something like that, that, it's a
nod to the hardcore fans, you know, creating
this beautiful physical object that's immediately
valuable. Right. Builds that collector culture
around the band, which could be really important
long term. OK, so Pelé is the big, sprawling
epic. What came next? Well, almost immediately
they did a complete 180. If Palais was sprawl,
the next record was all about tightness. The
follow -up was Follow Jean Through the Sea, right?
Released in 2006 on Gern Blanstein Records. That's
the one. And it's explicitly described as taut
compared to Palais. How taut are we talking?
10 songs, just over 30 minutes long. Wow. From
25 songs on a double album to 10 songs in half
an hour. Exactly. It's like they flexed their
maximalist muscles and then immediately turned
around and flexed their minimalist muscles. Complete
control. Engineered by a team including Pete
Donnelly himself, Scott Yanovitz, Jesse Honig,
Seth Powell, and produced by the band. That ability
to swing between those extremes. Yeah. From epic
scope to laser focus. That really shows artistic
maturity, doesn't it? They weren't stuck in one
mode. Not at all. Total command of their craft.
And there's one more piece to this prolific trio
era, a kind of late -breaking commercial success
story that proves how long the shelf life of
their songs could be. Ah, yes. The Lexus commercial.
Right. Years later, in May 2013, suddenly a song
from that big, sprawling 2004 album Palais gets
picked up. The song was Jet D 'Adore. And Lexus
used it in a national TV commercial for the Lexus
RX, that ad called First Sight. Which is amazing,
right? A deep cut from an indie double album
almost a decade old suddenly getting this massive
mainstream exposure. It's a perfect example of
how valuable a back catalog can be. You never
know when a song might connect or find a new
life through licensing. It's the long game paying
off again. Absolutely. Great songwriting, properly
controlled, holds its value. That's a huge payoff
for just sticking with it and owning your work.
Okay, that leads us perfectly into the final
phase we're looking at. Section four, taking
control, the launch of Stomper Records, and just
continued output. This is roughly 2008 to the
present day. Yeah, this feels like the culmination
of everything they'd learned. They'd done the
DIY thing, survived the majors, mastered the
indie label world, built the Parker side hustle.
Now it was time to really consolidate power.
Taking full control of their own destiny, basically.
Exactly. And the big move here, the ultimate
lesson for the learner in securing your legacy,
is launching their own record label. They integrated
the business side with the creative side. Stomper
Records. Stomper Records. Officially launched.
And in 2010, the album The Man Who Fights Himself...
became the first full -length release on their
own label. That's a huge step. It's not just
about putting out a record. It's about owning
the means of production and distribution. Totally.
And that album itself is significant. Musically,
it's described as having crisp pop tunes, so
they're continuing that tight, focused sound.
But look at the details around it, the cover
photo. Yeah, the source notes mention that. It's
by Joe Duhl. Right, Joe Duell, who was the longtime
sound man and caretaker at Caffe Lena in Saratoga
Springs. Ah, Caffe Lena, the legendary folk venue.
So even as they're setting up their own label,
becoming this self -contained business, they're
signaling that connection back to their hometown,
their local scene, their roots. Exactly. It shows
that loyalty, that grounding. Their professional
network includes these trusted local figures.
It's not some faceless corporate thing. Let's
look at the production credits for The Man Who
Fights Himself 2. It says produced and mixed
by the band, which makes sense for their own
label. But the engineering team that listed is
pretty big. P .D., Scott Yanovitz, Barry McGuire,
Seth Powell, Scott Rabling, Shane Smith. Quite
a few names. Yeah, that's interesting, isn't
it? It suggests maybe that owning a label doesn't
mean they do everything in one place. It probably
means they're using their network, hiring specific
engineers for specific tasks, maybe using different
smaller studios for different things. So it's
like distributed expertise. Could be. It's efficient.
You bring in the talent you need when you need
it, pay them for that specific job, rather than
carrying the overhead of a massive studio or
a permanent large staff. Maximum control, minimum
bloat, smart business. And when Stomper was up
and running, did the pace of releases stay high?
Oh, yeah. If anything, having their own outlet
just open the floodgates, the consistency is
remarkable. What came after The Man Who Fights
Himself? Okay, so after 2010, we get The Day
Gravity Stopped in 2012, then Other Planes of
Here in 2015, On the Slide in 2016, Shady Grove
in 2019, and the most recent one listed is Chemical
Shake in 2022. Wow, that's like... An album roughly
every two to three years consistently for over
a decade? Yeah. All while presumably still touring,
maybe doing Parker digs? Yeah. It's relentless.
It proves that the self -controlled model really
works for them. It allows that focus. And crucially,
Stomper wasn't just for new albums, right? It
became the way to manage their entire past. Bingo.
That's where the real long -term power lies.
Owning the label means owning the masters, controlling
the narrative. They could finally curate their
own history. So reissues, compilations. Exactly.
Stomper became the vehicle. They put out that
essential compilation in 2013, a thousand people
grinning. The Figs Anthology, perfect starting
point for anyone new to the band. Like the one
we're recommending for you, The Learner. That's
the one. And maybe even more importantly, they
used Stomper to bring their early foundational
work back into print, often in better formats.
They did a deluxe CD reissue of Ready, Steady,
Stoned way back in 2003, even before Stomper
was fully formed, perhaps showing the intent.
And then a vinyl reissue. of Ginger in 2019.
So they're making sure that whole story from
the attic tapes right up to the latest release
is available, professionally presented, and importantly,
generating revenue for them. Precisely. They
are actively managing and monetizing their own
legacy. And did launching Stomper? affect the
graham parker collaboration at all doesn't seem
like it if anything it probably just streamlined
things the collaboration continued and they kept
documenting it right we've listed here several
more live albums with parker released during
this period official bootleg live cuts from somewhere
in 2003 songs of no consequence which was a studio
album with parker in 2005 103 degrees in june
Live in Chicago in 2006, live at FTC in 2010.
Yeah, that partnership remained a constant, reliable
part of their professional lives, running in
parallel with their own stomper -driven output.
They are truly a working band in every sense.
Artist, label owner, sideman, wearing all the
hats. Juggling them expertly. And this whole
long, winding, persistent journey kind of...
came full circle nicely in 2017, didn't it? Ah,
the 30th anniversary. 30 years, and the source
material notes that for some anniversary shows,
founding member Guy Lyons, the guy who left way
back in 97, actually came back and sat in with
them. Playing some of those very early songs,
presumably. You'd have to assume so, and that's
just... It's a really nice grace note, isn't
it? After all the changes, the ups and downs,
the business side of things, to have that original
member come back and celebrate the beginning,
it shows that the core relationships, the music
itself, endured. Closes the loop beautifully.
Yeah. Okay, so let's wrap this up. Outro time.
Thinking about this whole deep dive into the
figs, what's the main takeaway? What's the core
lesson here for you, the learner? I think it
really boils down to this. The figs are a prime
example, maybe the example, of how to build a
sustainable, self -directed artistic career based
on sheer adaptability and ultimately taking control.
It's about the strategic moves, isn't it? Knowing
when to transition. They went from those high
school DIY routes. Became cassette icons through
sheer will. Navigated that tricky major label
phase, but crucially pulled something incredibly
valuable out of it with the Parker connection.
Right. Established that rock solid collaborative
income stream. Honed their craft on indie labels
and then made the final smartest move. Reclaiming
everything by launching Stomper Records. Yeah.
Taking ownership of their catalog, their distribution,
their future. And throughout all that, they showed.
incredible flexibility, both musically and professionally.
Totally. Look at the genre shifts. Aggressive
punk, shimmery pop, sprawling art rock double
albums, then back to tight, crisp pop songs.
They never got stuck in a rut. And they adapted
to every format change the industry threw at
them. Cassettes, CDs, collectible vinyl, digital,
even landing that Lexus commercial placement.
They just kept creating and kept finding ways
to get it out there. It really proves that persistence,
combined with ownership, can win out over fleeting
hype. They might not have achieved that household
name global fame some bands chase. Right, they're
not U2. No, but they built and maintained this
deep, loyal connection with their audience simply
by never stopping. making new music and, crucially,
controlling the quality and availability of their
entire history. They kept working. Never stopped
recording, never stopped touring, eventually
became their own record company. That allowed
them to manage the whole operation and, importantly,
benefit directly from their decades of work.
Which leads to maybe the final provocative thought
for you to chew on. What really defines success
in music today, we see this band, The Figs, still
active, still releasing music, managing this
huge back catalog all through their own label,
Stomper. Think about the freedom that gives them.
Exactly. The economic freedom, the artistic freedom.
After decades of grinding it out, they are now
fully in control of their own work, their own
history, their own output, that self -determination,
that ability to steer your own ship. Maybe that's
the ultimate prize in this crazy industry, more
than any platinum record or short -lived... major
label deal it's a powerful testament to just
sticking with it staying smart and believing
in your own work enough to eventually own it
outright couldn't say it better so if you want
to dive into this incredible catalog where should
you start as we mentioned the sources point to
that 2013 compilation as the ideal entry point
yep on thousand people grinning the figs anthology
it gives you a fantastic overview of their journey
the different sounds the killer songwriting definitely
check it out go explore that unique mix of garage
rock grit power pop smart and sheer long -term
strategic thinking. Yeah. Dig into the story
of a band that built its own path and continues
to walk it. Keep digging deep. Until next time,
keep diving deep.