Landour and The Raconteurs: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox musical artist

'''''Landour''''', a small town contiguous with [[Mussoorie]], is about 35 kms (22 miles) from the city of [[Dehradun]] in the Northern state of [[Uttaranchal]] in [[India]]. Mussoorie-Landour, taken together, is a well-known hill station of northern India and is widely known as the "Queen of the Hills". On average, Landour is about 1,500 feet (450 meters) above Mussoorie, which itself is mostly at an altitude of 6,000 to 6,600 feet (1,800 to 2,000 meters). This altitude differential, aided by Landour being Tibet-facing, has a marked effect on the temperature, which can be 3-5 degs. Fahrenheit (2-3 degs. Celsius) cooler in Landour than in Mussoorie. In a given year, Landour receives perhaps twice the snow that Mussoorie does; it also takes longer to melt especially on the north-facing slopes.

| Name = The Raconteurs

| Img = JackWhitebySteveHopson.jpg

| Img_capt = Jack White in concert with The Raconteurs at the [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]], 2006

| Background = group_or_band

| Origin = {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]

| Genre = [[Indie rock]]<br>[[Alternative rock]]<br>[[Blues Rock]]<br>[[Hard Rock]]

| Years_active = [[2005]]&ndash;present

| Label = [[Third Man Records]]<br />{{flagicon|UK}} [[XL Recordings]]<br />{{flagicon|USA}} [[V2 Records]]

| URL = [http://www.theraconteurs.com/ www.theraconteurs.com]

| Current_members = [[Brendan Benson]]<br />[[Patrick Keeler]]<br />[[Jack Lawrence (bassist)|Jack Lawrence]]<br />[[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]]

| Past_members =

}}

'''The Raconteurs''', also known as '''The Saboteurs''' in [[Australia]], are a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]]-nominated [[rock music|rock]] band, featuring four members previously known for other musical projects.

If one travels from [[New Delhi]] by train or bus, one has to make a change at Dehradun. Buses and taxis, and even "shared taxis", are easily available. There are also some direct buses from New Delhi, and of course one can easily negotiate with taxis at any of New Delhi's railway stations or at the Delhi airport. East of Landour lie the small hamlet of [[Dhanoulti]] and the [[Surkhanda Devi]] temple; further east are [[Kanatal]], [[Tehri]] (now submerged by the [[Tehri dam]]) and [[Chamba]] (not to be confused with the town and district of the same name in Himachal Pradesh).

According to the current definition, The Raconteurs qualify as a rock-and-roll [[Supergroup (bands)|supergroup]], featuring the songwriting of [[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]] of [[The White Stripes]] and [[Brendan Benson]], who are both from [[Detroit, Michigan]]. In the band's own words, however, they are not a [[supergroup]], asserting that the term implies something pre-planned, whereas they are actually "a new band made up of old friends."<ref name=MTV2>JH (2006). [http://www.mtv.co.uk/mtv2/music/article.jhtml?articleId=75132981 "Jack White and chums drop an album"] MTV2.co.uk (accessed May 18, 2006)</ref>

Since the [[British Raj]], Landour has been a [[hill station]] and sanatorium. It is located in Dehradun (or 'Dehra Doon') district of the former [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh|United Provinces]], and was initially built for the use of the [[British Indian Army]]. From the 1820s, Landour was a convalescent station for British soldiers and officers, and hence much of Landour is a [[Cantonment]]. The first permanent building in all of Mussoorie-Landour was built in 1825 (some say 1823) by [[Captain Young]], the "discoverer" of Mussoorie. The building, [[Mullingar]] (hinting at Young's [[Ireland|Irish]] blood), was the Young family home during the hot summers in the plains. The house sits prominently atop Mullingar Hill in what is now the cantonment. The house was subsequently expanded and is now in disrepair, though still occupied by [[squatters]] (on which more below).

The Raconteurs are one of the few non-Irish bands to star in the popular web-cartoons of ''[[Eyebrowy.com]]''.[http://www.eyebrowy.com/animations/jackwhite1.htm]

In terms of area, Landour Cantonment comprises two-thirds of Landour. Thanks to the strict building and zoning restrictions of Indian cantonments, Landour Cantonment is -- unlike Landour itself -- largely free of the crass commercialization that has scarred much of Mussoorie proper, especially along the 'main drag' of Mall Road where budget tourists throng in the summer. (Mussoorie-Landour's proximity to [[Delhi]], [[Chandigarh]] and [[Ambala]] is both a blessing and a curse).

==Members==

There are no commercial hotels in Landour Cantonment, and only a handful of rudimentary, quasi-legal "guest houses". Also, there are fewer than two hundred detached private homes in the Cantonment. The remaining buldings belong to either the military, or to the state-owned broadcasters [[Doordarshan]] and [[All India Radio]], who have powerful repeater stations atop [[Lal Tibba]] hill, the highest point in all of Mussoorie-Landour. Ergo, the year-round population of the cantonment is under 2,000, and if you include Landour proper it is under 5,000. In the summer the population of Mussoorie doubles to about 60,000 with the influx of budget tourists, but the population of Landour only goes up by perhaps 2,000, given the paucity of hotels. And the summertime population of Landour Cantonment goes up by only 500, if that; there is simply no place for outsiders to stay, since the cantonment consists of almost entirely of either (a) military/government buildings, and (b) private homes.

*[[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]] (of [[White Stripes]]) – [[vocals]], [[guitar]], [[keyboards]]

*[[Brendan Benson]] – [[vocals]], [[guitar]], [[keyboards]]

*[[Jack Lawrence (bassist)|Jack Lawrence]] (of [[The Greenhornes]] and [[Blanche (band)|Blanche]]) – [[bass guitar]]

*[[Patrick Keeler]] (of [[The Greenhornes]]) – [[drumkit|drums]], [[percussion]]

*[[Dean Fertita]] (of [[The Waxwings]] and currently [[Queens of the Stone Age]]) as a live touring member only – [[guitar]], [[keyboards]], [[percussion]]

==Biography==

Like [[Mussoorie]] and [[Dehradun]], Landour has long been a center of secondary education. The towns have had several schools for both European and mixed-race Anglo-Indian children since the mid-1800s. Also, there were many missionary-run schools, of which the most well-known was (and remains) [[Woodstock School]], founded in 1854 for the children of American missionaries. Practically all of the other prominent schools including Wynberg-Allen, St. George's School, Waverley Convent (now CJM) and Vincent Hill (now Guru Nanak School) are in Mussoorie rather than Landour.

===Formation===

According to the official website, "The seed was sown in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. This song was "[[Steady, As She Goes]]" and the inspiration led to the creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler."

The band came together in Detroit during 2005 and recorded when time allowed for the remainder of the year.

==="Steady, As She Goes"===

Unlike Mussoorie, Landour for the most part is carpeted by old-growth forests of [[Chir Pine]], ''[[Deodar]]'' Cedar, Himalayan [[Maple]], [[Rhododendron]], [[Oak]] and other tree species. A logging ban has long been in place in the [[Reserved Forests]] around Landour, and for the most part, the ban is well enforced.

"[[Steady, As She Goes|Steady, As She Goes/Store Bought Bones]]" was released as a limited-edition 7-inch, 45 rpm vinyl record in Europe on [[January 30]], [[2006]],<ref name="NMEfirstsingle">[http://www.nme.com/news/white-stripes/22043 The Raconteurs confirm first single], ''[[NME]]'', [[2006-01-24]]</ref> and in North America on [[March 7]], [[2006]]. A CD version of "Steady, as She Goes" was released on [[April 24]], [[2006]], with the B-side "Bane Rendition."

The video for "Steady As She Goes," directed by [[Jim Jarmusch]], premiered on [[MTV2 Europe|MTV2]] on [[March 10]], [[2006]]. It was also available for streaming on the band's website. An alternate video, featuring the band racing each other in a soap box derby, with a rare appearance from [[Paul Reubens]] as the bad guy out to sabotage the race, premiered exclusively on [[Yahoo! Music]] [[June 19]], [[2006]].

Birdlife is outstanding in its breadth of species; over 300 species may comfortably be seen at various elevations over the course of the year, including both [[endemic]] species and [[migratory]] species from [[Tibet]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Siberia]]. Several endemic species of [[pheasant]] are among the more attracive species that can be seen by the trained eye. As for wild mammals, [[leopards]] are seen from time to time; their prey is mainly dogs, including strays from Landour-Mussoorie and also from the neighboring villages. Also seen are some kakar ([[barking deer]] or [[muntjac]]), and the odd [[Sloth Bear]]. Among smaller mammals, [[Civets]], Himalayan [[Weasels]] and Yellow-throated [[Martens]] are seen more regularly. Pesky rhesus macaques and langurs are as present in Landour as anywhere.

''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ran an article discussing how the song has the exact same bassline as [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]]'s "[[Is She Really Going Out With Him?]]".<ref name="Copy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1204700_4_0_,00.html|title=Do You Copy?|accessdate=2006-09-24|year=2006}}</ref>

Landour offers striking views of the [[Garhwal]] [[Himalaya]], with a wide vista of up to 200 kms (125 miles) visible from West to East on a clear day. The views are even better than those from Mussoorie. The visible massifs and peaks include (West to East) Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch, Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Chaukhamba (Badrinath) and even Nanda Devi. At its closest point, [[Tibet]] is about 70 miles (110 kms) away; it is through Landour that [[Heinrich Harrer]] escaped to Tibet during World War II after breaking out of a British internment camp in [[Dehradun]].

The closing seconds of the track have been used to close "Saturday Live" on BBC Radio 4, generating a lot of interest as to what the song is.

The denizens of Landour Cantonment, in particular, are known to guard their privacy jealously. Many of them, in their "other lives", are part of The High & Mighty in the national capital of Delhi. (Some are less high and less mighty than in their self-image, of course). Privacy aside, the locus of Landour Cantonment is so-called "Char Dukan" (or "four shops"), where locals and tourists park themselves for a sandwich, a cuppa, a bit o' gossip or just a rest. Char Dukan is on the way to the tourist lookout spot of "New" [[Lal Tibba]] ("Old" Lal Tibba having been taken over in 1975 by Doordarshan and All India Radio to build a towering mega-transmitter). Char Dukan can get a bit crowded during the day in the summer when droves of budget tourists flock to New Lal Tibba.

===''Broken Boy Soldiers''===

Architecturally speaking, Landour is akin to other Raj-era hill stations of Northern India. Since Mussoorie-Landour never rivalled [[Shimla]] in administrative, political or military terms, there are few 'grand official buildings' to speak of. The private homes are largely the commonplace Raj-era ''pastiches'', with pitched roofs (usually painted a dull red). Most homes do have a verandah, important given the heavy monsoons. About the only "architecturally significant" building was The Castle on the aptly-named Castle Hill, now part of [[Survey of India]], where the deposed boy-king [[Duleep Singh]] of Punjab, the son of the iconic Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]], was often "kept" for convalescent purposes in the 1850s and 1860s. The [[Amir]] of [[Afghanistan]] too was in the town in quasi-exile at various times in the early 20th Century as Raj officials engaged in their customary machinations of map-drawing and re-drawing across the Subcontinent. Landour has two Raj-era churches, both very much in use today: [[Kellogg Church]] (which is also home to the popular [[Landour Language School]]) and [[St. Paul's Church]] in Char Dukan, where [[Jim Corbett]]'s parents married in 1869. A third Methodist church in Landour Bazaar fell into disuse after the Raj ended and was eventually seized by squatters for commercial purposes by way of '[[kabza]]'.

The Raconteurs' full-length debut, titled ''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]'', was released on [[May 15]], [[2006]] in the UK on Third Man Recordings/XL Recordings and May 16 in the US on Third Man Recordings/V2 Records. It entered the UK charts at #2 and the US charts at #7. The album was recorded at Brendan Benson's in-home studio located in Detroit.

Landour also has a outsized presence on the literary map of India, it's most famous resident being the [[Anglo-Indian]] author [[Ruskin Bond]]. Another resident is the self-styled "rabid thespian" [[Victor Banerjee]], formerly of Calcutta. Other bohemians who call Mussoorie (but not Landour) home are the writer [[Bill Aitken]] (born a Scot) and the husband-wife travel-writing team of [[Hugh and Colleen Gantzer]]. And then of course there is [[Allan Sealy]] of Trotter-Nama fame, down in the valley in Dehradun.

On [[November 3]], [[2006]], the Raconteurs performed 'Broken Boy Soldier' and 'Store Bought Bones' on [[Later with Jools Holland]]. According to reporters from ''[[Planet Sound]]'' who attended the show taping, during 'Store Bought Bones' Jack White's guitar broke down and they had to re-play the song. This eventually happened four times, with the band breaking up in laughter by the 4th take. The TV airing used edited pieces from all four performances and cut out any laughter.

Landour has, in large part, survived "untouched" thanks to the military presence and also given its small size. Apparently, that's the way the locals like it, uh-huh uh-huh.

In December 2006, Broken Boy Soldiers was awarded the title Album of the Year by Britain's Mojo magazine.[http://www.albumofthemonth.com/mojo2006.html]

Recently, The Raconteurs have been nominated for two [[Grammy Awards]]: One for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Album|Best Rock Album]] (for ''Broken Boy Soldiers''), and another for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]] (for "Steady as She Goes").<ref> GRAMMY.COM - 49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List, http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx</ref>

{{MEA-expand}}

===Future Plans===

The band is currently recording songs for their next album at Blackbird Studios in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. They have twelve songs written, and plan on releasing the album in 2008.<ref> Billboard.com "Raconteurs In The Thick Of Recording New Album",http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003575716</ref>

The Raconteurs have also recorded a new song called "Footsteps" with [[The Hives]], probably slated to be on the new album. "5 on the 5," a song the band played live, is likely to be on the album.

Along with those tracks, it's possible one of the many covers the band played live (or an entirely different one) will be on the album.

Other possibilities would be one of the leaked Brendan Benson demos. One reason for this was that both "Call It A Day" and "Together" were supposed to be on a solo album of his, as well as "Store Bought Bones" which was supposed to be a [[Get Behind Me Satan]] song. If a demo of his appeared on the new album, it would be likely to be "Feel Like Taking You Home Now" since critics have pointed out a Raconteurs influence.

Also, the title "Monkeys Have It Easy" was placed on the White Stripes site in the press release for [[Icky Thump]] with "discarded" after it. It's unlikely, but the song could be a new Raconteurs song now.

The band recorded for a three week period before they prepared for individual releases with their other bands, though Jack said they might not finish by then.

==Discography==

=== Albums ===

<gallery>

Image: Broken Boy Soldiers.jpg|<center>'''''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]'''''<br><center> [[May 15]], [[2006]]<br>[[V2 Records]]<br>US #7, UK #2<br><br><center>

</gallery>

They have also released live performance albums in limited quantities at their respective concerts.

===Singles===

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|Year

!align="left" valign="top"|Song

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Billboard Hot 100|U.S. Hot 100]]<small>

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Modern Rock Tracks chart|U.S. Modern Rock]]<small>

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[UK singles chart]]<small>

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[UK Download Chart]]<small>

!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[UK singles chart|UK Indie Singles]]<small>

!align="left" valign="top"|Album

|-

|align="center" valign="top"|2006

|align="left" valign="top"|"[[Steady, As She Goes]]"

|align="center" valign="top"|55

|align="center" valign="top"|'''1'''

|align="center" valign="top"|4

|align="center" valign="top"|5

|align="center" valign="top"|1

|align="left" valign="top"|''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]''

|-

|align="center" valign="top"|2006

|align="left" valign="top"|"[[Hands (Raconteurs song)|Hands]]"

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|29

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|2

|align="left" valign="top"|''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]''

|-

|align="center" valign="top"|2006

|align="left" valign="top"|"[[Broken Boy Soldier (Raconteurs song)|Broken Boy Soldier]]"

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|22

|align="center" valign="top"|39

|align="center" valign="top"|2

|align="left" valign="top"|''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]''

|-

|align="center" valign="top"|2007

|align="left" valign="top"|"[[Level (Raconteurs song)|Level]]"

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|7

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="center" valign="top"|-

|align="left" valign="top"|''[[Broken Boy Soldiers]]''

|-

|}

==Live performances==

The Raconteurs first performed live at the Academy in [[Liverpool]], [[United Kingdom|U.K.]], on [[March 20]], [[2006]], launching a short British tour. Their first American date was the next month, on [[April 20]] at [[New York City|New York]]'s [[Irving Plaza]]. Nearly nonstop touring followed, bringing the band to audiences around North America and Europe. The high profile of [[Jack White]] meant that even though the band was new, they were able to sell out mid-size venues — a rarity for a band's first tour.

The band has played a number of music festivals in Europe, Asia, and North America (including Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL and [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]] in [[Austin, Texas]]), headlining many.

In November [[2006]], the Raconteurs played eight dates as the opening act for [[Bob Dylan]] on the northeastern leg of his U.S. tour.

The band has performed a number of covers during live shows. For instance, the set list usually includes renditions of "[[Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)]]" (a song written by [[Sonny Bono]] and popularized by both [[Cher]] and [[Nancy Sinatra]]) and "Headin' For the Texas Border" by [[The Flamin Groovies]]. Other songs the band has covered include [[Gnarls Barkley]]'s "[[Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)|Crazy]]", [[Bo Diddley]]'s "Who Do You Love?", [[The Undertones]]' "[[Teenage Kicks]]," [[David Bowie]]'s "[[It Ain't Easy (song)|It Ain´t Easy]]", and [[Love (band)|Love]]'s "A House Is Not A Motel".

== The Saboteurs ==

The Raconteurs were forced to rename themselves as "The Saboteurs" for the Australian market when it was discovered that a [[Queensland]] band was already using the name "Raconteurs". The Queensland band refused to give up their name for the amount they were offered, and instead tried to extract a higher price from the Raconteurs' record company.<ref name="HeraldSunNameChange">[http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18734967%255E28957,00.html Double-up forces switch], ''[[Herald Sun]]'', [[2006-04-07]]</ref>

A member of the Queensland band has said that they hadn't been informed of who was trying to buy their name and asked for the larger sum of money to see what would happen.<ref name="TripleJNameChange">[http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s1613948.htm Saboteurs of Raconteurs], ''[[Triple J|Triple J Music News]]'', [[2006-04-11]]</ref>

==Audio sample==

{{Listen|filename=Steady_as_she_goes.ogg|title="Steady, As She Goes"|description=25-second clip of the chorus of [[Steady, As She Goes]] by The Raconteurs|format=[[Ogg]]}}

==References==

*{{1911reflist}}

==External links==

*[http://www.theraconteurs.com/ TheRaconteurs.com], Official website ([[Adobe Flash|Flash]] required)

*[http://www.candycanechildren.com/ CandyCaneChildren.com] news, message board, chat room

*[http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000944462 "White, Benson Make A Racket With Greenhornes"], from Billboard.com

*[http://www.brokenboysoldiers.net/"BrokenBoySoldiers.net"], Raconteurs tablatures and lyrics

*[http://stream.qtv.apple.com/qtv/v2music/steady_ref.mov "Steady as She Goes" video (.MOV)]

*[http://www.avclub.com/content/node/52559 The Onion A.V. Club's interview with The Raconteurs], September 7th, 2006

*[http://www.theraconteursfans.com/ theRaconteursFans.com] - the Raconteurs fan site

* [http://www.videology-tv.com/viewclip.php?id=38#info Music Video for 'Broken Boy Soldier' + interview with director Floria Sigismondi]

* [http://www.albumofthemonth.com/magazineindex.html British music magazine album of the year lists]

*[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/20/weekend-rock-list-best-live-bands-playing-today/ One of Rolling Stones Best Bands to See Live]

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