The Jealous Sound

Sunday's Best's Pedro Benito (guitar), John McGinnis of Neither Trumpets nor Drums (bass), ex-Knapsack singer/guitarist Blair Shehan, and former Pulley drummer Tony Palermo began their journey as the Jealous Sound at the tail-end of the 1990s. They signed with Better Looking in summer 2000 and quickly issued a self-titled EP; it went on to sell 11,000 copies and to gigs with At the Drive-In, the Get Up Kids, the Promise Ring, and Death Cab for Cutie, which made the band's buzz soar. SPIN magazine praised the Jealous Sound as "the rock you must have." The next year, Mojo Records offered the foursome a contract, but after weeks of making a deal, the label lost their distribution. The Jealous Sound were without a label, but pride didn't stop them from getting back with Better Looking. Plans for a proper studio full-length came together in late 2002; the band headed into the studio with Tim O'Heir (Lou Barlow, Morphine, Juliana Hatfield); Adam Wade of Shudder to Think stepped in for the departing Palermo before the year's end. A full, heavy rock sound was found on the Jealous Sound's long-awaited full-length debut, Kill Them with Kindness, which appeared in June 2003 and coincided with North American dates with the Foo Fighters. Three years later, rumors circulated that the band had split, but by 2008, they returned with the Got Friends EP and the following year supported Sunny Day Real Estate on their reunion tour. This tour led to a musical partnership with SDRE/Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel, who contributed his writing and performing talents (as well as a year to work in the Foo Fighters' Studio 606) to the Jealous Sound's sophomore full-length, A Gentle Reminder, which arrived in early 2012. A deluxe version of that album that included the Got Friends EP appeared on Rise Records a year later. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi