Wallpaper.

  • Oakland, CA
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  • Pop
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  • 2008
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About Wallpaper.

Official Site: http://www.thisiswallpaper.com | @Wallpaper | https://www.facebook.com/wallpapermusic
Wallpaper. is a band with a radical new pop-soul sound and sensibility that's the antipodean opposite of "wallpaper" music (in the classic Muzak sense). Wallpaper.'s major label debut on Epic Records is a uncompromising declaration of intent.

"Wallpaper. represents the eccentric everyman," says group frontman Ricky Reed, "a blue collar pop band for the other 99%, a twerking class hero who might ACTUALLY show up at your house party - THAT IS WALLPAPER.!"

Direct no-nonsense party music on the surface, Wallpaper., comprised of Arjun Singh and Tom Peyton on drums, Derek Taylor on percussion and Novena Carmel vocals, follows the trajectory of intoxication through the fuck-ups and the hangovers and the adventures and manages to even pinpoint the divine light that strikes for a split-second in the damnedest of places. In the heartbeat of the songs, Wallpaper.'s provocative party anthems open up to celebrate core human values, especially friendship, neccessary for emotional survival.

In "Good For It," the new Wallpaper. single, Ricky, with a mix of swagger and vulnerability, invokes the essential function of friendship operating the deepest levels in times of real trauma. "It's describing a real terrible situation that you're in, without any of the details. There hasn't been a song about just needing help in a long time," he says, harkening back to the Beatle's "Help" and REM's "Everybody Hurts."

Where the dynamic of "Drunken Hearts," is built around "a love song between two train-wrecks," "The Underdog" champions the long shot, the one you take because you don't take opportunity for granted. Ricky, whose "parents are not from money or involved in the entertainment industry," has been making music since he was 16 and strongly identifies with the underdog. It takes a strong work ethic to make it look as easy as Wallpaper. does. "I don't write a lot of songs," he confesses, "but I put a lot of work into all the songs I write. I'm not wasting anybody's time listening to my songs."

"Ricky Reed Is Real," Wallpaper.'s "thesis statement," contains a litany of attributes, concrete and abstract, re-enforcing the persona established on #STUPiDFACEDD, Wallpaper.'s 2011 breakout track (3.3 million YouTube views and counting). The track takes the artist's identity game to the next level, where "Ricky Reed" is a state-of-mind, an attitude, an idea fused directly with reality (a little like "Elvis," the concept). From "the song in your head" to "that hungover Sunday" right down to the "last dollar in the duct-taped wallet," Ricky Reed is in the details, just like God and the Devil.

Born in Berkeley, California, Ricky became obsessed with music at a young age. His mother, a bookkeeper, exposed him to a variety of sounds from the smooth California pop of Steely Dan to the funky sounds of Motown and Sly & the Family Stone. Sly's daughter, Novena Carmel, is one of the vocalists in Wallpaper.

"I took on West Coast rap when that hit," Ricky remembers. "I was a young kid listening to Dre and Snoop." But what really flicked young Ricky's switch was post-Nirvana mainstream punk like Green Day, Rancid and Operation Ivy. "It came directly hand-fed through the radio. I was the right age and it hit me." From there, he got into (then) contemporary rock and British bands. "Digging deeper and deeper and then my mom put me onto early Yes. I got into prog rock, ELP, King Crimson, all that insane stuff. That led me to new music and the avant garde, Steve Reich, Boulez, classical music. I had a prog rock band. And then I decided I want to make some simple silly songs."

The result was Wallpaper.'s debut, 2009's T REX EP, a collection of two and 1/2 minute satiric pop songs. Influenced by Zapp & Roger and other 70s funk band, Ricky had incorporated Auto-Tune pitch correction into his recordings as a kind of satiric emotional distancing device. Wallpaper.'s debut album, Doodoo Face (also released in 2009), found Ricky reaching into deeper grooves for inspiration. "I started introducing R&B from my childhood into the songs so I could play at house parties and have fun."

By 2010, Ricky, unsure about the fate of Wallpaper., was honing his musical and songwriting skills doing commercial work. Looking back over the fledgling Wallpaper. catalog, he could feel a "real pop potential in these songs," but wasn't sure how to tap that. During the holidays, he found himself alone in a studio for a ten day stretch. "I had this weird epiphany," he recalls. "I should just do whatever I want." Giving himself permission to work in a new way opened up a "creative renaissance" that produced #STUPiDFACEDD, a pulse-of-the-culture track that nailed a contemporary ethos as accurately as the Beastie Boys had Fought For The Right To Party a quarter century earlier. The track, and its 21st century Satyricon video, proved pivotal in the Wallpaper. saga. Songwriter and record executive Evan Bogart signed Wallpaper. to Boardwalk Records and helped shepherd #STUPiDFACEDD to the good people at MTV's "Jersey Shore."

MTV's next move was to collaborate with Wallpaper. on an animated video for BEST FUCKING SONG EVERR, a song celebrating friendship and loyalty in a storyline featuring the band members.

One evening in December 2011, Ricky Reed sat down at a grand piano in the auditorium of the Sony Building in Los Angeles and sang "#STUPiDFACEDD Reprise," a lounge jazz version of Wallpaper.'s signature song, for a small audience that included LA Reid and Tricky Stewart. The evening ended with Wallpaper. signing with Epic Records.

During the recording of the new Wallpaper. album, Ricky's been dividing his time between his beloved Bay Area and the City of Angels. In the middle of 2012, in the same Echo Park studio that birthed #STUPiDFACEDD, Ricky reached a new creative apotheosis. "Caffeinated and drinking by myself, there's a magic fuzzy place that I really like," he admits candidly proffering a glimpse into his creative process, "but I was going way too hard into it and feeling crazy and alone and in a room with no windows." From which sprang "Puke My Brains Out," a glorious confrontation with the absolute that's gnarly, profound and funny. "It was born out of frustration with where I was at. A new journey began and it ends up being the strongest material I've ever done. I holed up in the studio in October and rewrote almost the whole album from scratch."

Ricky and points proudly to one of Wallpaper.'s manifestos, "Puke My Brains Out," which is "not really a party jam or fully ironic. It's a general sense of feeling overwhelmed and needing to expel all the noise that's in your brain. It's about information overload really." A lyric video for the song, directed and animated in "90s early internet hell graphics by Ricky Reed," is currently racking up views on YouTube.

Ricky's genius is the ability to compress all that information--verbal, rhythmic, melodic, technological, psychological, emotional, mental, physical, spiritual--into pop hooks that strike direct and true and stick to the brain.

For this latest batch of Wallpaper. material, Ricky Reed has "taken all that influence of punk and all that stuff I grew up listening to and all that attitude with the bass and understanding funk and pocket and weight and wrapping into one thing with hooks. If 'FUCKING BEST SONG EVERR' is your last reference point, you have no idea where I'm at right now." The new Wallpaper. album is the way to find out.
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Music

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  • Hesher
    wallpaper
    Video
    Hesher
  • Drunken Hearts (Live)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Drunken Hearts (Live)
  • Good 4 It (Live)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Good 4 It (Live)
  • Drunken Hearts (audio)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Drunken Hearts (audio)
  • Good 4 It (Laidback Luke goes Melbourne Vocal Mix - Audio)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Good 4 It (Laidback Luke goes Melbourne Vocal Mix - Audio)
  • Good 4 It (Paolo Ortelli & Luke Degree Remix - Audio)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Good 4 It (Paolo Ortelli & Luke Degree Remix - Audio)
  • Good 4 It (Firebeatz Remix – Audio)
    wallpaper
    Video
    Good 4 It (Firebeatz Remix – Audio)
  • Good 4 It
    wallpaper
    Video
    Good 4 It
  • BEST SONG EVERRR
    wallpaper
    Video
    BEST SONG EVERRR
  • F****** Best Song Everrr (Official Video)
    wallpaper
    Video
    F****** Best Song Everrr (Official Video)

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Paramore, Twenty One Pilots And More Reveal Famous Movie Spoilers
    wallpaper
    video
    Paramore, Twenty One Pilots And More Reveal Famous Movie Spoilers
  • Tegan And Sara at the 2013 SXSW Festival
    wallpaper
    playlist
    Tegan And Sara at the 2013 SXSW Festival
  • Good 4 It is a Good Fit for Wicked Single
    wallpaper
    video
    Good 4 It is a Good Fit for Wicked Single
  • Soundtrack with Ricky Reed
    wallpaper
    playlist
    Soundtrack with Ricky Reed
  • MTV Buzzworthy: Artist Interviews: Wallpaper.
    wallpaper
    playlist
    MTV Buzzworthy: Artist Interviews: Wallpaper.
  • PUSH: Wallpaper
    wallpaper
    playlist
    PUSH: Wallpaper
  • T. Mills Asks The Ultimate Question
    wallpaper
    video
    T. Mills Asks The Ultimate Question
  • MTV Buzzworthy: The Official Woodies Freestyle
    wallpaper
    video
    MTV Buzzworthy: The Official Woodies Freestyle
  • Wallpaper talks about all the fun things he gets to do on tour.
    wallpaper
    video
    Wallpaper talks about all the fun things he gets to do on tour.
  • #STUPiDFACEDD (Live)
    wallpaper
    video
    #STUPiDFACEDD (Live)

Photos

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  • Outside Lands Festival
    Wallpaper.
    Outside Lands Festival
    Josh Lippi
  • Wallpaper.
  • Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 1
    Wallpaper.
    Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 1
  • Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 2
    Wallpaper.
    Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 2
  • Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 3
    Wallpaper.
    Good 4 It Behind The Scenes 3
  • Wallpaper.
  • Wallpaper.
  • Wallpaper.
    Dan Busta and Ryan Schude
  • Wallpaper.'s #swag.
    Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper.'s #swag.
    @MTV
  • Wallpaper. performs on the Chevy stage at the 2012 mtvU Woodies Festival during SXSW in Austin, Texas.
    Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper. performs on the Chevy stage at the 2012 mtvU Woodies Festival during SXSW in Austin, Texas.
    PictureGroup

News

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  • Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper. Hangs With Kay For “#STUPiDFACEDD” Remix
    idolator.com
    at last night's Billboard Music Awards). We're proud to host the exclusive premiere of a new remix featuring Kay, a funky, feisty up-and-comer already...
    Read More
  • Wallpaper.
    Cee Lo's 'Anyway' Is 'A Little Dark,' Wallpaper. Says
    MTV News
    You've probably heard Wallpaper.'s music on "Jersey Shore," and maybe you saw him tagged as one of Buzzworthy's 11 artists to watch in 2012. The brain...
    Read More
  • Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper: 'Good 4 It' (Video) | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Oakland producer, troubador, remixing wizard, and performer Ricky Reed aka Wallpaper. has done everything from going big on the weekends to #STU...
    Read More
  • Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper. Reveals ‘Ricky Reed Is Real’ Cover And Tracklist
    idolator.com
    Coachella: Wallpaper. Flip through pics of Ricky Reed at the music fest. 13 Photos » Wallpaper. PukesWP's gross new anthem. Read More »Wallpaper. Remi...
    Read More
  • Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper.’s “You N Me And Everyone We Know”: Idolator Premiere
    idolator.com
    'Ricky Reed Is Real'Check out Wallpaper.'s album cover & tracklist. Read More »Wallpaper. PukesWP's gross new anthem. Read More »Wallpaper. RemixHot n...
    Read More
  • Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper: 'Hesher' (Video) | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Ricky Reed of Wallpaper. is a busy man. He's been producing like a mad man for the likes of Far East Movement ("The Illest" featuring Riff Raff)...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • Oct 10 Thursday
    Pomona, CA, US Fairplex
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 16 Wednesday
    Clifton Park, NY, US Upstate Concert Hall
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 17 Thursday
    Boston, MA, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 18 Friday
    Asbury Park, NJ, US The Stone Pony
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 20 Sunday
    Huntington, NY, US The Paramount
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 21 Monday
    New York, NY, US Irving Plaza
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 22 Tuesday
    Philadelphia, PA, US Theater of the Living Arts
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 23 Wednesday
    Toronto, ON, Canada The Opera House
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 24 Thursday
    Silver Spring, MD, US Fillmore Silver Spring
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 26 Saturday
    Las Vegas, NV, US Downtown Las Vegas
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 26 Saturday
    Las Vegas, NV, US Downtown Las Vegas
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 28 Monday
    Cleveland, OH, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 29 Tuesday
    Detroit, MI, US St. Andrew's Hall
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 31 Thursday
    Minneapolis, MN, US Varsity Theater
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 1 Friday
    Des Moines, IA, US Woolys Des Moines
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 2 Saturday
    Milwaukee, WI, US The Rave/Eagles Club
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 3 Sunday
    Chicago, IL, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 5 Tuesday
    Nashville, TN, US Cannery Ballroom
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 7 Thursday
    Lake Buena Vista, FL, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 10 Sunday
    Atlanta, GA, US Buckhead Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 11 Monday
    New Orleans, LA, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 12 Tuesday
    Houston, TX, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 13 Wednesday
    Dallas, TX, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 18 Monday
    Boise, ID, US Knitting Factory
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 19 Tuesday
    Spokane, WA, US Knitting Factory Concert House
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 21 Thursday
    Portland, OR, US Wonder Ballroom
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 23 Saturday
    Reno, NV, US Knitting Factory Concert House
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 24 Sunday
    San Francisco, CA, US The Fillmore
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 25 Monday
    San Diego, CA, US House of Blues
    Buy Ticket
  • Nov 26 Tuesday
    West Hollywood, CA, US House of Blues Sunset Strip
    Buy Ticket

Discography

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  • Ricky Reed Is Real (2013)
    Wallpaper.
    Ricky Reed Is Real (2013)
    Epic
  • #STUPiDFACEDD (2011)
    Wallpaper.
    #STUPiDFACEDD (2011)
    Hype Music
  • Doodoo Face (2009)
    Wallpaper.
    Doodoo Face (2009)
    Sidecho
  • T Rex (2008)
    Wallpaper.
    T Rex (2008)
  • Wallpaper
    Wallpaper.
    Wallpaper
    Black Bean Records
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