So Many Dynamos

So Many Dynamos
Origin	Saint Louis, MO
Genres	indie rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Ambivalent, Skrocki, Discos Mariscos, Hello Sir, Vagrant
Website	official website
Members	Aaron Stovall Clayton "Norm" Kunstel Travis Lewis Nathan Bernaix Alison Arida
Past members	Griffin Kay Ryan Wasoba Ryan Ballew

So Many Dynamos is a rock band from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Their music is generally classified as indie rock, combining aspects of electropop and dance-punk. They take their name from a famous palindrome.

The band's first recording, a five-song EP entitled Are We Not Drawn Onward to New Era?, was released by now-defunct St. Louis label Ambivalent Records in 2003. The album was recorded by John John (John Katsafanas) at Red Light Studios in St. Louis. Like the band's name, the title of the EP is also a palindrome.

So Many Dynamos recorded their first full-length, When I Explode, in February 2004 at Semaphore Studios in Chicago, Illinois. The album was recorded onto 2" tape by Jeremy Lemos and was mixed on 1/2" tape by former Dismemberment Plan member Jason Caddell at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. When I Explode was released by Skrocki Records in June 2004. Shortly thereafter, guitarist Ryan Ballew quit the group. Griffin Kay joined on as guitarist in September 2004.

In February 2005, the band recorded "It's Gonna Rain" for a split 7" single with Bring Back the Guns. The song was recorded and mixed on 1" tape by Chris Deckard at Radio Penny Studio in St. Louis. The band spent most of 2005 touring, attempting to play all 48 continental states within the year, but ultimately only playing in 35. In October 2005, So Many Dynamos began playing as the touring band for Emperor X, a solo project of Chad Matheny. In December 2005, Matheny released the "So Many Dynamos"/"Bring Back the Guns" split 7" on his label, Discos Mariscos.

So Many Dynamos began recording their second full-length album, Flashlights, with Chris Deckard at Radio Penny in March 2006. The band spent more time in the studio than with When I Explode, and consequently was able to experiment wildly with instrumentation; the record utilizes a horn section and a choir, and incorporates instruments such as thumb pianos and toy accordions. This resulted in a more intricate and "live" sounding record, expanding on the band's existing sound. Flashlights was released on CD by Skrocki Records in June 2006, and Hello Sir Records released the vinyl in early 2007. Architecture Label released the CD in Australia and New Zealand in June 2007.

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Wikipedia