Carlotta (band)

Carlotta is an independent alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. Their current members are Clayton Hawkins, Andrew Smith, Jarrad Lander, and Matt Baker. They released their debut album, Out of Love in January 2008.

Melding elements from rock, soul, pop, and classical music, they have a distinctly unique sound. Although they are often compared to such bands as Queen, The Killers, and Muse. Lead singer Clayton Hawkins is frequently compared to Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. They have toured with Saving Abel, Filter, Blake Lewis, Meriwether, and Endeverafter. They are known for their wild and theatrical live shows. 1 2

2005 - 2006

Carlotta was formed by guitarist and keyboardist Andrew Smith in January 2005. He enlisted fellow Harvard Westlake classmates Danny Houghton and Jordan Abergel to fill in on drums and bass. Smith was originally the lead singer but asked Clayton hawkins to join the band after performing together in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 3. Clayton officially became the lead singer in the Fall of 2005.

The band began playing the Los Angeles area (The Roxy, The Whiskey, and The El Rey) and adopted a small but devoted following. In January 2006, they went to work on their self titled E.P. Produced by Brian Reeves and Keith Forsee (the pair behind Rooney and Billy Idol's hits), the Carlotta E.P. was never commercially released. By Fall of 2006, Danny Houghton left the band for college and was replaced by Matt Baker.

2007

In January 2007, the band recorded The Queen, a song intended for their debut album. It was produced by Noah Shane who had recently had success in the U.K. with Orson. Although the song didn't make the album's final cut, a video was shot. Directed by comedian/actor Josh Margolin and starring Lizzie Olsen, the video became an online sensation. It's highly visible presence on youtube got Carlotta national exposure. The song and clip got the attention of many blogs and was even mentioned in The UK SUN. 45

In summer of 2007, the band began work on their debut album, Out of Love. Recorded at Paramount studios in Los Angeles, the album was produced by Mark Weinberg (Matt Nathanson) and engineered by Karl Egsieker (Audioslave, Rage Against The Machine, Train). The 12 song album was mixed by Mark Endert (Maroon 5) and featured songs such as There's a Way, Rise and Fall, and Maybe in a Year.

2008 to present

Out of Love was released in January 2008; it was independently produced and is in the modern pop/rock genre. It was made available through iTunes, Rhapsody, and Napster. By the time the album was released, bassist Jordan Abergel had left the band to attend Yale. He was replaced with Jarrad Lander. There were no official single releases from the album, but There's A Way started getting played on L.A.'s number one rock station, KROQ in summer 2008.

To promote the record, they started touring in March 2008. After a brief stint with Filter, they played multiple shows at The South by Southwest or SXSW music festival. May through June 2008, they played a 15 date tour opening up for Saving Abel, Endeverafter, and Meriwther 6. They opened for Blake Lewis of American Idol 11 times in September and October 2008.

Carlotta is currently hard at work on their second album. To find out more AbOUT them, visit their sites: Myspace.com/Carlotta, CarlottaTheBand.com, Youtube.com/CarlottaMusic

Discography

CARLOTTA E.P. (2006) Produced by Brian Reeves and Keith Forsee

TRACK LISTING

1.Day is Going Fine (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)

2.Don't Cry (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, J. Abergel)

3.Hello (C. Hawkins)

The Queen (2007) Produced by Noah Shane

TRACK LISTING

1. The Queen (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, J. Abergel)

Out of Love(2008) Produced by Mark Weinberg

TRACK LISTING

1. There's A Way (C. Hawkins)

2. Rise and Fall (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, M. Weinberg)

3. Maybe in a Year (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, M. Weinberg)

4. Not Much Better (C. Hawkins, A Smith)

5. Don't Cry (C. Hawkins, A Smith, J. Abergel)

6. A Little Bit (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)

7. The Dance Song! (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)

8. Break Up (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)

9. Caroline (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, J. Abergel)

10. I Never Tried (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)

11. Into It (C. Hawkins, A. Smith, J. Abergel)

12. Hello (C. Hawkins, A. Smith)