Spymob Steps Out from Behind N.E.R.D.! First Rock Band Signed to Chad & Pharrell's Arista/Startrak Joint Venture, Premiered On-Tour in 2002 As N.E.R.D.'s Opening Act AND Backing Band

Business Wire, April 3, 2003

Entertainment Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2003

Debut Single Hits Radio April 21st, in Advance of Long-Awaited

First Album, SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE,

Executive Produced by The Neptunes

Arista/StarTrak recording group Spymob, the first rock band signed to the joint venture between Arista Records and N.E.R.D. masterminds the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), has set July 22nd as the in-store date for their long-awaited debut album, SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE, it was announced today by Antonio "L.A." Reid, President and CEO, Arista Records.

In advance of the album, "It Gets Me Going" is scheduled for April 21st impact date at Adult Radio formats as the first single pick.

The cleverly written lead single, "It Gets Me Going," is entirely told from a dog's perspective. "Sometimes when we're walking down the sidewalk/ I wish I was fixed up so I didn't have all of these feelings/ that keep me in a permanent frustrated state..." Ostby brilliantly turns the seemingly mundane life of a family dog into a deliciously ironic tale set to a rollicking pop song colored by buoyant piano lines, bold Hammond riffs, soulful guitar fills and subtle electronic nuances, topped with an infection chorus: "It gets me going in ways that I can't explain/ Never grow tired of a routine that seldom changes."

Spymob first made waves when it was announced last year that they would serve as opening act and as N.E.R.D.'s backing musicians on their first major U.S. headlining tour. Word quickly got out that, as far back as 2001, when the Neptunes decided to re-record their alter ego's debut album, In Search Of (Virgin) using live instrumentation, the call went out to Spymob. It resulted in one of 2002's hottest tracks and MTV video favorites, "Rock Star," whose clip actually co-starred "those four white guys," as the St. Paul Pioneer Press characterized Spymob.

SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE reveals the supple voice, unique phrasings and reflective meditations of lead vocalist, keyboardist and lyricist John Ostby. The album's piano-driven rock glows with a range of influences from Todd Rundgren and Steely Dan to Jellyfish and Split Enz. Ostby's imagination soars on "Thinking of Someone Else" (dreamy remembrance of childhood and mother's nurturing); "2040" (domesticity in a not-so-surreal future); "National Holidays" (a heartbreaking look at a divorced couple's custody of their only daughter); "German Test Drive" (in which listeners are transported from their late-model Corollas and Civics to the cockpit of a sports car on the Autobahn); and the self-explanatory final track, "Joe Namath."

The Minneapolis-based 4-piece Spymob is driven by Ostby, Eric Fawcett on drums and vocals, Brent Paschke on guitar and vocals, and Christian Twigg on bass. 9 of the 12 tracks on SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE were produced by Stephen Lironi (Black Grape, Hanson), while Minneapolis' Alex Oana produced the title track and "Walking Under Green Leaves." Appropriately, the spare and compelling "I Still Live At Home" was cut by the band the at their home studio.

The Neptunes, known for their hit making mega-platinum productions with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Usher, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Limp Bizkit, Jermaine Dupri, and N*Sync (to name a few), declined to lay a finger on the finished results of SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE. "We didn't want to touch this one at all," says Pharrell, explaining his and Chad's decision to accept the role as executive producers. "They reminded me of the music I grew up with," Pharrell continues. "Their songs sounded like Steely Dan crossed with the Meters and Prince and it just blew me away."

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