The Disciplines are a band specializing in energetic, straightforward, garage-influenced rock & roll with a poppy undertow, the first part of which might come as a surprise to folks familiar with the band's history.
The Disciplines' story began when
Briskeby, a Norwegian pop band who were wildly successful in their home country, invited
Ken Stringfellow -- the co-founder of American alt-pop heroes
the Posies who had also worked extensively with
R.E.M. and
Big Star -- to collaborate with the band on the recording of their third album, 2005's
Jumping on Cars, and their subsequent concert tour.
Jumping on Cars proved to be
Briskeby's final album, and guitarist
Bjorn Bergene, bassist Bard Helgeland, and drummer Claus Heiberg Larsen were eager to make music that was simpler, leaner, and more direct than
Briskeby's clean, electronically oriented pop.
Stringfellow shared that desire, and he signed on as lead singer with the trio's new project. Calling themselves
the Disciplines, the band released their debut album, Smoking Kills, in early 2009. The band supported the album's release with a number of shows in Sweden, Norway, and North America, while
Stringfellow toured Asia with a substitute group of
Disciplines when his bandmates were unavailable. In late 2009, drummer Larsen left the group and Ralle Vilnes, of the band Emmett Brown, became their new percussionist. The new lineup entered the studio in mid-2010, and in the spring of 2011, the second
Disciplines album,
Virgins of Menace, was released internationally. ~ Mark Deming