The Boxer Rebellion Biography

Posted on Jan 27th 2010 1:15PM by Dan Reilly
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London-based quartet the Boxer Rebellion formed in the fall of 2000 when frontman Nathan Nicholson moved to England from Tennessee. Looking to form a band, he teamed up with Australian guitarist Todd Howe, who he met through an internet wanted ad for musicians, before meeting bassist Adam Harrison and drummer Piers Hewitt.

Joined by a love of Radiohead and influences ranging from Britpop to American garage rock, the band wrote and recorded together for several years, honing their epic, melodic sound. Once it came time to send out demos to record companies, the band settled on the Boxer Rebellion moniker by picking it out of a historical dictionary. Since then, they have made an effort to learn the facts behind the actual rebellion, so as to avoid sounding, as Nicholson puts it, like "ignorant a--holes."

In 2009, they drew international acclaim for their second album, 'Union,' which they recorded and released without the help of a major label. The Boxer Rebellion became the first unsigned band to enter the Billboard Top 100 Albums chart with a digital-only release, and 'Union' was named Best Alternative Album of the year by iTunes U.S. The band will play its first North American shows outside of New York and Los Angeles at the five gigs it has booked for this year's SXSW. They will also appear in the upcoming Drew Barrymore and Justin Long romantic comedy ''Going the Distance.'