The Handcuffs embody the spirit of rock music's uninhibited, sexy and overbearing appeal. Perfectly blending style and energy, they do not sound like anyone else, but at the same time they seem very familiar. They are influenced by everything good that sells and anything good that doesn't. Rock music is loud (not just in volume, but in its nature), pompous and fun and The Handcuffs embrace every reckless minute of it.
Chloe F. Orwell, the designated blonde of the duo, is the lead singer whose stage presence and vocal style oozes sex and scorches and rock and roll. She can slide from a corduroy growl to a shimmering silky sigh in a Detroit second.
Brad Elvis, the other half of The Handcuffs, is a black-haired, four-handed drummer whose manic-panic style paints a 747 jet rhythm to every Handcuffs tune. Brad is also the chief songwriter (although Orwell is known to have a song or two stashed in her boots) and one of the visionaries of the duo. Bam!
The Chicago-based pair originally teamed up when Elvis recruited Orwell as lead vocalist and contributing songwriter for his band Big Hello, which released three critically acclaimed CDs, played hundreds of shows and received airplay on college and commercial radio all over the globe. Their potent creative chemistry earned the duo praise from fans and critics alike for their musicianship and showmanship, plus accolades in the mainstream and alternative press throughout the world.
The Handcuffs evolved from Elvis and Orwell’s desire to explore a broad sonic territory while still believing in the power of a great radio hook. Their songs are fresh yet timeless, edgy yet accessible, skillfully crafted yet easily memorable. Their influences range from Bowie to Bacharach, P.J. Harvey to the Pixies, White Album to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with some Ting Tings, T-Rex and Sparks tossed in for good measure. You could spend all day trying to name that tune, but by nighttime it would still be The Handcuffs.
The duo started out making boombox demos with Orwell on guitar or bass and Elvis often singing the lead vocals and keeping time on a cardboard box or whatever was handy. Proper studio sessions, with the help of additional guest instrumentalists, followed and The Handcuffs recorded more than three albums worth of material. Then came song placement in television shows and films, followed by a self-produced music video. With plans to release their debut CD, they finally decided to put a live band together.
To complete their line-up, the duo has welcomed three powerhouse musicians to help them deliver the rock including Emily Togni, a Tennessee-by-way-of-Arkansas native, Chicagoan Ellis Clark on guitar and former New Jersey girl Alison Hinderliter on keyboards.
Prolific writers and producers, The Handcuffs have released three albums, recorded with Mike Hagler (Wilco, the Pulsars, Neko Case, the Mekons) at Kingsize Sound Laboratories in Chicago, with the third, Waiting for the Robot, scheduled for release on Sept. 6, 2011. Songs from the debut CD Model for a Revolution and their follow-up Electroluv have been placed in numerous feature films and television shows on the CW, MTV, VH1, A&E, E!, Showtime, PBS, FUSE, Fuel, ABC and NBC. The Handcuffs are also featured on the soundtrack of the Sundance and SXSW award winning documentary The Education of Shelby Knox by New York production house and champions of free thinking Incite Pictures.
The Handcuffs have been receiving airplay on dozens of college, commercial, satellite and Internet radio stations throughout the world. Known for their dynamic live shows, the band has performed at CMJ in New York City and has toured in other major cities in the U.S.
The Handcuffs' goals for the future: keep writing, keep recording, and keep evolving.
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