Album Notes

Drakes Hotel consists of the magic of Amy Drake, Chris Y and their old-school drum machines, samplers, guitars and technical trickery. The two met in a record store in Santa Cruz, CA in 2003 and found some instant musical chemistry. Soon after meeting, they moved to Seattle to begin work on their first set of songs. They put out a very limited self released CD two months later and it quickly sold out.

Having grown tired of city life they decided to move again to start work on their next CD. They chose the isolation of Amy's family farm in the middle of nowhere outside of Blanchard, Iowa. The isolation served their songs well as they completed two CDs worth of material, some of which would later end up on their official debut album. However, the harsh winter and desolate atmosphere began to take its toll and they fled to Amy's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. There they finished meticulously mixing their songs. It was about that time that they entered into the world of Myspace. There they found immediate and enthusiastic fans. It was also there that they were first introduced to Reverb Records now home to their music.

The music scene in Omaha was in full bloom when Drakes Hotel arrived with the Saddle Creek Record's bands having enjoyed national and international success. They were graciously welcomed by local artists to the area stages where they worked to translate the dynamic intensity and cinematic scope of their recordings to their audiences.

Having done away with drummers the band has taken the beats from their recordings and simplified and reimagined them
for the live experience. Their use of multiple older drum machines is integral to their intense live show.

Amy Drake's steely, strong stage persona is no doubt rooted in her 11 years as a martial artist. She is an instructor level martial artist in Filipino and Indonesian martial arts. Her experience includes the martial arts of Jeet Kune Do, Kick Boxing, Arnis, Escrima, Silat, American Combative Arts, Jujitsu, and Knife Fighting. This self-confidence comes through as intensity and focus when performing on stage and when recording. Some singers may talk tough, but Amy is something new entirely. Throughout her childhood she sang in the school choir until transferring as the only high school student to a one-room schoolhouse in small town, Iowa.

Chris Y. recorded and toured throughout the US in the late 80's and early 90's as a member of Baltimore Post Punk/New Wave band Social Skill which later became Immortal (the US version). They released numerous tapes and one LP "Paradigm" which you can still find in various record shops around Baltimore. He performed solo throughout the 90's as "The Candelions" and released two EPs "Flights and Wires" and "Hearts and Choirs" in 2003. His distinctive style relies on unusual tunings, odd chords, and an imaginative use of effects. He has engineered and produced all of drakes hotel's music.