Tempe duo Formatís debut falls through cracks of label shake-up
By THOMAS BOND
Get Out

It's like throwing a party and forgetting to invite anyone to come.

Nate Ruess and Sam Means — the Tempe pop duo known as The Format — released “Interventions + Lullabies” in October on Elektra Records only to see the CD go virtually unpromoted as the major label was swallowed up in an ongoing protracted restructuring by parent company Warner Music Group.

“It’s especially depressing,” singer/songwriter Ruess says from a Detroit tour stop. “When you sign with a label, you put all your faith in them. What happened was out of our control, but you start thinking, ‘Oh man, did we make the right decision going to this label?’ because there were other labels that were interested in us.”

And still are, but WMG has retained the band through a purge that saw the conglomerate release several name acts from contracts.

“They dropped Third Eye Blind and they’re not dropping us,” Ruess says. “Either A) they’ve got big plans for us and that could be good news, or B) they’re scared to let us go because Elektra had a history of letting artists go before they reach their prime — like Moby and The Prodigy.”

At one point, Ruess and Means — both of whom are still in their early 20s — were hoping to be released.

“We were thinking that it would be nice to get dropped and maybe another label could pick up ‘Interventions’ and do something with it other than nothing!” Ruess says.

Instead the band was reassigned to WMG subsidiary Atlantic Records.

“It’s really weird,” Ruess says. “We’re bitter and optimistic at the same time.”

While their future with the record company was in limbo, it was difficult to maintain morale as The Format toured the country opening for bands such as Something Corporate and Yellowcard.

“It got rough,” Ruess says. “People at the label weren’t returning our calls and we were hearing a bunch of rumors. At that time, we looked around and said, ‘The only thing that we really have is each other.’ It really opened our eyes.”

They’ve been on the road almost non-stop since before their CD’s release and have visited some cities four and five times in the last 12 months, watching audiences grow by word of mouth.
“When we see a horde of kids singing along in the front, it shows that what we’re doing is paying off,” Ruess says.

Discounting a 20-minute opening slot for Dashboard Confessional at Mesa Amphitheatre on June 8, The Format’s show on Monday will be their first in the Valley in six months.

“We’re really excited to play in Arizona again, it’s been a long, long time,” Ruess says.

The Format has found their greatest success in the Valley where their CD has received radio air play and press coverage — including an “A” review in Get Out.

“It's sold just over 26,000 copies total and half of that is here,” says band manager Mike Jarmuz. “It's mega here.”

Which makes the band think that, with a little promotion, it has the potential to sell well outside their home base.

“It seems like a no-brainer,” guitarist/songwriter Means says. “If you have a band with songs that appeal to kids in Phoenix it should work everywhere or at least some other places.”

Ruess picks up the thread: “Our album couldn't be a priority when the main priority of the record company people was holding onto their jobs,” Ruess says. “It bums us out because we feel like we made a record that radio would accept.”

And maybe it still will. The band has heard tentative plans to relaunch their debut single, appropriately titled “The First Single,” with a professional video and proper promotion. Meanwhile, they're not holding their breath, The Format hit the road for their first headlining tour in July.

“We’re ready and we’re feeling pretty good about it,” says Means, who recently became engaged. “We’re planning it in markets that we've hit heavily over the past year and have noticed that have been getting better every time we get there — places like California, the Northwest and Midwest.”

There are also plans to record a seven-song EP for release later this year on an independent label, pending their new company's permission.

“So far Atlantic seems cool with it, so hopefully it will go through,” Means says. “It would be really good for us. We need something fun to happen because there's been so much garbage that we've had to go through.”