About Speedy Ortiz
Speedy Ortiz is an American indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. Originally a solo project for founder Sadie Dupuis, from 2011 a full band incarnation has released three EPs and three LPs mostly on Carpark Records. As of 2022, the band consists of Dupuis, Audrey Zee Whitesides, Andy Molholt, and Joey Doubek.
The band originated in 2011 as Sadie Dupuis' solo project shortly after she moved to Northampton to work on her MFA. While Dupuis was teaching songwriting at a summer camp, she would also record her own material on a laptop in her spare time. Two releases resulted from this solo endeavor, the Cop Kicker EP, and the album, The Death of Speedy Ortiz.
The band was named after a character from the comic book series Love & Rockets who committed suicide. Dupuis explained that when she began making demos for this project, her "roommate had passed away of a heart attack super young...And childhood best friend had overdosed." She found the storyline relatable and named the band "Speedy Ortiz" in reference "to how everybody else deals with his loss. And that is sort of what the songs were for me in the beginning."
The project expanded into a full band in late 2011. The group independently released "Taylor Swift" b/w "Swim Fan," recorded by Paul Q Kolderie, which was followed by 2012's Sports, released on Exploding in Sound Records. The Phoenix named Speedy Ortiz the "Best New Band in MA" in 2012.
Prior to the release of their debut studio album, the band released "Ka-Prow!" b/w "Hexxy" on April 30, 2013, via Inflated Records.
Major Arcana was released on Carpark Records on July 9, 2013. Recorded by Justin Pizzoferrato , the album was recorded over 4 days at Sonelab. Inspired by a history of the occult book that Dupuis read, "the lyrics reference occult staples like sulfur and salt". The song "No Below" was used in the soundtrack of the Square Enix game Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.
Map & Directions To Venue
