French Kicks
History
History
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Three of the original four band members, bassist Jamie Krents, vocalist/drummer Nick Stumpf, and vocalist/guitarist Matthew Stinchcomb, are from [Washington, D.C.](/wiki/Washington%2C_D.C. "Washington, D.C.") They were heavily influenced by the [hardcore](/wiki/Hardcore_punk "Hardcore punk") scene that flourished during their youth in the D.C. area. They began playing together in a series of bands while in their teens and then all attended [Oberlin College](/wiki/Oberlin_College "Oberlin College") in Ohio, where they continued to play together. The three friends then moved to Brooklyn, New York after college, where the French Kicks were formed with vocalist/guitarist Josh Wise, a Princeton grad who originally hailed from Huntsville, Alabama.

Having performed their first shows at [Luna Lounge](/wiki/Luna_Lounge "Luna Lounge") on Manhattan's Lower East Side, in 1999 they released a self\-titled EP *The French Kicks* under the label My Pal God. Soon, after a lot of touring, the band signed to Startime International. They soon released the *Young Lawyer* EP in 2001\. The group then embarked on a tour with fellow garage rockers [The Vue](/wiki/The_Vue "The Vue") and [The Walkmen](/wiki/The_Walkmen "The Walkmen"). In 2002 they released their first full\-length album, *[One Time Bells](/wiki/One_Time_Bells "One Time Bells")*. Jamie Krents departed the band the next year, and was replaced on bass by Lawrence Stumpf, Nick's younger brother. The following year they headlined Sepomana, [WRMC](/wiki/WRMC "WRMC") 91\.1 FM's annual music festival. In 2004, their next album, *[The Trial of the Century](/wiki/The_Trial_of_the_Century_%28album%29 "The Trial of the Century (album)")* was released. Another personnel change occurred when Nick stopped playing drums at live shows to concentrate on his lead singing. A series of temporary drummers filled his spot until the band settled on Aaron Thurston, a Massachusetts native. In late 2005, Stinchcomb announced that he was leaving the band.

In early 2010, rumors circulated that the band may have broken up or had held off work indefinitely.

Their [video](/wiki/Video "Video") for their [single](/wiki/Single_%28music%29 "Single (music)") "So Far We Are" also features actress [Olivia Wilde](/wiki/Olivia_Wilde "Olivia Wilde").

In 2011, they appeared on the soundtrack for the movie *[The Art of Getting By](/wiki/The_Art_of_Getting_By "The Art of Getting By")*.


Can you name other bands that were part of the garage rock scene during the same time period as The French Kicks?