Ludo to make high-profile appearances

By Erica Zucco
April 25, 2008

(Click graphic to enlarge)

Pop-punk quintet Ludo is actually a monster — a large, shaggy, red-haired monster with telekinetic powers and a heart of gold.

Moog player Tim Convy said the St. Louis-based group derived their name from the loveable yeti-like creature in the cult classic 1986 film "Labyrinth" because the developing band felt they could relate to the character.

"The character is an endearing one with a lot of the same qualities that we have, as individuals and as a group," Convy said. "He can be big and intimidating, but he has a multi-faceted personality with a very genuine core. Plus, the part where he calls the rocks is really cool."

Vocalist Andrew Volpe, guitarist Tim Ferrell, bassist Marshall Fanciullo, drummer Matt Palermo and Convy recorded their first self-titled album in 2004, and since then have performed at Lollapalooza, South by Southwest and a variety of small and large venues across the nation. Volpe said the band's main influences come from epic acts such as The Beatles and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but they've also drawn inspiration and ideas from bands across the Midwest.

Ludo has made friends with many of those small groups, and is known for their loyal and strong connections with fans.

"People always talk about the things we do with or for fans that other bands don't do, but to us, talking with fans and getting to know them is very natural," Convy said. "We just took ownership over our career, and we decided to spend time with fans because that's what made sense to us — it's important to us to find people the music is important to."

Ludo follows no set formula when writing, but Convy said that typically Volpe develops ideas for lyrics and melodies and the rest of the members will play around with the concepts and figure out together what works best. The band is known for their relatable, fun and unassuming lyrics threaded with stories about everyday life and quirky pop culture references.

The idea behind Ludo's video for "Love Me Dead" surfaced spontaneously, but landed the band airtime on mtvU.

"We changed the single at the last minute and had to come up with something fairly quickly," Convy said. "We decided to make it something really theatrical but wanted to keep with the idea of it all being in one room, with one shot, as if it were all happening in one single moment."

In the months ahead, Ludo will join Warped Tour, but they're most excited about an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.

"We're honestly pretty excited about our television debut," Convy said. "It's going to be nuts."

Along with their high-profile appearances, the band will also tour across the nation playing in both small and large venues. Playing at The Blue Note isn't new for Ludo — they've played at the venue several times in the past. Convy worked there years ago.

"Some of the best concerts I ever saw were at The Blue Note, and it opened me up to a lot of new music," Convy said. "It's crazy to be standing in the same place where I saw amazing shows with really great artists, a lot of them just before they hit it big."

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Ludo to make high-profile appearances

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