The alternative comics scene’s iconic teenage outsider heroine Emily the Strange has formed a band, Emily and the Strangers, who will be releasing their first single and video downloads “Calling All Guitars” in time for Halloween, on October 29, 2013. The song and animation will be downloadable through , with a limited edition 7” 45rpm single with etched vinyl available at the Emily the Strange online store. The animated clip will also be viewable on Emily the Strange’s YouTube channel. The song and video were enabled by a very successful Kickstarter campaign that raised almost $65,000 from over 700 Emily the Strange fans.
Emily the Strange creator and Cosmic Debris founder Rob Reger notes, “It has been a lifelong dream and vision to make Emily and the Strangers into a real band and to share her empowering message of ‘Be Yourself, Think for Yourself, Do it Yourself’ through animation, music, and a voice that rocks!” Adding, “We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate 20 years of our favorite 13 year old in 2013 than with her first music release.”
As the hero for outcasts, Emily the Strange is not your average thirteen-year-old girl. Princess pink is her worst nightmare. She loves math and science as much as playing music and skateboarding. Her best friends are her four black cats. Emily is so anti-cool, she’s cool, a subculture of one, and a follower of no one but herself.
Emily loves Rock n Roll. Her musical tastes are eclectic; from old rock and punk, to electronic, free jazz, and alternative pop music. She is the only non-human to have her very own custom Emily the Strange Epiphone guitar. She’s published dozens of conversations with her favorite rock stars including Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Marilyn Manson, Iggy Pop, and Karen-O. It’s clear she owes a lot to the Rock Gods.
And how those Gods have come through for her single. “Calling All Guitars” a punk pop rave up written by Reger, Beastie Boy and Beck producer and Dust Brother John King, noted Beastie Boys keyboard player Money Mark, and Morningwood’s Chantel Claret.
Emily has also conquered the rest of media world with a feature film in development at Universal Pictures with Carrie top-liner Chloe Grace Moretz attached to star, four young adult novels published by Harper Collins, 18 comic books published by Dark Horse Comics, plus Nintendo DS and iOS video games. And Emily is a fashion muse, inspiring designers ranging from Victoria Beckham to Marc Jacobs, with Emily the Strange apparel appearing in a wide range of trend and fashion retailers distributed in over 50 countries throughout the world. Collectors also eagerly snap up Emily creator Rob Reger’s and other artists’ fine art Emily creations.
As for plans beyond “Calling All Guitars” Reger relates, “Moving forward the vision for Emily and the Strangers is to make Emily and her band real, to give her a real voice that sings, rocks, and is alive. Of course by ‘alive’ we mean animated. Her entire world animated: her radical inventions bubbling and chain reacting, her cats pawing and meowing, her guitars and modified amplifiers screeching. We plan for regular releases of music with accompanying animations. Once we have enough songs under her belt, we plan to release an album and go on tour. Yes, see her live, as a hologram.”