Louis XIV

Louis XIV is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band has released four EPs between 2003 and 2007, and three albums between 2003 and 2008, the latter two of which were distributed by Atlantic Records. The band broke up in 2009, but in 2013, in an interview with The Reno Dispatch, Jason Hill confirmed that the band had decided to reunite. Formation (2003-2004) Lead singer and guitarist Jason Hill, guitarist Brian Karscig, and drummer Mark Maigaard formed the group in April 2003, while living in Paris, France. Bassist James Armbrust joined soon after. Louis XIV, the band's first album, was recorded in the spring of 2003 in a basement in the Latin district in Paris on a 16-track tape machine. It was released in November 2003 through Pineapple Recording Group, a label started by Hill and Karscig. The album sold over 22,000 copies in the first six months after release, despite being sold only at shows, on the band's website, and in some independent record stores. The album became popular in the UK in 2004, after the band performed on the Jonathan Ross television show one week after Oasis. The band also performed on the Mary Anne Hobbs show on BBC Radio 1. They were embraced by Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle and Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme at the 2004 NME Awards.