Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a musical collective from Indianapolis, Indiana. In an interview with Cincinnati’s WOXY.com, Margot bandleader Richard Edwards jested that their moniker comes from his daughter Margot (he doesn’t have a daughter) and his enjoyment of president George W. Bush’s pronunciation of the word “nuclear". There was also speculation it was named after a girl he met in California, mysteriously referred to as “Margot E.”. In reality, the band is called Margot after Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums.

The band’s sound, categorized as “chamber pop”, has been compared to the indie rock groups Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and The Shins, while incorporating elements of singer/songwriters like Paul Simon and Conor Oberst.

Margot released an EP of live recordings done for the website Daytrotter on July 29. Two Margot full lengths were released on Oct. 7, 2008 – Animal! (vinyl and online download) and Not Animal (CD, vinyl, and online download). All releases were by Epic Records. Four intimate live recordings of Margot songs, two of which are exclusively on Animal! and not on Not Animal, are available for free download on Daytrotter’s site.

There have been delays in the release of Margot’s second full length due to disagreements between the band and Epic records regarding the song selection of the album. Animal! is Margot’s preferred version of their second full-length, while Not Animal is Epic’s. Five songs appear on both releases (there are 12 tracks on each album). On their Myspace page, the band has said they would like fans to listen to Animal first.

In live shows, the band has been playing songs from their yet-to-be-recorded fourth full length album entitled Dark Energy in the Spotlight.

The band was the featured musical guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on the night of November 19/20, 2008.

A Squared industries has booked two upcoming Margot shows in Indianapolis – one 21 and up age restricted show at Radio Radio in Fountain Square on Thursday, February 26th; and the other an all-ages event at The Emerson Theater on the east side of Indianapolis on Friday, February 27th. Both shows feature special guests Thunders.

Tickets for the shows are available now at Indy CD & Vinyl in Broad Ripple and online at www.asquaredonline.com