Curtains for you
Encyclopedia
Curtains for You is a five-piece indie-pop band from Seattle, Washington
. The band consists of Matthew Gervais (lead vocal/guitar,) Mike Gervais (lead guitar/saxophone/vocals,) Nick Holman (bass/euphonium/vocal,) Peter Fedofsky (Piano/vocals,) and Dave Lawrence (drums.) They are heavily influenced by '60s pop, in particular, parallels can be drawn to the music of The Beatles
and The Kinks
. Comparisons to Harry Nilsson
have been made, and the band has made no secret their love of his music and vocal style. They are mainstays of the nascent Seattle retro-pop scene, and play regularly on bills with other similar artists of the Seattle retro-pop scene, such as Andy Werth.
Critically, the band is described by the Seattle Power Pop Blog as "...a really solid outfit that use interesting sounds and rely on a constant shuffle beat to churn out mid-tempo tunes that sound a little bit like Jellyfish
if they had listened to a lot of Stephen Foster
and New Orleans dirges." Megan Seling of Seattle's The Stranger
has this to say of the band, "Given that the whole '70s-pop/vaudevillian/Harry Nilsson thing is big right now (right?), it's a good time to get turned on to Curtains for You, a local pop band claiming to find inspiration in Harry Nilsson, Rufus Wainwright, and The Beach Boys. It's a pretty grown-up version of some of the stuff that's big with the kids right now (e.g., Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
), but it's got a catchy, wistful attitude with piano-bar playfulness and croons about being fucked up. They play the part of vintage poppers, that's for sure. I bet they even wear suits and ties to practice." (The Stranger, January 10, 2008)
Stephanie Guerrero of mel.opho.be reviewed a performance of the band, saying "Curtains for You’s music has a nostalgia to it that I do not often find when attending music events... Standing there listening to them in the middle of the honky-tonk Tractor Tavern, I couldn't help but feel I had been transported to a Wild West saloon."
, Gervais has scored international songwriting fame with a collaboration of his, Dui Bu Qi, Xie Xie, made famous by Eason Chan
. The song peaked on the Hong Kong charts at #6. Of Gervais' writing, Barbara Mitchell
of The Stranger says that Matt is "A master of glorious, sophisticated, swoon-inducing pop," comparing him to Rufus Wainwright
. Gervais came to the attention of the Seattle scene via a songwriting workshop with Goodness singer, Carrie Akre
. Akre duetted with Matt on the first Curtains for You EP, Speaking In Circles. Both Gervais and Fedofsky also had a brief stint in Akre's live band. During their tenure in the band, they played a live set on internationally acclaimed radio station, KEXP
, in Seattle, as well as playing the mainstage at the Triple Door in Seattle.
Fedofsky has been profiled twice on NPR
's Second Stage and All Songs Considered
for his solo records recorded for the RPM Challenge
. Robin Hilton of NPR said, "Fedofsky's songs draw heavily on the melodies and harmonies of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, ELO and Buddy Holly." Bob Boilen
of NPR echoed that statement saying, that Fedofsky "has a sound reminiscent of The Beach Boys
Indie Pop website, Three Imaginary Girls
reviewed a solo EP by Fedofsky saying, "Part Pet Sounds
, part Beatles For Sale
, part Burt Bacharach
, the six songs here take a profound love of 60's vocal pop and wrap it up with a frilly 4-part vocal harmony bow. Fellow retro-pop dreamer Ben Folds
would have given his bitter little heart to have written a chord progression as earnest and lovely as "The Unwritten Letter." Still, Fedofsky isn't above using the very un-60's lyric "bullshit" in the George Harrison
-styled "Silly Boy Dreams".
The band released their first full length LP, Heaven's Waiting, on April 20, 2007. The band celebrated the release with a live set at Easy St. Records in Seattle, Washington. The album was immediately picked up for rotation on KEXP. Subsequently, Curtains for You performed live on-the-air on the August 25th broadcast of KEXP's local program, Audioasis. The album was voted one of the best Northwest releases of 2007 by indie-pop website, Three Imaginary Girls
, landing at #31 out of 100.
In May 2008, the band convened at London Bridge Studio
along with engineer and producer, Geoff Ott to record their second LP. In August 2009, the band was signed to Spark and Shine records. The album, What A Lovely Surprise to Wake Up Here was released on October 20, 2009.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. The band consists of Matthew Gervais (lead vocal/guitar,) Mike Gervais (lead guitar/saxophone/vocals,) Nick Holman (bass/euphonium/vocal,) Peter Fedofsky (Piano/vocals,) and Dave Lawrence (drums.) They are heavily influenced by '60s pop, in particular, parallels can be drawn to the music of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
. Comparisons to Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
have been made, and the band has made no secret their love of his music and vocal style. They are mainstays of the nascent Seattle retro-pop scene, and play regularly on bills with other similar artists of the Seattle retro-pop scene, such as Andy Werth.
Critically, the band is described by the Seattle Power Pop Blog as "...a really solid outfit that use interesting sounds and rely on a constant shuffle beat to churn out mid-tempo tunes that sound a little bit like Jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
if they had listened to a lot of Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
and New Orleans dirges." Megan Seling of Seattle's The Stranger
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
has this to say of the band, "Given that the whole '70s-pop/vaudevillian/Harry Nilsson thing is big right now (right?), it's a good time to get turned on to Curtains for You, a local pop band claiming to find inspiration in Harry Nilsson, Rufus Wainwright, and The Beach Boys. It's a pretty grown-up version of some of the stuff that's big with the kids right now (e.g., Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is an indie band started by Kirk Huffman and Kyle O'Quin of Gatsbys American Dream. Like Gatsbys, the band draws influence from a wide variety of musical genres...
), but it's got a catchy, wistful attitude with piano-bar playfulness and croons about being fucked up. They play the part of vintage poppers, that's for sure. I bet they even wear suits and ties to practice." (The Stranger, January 10, 2008)
Stephanie Guerrero of mel.opho.be reviewed a performance of the band, saying "Curtains for You’s music has a nostalgia to it that I do not often find when attending music events... Standing there listening to them in the middle of the honky-tonk Tractor Tavern, I couldn't help but feel I had been transported to a Wild West saloon."
Songwriting
The songwriting duties fall to Matt Gervais and Peter Fedofsky, both celebrated songwriters for their solo work. A winner of the John Lennon Songwriting ContestJohn Lennon Songwriting Contest
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, named for the former member of The Beatles, is a songwriting competition for songwriters, open to amateurs and professionals. The contest accepts instrumental pieces as well as songs with a vocal component. Though all entries must include a CD, cassette, or...
, Gervais has scored international songwriting fame with a collaboration of his, Dui Bu Qi, Xie Xie, made famous by Eason Chan
Eason Chan
Eason Chan Yik-shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop...
. The song peaked on the Hong Kong charts at #6. Of Gervais' writing, Barbara Mitchell
Barbara Mitchell
Barbara Mitchell was an English actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period.- Career :...
of The Stranger says that Matt is "A master of glorious, sophisticated, swoon-inducing pop," comparing him to Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
. Gervais came to the attention of the Seattle scene via a songwriting workshop with Goodness singer, Carrie Akre
Carrie Akre
Carrie Akre is a musician best known for her work with Seattle underground bands Hammerbox and Goodness.Since Goodness disbanded in 1998, she has contributed vocals to the project band The Rockfords , and released three solo albums...
. Akre duetted with Matt on the first Curtains for You EP, Speaking In Circles. Both Gervais and Fedofsky also had a brief stint in Akre's live band. During their tenure in the band, they played a live set on internationally acclaimed radio station, KEXP
KEXP
KEXP-FM is a public radio station based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen's Experience Music Project...
, in Seattle, as well as playing the mainstage at the Triple Door in Seattle.
Fedofsky has been profiled twice on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's Second Stage and All Songs Considered
All Songs Considered
All Songs Considered is a weekly online multimedia program started in January 2000 by NPR's All Things Considered director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on All Things Considered. The program has turned into a source of...
for his solo records recorded for the RPM Challenge
RPM Challenge
The RPM Challenge is a creative challenge offered yearly to musicians, similar to other time-based challenges such as NaNoWriMo ....
. Robin Hilton of NPR said, "Fedofsky's songs draw heavily on the melodies and harmonies of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, ELO and Buddy Holly." Bob Boilen
Bob Boilen
Bob Boilen was the director of the NPR show All Things Considered and is the current host's and the creator of NPR's online music show All Songs Considered. Boilen writes music with electronics and friend Michael Barron; both were founding members of the psychedelic dance band , for which Boilen...
of NPR echoed that statement saying, that Fedofsky "has a sound reminiscent of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
Indie Pop website, Three Imaginary Girls
Three Imaginary Girls
Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the music of the Pacific Northwest. Self-described as "Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press", since its founding in 2002, the site has featured hundreds of reviews of albums, live music, film, theater, interviews, political commentary,...
reviewed a solo EP by Fedofsky saying, "Part Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band The Beach Boys, released May 16, 1966, on Capitol Records. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s, including songs such as "Wouldn't...
, part Beatles For Sale
Beatles for Sale
Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released in late 1964 and produced by George Martin for Parlophone. The album marked a minor turning point in the evolution of Lennon and McCartney as lyricists, John Lennon particularly now showing interest in...
, part Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, the six songs here take a profound love of 60's vocal pop and wrap it up with a frilly 4-part vocal harmony bow. Fellow retro-pop dreamer Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
would have given his bitter little heart to have written a chord progression as earnest and lovely as "The Unwritten Letter." Still, Fedofsky isn't above using the very un-60's lyric "bullshit" in the George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
-styled "Silly Boy Dreams".
Releases
The band released an EP called Speaking In Circles in 2006, featuring a duet with Carrie Akre called "We Slept Too Late". The track had airplay on KEXP and was the start of a brief working relationship between Akre and the band.The band released their first full length LP, Heaven's Waiting, on April 20, 2007. The band celebrated the release with a live set at Easy St. Records in Seattle, Washington. The album was immediately picked up for rotation on KEXP. Subsequently, Curtains for You performed live on-the-air on the August 25th broadcast of KEXP's local program, Audioasis. The album was voted one of the best Northwest releases of 2007 by indie-pop website, Three Imaginary Girls
Three Imaginary Girls
Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the music of the Pacific Northwest. Self-described as "Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press", since its founding in 2002, the site has featured hundreds of reviews of albums, live music, film, theater, interviews, political commentary,...
, landing at #31 out of 100.
In May 2008, the band convened at London Bridge Studio
London Bridge Studio
London Bridge Studio is a Seattle recording studio that has hosted and recorded many influential artists, producers and engineers since 1985. Founded by brothers Rick Parashar and Raj Parashar as a private studio space, the studio surged to fame with the 1991 release of Pearl Jam's multiplatinum...
along with engineer and producer, Geoff Ott to record their second LP. In August 2009, the band was signed to Spark and Shine records. The album, What A Lovely Surprise to Wake Up Here was released on October 20, 2009.