Grand Archives
Encyclopedia
Grand Archives is an American
indie rock
band
that formed in Seattle. They were originally called Archives and are led by principal songwriter Mat Brooke
, formerly of Carissa's Wierd
and Band of Horses
.
The band emerged, under their original name, in March 2007 by posting two tracks to their MySpace
page. After a show with Brooke's former Carissa's Wierd
bandmate Sera Cahoone
they had their track "Sleepdriving" added to Pitchfork Media
's Forkcast playlist, which provided them with substantial internet exposure.
Once the band switched to their current name, Pitchfork published a more in-depth feature on the band, which discussed all four demos from their MySpace page. Soon afterwards they supported Modest Mouse
on seven west-coast tour dates and subsequently signed to Sub Pop
for a full-length album.
The band released The Grand Archives
in February 2008 and toured the U.S. and Europe in support of it. In April 2008 the band played "Torn Blue Foam Couch" on Late Night with Craig Ferguson. Ron Lewis left the band in November 2008 to tour with The Shins
and rejoin The Fruit Bats.
, Grand Archives embarked on extensive tours of the USA, Canada, and Europe, playing their first UK concert on February 5, 2010. For these live shows the four piece band was augmented by Robin Peringer (guitar & keyboards). Jason Kardong (pedal steel guitar) has also played with the band following Lewis's departure. The band toured the West Coast of the USA in July 2010 and Europe in August.
In February 2010 the band covered the song "Cupid
" by Sam Cooke
for Starbucks
' Sweethearts compilation series.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that formed in Seattle. They were originally called Archives and are led by principal songwriter Mat Brooke
Mat Brooke
Mathew Etter "Mat" Brooke is the lead singer of American rock band Grand Archives and a former member of the bands Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd.-Early life:...
, formerly of Carissa's Wierd
Carissa's Wierd
Carissa's Wierd was an indie rock band from Seattle that formed in 1995 and disbanded in late 2003. Their sound has been described as "chamber rock". The band deliberately misspelled the word "Weird" in their name...
and Band of Horses
Band of Horses
Band of Horses, originally briefly known as Horses, are an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle by Ben Bridwell. They have released three studio albums, the most recent and most successful of which is 2010's Grammy nominated Infinite Arms...
.
The Grand Archives
Following his departure from Band of Horses in 2006, Mat Brooke (vocals and guitar) formed a new band with Jeff Montano (bass and vocals) and Curtis Hall (drums and vocals). Ron Lewis (keyboards, guitar and vocals) was added to the lineup later in the year, and Thomas Wright (guitar and vocals) joined in early 2007.The band emerged, under their original name, in March 2007 by posting two tracks to their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. After a show with Brooke's former Carissa's Wierd
Carissa's Wierd
Carissa's Wierd was an indie rock band from Seattle that formed in 1995 and disbanded in late 2003. Their sound has been described as "chamber rock". The band deliberately misspelled the word "Weird" in their name...
bandmate Sera Cahoone
Sera Cahoone
Sera Cahoone is a singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Cahoone's music combines elements of both classic country-western and modern indie rock and lo-fi....
they had their track "Sleepdriving" added to Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Forkcast playlist, which provided them with substantial internet exposure.
Once the band switched to their current name, Pitchfork published a more in-depth feature on the band, which discussed all four demos from their MySpace page. Soon afterwards they supported Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
on seven west-coast tour dates and subsequently signed to Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
for a full-length album.
The band released The Grand Archives
The Grand Archives
- Track listing :# "Torn Blue Foam Couch" - 3:27# "Miniature Birds" - 3:33# "Swan Matches" - 4:17# "Index Moon" - 2:57# "George Kaminski" - 4:23# "A Setting Sun" - 3:43# "Breezy No Breezy" - 1:59# "Sleepdriving" - 5:20# "Louis Riel" - 2:29...
in February 2008 and toured the U.S. and Europe in support of it. In April 2008 the band played "Torn Blue Foam Couch" on Late Night with Craig Ferguson. Ron Lewis left the band in November 2008 to tour with The Shins
The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
and rejoin The Fruit Bats.
Keep in Mind Frankenstein
Following the release of their second album, Keep in Mind FrankensteinKeep in Mind Frankenstein
Keep in Mind Frankenstein is the second full length album by Seattle's Grand Archives.- Track listing :# "Topsy's Revenge" - 3:42# "Witchy Park/Tomorrow Will " - 6:27# "Silver Among The Gold" - 3:57# "Oslo Novelist" - 3:51...
, Grand Archives embarked on extensive tours of the USA, Canada, and Europe, playing their first UK concert on February 5, 2010. For these live shows the four piece band was augmented by Robin Peringer (guitar & keyboards). Jason Kardong (pedal steel guitar) has also played with the band following Lewis's departure. The band toured the West Coast of the USA in July 2010 and Europe in August.
In February 2010 the band covered the song "Cupid
Cupid (Sam Cooke song)
"Cupid" is a 1961 hit single recorded and written by Sam Cooke. The song is ranked #452 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Cover versions:* In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song on his live album In Action....
" by Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
for Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
' Sweethearts compilation series.
Villains
During their tour in late 2010, Grand Archives previewed several new songs from their yet to be recorded third album. At their show at The Hoxton in London on August 2, Mat Brooke revealed that that band hoped to record the new album after they had completed their tour. On October 7, 2010 the band made demos of four songs from the new album available for free download on their official website and followed this with three more free tracks in June 2011. The title of the new album appears to be Villains.Current members
- Mat Brooke (formerly of Carissa's Wierd and Band of Horses) - vocals, guitar.
- Jeff Montano (The New MexicansThe New Mexicans (band)The New Mexicans was an American indie rock band, formed in Seattle and active from 2001 to 2005. The band's members went on to find success in Band of Horses and Grand Archives .-External links:...
) - bass, backing vocals. - Thomas Wright (The Can't See) - guitar, backing vocals.
- Curtis Hall (The New CandidatesNew Candidates (band)The New Candidates was an American indie rock band, formed in Seattle and active from 2002 to 2003. The band consisted of Ruthie Morris of Magnapop and Curtis Hall, who would later play in Grand Archives....
) - drums, backing vocals.
Former members
- Ron Lewis (The Fruit Bats, Mines, Joggers, Ghost Stories) - keyboards, guitar, vocals.
Additional live musicians
- Robin Peringer (Carissa's Wierd, 764-HERO764-HERO764-HERO was an American Indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, signed to Up Records. The band's name, suggested by a friend, is taken from the Washington State Department of Transportation phone number for reporting HOV lane violators ....
, Elliott SmithElliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
, Modest Mouse) - guitar. - Jason KardongJason KardongJason Kardong is a pedal steel player based out of Seattle, Washington and is the Pedal Steel player for Sera Cahoone. Originally from outside of Moscow, Idaho, he grew up directly next door to folk artist Josh Ritter...
(Sera Cahoone) - pedal steel.
Discography
- Demo/Tour EP (2007)
- The Grand ArchivesThe Grand Archives- Track listing :# "Torn Blue Foam Couch" - 3:27# "Miniature Birds" - 3:33# "Swan Matches" - 4:17# "Index Moon" - 2:57# "George Kaminski" - 4:23# "A Setting Sun" - 3:43# "Breezy No Breezy" - 1:59# "Sleepdriving" - 5:20# "Louis Riel" - 2:29...
(2008) - Keep in Mind FrankensteinKeep in Mind FrankensteinKeep in Mind Frankenstein is the second full length album by Seattle's Grand Archives.- Track listing :# "Topsy's Revenge" - 3:42# "Witchy Park/Tomorrow Will " - 6:27# "Silver Among The Gold" - 3:57# "Oslo Novelist" - 3:51...
(2009) - Villains Demos I & II (2010/2011 - free downloads)
Chart history
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 2008 | The Grand Archives The Grand Archives - Track listing :# "Torn Blue Foam Couch" - 3:27# "Miniature Birds" - 3:33# "Swan Matches" - 4:17# "Index Moon" - 2:57# "George Kaminski" - 4:23# "A Setting Sun" - 3:43# "Breezy No Breezy" - 1:59# "Sleepdriving" - 5:20# "Louis Riel" - 2:29...
|
47 |
| 2009 | Keep in Mind Frankenstein Keep in Mind Frankenstein Keep in Mind Frankenstein is the second full length album by Seattle's Grand Archives.- Track listing :# "Topsy's Revenge" - 3:42# "Witchy Park/Tomorrow Will " - 6:27# "Silver Among The Gold" - 3:57# "Oslo Novelist" - 3:51...
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Grand Archives Songs in TV and Film
- "Sleepdriving" featured in Season 2, Episode 5 of the NBC TV series ChuckChuck (TV series)Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. - "Torn Blue Foam Couch" featured in Season 8, Episode 10 of the ABC comedy ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
. - "Torn Blue Foam Couch" featured in a television commercial for the Washington State Lottery.
External links
- Grand Archives at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Grand Archives at Sub PopSub PopSub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
- Grand Archives Lyrics at SongMeanings