Sean Nelson
Encyclopedia
Sean Nelson is an American
singer, songwriter
, and keyboardist
, notable as the frontman for the alternative rock
group Harvey Danger
.
" and eventually went on to sell over 500,000 copies, earning a Gold Record award. After touring extensively, Harvey Danger released another major label album, King James Version (Sire/Warner, 2000), and, after a hiatus, a third, Little By Little… on Northwest independent label Kill Rock Stars. Little By Little... is also available for free download at http://www.harveydanger.com harveydanger.com. The band has toured internationally, made six music videos, and appeared on several national and regional television shows (Late Show with David Letterman
, Late Late Show, Total Request Live, 120 Minutes, among many others). Its music has been licensed to dozens of films, TV shows, and other commercial uses in the US and UK, including as the theme song for 5 seasons of the British sitcom Peep Show
.
Nelson has also recorded and performed with Death Cab for Cutie
, The Decemberists
, Robyn Hitchcock
, The Long Winters
(of which he was a founding member), Nada Surf
, The Minus 5
, and others. He recently recorded Nelson Sings Nilsson, an album of songs by the late American composer Harry Nilsson
, accompanied by a 25-piece-orchestra. Nelson was also a member of the short-lived side project The Vernacular, along with Chris Walla and Nathan Good of Death Cab For Cutie.
In addition to writing and performing, Nelson spent over 10 years working as a writer/editor at Seattle alternative paper The Stranger
, where he is still a regular contributor and holds the title Associate Editor Emeritus. He co-owns a thriving independent record label (Barsuk Records
), has taught a songwriting class at the University of Washington
Extension, co-hosted Audioasis on KEXP-FM for five years, wrote a book about Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark for the acclaimed 33 & 1/3 series, and had his essay “Dead Man Talking” published in the Da Capo anthology Best Music Writing 2008.
In 2008, Nelson co-wrote and played a supporting role in Humpday
director Lynn Shelton
's third feature film My Effortless Brilliance, which enjoyed a successful run on the film festival circuit and will be released on DVD by IFC Films in November 2009. He has also acted in David Russo's cult film festival hit The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle and alongside Dax Shepard in Kathryn Aselton's The Freebie, which was released in September 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, notable as the frontman for the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger was an American indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993, and rose to prominence in 1998 with the single "Flagpole Sitta." On August 29, 2009, the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle....
.
Career
Sean Nelson is best known for his work as the lead singer and co-songwriter for the Seattle-based indie pop band Harvey Danger, which was founded in 1993 and played its farewell show in 2009. The band’s first album, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone (Arena Rock Recording Company, 1997/Universal, 1998), generated the number one single "Flagpole SittaFlagpole Sitta
"Flagpole Sitta" is a song by American rock band Harvey Danger from their 1997 debut album, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?. It was released as a single in April 1998. The song gained popularity after Sean Nelson gave a copy of the album to a KNDD DJ. Shortly after this, it was picked up by...
" and eventually went on to sell over 500,000 copies, earning a Gold Record award. After touring extensively, Harvey Danger released another major label album, King James Version (Sire/Warner, 2000), and, after a hiatus, a third, Little By Little… on Northwest independent label Kill Rock Stars. Little By Little... is also available for free download at http://www.harveydanger.com harveydanger.com. The band has toured internationally, made six music videos, and appeared on several national and regional television shows (Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, Late Late Show, Total Request Live, 120 Minutes, among many others). Its music has been licensed to dozens of films, TV shows, and other commercial uses in the US and UK, including as the theme song for 5 seasons of the British sitcom Peep Show
Peep Show (TV series)
Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
.
Nelson has also recorded and performed with Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
, Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
, The Long Winters
The Long Winters
The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.-Early history:Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He later returned to Seattle, formed the Bun Family Players and the The Western State Hurricanes...
(of which he was a founding member), Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
, The Minus 5
The Minus 5
The Minus 5 is an American rock band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey and featuring R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.-Band history:Formed in 1993, McCaughey designed the Minus 5 as a pop collective, with each record the group put out featuring a new lineup...
, and others. He recently recorded Nelson Sings Nilsson, an album of songs by the late American composer 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...
, accompanied by a 25-piece-orchestra. Nelson was also a member of the short-lived side project The Vernacular, along with Chris Walla and Nathan Good of Death Cab For Cutie.
In addition to writing and performing, Nelson spent over 10 years working as a writer/editor at Seattle alternative paper 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...
, where he is still a regular contributor and holds the title Associate Editor Emeritus. He co-owns a thriving independent record label (Barsuk Records
Barsuk Records
Barsuk Records is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, started and still managed by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, who created the label in 1994 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawing of a dog holding a...
), has taught a songwriting class at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Extension, co-hosted Audioasis on KEXP-FM for five years, wrote a book about Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark for the acclaimed 33 & 1/3 series, and had his essay “Dead Man Talking” published in the Da Capo anthology Best Music Writing 2008.
In 2008, Nelson co-wrote and played a supporting role in Humpday
Humpday
Humpday is a 2009 American comedy film starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore; and directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance film festival. International distribution rights have been purchased by Magnolia Pictures for a mid-six figure sum...
director Lynn Shelton
Lynn Shelton
Lynn Shelton is an American director known for writing, directing, and producing the 2009 film Humpday.-Early life, and education:Shelton grew up in Seattle. She describes herself as having been audacious as a young girl, but having lost confidence in her creativity in adolescence...
's third feature film My Effortless Brilliance, which enjoyed a successful run on the film festival circuit and will be released on DVD by IFC Films in November 2009. He has also acted in David Russo's cult film festival hit The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle and alongside Dax Shepard in Kathryn Aselton's The Freebie, which was released in September 2010.
Harvey Danger
(lead singer, keyboards, songwriter)- Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (Universal, 1998)
- King James Version (Warner, 2000)
- Sometimes You Have To Work on Christmas (Sometimes) EP (Phonographic Records, 2004)
- Little By Little… (Kill Rock Stars, 2006)
- Cream and Bastards Rise EP (Kill Rock Stars, 2006)
- Little Round Mirrors EP (Barsuk, 2007)
- Burn to Shine (V/A Trixie DVD, 2008)
- Dead Sea Scrolls (Phonographic Records, 2009)
Death Cab for Cutie
- The Photo Album (Barsuk, 2001)
- Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003)
- Plans (Atlantic, 2005)
The Long Winters
- The Worst You Can Do is Harm (Barsuk, 2001)
- When I Pretend to Fall (Barsuk, 2003)
- Putting the Days to Bed (Barsuk, 2005)
The Decemberists
- Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars, 2004)
- The Crane Wife (b-sides) (Capitol, 2006)
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
- Ole Tarantula (Yep Roc, 2006)
- Goodnight, Oslo (Yep Roc, 2009)