Goldenboy with The Cynic Circus and Corespondents

Goldenboy

Since the release of his band’s 2003 debut Blue Swan Orchestra –– a KCRW favorite that featured guest vocals by Elliott Smith on “Summertime” –– Shon Sullivan’s Goldenboy has trekked near forever on the road, supporting the likes of Bright Eyes, Neil Finn, Stephen Malkmus and Grandaddy. For most of these shows, he was doing double-duty as well, playing multiple instruments with Finn, the Rentals, Eels and others on tours across the globe.

When Elliott Smith caught wind of Sullivan’s prowess on guitar and keyboards in the LA-area band Spain, he quickly drafted him into his band; it was during his time alongside Smith that Sullivan began developing his own material, which would eventually become Goldenboy. Blue Swan Orchestra was recorded with drummer Bryan Bos and bears distant traces of Smith’s influence. Its follow-up, Underneath the Radio (2006), found Sullivan and Bos joined by a cast of heavies including Neil Finn, Lisa Germano, Scott McPherson, Matt Sharp and Phil Jordan. Goldenboy as it stands today is comprised of Shon Sullivan (Vocals / Guitar) , Nicole Verhamme (Guitar), Keith Brown (Keyboards), Katy Stone (Bass) and Jon Crawford (Drums)

Sleepwalker, due out this February, was recorded at Interstellar and Leaning Pine studios by Sullivan and Jon Crawford, and mastered and sequenced by veteran engineer Don Tyler, who mastered all of Elliott Smith’s albums. Sullivan sums up Sleepwalker with the thought that “It all has to do with not looking at the clock, taking our time, and trying to really develop the arrangements and the feel of the sound. The ambience thing was important.”

The Cynic Circus

The Cynic Circus was formed in Billings Montana as an effort between friends Deryk Cunningham (Vocals and Guitars), brothers Rick (Guitars) and David Banuelos (Bass), and percussionist Karl Henning. Deeply informed by American folk, vocal pop music and layered guitars, the circus plays toward merging these genres through tight arrangements and winking attempts at virtuosity.

Corespondents

Corespondents began in 2003 with Olie Eshleman and Doug Arney playing guitars in the living room. 

In late 2008, Kieran Harrison-Buhlinger started playing percussion, among other things and joined them. 
Todd Arney, brother to Doug, joined us on drums July 2011, leaving Kieran free to play his first instrument, guitar, as well as the glorious Dan Bao.

Corespondents' guitar-based musical stylings incorporate non-western instrumentaion such as the Vietnamese dan-bao and the Greek bouzouki, while still appealing to metal heads, noisers, guitar-wankers, audiophiles, tech-heads, swingers and the blues. 

Corespondents has also been featured in Lynn Shelton's indie film, "We Go Way Back" as well as in MTV.com's web series, "$5 Cover: Seattle"

"Corespondents' music defies description" - mtv.com 

“Olie Eshleman, Doug Arney, and Kieran Harrison-Buhlinger are acutely sensitive players with fantastic chops, and their music efficiently transports you to a more antique-y place and time without sounding overly reverent or staid. Corespondents have that old-soul spirit in spades, but without the kitsch, thankfully.” -Dave Segal, The Stranger.

" Experimental, without a genre music on the musical mystery tramp side, Corespondents organically chop up Italian cowboy soundtrack guitar playing, circus rhythms, and woozy ragtime to make perfect night music for absinthe-sipping poets and whiskey-slurping marginals." -Chris Estey, KEXP Blog.

"Sentimental Cowboy Music For Dreaming Circus Workers Just Before Dawn Out In The Field Next To The Tiger Cages And The Cotton Candy Machine." -Jeffrey Taylor, Climax Golden Twins And Wall Of Sound Records