Artist description Guitar-pop with choruses both anthemic and genuinely uplifting. An album with warmth and artily charming pop hooks.

Music Style rock

Musical Influences james U2 radiohead talking heads

Artist History Portland, 1999: Jonah appears on the Northwest music scene. The Flower Ep is released, and newspapers and music rags praise the band's refined direction, asking for more. The four-song foray into a world of tightly crafted pop songs suits the band well, and it's only the beginning. Jonah's past found them touring from Seattle to LA with countless stops in between. With the success of Flower, they continue touring, building on an already devoted following who share a love for passionate and challenging pop music. Playing to sold-out clubs on a regular basis, their live performances are "sleek and astonishingly powerful," (The Oregonian). Their dynamic live sound, from rock anthems to fragile ballads, is heightened with a light and video show that is rare for a band without major label support. Portland, 2001: Jonah releases Save the Swimmer. Working with Flower producer Steve Sundholm; the band uses the studio, not simply as a means of recording live sound, but as an instrumental extension of the band. They create not-so-ordinary rock, and orchestrate it into rich, expansive songs. Portland, Today: Save the Swimmer is a storybook album. It's a giant work that borders on the conceptual. Exploring the spiritual and worldly yearnings of the individual trying to find a place and a face on this planet, the album speaks to nearly everyone. Track one, Sea Hymn, is anchored by a rock-solid rhythmic foundation. The hip and lyrically scalding Radio Murders features Matt Rogers' serpentine bass line matched with Jake Endicott's churning groove. Chris Hayes' guitar leads are ambient and slippery, inviting comparisons to Robert Smith and Ed O'Brien. Henry Curl's rhythm guitar, with its drive and crisp finger-work, is best heard on tracks like Pepto and Found. The centerpiece of the album, and the Jonah sound, is Curl's elegant tenor. Often compared to Thom Yorke, but perhaps holding closer ties to the range and control of the late Jeff Buckley, Curl's voice soars and dives throughout the album. From the chaos of Anonymous, to the emotional outpouring of Wishes, to the grace of Lunar Song; Save the Swimmer is proof that Jonah has a gift for songwriting and artful arranging, and it's only the beginning...

Group Members henry curl: vocals. guitar chris hayes: guitar matt rogers: bass jake endicott: drums

Instruments guitar, bass, drums, keys, organ, strings

Albums caddywhompus, overunderneath, the flower ep, save the swimmer

Press Reviews "Undoubtedly some of the best songwriting from a Northwest band . . . Emotionally, it is intense and overpowering." - The Statesman Journal " . . . with Henry Curl's voice soaring like Radiohead's Thom Yorke across a mutating backdrop of crisp guitar strumming and elementally effective drumming." - The Willamette Week" . . . for music lovers who prefer scrupulously artful bands with something to say and the musical means to express their clever ideas . . . " - Two Louies" . . . your best chance to see a truly talented and original band . . . tonight such an opportunity is presenting itself in the form of "art-pop" band [Jonah]." - The Daily Barometer (Oregon State University)" . . . they prove themselves to be both poppy and experimental at the same time, while managing to not dilute either musical pathway." - Anodyne"Papers and music magazines from Seattle have raved over [Jonah's] emotional lyrics, heartfelt vocals, subtle and skilled guitar, and happy, modern, almost pop-feel." - The Source" . . . tour the dynamics of British guitar-pop for choruses both anthemic and genuinely uplifting." - Willamette Week" . . . the most unique band you'll ever hear, they're good. Really good." - The Mercury"Mr. Curl makes evocation and avocation. He causes the rich fiber of his superb poetry to come alive in carefully woven songs." - Two Louies" . . . the depth in the lyrics and the intelligently well-crafted means by which they are delivered, calls to mind everything that is good and uplifting about bands such as Radiohead and U2." - Two Louies

Location Portland, OR - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).