Artist description 5 boys. weight: a schosh mightier than 700 lbs. height: 29 feet 7 inches. Mostly brown hair. Some fuzzpop, some daydreams, some primary colors.

Music Style Indie Pop

Similar Artists Yo La Tengo, Trackstar, the Strokes, Velvet Underground, Pavement, Belle & Sebastian, The Pixies

Artist History Sometime late in the last century, the proverbial "friend of a friend" invited three young refugees from Northern California to provide music for her gallery opening in Los Feliz Village, in Los Angeles. The young musicians in question were Steven Scott, Brian Canning and Alex Church. Instead of turning up with two turntables and a microphone -- or other such trendy baggage -- they brought their guitars and a wealth of pop smarts along... Little knowing that in the process they were taking the first step on their way to becoming SoCal's beloved evolutionary sweethearts, Irving. From such seemingly inauspicious beginnings come great things. And that is precisely what happened for these three gents. Here's the rest of the story: Not so very long after that, the trio was joined (conceptually and onstage) by keyboardist Shana Levy, a displaced Miami native, and LA-born Brent Turner on the drums. With that, the band Irving was complete. Though all five were new to the biz -- Irving is their first band, proper -- each member had his/her own distinct personality and voice. And that's the literal truth as each writes songs and sings lead for the band. While for some that potentially touchy situation would be a recipe for disaster, for Irving it's more like a sure cure for anonymity. "When we're all together we don't take anything that seriously," says guitarist Brian Canning. "We take the music seriously, but in the end we're usually laughing at something or another..." This ego-busting attitude is perhaps their secret weapon, and just what makes them so much fun -- live and on record. By the summer of 1999, this five-headed wonder had begun playing out with an astonishing range of like-minded stars from the neo-pop firmament, including Beachwood Sparks, The Black Heart Procession and Of Montreal, as well as booking residencies at Spaceland and the Silverlake Lounge. Irving's diverse, charismatic song stylings -- influenced by the usual old-school suspects (Beatles, Zombies, etc) as well as a bit of the ol' new wave mixed with the sounds popularized by acts as diverse as Neutral Milk Hotel, Yo La Tengo and Pavement -- brought them notice on both coasts. "We're a group of individuals," says Alex Church, bassist. "We write songs that at once reflect our individuality -- and yet are unmistakably Irving." "Yeah," agrees the charmingly immodest guitarist, Steven Scott, "and we are the best fucking band in the world!" By the end of 2000, they'd toured the states, played CMJ's prestigious New Music Festival in New York City and got prime airplay on LA's KXLU, KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and Rodney Bingenheimer's KROQ show "Rodney on the Roq." Almost before they knew it, Irving were in the studio committing a diverse collection of songs for their debut album to disc. Celeb producer Andy Paley (who has worked with everyone from Brian Wilson and Madonna to Jonathan Richman and hellraiser Jerry Lee Lewis) manned the board for the song "L-O-V-E," even playing some trippy guitar on the track. The rest of the songs were produced by the ever-inventive band. What emerged was 2002's entrancing GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL (Eenie Meenie Records). Radiating waves of love from their fans and the national press soon followed. As an ecstatic writer in THE LOCAL PLANET (Spokane, WA) gushed: "[it] feels like a week-long, lazy coastal vacation with your best friends -- backing sounds fit for hours spent in the glow of beachfront campfires, crashing surf and all-night drunken dancing." Happily, much of the listening public agreed. Most recently, the band has wowed audiences at shows with the polymorphously perverse (in the best possible way) Polyphonic Spree as well as with Creeper Lagoon, Imperial Teen and Kaito. But that's all in day's work for Irving. Though Ms Levy left last year to pursue her own project, Let's Go Sailing, and was replaced by newcomer Aaron Burrows at the keyboards, the band's shimmery loveliness is still much the same. Maybe even better. Their new ep, I HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER NOW, will be released on Eenie Meenie later this year. With Irving's usual mix of catchy tunes and clever lyrics, it's sure to please.

Group Members Brent Turner, Aaron Burrows, Brian Canning, Alex Church and Steven Scott

Instruments The usual....plus chimes, whistles, and various fruit shaped shook shooks.

Albums Good Morning Beautiful - Full Length LP; I Hope You're Feeling Better Now - 5 Song EP -- both available on Eenie Meenie Records

Press Reviews Recommended in the LA Weekly

Location Los Angeles, CA - USA

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