Artist description Indie pop songwriter, occasional musician and Elephant 6 alum..

Music Style Indie-Folk Pop

Musical Influences The Smiths, Poi Dog Pondering, Ween, Neutral Milk Hotel, Galaxie 500, Depeche Mode

Similar Artists The Loud Family, The Rentals, Poi Dog Pondering, Ween, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Gerbils

Artist History Ross began his musical career in Ruston, Louisiana as an early member of several bands that would go on to Elephant 6 fame and as a member of many bands that went on to no fame at all. Rather than relocating to Athens, Ross (for some reason) opted to complete his college degree. He now lives in Portland, Oregon. He was a founding member of The Gerbils and has been a member of Neutral Milk Hotel, Squint, Clay Bears, Buck Price, Orange Pop Chicken and Alice's Children.

Group Members Ross Beach - voice, instruments. Various guests.

Instruments yes

Albums The Hand-Crafted Heart Sickness Calliope, Cheesequake, They Call Me Buck, Utopian Love Songs, Tender Severity, Ride Theory

Press Reviews Review of "Teddy Bears Gone Bad" LP: Ross Beach hails mostly from the South, and he certainly sounds like it. His bittersweet drawl is peppered with a certainMichael Stipe influence, but not to the point of distraction. Having been an important member of the Elephant Six collective during the formative years, and having had a good amount of success with his solo albums, he’s obviously got the chops to make some excellent music. Teddy Bears Gone Bad sticks to Beach's appealing mixture of indie-pop hooks and folky, male/female harmonies. “Leaving Before You Came” and “Frozen Together” exhibit both his incredible songwriting talent and unique pop sensibilities. The tension between Beach’s obvious love of Beach Boy’s-style pop and the sadness in his lyrics is delicious. He somehow manages to sound optimistic and fatalistic at the same time. If indie rock were ever in need of a sophisticated, genuine songwriter, now would be the time and Ross Beach would be the man. - John Wenzel, SPONIC - 2001 Review of "Teddy Bears Gone Bad" LP: If David Byrne took any randomly-selected Elephant Six band under his wing, the result would probably sound a lot like Ross And The Hellpets. Head Hellpet Ross Beach is no stranger to Elephant Six formula, himself playing a significant role in their early years, but here he injects enough individuality to separate Ross and the Hellpets from the rest. There is a definite strangeness to Teddy Bears Gone Bad -- even the title hints at that -- but this is no novelty act. It's quirky, no doubt, but there's substance in the madness that Ross Beach and his cohorts create. Backed by odd, B-52-esque vocals, "Sink Or Swim" opens the twenty-five minute disc and serves as a good indication of what to expect from the next ten tracks. Most of the songs here fall under the two minute mark, and in that short span of time you can look forward to simple melodies and strange but satisfying lyrical content. Highlights include the harmony filled "Evil And Bad", "The Pink House", with a friendly tune and lyrics that threaten a jump from a "very tall building", the rocking and somewhat bitter "For The Record" and the most melancholy of all the songs, the appropriately titled "You Make Me Tired". Beach, the consummate band hopper, has found in The Hellpets his nineteenth band formation. Yes, nineteen. Previous stints include Neutral Milk Hotel (circa 1994) and The Gerbils. This is usually the part where the reviewer says something along the lines of, "Beach finally found the winning formula and got it right!", but that doesn't apply here. The fact is, he's rarely gotten it wrong, and Ross And The Hellpets are no exception. It's amazing that time and again, Beach manages to surround himself with such talented bandmates. For those familiar with his previous efforts, Teddy Bears Gone Bad will be more than a gratifying listen, while newcomers will soon find themselves combing the record store stacks for Beach's other material. - Amy Leach, Splendid E-Zine - 2001 Review of the "I Like You" MP3: Rating: 8 This ninety second blast of wonderfully rough pop sounds a little like Guided By Voices were they fronted by David Byrne instead of a middle-aged hack. Fuzzy vox, fuzzy layers of guitar make for a fuzzy good time. This Louisiana native makes efficient pop with a melody substantial enough to remember after the song is long gone...a quality frequently absent in lo-fi. - Andrew Dansby, Rolling Stone - 2000

Location Portland, Oregon - USA

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