The Carolines

When describing the Carolines music as reminiscent of 1970s-era AM pop-rock radio, its important to make clear what exactly that means. Mentioning that period can bring back frightening memories of Peaches and Herb or England Dan and John Ford Coley, but the Carolines musical identity is nowhere near that. More clearly, their musical roots are likened to "Hey Jude"-era Beatles and Supertramp with touches of Steely Dan. Like their contemporaries Fountains Of Wayne and Spoon, the Carolines aren’t afraid to let the good times of youth roll again.

The Carolines are a five-piece band based in Portland, Oregon, made up of brothers Aaron (lead vocals, piano) and Nathan Trueb (lead guitar), Nate Purscelley (guitars, trumpet, bgv), Matthew Lenhart (bass, bgv) and Jared Abraham (drums, bgv). Four of the five members have been together over six years now. In fact, two members were only 13 years old when the band began.

In November of 2001, The Carolines independently released a seven-song EP titled, “Don’t Believe What You Hear”. The band was invited to place two tracks from the CD on the Band:Union vol. 2 compilation released in Austria and Germany.

Extensive touring throughout the Pacific Northwest yielded the band the privilege of performing at EMP-Seattle during the Pop Culture conference, attended by pop music writers and editors from around the world. They have also played with such notable acts as the Gin Blossoms, Imperial Teen, and The Long Winters. In January 2003 their song, “Gentleman”, was featured in the DVD ski film documentary, “Superpark: The Movie” which was produced by Powder Magazine and AXIS.

With their second release, "Youth Electronics," The Carolines have crafted 10 sparkling tracks of summer-infused rock that would sound great through your dads old transistor radio. The band places a strong emphasis on creating intricate arrangements and harmonies and wrapping them around catchy choruses.

"Youth Electronics" kicks off with the delightful pop of Lonely Last Summer, a perfect mood-setter for the CD. Columbo would not sound out of place on Ben Folds latest from the piano intro to the succinct, sing-along chorus. The Payoff, with a horn arrangement Soul Train would groove on, is a melting pot that early Chicago would be proud of. Those yearning for some nice ballads reminiscent of The Carolines first release "Dont Believe What You Hear" wont be disappointed when Blue And Black and The Coast Is Clear make feeling depressed feel so good.

As they sing in Lonely Last Summer, "Infatuation is such a rush" and indeed, The Carolines are a great act to be infatuated with.