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BOSTON: SUNSET ON A DAYDREAM
After releasing three albums of "amphetamine pop" with mod/garage combo The Pills, guitarist & singer David Thompson finds himself with a stockpile of songs that aren't quite hyperactive enough for that group. He decides to record a “solo album” with a "side project", but detesting these terms and preferring "ROCK BAND", he starts THE SCHEME.
And a ROCK BAND it was, when brothers Paul & Jay Natale (Den Mothers, Astroslut) joined on bass & drums. With Dave Aaronoff (Details, Pills, Bosstones) playing the trickier keyboard bits & the better guitar solos and Eric Donohue (Ad Frank, Quick Fix) taking over bass duties on half of the songs, this lineup recorded the 12-song CD, "SUNSET ON A DAYDREAM."
The album was produced by the fantastic Ducky Carlisle and is anchored by pure Beatlesque pop, with detours into Nuggets-style garage rock ("The Sun Also Sets"), pop-punk ("Gone"), nylon-string bossa-nova ("Year & an Inch") and of course a hypnotic, minor-key dirge with drum-loops & clarinets ("Effigy")
Beyond the power-pop “B” troika of Beatles, Badfinger & Big Star, Thompson found inspiration from the sophisticated pop of Elvis Costello, XTC & late-period Beach Boys, the classic melodic punk of The Clash and The Buzzcocks, the modern art-rock of Beck & Flaming Lips, and the energy of current British bands like Arctic Monkeys & the Fratellis ... plus the best bands that The Pills had shared stages with: Supergrass, Sloan & The Figgs.
SEATTLE: NOW
Thompson relocates to the great Northwest, and forms "The Scheme: West Coast v.1" with Gary Miller on bass and Chris Campbell on drums. This trio of Seattle newcomers received airplay on KEXP, garnered favorable mention from Three Imaginary Girls and played at the sadly defunct Crocodile Cafe - three milestones of the local rock scene - and recorded demos for "You Let Me Go" (streaming above) and "Holly Wouldn't."
Chris and Gary have moved on to other bands and/or states and a kick-ass new rhythm section has been carefully hand-picked: Mr. Gwon Chang on bass guitar (also of The Lund Bro.s) and Mr. Gregg Anderson (formerly of SF/AZ band Dry Spell) on drums. This new trio has been holed up for a year adding some ROCK to the pure-pop songs from “Sunset” and working up a bunch of new numbers. They're on the lookout for a fourth member who can rock the lead guitar & sing the purty harmonies (know anyone?) ... 'til then, come check The Scheme as Power (Pop) Trio at your favorite Seattle watering holes...
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