The Fray, Ben Folds, Goo Goo Dolls, Bruce Hornsby, Coldplay, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Oasis, Keane, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews, The Beatles, Jason Mraz
Sounds Like
Grounded in jazz piano, acoustic guitar, and vivid lyrics, The Retrofits sound like the love child of the above artists, mixed with five-part harmonies, catchy piano hooks, soaring violin solos, and dance-inducing melodies, to create a polished, yet organic pop/rock sound.
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Contributors to the Debut Album "Away From Here" (2007)
Born out of Portland, Oregon’s burgeoning indie pop scene, The Retrofits marry the instrumentation of a jazz ensemble with the catchy melodies and arrangements of a mainstream rock band.
The band was created in 2002 by high school friends and trackmates Jake Oken-Berg (lead vocals, piano) and George McCleary (lead vocals, guitar). Jake ran for Mayor of Portland at age 19, receiving 27% of the vote, and George was one of the nation’s top high school runners. The Retrofits started off playing for community benefits for youth voting, mental health treatment and environmental protection, and the band is still donating its time, money and music to civic endeavors.
Now one of Portland’s most popular pop/rock bands, SPIN Magazine lists The Retrofits as one of “The best times you’ll have all month.”
The Retrofits opened for national acts Everclear and Pink Martini within their first year of performing and has added experienced musicians Brud Giles (drums) and Dusty Brooks (bass, vocals) to fill out a sound grounded in jazz piano, acoustic guitar, soulful harmonies and vivid lyrics.
The Retrofits are “simply, a band worth catching” (The Oregonian).
The album was engineered by Dave Friedlander (Prince, George Clinton, Pink Martini), mixed by Friedlander and Nick Moon (Gino Vannelli, Liv Warfield), and mastered by Bernie Grundman Mastering (Michael Jackson, Alanis Morissette, Jamie Cullum) in Hollywood, California.
The Oregonian says Away From Here has “all the tight hooks needed for a successful first recording” and the album includes special guests Stephanie Schneiderman (backing vocals), Brian Davis (congas) from Pink Martini, and Jean-Pierre Garau (organ).
“The entire album has enough surprises to keep it from being compartmentalized…The result is a sound that no one can touch – purely The Retrofits' own.” --West Coast Performer Magazine
Hey Retrofits, A friend's band up your way just had their instruments stolen - The Drews in Tahuya, WA. Someone broke into their house and stole 5 guitars - one was a family heirloom - an old Fender White Telecaster. There's pics of the stolen guitars on my site at www.screamingstone.com Hoping you can help spread the word around your area. Thanks and rock on!
You boys need to have a road-trip and come back to Spokane before your next performance! Come to the Grail in CD'A with me on the 18th! Suppose to be a great show!
hey, thank you for the way rad time at the blue pepper. Salem doesn't bite, you should visit more often. It was very nice meeting all of you, you're very friendly and I like your music. =]
Tonights show and the Doug Fir show is a tough call on which was better, Doug Fir was an awesome sell out upbeat show, tonights was a great chill atmosphere where all of you sounded great! The vocals were good and it was nice where you could hear all of the instruments and it wasn't faded out by another. The new drummer is awesome and looking forward to hearing more. What a great way to start off your tour! Such a good turnout. Good luck with your upcoming Washington shows, hope to catch maybe the Seattle and or the Olympia show, if not definately see you back in Portland. Keep up the great work guys! ♥
