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FOX News: An American Beatles?
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(August 2002)
The Syrups, a new group from Arcadia, California, are so good that they've brought ...(August 2002)
The Syrups, a new group from Arcadia, California, are so good that they've brought producer Geoff Emerick out of retirement.
Emerick, who recorded most of the Beatles' work and Paul McCartney's best solo work (Band on the Run, Tug of War, Flowers in the Dirt, Flaming Pie), has not worked on a new album since McCartney's 1999 rock and roll album Run Devil Run.
The transplanted Brit heard The Syrups and instantly fell in love with them. "No other group has had this energy since the Beatles," he told me. And Emerick has heard everything, believe me.
To make the Syrups story even more tantalizing, they are signed to the brand new Beck Records of Hollywood, which will launch with the Syrups album.
In the studio, Emerick is having the Syrups do a lot of the same things he did with the Beatles. They're recording live, and playing instruments backwards and forwards the old fashioned way. They're not using Pro Tools or any of the other computerized systems that have made albums sound so cold in the last few years.
"Paul [McCartney] called me the other day and asked me to help him fix a DVD recording he's putting together. He's been using Pro Tools and he realized that's why the thing didn't sound right. He said, 'Can you come make this sound like a record?'"
Will the Syrups be a hit? Will Harrison be a hit? Who knows? The other day I came across a wonderful album released by Graham Parker in 2001 and sent straight to the discount bin. No one ever knew it came out, but it ranks not only with Parker's best work but also with the best of that year, without a doubt.
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Music Connection: "Signing Stories"
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(Vol 28, #1, Jan. 5, 2004, Page 15)
The story of contractual bliss related by the Syrups is one o...(Vol 28, #1, Jan. 5, 2004, Page 15)
The story of contractual bliss related by the Syrups is one of improbability, piled atop unlikelihood and wrapped in randomness. It reinforces the notion that trying something that seems like a long shot isn't necessarily a bad idea. It was a strategy that, however unconventional, worked for this Arcadia, CA, band.
The Syrups' guitarist Patrick Walton had recorded some tracks at bassist Adam Pike's home studio. Pleased with the result, Walton decided to seek an entertainment lawyer. He walked by a random office building near Hollywood and Vine, saw the name of a law firm on the placard and went in. He spoke with the first person he encountered, who turned out to be William Beck, a criminal lawyer at the time.
Beck said that he didn't represent musicians, but that he was a music enthusiast and wanted to hear what Walton had recorded. Beck was suitably impressed and Patrick called his brother Orion to come in to perform an acoustic set. Shortly thereafter, Beck offered to represent the band.
"This whole thing just sort of fell into our laps," says Orion Walton, vocalist with the Syrups. "My advice to other bands is to try anything. You never know what might work."
Beck called upon his networking skills to secure a number of opening spots for bands such as Blondie and Sixpence None the Richer. He later utilized connections to bring former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick to a series of shows.
"The first time Geoff saw us, he felt that we had a good sound and that there was great chemistry between the band members," Walton recalls. "He didn't think we were ready for a contract at that time. However, he came to see us again a few months later when we opened for Blondie at the Ventura Theatre." Once again, fortune smiled upon the band when, after that show, Emerick offered to produce their album.
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Amplifier magazine
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The Syrups: “The Syrups” (Beck)
The Syrups are led by Orion Walton, who brims with confidence and...The Syrups: “The Syrups” (Beck)
The Syrups are led by Orion Walton, who brims with confidence and passion in everything he does. Although he's clearly the star on this LA group's full-length debut, the band, featuring guitarist and songwriter Pat Walton, drummer Tommy Montes and bassist Adam Pike, does add a strong foundation. The Syrups' harmonies immediately bring to mind the Everly brothers, and tunes like "Unavailable" and “Radio" will make you imagine what kind of stuff Phil and Don might have done had they been born 35 years later (to perhaps bring it all back home, the Syrups do a fine job on the Everlys' "Man with Money"). Other tracks like "Metal Man" recall classic Squeeze, "Human Sympathy" is Costello-esque in both cadence and attitude, and "Strawberry" is filled with jangle and sexual allusion. "The Syrups" was produced and engineered by the legendary Beatles associate Geoff Emerick, who did an extremely smooth and professional job, but in this case a little less professionalism may have been in order as the overall sound lacks a bit of the rawness and energy the band exudes live. That minor caveat aside, "The Syrups" is an excellent disc of timeless pop music.
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Slow 'n' Steady
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(Sept. 11, 2003)
Arcadia-based Syrups mind their own muse with Beatles engineer
Scads of ar...(Sept. 11, 2003)
Arcadia-based Syrups mind their own muse with Beatles engineer
Scads of artists grow up idolizing the Beatles, analyzing their records – the compositions, the arrangements, the backtracking,
the basic sounds – and modeling their own tunes accordingly. But recording with one of the Beatles’ engineers? That's one of those bulleted items you find on a wish list more often than a resume.
Pat Walton and his cohorts in the Syrups got lucky, almost without trying. When mutual friends turned Grammy-winning Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick on to their Marvin Etzioni-produced 2001 single "Stupid," Emerick was sufficiently impressed that he expressed interest in producing the Arcadia-based pop band.
"It was kind of like winning the lottery," admits Syrups guitarist Pat Walton, a veteran of Pasadena's rock scene. (Remember Gooey Duck?) "[Emerick] told me he gets thousands of submissions a month and he just passes on all of 'em.”
Walton, who periodically tracks what's happening on the charts but mostly focuses on writing his own songs, says he grew up on rock 'n' roll in general but doesn't cop to studying any Beatles albums in particular. But the band – which also features his charismatic brother Orion on vocals, childhood buddy Tommy Montes on drums and Adam Pike on bass – punches out a catchy, guitar-driven sound with big hooks and hummable melodies that tends to elicit "Beatle-esque" descriptors. Their former attorney substantiated his belief in their music by forming Beck Records, which underwrote the cost of recording with Emerick over six months at Capitol Studios. The new album, scheduled to be released on Sept. 23, will either be self-titled or "Wake Up,” depending on whether you're talking to Walton or his label's publicist.
Grammys notwithstanding, working with a guy who's engineered the Beatles and produced Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello and Split Enz doesn't guarantee stardom – or much else. Walton's still driving trucks by day to take care of his family, and the Syrups perform far less often around LA than they do in Central and Northern California, where they have a fan base and radio stations that spin their previous recordings. But they're performing some of the new songs Wednesday at Bigfoot Lodge and remain hopeful.
"It's happening," Walton says, "slowly – a little too slowly – but every year something good happens."
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Pulseweekly.com
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The Syrups: “The Syrups” (Beck Records)
What’s It All About? The Beatles are back! Well, not rea...The Syrups: “The Syrups” (Beck Records)
What’s It All About? The Beatles are back! Well, not really, but the Arcadia, California-based band The Syrups sure as hell could be a blood relative of the pop rock powerhouse that is now a permanent part of American history. The sugarcoated sound of The Syrups is in part due to the Walton brothers (Orion on vocals, Pat on guitar) and bassist Adam Pike’s infatuation with the Beatles. It helps that the band’s sound impressed former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick so much that he came out of retirement to do their self-titled debut album. Actually, we’ve discovered that the real secret behind The Syrups’ resemblance to the Beatles is three-fold, thanks to the use of horns on the track Metal Man, the use of tambourines on Man Without Money, and according to Orion, the fact that “the music that we perform is happy music.”
We say: F—k fighting in Iraq; all we need is more music like this and pretty soon we’ll be feeding each other strawberries bathed in whipped cream, just like the lyrics describe on the track Strawberry. The Syrups’ songs are indeed happy and full of hope, as this example from Don’t Stop the Rain shows: “If your crystal ball appears to shatter / Remember the things that really matter.”
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Radio Express (USA Rock Express #555R)
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The Syrups (March 5, 2004)
Straight out of Arcadia, California and oozing flavor into the Rock E...The Syrups (March 5, 2004)
Straight out of Arcadia, California and oozing flavor into the Rock Express Spotlight this week, pop-rockers The Syrups are flying high with their latest single "Human Sympathy."
The group combines the talents of Todd McCool (guitar), Pat Walton (guitar), Orion Walton (vocals), Adam Pike (bass) and Tommy Montes (drums). "The music that we perform is happy music," explains vocalist Orion. "There's a lot of anger and violence in the world right now and I really like the fact that our music is just good times - good clean music!" With the success of their self-titled debut album, The Syrups have become known for their fantastic songwriting and "Beatlesque" harmonies infused with progressive alternative rock and encapsulated by a sound reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s.
The comparison to The Beatles is in fact quite apt. Their debut was produced by Grammy Award winning engineer Geoff Emerick, who is best known for his legendary work with The Beat/es, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello. Emerick was so impressed with what he heard from The Syrups that he came out of retirement to work on the album. Says Emerick: "No other group has had this energy since The Beatles."
Instead of being star-struck while working with the legendary producer, The Syrups developed a rare rapport with Emerick, Says Orion Walton: "He's such a sweet, sweet man and so easy to work with - totally laid back. Working with Geoff was one of the best experiences of my life!" With their 13-track debut quickly gaining attention around the world, The Syrups have already shared the stage with such bands as B1ondie, Sixpence None The Richer and The Violent Femmes.
Quick to assure their fans that they have no intention of being one of the music industry's disposable fads, Orion Walton says: "I would love for us to end up being a band that would be remembered like Metallica, U2, The Rolling Stones or Aerosmith - bands that have been together 20 years and continue to write hit after hit, and continue putting on a show until they're old men. I want to do that. I wanna do this forever!"
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Mundane Sounds CD Review
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http://www.mundanesounds.com/printview.php ?id=82 7
The Syrups: "The Syrups" (Beck Records) (pos...http://www.mundanesounds.com/printview.php ?id=82 7
The Syrups: "The Syrups" (Beck Records) (posted May 11, 2004)
Syrup is sticky, it's sweet, it's yummy, it's delicious, and why it's taken this many years for a pop group to lay claim to it as a band name is beyond me. After all, it's the perfect name, especially if you make music that's fun, poppy and just downright sweet. This California quartet have claimed the name, and I've gotta say, they've really made the right choice. If a band was going to call themselves the Syrups, then the music found on "The Syrups" is exactly what you'd expect.
There are plenty of things to love about The Syrups, but I'm going to focus on the most obvious. First and foremost, they've got that killer vocal thing down. While harmonies are not really the band's focus, you cannot deny the vocal prowess that happens throughout the album. Lead singer Orion Walton sounds like a second-generation John Lennon, and that's a good thing. Just listen to "Radio," "Forget My Face" and "Metal Man" and tell me that the comparison isn't apt. (If, after doing so, you disagree, I'll simply have to dismiss you as uninformed.) They also do some interesting vocal tags, such as "Men With Money" and the excellent "Strawberry."
You shouldn't discount their retro sound, either. While it's true that a band shouldn't stick with one particular style over the course of an album, it's also hard to complain about a band's retro style when their record was produced by a legend. The story of the Syrups is that Geoff Emerick (who produced some band called the Beatles) heard their demo and fell in love with the band. Thus, the retro feel of "The Syrups" really can't be seen as a gimmick; after all, if the man who's making your record formed the style, then you're simply following the master's hand. In that way, the Syrups can get away with making 60s-inspired pop.
What makes me worry a little bit, though, is that the band's style might be too indebted to their producer.
If there's one complaint to be had with "The Syrups," it's that the Sixties pop-style formula can become monotonous. While the songs are good, it's undeniable that the first few songs do slightly bog down the album and the band as nothing more than a one-trick pony. It's not until the sixth song, the excellent "Wake Up Laura," that the band offers a song that's not Beatlesque, even though it sounds remarkably like Aztec Camera, another band Emerick has produced. When they break the Sixties mold on this and "Don't Stop The Rain," the band sounds great, and the album picks up the pace.
Despite these problems, "The Syrups" is a great debut album, period. It's fun, it's poppy, and it's an album that you'll come back to time and time again. Though they've got a few things to work with in regards to their sound, it's not something I'm terribly concerned about--for now. It will be most interesting to hear where these guys will go next.
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Purveyors of Happy Music: Sweet Times with The Syrups
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(Jan. 2004 issue, "The Buzz" A&R Report)
On September 23, 2003, “The Syrups” hit the stands. Comp...(Jan. 2004 issue, "The Buzz" A&R Report)
On September 23, 2003, “The Syrups” hit the stands. Compliments of the band bearing the same name, the CD marks the foursome's debut release on Hollywood-based Beck Records. Vocalist Orion Walton, his brother•and guitarist Pat Walton, drummer Tommy Montes and bassist Adam Pike hail from Arcadia, Calif. In their bio, Orion refers to The Syrups' brand of music as "happy music - good, clean music!" The first single off the CD is "Wake Up Laura," which has been getting a lot of commercial radio play in places like Fresno, Philadelphia and Seattle.
The band has been together for "five years and counting," according to Orion, who adds that Pat "has been in one band or another since grammar school. Music has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember. So why form a band? Because we love music."
The singer has vivid recollections of their first live show, which took place at the Martini Lounge in Hollywood. It was packed and there were a lot of balloons. I was very nervous because it was my first show as a frontman," he admits. "However, I loved it and I was hooked on the adrenaline rush from that point on." Of the more exciting gigs The Syrups have done thus far, Orion's include opening for Sixpence None the Richer, Splendor and Blondie. "Three nights I will never forget," he says. "Especially the Sixpence show, because it was our first performance in front of several thousand people."
The group's influences are the Beatles, Squeeze and the Rembrandts. As for his own musical orientation, Orion says, "I have been listening to music my entire life. From classical and jazz, thanks to my father, to heavy metal, rock and roll and pop music, thanks to my brothers and sister." The artists who have had an effect on him directly, he claims, "would be far too great to list. The music and the bands that play them move me in their own way."
In describing how The Syrups were discovered by William Beck, the founder of Beck Records, he remarks, "Fate brought us together. My brother bumped into him when the band was first put together and William invited my brother and I to play a few songs for him acoustically in his office. The rest is history." He acknowledges that the group had a lot of input in the studio. “We had been working on the songs for about six months before we started the recording process. The wonderful thing about recording this album was having almost complete artistic freedom.”
Having been granted such freedom is no small feat, considering the source from which it came: Geoff Emerick. Emerick, who has worked with superstar musicians (the Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney, Art Garfunkel, Elvis Costello and the Zombies, to name a few) produced the record.
“Working with Geoff Emerick was one of the best experiences of my life," Orion enthuses. “The first time we had a pre-production session at Adam's house, Geoff asked if he could sit in. I was very nervous about him being there because I felt we were not ready. However, we just sat around and chatted for a few hours before we even started.
It was like we were old friends. He made us feel very comfortable, and after a while it was as if he were a band member, joking around and having a blast. After we completed the recording, Geoff told us that he had a lot of fun working with us and that he loved the camaraderie that the band displayed. He then said that he would produce us for as long as we were a band. That is the best compliment, coming from a man like him."
Reviews for the record have been positive, with critics embracing the band's Beatlesque quality. "2004 looks like it will be a very busy year for us," says Orion. "We are getting picked up by more and more radio stations across the country. So hopefully we will be performing in the cities that are spinning us, doing radio interviews and getting as much exposure as we can to help promote our new album. I would love for the world to hear our music.
"I would love to share the stage with U2," he continues. “They have been one of my favorite bands since I was a kid. Another dream of mine is to perform on Saturday Night Live. My life will be complete once that happens. I'm hoping that we will be able to tour England, Germany, Japan, Australia and, for my own personal greed, Egypt, so I can see the pyramids and buy a hookah."
Pyramids and hookahs aside, Orion's parting words for aspiring musicians are as follows: "Focus. Never stop believing in your music and you will succeed. I truly believe that people who only want the money forget why they are doing it. They forget to have fun and it becomes too difficult.
Enjoy what you do and remember why you started performing: for the love of the music."
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Music Review: New band turns in tasty offering
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(Nov. 26, 2003)
The Syrups: "The Syrups"
(Beck Records, 2003)
While I was listening to the ...(Nov. 26, 2003)
The Syrups: "The Syrups"
(Beck Records, 2003)
While I was listening to the Syrups' debut album, it became kind of fun to count the number of times I was reminded of other artists.
The Syrups are much ballyhooed as being Beatlesque; they're even produced by a former Beatles recording engineer, Geoff Emerick. There are a few times on the album one is reminded of the Beatles, such as the minor-key background vocals and some of the instrumentation in "Strawberry" (the title itself is a Beatles reference).
But I hear influences from almost every similar outfit that has existed since the Beatles -- Badfinger, the Knack, the Plimsouls, Marshall
Crenshaw, 20/20, the Shoes, the Smithereens, Fountains of Wayne and many more.
The Syrups acquit themselves pretty well in the genre. Their songs have melodies and harmonies, both of which are not found in a lot of today's music, together with crunchy guitars and snappy drumming.
The Syrups are from Arcadia, Calif. The members are Tommy Montes, drums; Adam Pike, bass; Orion Walton, vocals; and Pat Walton, guitar. Their debut album "The Syrups" is on Beck Records; I give it a B minus. I can leave it in the CD player and play it over and over; that's a pretty good recommendation right there.
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Philadelphia Daily News (+ syndication)
[+ Show ]
(Oct. 7, 2003)
Pop Music | Albums & Concerts
Critic’s Picks
New Releases
Pop rocking Califor...(Oct. 7, 2003)
Pop Music | Albums & Concerts
Critic’s Picks
New Releases
Pop rocking Californians the Syrups lured Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick out of retirement to produce this self-titled debut album (Beck Records), lending creative credibility (and dead-on vocal processing) to these Fab Four-ish head shakers. Try "Human Sympathy" and "Strawberry." B
Above review also published in:
Miami (FL) Herald (10/27/03)
Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram (10/28/03)
Myrtle Beach (SC) Sun News (10/28/03)
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer (10/27/03)
Kansas City (MO) Star (10/28/03)
St. Paul (MN) Pioneer Press (10/30/03)
