A Seasonal Disguise

At the Visual Arts Collective on Friday night, Churchmouse and Adam Nordell from Montana played acoustic, followed by A Seasonal Disguise’s clustered big band. It was a quiet show that invited its audience in, with two touring bands accomplishing a great deal with perfect minimalism and A Seasonal Disguise finishing the night in a swift bang.

The climactic variation made itself known in A Seasonal Disguise. The witty bunch of rag-tag artists grabbed at the stage cluttered with instruments. They are big and adorable in sound and energy, always reaching for more, while having obvious fun as they play. Ever a refreshing sight. Jokes between songs are by themselves a convincing draw to join these Parisian-style indie-punkers for an evening. Hearing exciting vocal arrangements in John Lennon pitch and seeing them move between accordions, chimes, bass, drums, guitars, keys, oboes and xylophones will keep you locked in. In Flamenco-clicking-patterned-sets of jumbled orchestration, A Seasonal Disguise is a constant delight.
- Examiner.com

a seasonal disguise sind aus boise, idaho, und man würde vermutlich nichts von ihnen hören, würde man nicht wenigstens einmal mit dem finger über die nordamerikanische landkarte fahren. dabei dann aber - he! - unterläuft einem ein kleiner buckel - hopp! - und man zieht zurück - schwupps! - und siehe da: "boise!" macht auf sich aufmerksam. die truppe musikanten dieser stadt formiert sich folgendermaßen:
Julia Green - Backing Vocals/Green Tambourine
Z.V. House - Songs, Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Harmonica, Bass, Perc, etc.
Karen Jarboe Singletary - Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals/Percussion/Clarinet
Justin Martin - Trumpet
Aaron Nuttall - Drums
Josh Shapel - Spiritual Adviser/Bass
Aaron Sup - Keys/Theoretical Physics
wobei man sagen muss, dass uneingeschränkter chef in der runde jener zachary von house ist. er bestimmt besetzung und ausrichtung. so kann sich die mannschaft akustisch aufstellen und erinnert an einen frühen neil young oder aber man bläst a
us vollen rohren und kommt einer band wie arcade fire erstaunlich nahe. mir kommt die reduziertere variante mehr entgegen. das keyboard klimpert ungeniert, im gemeinsamen gesang entstehen verführerische melodien und der unterbau ist unverfänglich und belegt stilistische und instrumentelle breite. mit " " kam nun auf coming in second ein neues album heraus. anhören! - http://dasklienicum.blogspot.com

A Seasonal Disguise operates under the long, crooked shadow of Neil Young, but the resultant music has a fractured pop sensibility, with gentle arrangements and frayed vocals providing a very precise perspective, with remarkable attention to detail and shading. - Portland Mercury

When I see a van unloading music equipment into a house I’m reminded of the years going to basement punk rock shows, where the drums are always too loud, the bass muffled, the guitar crackling & distorted, and the vocals unintelligible. These types of shows tend to become more about friends and drinking than the music itself.

I became rather nervous, like a shaking chihuahua, when I saw A Seasonal Disguise pulling out amps, electric guitars, a full-sized keyboard, and a hulking drum kit. Oh no! Not a loud rock show in the cozy 110-year-old Bridge Street Inn.
My imagination conjured up images of old house punk rock shows. I saw BSI guests and the Cambria community fleeing the ear-splitting, out-of-balance vibrations and into the front yard to drink tall boys around the fire pit and on the church front steps. No longer was the BSI a place of cozy hospitality: chaos would ensue into the night.

But luckily, none of this happened.

As they shuffled in the bulk of their equipment, I nervously asked Annie (the drummer):
“I thought A Seasonal Disguise was going to come up with an acoustic set for an indoor show.”
Annie just rolled her eyes and replied,
“I thought A Seasonal Disguise was going to play an all electric rock n’ roll show outside.”
So we talked it over. With the sun still setting early and the temperature dropping we concluded A Seasonal Disguise would play indoors.

The band assured me the sound would be terrific and their 7 band members could fit in the living room. With the PA, all 7 A Seasonal Disguise members (whether they be vocals or instrumentalists) were miked and amped. The sound was incredible. A Seasonal Disguise bestowed upon the Cambria community a concert one would expect to hear in a small club instead of a living room house show.

How do I describe the delicious intonations that came through the PA system? Are there even words to give them justice?

- HI-Cambria The Bridge Street Inn blog

With six members playing everything from accordion to xylophone, A Seasonal Disguise is the closest thing Boise has to chamber pop gods Arcade Fire. But on its second album, Waterfowl of Eastern Canada, the band champions a smoother sound than its Canadian contemporaries, one awash in clarinets and soft tones that form the base for guitarist-vocalist Zach Von House's indie-rock croon.

As a whole, it's a good sound that starts strong right out of the gate with the album's first track, "Old Men Smoking Cigarettes in Chevy Luminas," a lagging spacious song that feels like the soundtrack for a lazy cruise down a warm river, complete with a whistled melody. That dreaminess is present through much of the album, even on the French-accordion-pop-influenced songs like "Are You Through Being Abstruse Please" and "Roma."

A major part of what makes the album compelling is the way the dreamy intros often blend into long crescendos of atmospheric swells and rolling drums. This is especially evident on the album's final track, "Borrowed Tooth," which begins as an acoustic ballad but quickly brings a variety of instruments into a complex nine-minute arrangement with strings, percussion, bluesy guitar solos and a giant rock buildup that drives the album to a passage of pizzicato strings, which brings the record to its close.

But Waterfowl of Eastern Canada's one major shortcoming is that much of the album follows that formula for success.

There are a few moments of sonic departure, like the third track, "Trout Fishing in North America," which begins with percussive staccato chords, but quickly circles back to the band's established sound, resolving into layers of smoothly moaning feedback.

The most notable track is "Krug's Fires," which has a lush and haunting blues feel, like a song meant to be listened to with your eyes closed and a pocket full of melancholy. It is easily the strongest track on the album, in large part because it stands so far apart stylistically.

Waterfowl of Eastern Canada has less edge than the band's live show, and many of the songs have such similar production and arrangement that it can make repeated listening tedious. But a bite at a time, it is a masterful work with layers upon layers of sonic intrigue for a listener to dig into.
- Boise Weekly.com

The Visual Arts Collective was packed on Saturday, March 3, in anticipation of a long-awaited album release from the local orchestral collective A Seasonal Disguise. Between 100-200 people came to hear the musical stylings of Larkspur, Le Fleur, Otto Van Walton and Sleepy Seeds at A Seasonal Disguise's CD release jam party.

It was an evening of shifting players and instruments—Nik Walton provided keys for A Seasonal Disguise and played off stage as Otto Van Walton. At table and rug positioned right by the stage, Walton used a loop pedal to channel acoustic guitar, water glasses and percussion into dreamy instrumental tracks. Band members from Le Fleur pushed through the crowd to take their instruments, each set blending into the next magically.

Right before ASD took the stage, Walton met up with his other bandmates who huddled together and jumped into the air to rally for the show. The band's latest release, Waterfowl of Eastern Canada (House of Ubasti), features a string ensemble to flesh out the seven-member group's sound.

In the middle of frontman Z.V. House's droning guitar solo on the band's final song, friends and members of Larkspur snuck onto the stage armed with balloons and stuffed animals to shower the crowd.

- Boise Weekly.com

The old adage "too many cooks spoil the broth" is often heard when bands swell their ranks to create a more complex sound. While the idiom sometimes holds true—particularly when there are more people on stage than in the crowd—it can also be dead wrong. Boise seven piece A Seasonal Disguise proves that—no aspect of its sound is superfluous.

With keys, strings, guitar, vocals and more, A Seasonal Disguise jams together to write new tracks, keeping a bevy of instruments available for experimentation. The group improvises new additions to songs, which are often crafted by its frontman and founder, Z.V. House. It's a formula that produces a sound which can fluctuate between rock and acoustic from track to track.

After the success of A Seasonal Disguise's album release party for Waterfowl of Eastern Canada (House of Ubasti) on March 3, the gang embarked on a Western tour. The group is slated to play a late-night show at Treefort Music Fest on Saturday, March 24 at The Crux from midnight to 1 a.m.

- Boise Weekly

A Seasonal Disguise at the VAC

Despite there being nearly as many people in the audience as there were on the crowded stage last Wednesday, A Seasonal Disguise played a nice warmup for their gig opening for Built to Spill at the Egyptian a few days later.

It was the first time I'd heard them, and they had a pretty solid clean pop sound, with a nice balance of tones from a variety of instruments that each were allowed their own space to breathe. The bass-lines carried the songs forward without being intrusive and there was some excellent use of guitar reverbs for atmospheric effect. I barely even hated the glockenspiel or that they had the indie-pop uniform down pat, with standard issue beards and button-up sweaters.

What I liked most about them was that despite a clear stylistic aesthetic, they consistently varied their arrangements and sounds to create clear distinctions in songs that still maintained the overall themes in their sound. - BoiseWeekly.com

In February, the band released a CD, called " " "," an eclectic affair full of shimmery pop and melancholy folk. House says he's had a "man crush" on Neil Young since he was a kid; he's also a fan of Radiohead, Wilco and Destroyer. It shows. - Idaho Press Tribune

Though we have teased about Built To Spill's benefit propensity in the past (Hoffburgers, anyone?), in all honesty, we feel pretty strongly about their charity. It's a win/win situation: We get to see them play, and we get to do something good for someone else.

On Friday, April 30, we'll have a chance to enjoy one of those wins: Built To Spill, A Seasonal Disguise and the Boise High School orchestra will put on a benefit in which 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Partners In Health and the work they are doing in Haiti.

Built To Spill frontman Doug Martsch said the inclusion of the orchestras stemmed from watching his own son during the years he's participated in his school orchestras.

"I've been watching my son play in the orchestra for years now, and I really enjoy it," Martsch said. "I've never been much into classical music or seen many orchestra performances, and I really enjoyed it."

A few years ago, Martsch received an e-mail from someone telling him about a series of concerts at which rock bands had played with orchestras and how well those performances were received. Martsch borrowed the idea and started putting this show together.

Prior to the hour-or-so of Built To Spill's set that will finish out the night, local indie rockers A Seasonal Disguise will perform a regular set, with plans to don their troubadour hats and perform among the audience between the orchestra's sets. Word is that because of funding issues, the orchestra won't be participating in Music Week this year, so this is a great opportunity for them to perform before a live and very excited audience. This benefit really is win/win/win.

Friday, April 30, 8 p.m., $18, Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St., 208-345-0454, egyptiantheatre.net. - Boise Weekly

They like wombats. Or so says Z.V. House, singer/guitarist for Boise indie folk outfit A Seasonal Disguise. The quirky sextet performs Friday, April 30, as part of Built to Spill's benefit for Haiti at the Egyptian Theatre.

A Seasonal Disguise's debut album was released in February 2009 and combines jangly pop with an eclectic mix of clarinet, accordion and tambourine. A new album is on its way later this year.

Boise Weekly spoke with the raw-voiced and Neil Young-fancying House, who chatted about “troubadoring” and the musical influences of our neighbor to the north.

Tell me about how A Seasonal Disguise came to be.

ASD started as a vehicle for some songs I was writing a few years ago. For a couple years it was mostly just myself and Julia Green singing. Then, a little over a year ago, we got together the core of our current band and started working on some new songs and commenced recording on them back in January. We should be finishing up soon and releasing the new record sometime this summer.

What are your inspirations?

We seem to have a lot of Canadian influence going on. Big Destroyer, Sunset Rubdown, Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young fans are in the band. I don't really know. Most of us have some sort of a rooting in early rock 'n roll with a taste for the off kilter in more modern music. Wilco, Radiohead and The Flaming Lips come to mind for the latter and The Kinks, Cream and the Buffalo Springfield are some of my faves from the former. I know at least half the band are pretty into classical music. I know Julia and I have folky blood running deep in us. Our drummer [Aaron] is also in an old-timey country band. So ... yes, kind of all over the map? We have neurotic influences that cannot keep a commitment but like to stay friends with their exes. That may not be the best metaphor ... We're also pretty big Built To Spill fans ... so getting to play a show with them is pretty damn cool for us.

Lyrical inspiration is completely random. Some of our songs started as meditations on one line from a book, comic, movie or even another song. We like references and inside jokes.

Describe your music in two words.

Melodic chaos? Chamber garagerock? Not quite sure about that one.

How has your label, Coming in Second, helped your band?

Coming In Second is the label moniker of one Jeremy Jensen. He pushed me like hell to put out the first ASD album and make sure I gave it the time and promotion it deserved. Our next album will likely be released through different channels, but we're not sure what yet. There are so many options and variables beyond our control that until we've explored them all more, we don't know what our best move is.

How did you get involved in the Haiti benefit?

Doug [Martsch of Built to Spill] gave me a call one day and asked if we would like to be involved in a Haiti benefit with them and I said, "You bet!" or something to that effect. We bounced a couple ideas back and forth and came up with the idea of us doing both a "troubadour" set and a regular band set.

What is that?

Short story: We'll be playing completely unplugged, acoustic, songs in different parts of the theater amongst the audience.

Long story: We started out doing a song or two of our set like this with no real plan or label. We found it was a really fun way to break up the set and engage the audience. We played a benefit show at the Visual Arts Collective a couple months ago and decided to do our whole set that way. Doug saw us and came up with calling it a "troubadour" set and it seemed fitting, so we went with it.

Why is it important for the community to attend?

Well, for one, the event benefits a terribly worthy cause. Partners in Health are doing fine work down there and deserve any help they can get. Second and perhaps more selfishly...it’s going to be one helluva show!

What does the future hold for the band?

I have no idea. Finish this record, start working on new songs? Looking to buy a van this summer to start playing more shows out of town. Try to get some regional buzz going. If we could be financially sustainable in 10 years I'd be pretty happy but it’s impossible to predict or control what will happen. All we can do is keep making music and keep doing everything we can to expand our audience.

On your MySpace page, it says under the about section, "They also like wombats." That seems random. Can you explain that?

Well ... it is kind of random. That is in fact just about all there is to it. That and we like wombats.

Learn more about Seasonal Disguise by visiting their Website at aseasonaldisguise.blogspot.com or myspace.com/aseasonaldisguise. - Boise Weekly