depresleys

depresleys is an international meeting of minds among composer/programmer/sound designer/guitarist Geir Weggersen in Norway; composer/vocalist/lyricist Jon Ravneng, Norwegian in Utah; drummer/associate producer Rick Shlosser (featured on some of the biggest albums and singles of all time, including Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey and Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s the Night, as well as work with Alice Cooper, James Taylor, and many more) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; and producer/engineer Paul D. Carlsen (whose multiplatinum and Grammy-winning experience includes work with Nirvana, Neil Young, John Prine, Genghis Blues, Zap Mama, and many more) in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Expert multi-woodwind player Richard Hardy (who has played and recorded with Carol King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews, and George Harrison) in L.A.; and guitarists Torbjörn Andersson (of Roxette and other well-known Swedish acts) in L.A. and Sweden, and Josh Sklair (two-time Grammy-winning producer/guitarist formerly with Etta James), South African in L.A., also regularly lend their extraordinary talents to the band.
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The sounds of depresleys have been placed in European and American films and TV shows (such as A Matter of Justice and Melrose Place), and over the years, the group has cultivated a publishing catalog of over 258 songs for licensing.
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Should it be any surprise that depresleys’ music embodies this meshing of cultures in an unusually cinematic fashion, at once calling up such seemingly polar-opposite types of beauty as Norwegian snowscapes and Southwestern deserts (which Weggersen and Ravneng have traveled extensively)? Or that you can hear the gamut from ambient techno, alternative and modern rock, soul, beat poetry, African to pop styles in their songs, amalgamated by cohesive stories and stark soundscapes?
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MORE ABOUT DEPRESLEYS
depresleys’ 2009 album Leaking Blue features some very distinguished guest players. On guitars are Terry Haggerty (influential guitarist from Sons of Champlin and Chicago), Johannes Bjerga, and Gail Muldrow (Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, Chaka Kahn, Funkadelic). On bass are Cliff Hugo (Supertramp, Ray Charles, Tim Finn), Mario Cipollina (Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis and the News), Louis Callas (Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys), and Bobby Tsukamoto (John Trudell’s Bad Dog band and the legendary jazz-rock band Full Moon).
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Filled with soulful, atmospheric ballads to upbeat, funky dance tunes, Leaking Blue conveys the painful tales of the downtrodden (by war, by domestic abuse) while wrapping the listener in a hopeful embrace like a warm blanket on a Norwegian winter’s night. Particularly notable is the single “Bag of Bones,” featuring Jon’s beat-style spoken word, driven by great pop hooks and Richard Hardy’s array of woodwinds. Speaking of Hardy, his horns and flute feature prominently (along with the legendary Terry Haggerty on guitar) in the upbeat single “No Sacred Place Under the Sun,” which is a pro-human, earth-conscious ecological call to arms, with lots of hooks, a catchy chorus, and complex changes; this could be the eco-anthem of our times. “Operator” is a driving pop single with a funky, danceable beat, plus cool hooks and hard-rock breaks.
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Hear samples from Leaking Blue at depresleys.com.
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NEW ALBUM!!
Check out the sneak preview of one of several singles from depresleys' upcoming 2011 album Topanga! The single is called "Cherokee Bill."