Everest

LA Times staffer and Buzz Bands blogger Kevin Bronson's story "Taking the L.A. indie rock scene personally" hit stands last Thursday. By means of an intimate portrayal, Bronson set forth his pick of indie rock up-and-comers for L.A.'s indie rock scene in 2008. While I completely admire that he would put his neck out there for three rather small, entirely worthy bands (The Airborne Toxic Event, Castledoor, and The Deadly Syndrome) at the forefront of our scene, I felt as though his list was somewhat homogeneous. I don't want to detract from his phenomenal choices, all of which comprise the mainstay of my current indie-related listening, but I couldn't help but think to myself who I would have picked. Well, I'm counting on the following three lesser-known artists to be heavy-hitters in 2008.

You know that you've got something good going when Neil Young has you in his Top 8! I saw Everest a few times this year just before they went into the studio to record their forthcoming 2008 full-length. Every performance was as vibrant as the next, leaving me with an insatiable appetite for more of front man Russell Pollard's "super-group". See, Everest consists of members with ties to a handful of reputable bands like Alaska!, Earlimart, the Watson Twins, Folk Implosion, Great Northern, and Stanford Prison Experiment. Combine that with the epic alt-rock, Tom Petty/Wilco-esque nature of their tunes and it's plain to see why they've earned such lofty labels. With Mike Terry (Earlimart, Foo Fighters, Eagles) on the knobs at New Monkey studio, it's hard not to expect Herculean things from Everest in 2008.

Everest - "Into Your Soft Heart" - laist.com

Everest. They opened their cohesive set with the meandering 'Angry Storm', which developed through complex three-way harmonies and electric slide guitar. 'Into Your Soft Heart', an enthralling excursion through alt-rock elements, warranted the Wilco comparisons I had heard before. Sure, Everest's front man Russel Pollard sounded like Jeff Tweedy, but I noticed The Band's country-rock influence more than anything. This deliberate throwback makes for a truly unique sound. The acoustic ballad 'Rebels' caught my attention through Pollard's raspy and strained vocals. 'Rebels' reminded me of less poppy Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, except pumped out with way more heart. The caliber with which Everest's music is crafted demonstrates their ability to effectively integrate country components without boring people to death. By the end of their set, it was clear that the crowd had developed a little folk niche for Everest. - laist.com

Bitching about the sheer volume of musicians in Los Angeles is about as cliché as rehab for celebrities. I find it more productive to embrace LA’s musical menagerie and revel in the myriad of opportunities to locate those bands whose sound changes your life or simply entertains you for an evening. In support of our glorious city and the talent that flourishes within, LA2day.com continually seeks to expose LA based bands that decrease the ratio of the inept to the adept. My recent discovery is a band I’ve had the pleasure of listening to musically and conversationally and whose members reveal themselves to have more heart than the Tin Man could’ve hoped to obtain from the wonderful Wizard and enormous talent, to boot. If you haven’t done so already, meet Everest.

Everest is the offspring of veterans from Indie bands such as Earlimart, Folk Implosion and the Watson Twins. Long time friends Russell Pollard (vocals/guitar), Jason Soda (guitar/wurlitzer/piano/harmonies), Joel Graves (guitar/keys/toy piano/pedal manipulations/harmonies) and Davey Latter (drums/percussion) assembled just last year with the expectation of starting something fresh to progress musically with for years to come. Richard Gowen also takes the throne for Everest when Latter is on tour with fellow up-and-comer, Great Northern. They quickly met bass player Rob Douglas, and realizing an instant connection, immediately recorded their first sessions. I now turn the floor over to Russell who discussed with me the camaraderie and how extraordinary it is to play in a band with such intense chemistry.

“We all really like each other and have for a long time. Rob was an instant thing. There’s a lot of trust. All of the ingredients that the five people add just work. You can’t hire people to get that vibe; it’s a true band feeling. We have a shared experience where everyone is bringing something to the table that makes everyone else excited.”

Judging by Joel’s response, I’d say he concurs. “I'm getting to play music with my favorite singer, my favorite bass player, my favorite guitar player, and my favorite drummer, and on top of that, they are my friends and we just enjoy being around each other. It's the band I've always wanted to be in.”

Three of the tracks from the first sessions can be found on a 12” 45. Unfortunately, as a genuine child of the 80’s, my record player is but a mere memory of ancient times; I first heard Everest on MySpace. The grouping of songs posted on their page reveals an Indie rock sound akin to Elliott Smith. Quickly intrigued by the powerful vocals and warm tones, I ventured to see Everest’s show at the Silverlake Lounge. Following two bands that made me question my love of music, Everest instantly restored my exuberance and delivered a performance above and beyond what the MySpace samples promised.

Everest’s music is mellow, but not sleepy; soulful, but not whiny. The slow songs, highlighted by acoustic guitar and keys, are romantic (think “Garden State” not “Pride and Prejudice”) as evidenced by a couple who groped like they were sinking on the Titanic throughout at least one of them. The livelier tracks feature multiple electric guitars playing complimenting rhythms coupled with the pulse of the bass and drums inducing the ever popular head bob. The vocals are alluring and the instrumental components are cohesive and engaging as if they’ve been playing together for years.

With no ego driven self promotion to be found, Russell spoke affectionately about his band mates and emphasized the collaborative and democratic nature of their creative process.

“Everyone in the band is a songwriter. It’s insane. I love that. We all encourage each other to bring whatever we can to the table. I’ve always wanted to be in a band where it is a trade of all musicians in the band having their moment.”

Everest’s tunes illustrate the common themes of love, betrayal and first crushes, as well as a not so common theme, Louisville, Kentucky (a place deemed special by Russell). Our frank discussion about song writing revealed that personal experiences provide only some of the catalysts for compositions. Russell explained that songs sometimes appear inexplicably from thin air. He labels these songs a gift that, when bestowed, get immediately recorded in order to avoid them vanishing into a void. Similar to my fellow staff writers, he’s also inspired by “living in LA and the energy that is here and the sense of urgency with the people we live with, also surrounded by beauty. It’s a strange balance of chaos and stress, total lush beauty and good weather. What the band is doing is influenced by where we are.”

Being as down to earth as these easy going artists appear, we’re fortunate that the shallow, insincere side of LA’s multiple personalities doesn’t seem to be the influential portion. Musically, Everest has displayed an impressive grace and aptitude cementing my anticipation of the album release and sincere hope that Ev - LA2day.com

Ghost Notes is the perfect moniker for this album, Everest's first. The group may be new, but the
members have been kicking around the L.A. indie scene forever, finally coming together in this
amalgamation to resurrect the sounds of the past. Recorded mostly live in the studio entirely on
analog tape, the entire set has an early-'70s feel, as well as a glow to the sound that reflects
Mike Terry's expert engineering and production. The album divides rather nicely into two halves,
just like a vinyl set, with the first half a bit brighter with pop undertones, the second more
shadowed and pushing into jam and prog rock territory. "Trees" is buffeted by a breeze blowing
out of the South, "Into Your Soft Heart" is tinged with British Invasion R&B and a whip of
Who-esque power chords, a styling taken to its logical upbeat conclusion on the wildly
infectious "Reloader." In contrast are downtempo numbers like "Rebels in the Roses" and "Black
Covers," the former folk-tinged, the latter lusher in sound. Each one has its own many distinctive
charms, but it's the gorgeous, introspective "Only in Your Mind" that is the centerpiece of this
half of the set. If you distilled Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds, and Revolver into a glass and
poured it over the California surf, it would probably sound like this. The glories of "Mind" are
equalled by the exquisite aural tapestry of "I See It in Your Eyes," a head-nodder of a number
whose rich acoustic guitar is underlit by the tidal waves of organ, while the electric guitar
eventually wades right into the surf. However, its jammy feel and proggy aura are
counter-pointed by passages clearly inspired by Neil Young. Meanwhile, "Standing By" begins like
an acoustic ballad but builds into an amazing spacy extravaganza. "Angry Storm" is gently rocked
with yearning, and the coursing "Stumble Waltz" never puts a foot or note wrong, with the album
closing with the powerful acoustic ballad "Taking on the Future." The music throughout is
sublime, the sound extraordinary, the arrangements inspired, and Russell Pollard's lyrics capture
the style of the past while feeling as fresh as today. Classic sounds make for a classic album,
which is precisely what Ghost Notes is.
- Allmusicguide.com

Everest - Outside Lands by Dave Vann
These Los Angeles rockers have all the fundamentals in place. Even
hearing their stuff for the first time, as I did at this set, it's apparent that
they're dead good musicians who know how to write songs. As basic as that may seem, it's actually rare for new bands to
comprehend what constitutes a full, engaging song. That said, Everest piled on interesting shifts in mood and tempo, and a fierce
sense of dynamics that kept your ear glued to them, never quite sure when the whispering would end and a grumbling cry emerge
One hears all the good things in '70s FM rock in them, from the pleasant duel of acoustic and electric guitars to the vaguely
confessional lyrics, which often dealt with dreams, letdowns or the other things that haunt us in great and awful ways; you know,
the real shit we all wrestle with and need songs to help us survive. Everest played a bunch of fine ones in this mode ("Rebels In
The Roses" had a particularly beautiful shimmer), capable of strummy bedsit stuff and gigantic Neil Young-ish warble, including a
hellaciously satisfying feedback fueled number near set's end that warned us, "Don't make promises you can't keep." I can
sincerely promise I'll be listening for where this band goes next. Great first impression, lads. (DC)
- Jambase

RockInsider.com boasts, "They're on the druggier, sleepier side of the indie-country wave, but their songwriting is stronger, more unique, with two busloads more feeling." - Rockinsider.com