Here Comes Everybody

Since they've been around town since 1986, calling Portland's Here Comes Everybody a longtime local combo feels like an understatement. Husband-and-wife co-founders Michael Jarmer and Rene Ormae-Jarmer have navigated through stylistic leanings from new wave to the group's current focus on piano pop-rock.

After a two-year hiatus, they re-emerged in 2004. For their 11th recording, "Submarines," the Jarmers have added experience to the lineup: veteran bass player Fred Chalenor joined Here Comes Everybody after regular stints in Seattle playing with acclaimed pianist and composer Wayne Horvitz, among others. While not a conventional power trio, these three musicians make up a trio with power. Plus nuance, subtlety and intelligence.

"Submarines" is a quirky and engaging 10-song concept album -- a "rock opera" in 1970s lingo -- that begins with a boy's loss of his arm in a turbine ("Hole"). A young woman named Dolores, her life profoundly affected after hearing about the boy's accident, retreats to a coastal town, builds a house from scrap and sells handmade postcards. She meets Joe, who's also touched by the boy's story. The tale dreamily winds its way through romance and existential ruminations.

The CD succeeds thanks to revealing songs that stand up to repeat listenings. Lyricist Michael Jarmer's broad themes of loss, struggle, sacrifice, recovery and healing allow listeners to form their own personal associations. "Submarines" also balances a childlike quality (Jarmer's reedy voice occasionally recalls "Schoolhouse Rock"-type songs) with more haunting, philosophical moments. "I know I won't be able to sleep, not with this stuff hanging over my head," Jarmer sings on "Objects Are Closer."

Like Jarmer's lyrics, his wife's songs range from ethereal mood pieces to catchy, solid pop tunes.

This ambitious CD might have drowned a younger, more foolhardy crew of musicians. While they don't yet qualify as old salts, Here Comes Everybody proves that experience, not to mention longevity, counts. - Oregonian

Ageless, deathless and certainly not about to give up anytime soon, Here Comes Everybody has been on the Portland scene so long the band is practically like Portlandia—a familiar and loved local icon that nonetheless gets overlooked more often than not. In this, its 15 th year, HCE celebrates the release of “Astronauts”, the band’s first album of all-new material since 1997 and a piano-sugared pop confection that’s refined and sweet. With jaunty rhythms and melodies that sweep and soar, “Astronauts” should appeal to anyone who enjoys the piano-pop revivalism of Ben Folds, Scott Fisher or, hell, even Quasi’s happier moments. But don’t call it a comback—HCE’s been around as long as LL Cool J. (JG) - Willamette Week

Whimsy has become a highly traded and valuable product in music circles these days. Running counter to both the blissful idealism of the love song and the angry angst in a pessimistic rant-at-the-sky, folk singers and pop groups are looking to fill their songs with a refreshing realism that retains its ability to stare life in the face and still laugh a bit. There’s a heady sense of fun present that has been absent for far too long, what with the waves of nihilism and narcissism washed over the radio and television.

Embodying this pursuit of quality pop music that doesn’t take itself too seriously is Here Comes Everybody, and on their The Veronica Project release, this husband-and-wife duo readily displays their fundamental love of making music. Comprised of a basic piano-drums-vocals setup, this 17-track album covers a wide-ranging set of lyrical themes, each as blissfully goofy as the next: a quickie synopsis of The Scarlet Letter that would make the Cliff Notes folks blush with envy, sherpas in the Himalayas, the couple’s love of ice cream, the couple’s disdain for flavored vodkas, a debate over happy v. sad songs, and a striking summary of Moby Dick that’s under 3 minutes long. Granted, these often stream-of-consciousness sounding lyrics are often cause for clunky rhyme schemes, providing for a clumsy listening experience and creating a sense that the couple has jumped the shark with their overt silliness. Nevertheless, it’s hard to find fault with music as purposefully primitive and desirous to propagate their brand of musical whimsy upon anyone who take a listen. Here Comes Everybody is a curious musical oddity that will find fans amongst those who prefer music with an off-bear sense of humor crafted far outside of the musical mainstream. - http://www.dryvetymeonlyne.com/2008/05/14/here-comes-everybody-the-veronica-project/