The Globes

For a band whose members are all under 21, Seattle’s The Globes have a sound that’s more mature than their mean age lets on.

We could waste time trying to classify The Globes’ sound. An attempt at spacey, progressive, atmospheric indie rock, perhaps. But to limit The Globes into one concrete genre is just that, a waste. The fact of the matter is, however you want to classify their sound, it’s damn good, and very original.

Maybe The Globes sound distinct from other Seattle-based bands because they are originally from Spokane, bringing some fresh, eastern Washington insight to the Puget Sound area.

Members of The Globes have been playing with each other since middle school. With a larger lineup under the name “For Years Blue,” they won the Experience Music Project’s Sound Off! Competition, earning a spot on Bumbershoot’s 2007 roster.

After winning the 2007 Sound Off! Competition, the band decided to move to Seattle. They changed their name to The Globes and solidified a four-member lineup, said Erik Walters, the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist.

“We had a seven-member lineup at one point,” said lead guitarist Kyle Musselwhite. “We had a really big sound and it was fun for the time being. We’ve toned it down to (a more practical) four members, and we’re trying to get a big sound with just the four of us.”

Members Sean McCotter (bass) and Marcus Ourada (drums) complete The Globes current lineup.

Walters said Spokane was a great place to learn how to play music, but the band wanted to move to Seattle to get a different kind of exposure.

Now that The Globes have been exposed to Seattle, it is their turn to expose Seattle to them. After four months of recording, production, post-production and all the other tedious tasks that go into finalizing an album, this month will mark the release of The Globes’ self-titled debut EP.

The EP will be released on July 19 at a show in their hometown of Spokane. Before and after the release, The Globes will be playing a string of June and July dates across the Northwest.

Following their Northwest tour – including an all ages show on July 26 at the Old Foundry – The Globes hope to head down south for a California tour in August.

As crazy, unpredictable and heartbreaking as the music industry can be for young, ambitious bands, The Globes have decided to put college on hold and just keep doing what they’re doing: making music they like.

“I often ask myself why we’re doing what we do when we could be doing so many other things,” Walters said. His answer is both simple and comforting: “Because we love it.”

Article by Adam Levine - What's Up Magainze (Bellingham, WA)

"...They have this tricky interpretation of modern indie that's catchy
and interesting at the same time...infectious and wonderful." -
thedonproject.com - thedonproject.com

"... (The Globes E.P. is) a masterful piece of art, both cohesive and musically sound... the cutting edge of Seattle-ite rock."

- The Whitworthian - The Whitworthian

Remember how a couple months ago this band called Cymbals Eat Guitars was suddenly all over the place, and people were calling them a “90’s indie-rock influenced guilty pleasure” and stuff?” Well, maybe not. I do, though. I thought that whole thing was pretty gross-some guys from New York had made a kind of cool little rock record, full of interesting sounds inspired by everyone from Sunny Day Real Estate to Built to Spill, if not the most interesting songs, and everyone was acting like it was the Second Coming. Pretty much the same thing happened with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, if you switch out SDRE and BTS for the Pastels and the last track on Bandwagonesque. Isn’t critic-sanctioned retroist mediocrity a drag? The reason I bring this all up is I know a band like the two I just mentioned-young, ambitious, and recording with relish—except they’re from Seattle, they’re much better songwriters, they’re not beholden to passing fits of nostalgia, they’re largely unnoticed by the press, and they don’t seem to care. The Globes’ debut EP is full of unexpected ideas, none of which seem particularly trendy, but all of which are subtly thrilling in their own way. Singer Erik Walters sounds like a more grounded Travis Morrison. “The Glass Jar” and “The Glower” are slow and beautiful, full of supple changes. Occasionally things get a little too oblique for my taste, but I’m not from Seattle.

FOUR STARS!

http://benningtonfreepress.com/record-reviews-11-4
- Bennington Free Press

"The Crocodile is alive again," I thought, as opening act The Globes
pounded out rhythms like a heartbeat: BAH-BOOM, BAH-BOOM, BAH-BOOM. As
drummer Marcus Ourada led the percussion into the first song of the
night, the revived rock club on the corner of Second and Blanchard came
to life once more with the sounds of great local music.
Joining Ourada on stage to round out the Globes were
singer/guitarist Erik Walters, lead guitarist Kyle Musselwhite, and
finally bassist/keyboarder Sean McCotter (who is also a bass teacher at
the Paul Green School of Rock)
Though the band debuted their self-titled EP in 2008, they have been
playing together for years - and it shows through their cohesively
tight style.
While Walters has pleasant vocals, there is a heavy emphasis on
instruments and pure sound. The rock melodies are powerful and have the
ability to swell to great heights. At one point a guitar solo leads
into the drums of the next track for a perfect transition between
songs. The keys are soft and barely audible, a noticeable contrast to
the loud, full-force of the music. It's clear the Globes are one of
Seattle's most promising young bands. After their set, an observant
stranger to my right remarked to me that "they were epic!" and I agree.

www.threeimaginarygirls.com - Three Imaginary Girls