The Sea Of Cortez

Exclusive Q&A With Vocalist/guitarist Christian Thomas, Vocalist/bassist Donald Eley and Vocalist/guitarist Thomas Vincent:

What's your favorite album right now, and why?

Christian Thomas: 'Bee Thousand' by Guided by Voices. It's not new, but it offers a lot of inspiration.
Donald Eley: This is a tough one, there is so much out there right now. I'd have to say Deerhunter and Matthew Dear's new album are both on heavy rotation, but it's always tough to cut the Bears and Rabbits out of the mix.
Thomas Vincent: 'Astro Coast' by Surfer Blood is dirty and delicious. And often I always wander back to Pixies 'Doolittle' -- it never gets old.

Tell us about the first concert you ever saw and any stand-out moments.
CT: Dead Milkmen at Irving Plaza. I jumped off a PA stack for the first time.
DE: I grew up going to a lot of shows with my Dad and so I had to refer to him for this question. I am told my first concert was Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show back in 1979.
TV: Fugazi with the Undead. I couldn't get over how awesome Ian MacKaye's guitar sounded. I think I lost my shoe in the pit, and my ears were ringing for about two days.

What's your biggest vice?
CT: Late nights.
DE: When I was younger and far more flexible, my biggest vice might have been biting my toenails. These days, I'll just be honest with myself and say Maker's Mark.
TV: 'Photograph' by Def Leppard. Oops -- did I say that out loud?

Which current major pop star do you identify with most closely?
TV: That's a tough question. There is such a diverse sound with all of those auto-tuned vocals -- I just can't decide!

What's the story behind your band name?
CT: Crustaceans and quarts of beer.
TV: I'm a huge fan of John Steinbeck. Back in 1940 or so, Steinbeck went on an expedition to the Gulf of California with his marine biologist friend and published a log of his travels and research called 'The Log from the Sea of Cortez.' Our music is kind of all over the map, like traveling, so I thought it suited us.

When you stop making music, what's the one thing you want people to remember about you?
CT: I don't plan on stopping, but I guess it would have to be my double armbar figure four to the head.
DE: How great of a husband I was to my wife Natalie Portman.
TV: So does that mean when I'm dead? I can't imagine not making music. - AOL

Artist: The Sea of Cortez
Hail From: Los Angeles
Song: 'The Shores'
Album: 'Testing the Waters' EP
Sound Like: Local Natives, Grizzly Bear

In Their Words: "It was a pretty long process. It was a bunch of ideas that we all got together. 'The Shores' has been in the works since maybe even as early as 2007. It kicked off when Donald came up with this amazing riff in Texas during SXSW one year. Then we got this jig part going on. Then there was some jamming and some percussion. Then it was an acoustic song. We never gave up on that song. The song best represents all three of our tastes and influences. It is a great representation of who we all are. It was a labor of love, that one."
-- Vocalist Christian Thomas - Spinner.com

I’m really liking this song from The Sea Of Cortez out of L.A. It makes for a perfect Monday daydreaming jam. - WinnieCooper.net

The Sea Of Cortez to release "Testing The Waters" on Sept 28th

We recently had the pleasure of taking a deep into THE SEA OF CORTEZ, a band we liked so much we got them to play THE RUMBLE: LOS ANGELES next week. The sea has been calm as of late, but today they announced that will be coming out with an EP on September 28th called”Testing The Waters“. The EP will feature their first single ‘The Shores‘ along with 4 other tracks. Their full length album “Make It Sound” will come out in early 2011.

“The Shores pretty much throws a kitchen sink of influences such as the Beatles, Beach Boys and Neil Young into a lovely shuffle of a song” – Nic Harcourt (KCRW)

They will be releasing this EP in conjunction with a few solid tour dates up the west coast in support of FIRST AID KIT.
9/30 Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
10/1 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
10/3 San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill

Don’t forget they will be headlining The Rumble: Los Angeles @ 3 Clubs on September 9th with SLANG CHICKENS and DALE EARNHARDT JR JR, as well as playing the LA Flea Market at Dodgers Stadium on September 26th. - Future Sounds

As alluring a shapeshifter as “The Shores” might be, there’s a wry conceptual disconnect in the Sea of Cortez’s first single. The six-minute track begins with moody atmospherics, pulsates a little, and then Christian Thomas sings: “Testing the waters from the shore.” Which, of course, is no way to gauge anything. The accelerating rhythms and melody in the song offer plenty of payoff, though, with a bit of the anthemic feel of Arcade Fire/Broken Social Scene/Band of Horses. The L.A.-via-San Diego indie-rockers will be dipping their toes in the lake this fall when they release their five-track “Testing the Waters” EP.

||| Live: The Sea of Cortez performs Sept. 9 at 3 Clubs as part of the Rumble, and Sept. 26 at the Dodger Stadium Flea Market. The band will also announce live dates Sept. 12 in Santa Barbara and Sept. 15 in San Diego, as well as three West Coast dates beginning Sept. 30 with First Aid Kit and Ferraby Lionheart. - Buzzbands.la

“The Shores” is an exploratory 6:09 song that sees the band change pace multiple times, their emotions seemingly tossed about by the whims of the sea. It starts slow and simple with a low frequency that starts to percolate with instrumental inklings before giving way to lead man Christian Thomas singing “Testing the waters from the shore” as more traditional drum and bass lines start to surface. The song then accelerates significantly, the pace quickening and Thomas’ voice turning from longing and passive to more spirited and optimistic. This wave of energy quickly subsides and the song slowly washes in with nothing but simple acoustic guitar and Thomas singing “Floating out here, floating out here on my own” over and over again like the tide repeatedly washing over the sand. The song ends with a one line resolution being deposited on the shore: “I’ll keep on drifting, making my way to the shore.” - KEXP

“The Shores” begins gently enough, but slowly transforms into an energetic singalong before slowing down again. - Stereogum.com