Gem Club

Last updated
Gem Club
Gemclubshadow.tif
Background information
Origin Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
Genres Chamber pop, dream pop, ambient
Years active2010 (2010)–present
Labels Hardly Art
MembersChristopher Barnes
Past members
Kristen Drymala
Ieva Berberian
Website www.iamgemclub.com

Gem Club is an American chamber pop band formed in Somerville, Massachusetts by singer-songwriter Christopher Barnes.

Contents

History

Gem Club was formed by Christopher Barnes, with cellist Kristen Drymala, at the end of 2009. [1] Their first EP, Acid and Everything, was recorded in Barnes' Somerville, MA home and self-released in June 2010. [2] The EP was written as part of the RPM Challenge, a challenge for musicians to write and record an album during the month of February. [3]

Gem Club was soon after signed to Hardly Art, a Sub Pop sub-label, and began working with vocalist Ieva Berberian. [4] The group's debut full length, Breakers, was released September 27, 2011 [5] and was met with critical success. The album was well reviewed by music sites and magazines NME, AllMusic, NPR, Pitchfork, Dusted, among others.

Their sophomore album, In Roses, was recorded entirely in analog to tape at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, CA, with orchestral work from Magik*Magik Orchestra featured on several songs. [6] After a pre-release stream on NPR's First Listen, the album was released January 28, 2014. [7] [8] A music video for the album's lead single Polly was directed by Matthew Salton with photographer Charlie Engman and featuring Engman's mother Kathleen McCain Engman. [9]

A limited run of postcards, each with a photograph taken by Boston-based Larson McGrath that was inspired by a song from In Roses album, were sold with the album. At a private performance in the South End in Boston, McGrath's photographs were displayed in the studio where the show was held. [10] During this show, Barnes explained that "Marathon" is a song about the abusive relationship of an acquaintance of Barnes. [10]

Their songs have been featured on the American television shows Parenthood, Arrow, Private Practice and Revenge, [11] as well as Skins in the UK. [12]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilations appearances

Television placements

Related Research Articles

<i>The Partridge Family</i> American musical sitcom

The Partridge Family is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 25, 1970, to August 24, 1974, on ABC.

<i>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</i> 1991 studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album Mother's Milk (1989), reducing the use of heavy metal guitar riffs and accentuating the melodic songwriting contributions of guitarist John Frusciante. The album's subject matter incorporates sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death, as well as themes of lust and exuberance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Vanderslice</span> American musician (born 1967)

John Vanderslice is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer. He is the owner and founder of Tiny Telephone, an analog recording studio with locations in San Francisco Mission District and North Oakland. He has released ten full-length studio albums and five remix records and EPs on Dead Oceans and Barsuk Records and has collaborated with musicians such as the Mountain Goats, St. Vincent, and Spoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Potter</span> American actress

Monica Gregg Potter is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films Con Air (1997), Patch Adams (1998), and Along Came a Spider (2001). She also appeared in the horror film, Saw (2004) and The Last House on the Left, a 2009 remake film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Hansard</span> Irish musician (born 1970)

Glen Hansard is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten of the Irish Album Charts. In the 2000s, he was one half of folk rock duo The Swell Season before releasing his debut solo album, Rhythm and Repose, in 2012. His 2015 second album Didn't He Ramble was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Somerville</span> American actress (born 1974)

Bonnie Somerville is an American actress and singer. She has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably as Mona in Friends; she has also appeared in NYPD Blue, Grosse Pointe, The O.C., Cashmere Mafia, Without a Paddle, and Golden Boy. She starred as Dr. Christa Lorenson in season one of the CBS medical drama Code Black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray LaMontagne</span> American singer-songwriter

Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise, Supernova, Ouroboros, Part of the Light, and Monovision. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after hearing an album by Stephen Stills. Critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of Otis Redding, Ryan Adams, Beck, Pink Floyd, The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake and Tim Buckley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C2C (group)</span> French musical group

C2C is a French musical group formed in 1998 in the city of Nantes. The collaboration group consists of four French DJs: Atom and pFeL from Beat Torrent and 20Syl and Greem from Hocus Pocus. Each member of the group uses his turntable as an instrument, recreating in turn drums, bass guitars, scratching a guitar riff, or simulating a brass instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gin Wigmore</span> New Zealand singer

Virginia Claire Wigmore is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Featured on the Smashproof single "Brother" in 2009, Wigmore went on to release five albums Holy Smoke (2009), Gravel & Wine (2011), Blood to Bone (2015) and Ivory (2018), with the first three having been chart-toppers on the New Zealand Albums Chart. She is known for her high pitched and raspy voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Breakers</span> Soccer team

The Boston Breakers were an American professional women's soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's United Soccer Association, as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team. Boston would eventually get a new expansion team in 2023 that would begin play in 2026.

Dark Dark Dark is an American folk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed in 2006, the band has toured extensively in the United States and Eastern Asia and are known for their blend of New Orleans jazz, Americana, Eastern European folk and pop.

Ages and Ages is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. Every member of the band sings accompanied by handclaps, shakers and noise-makers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Rose</span> English musician

Lucy Rose Parton is an English singer-songwriter. Her career as a musician began in 2012 with her first studio album Like I Used To and she has released four more records since, with her fifth studio album due out in April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yael Meyer</span> Musical artist

Yael Meyer is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, musician and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Kinney</span> American actress, singer, and songwriter

Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series The Walking Dead. Kinney has also appeared on several other television series, including Showtime's critically acclaimed Masters of Sex and The CW's The Flash and Arrow. In 2016, she co-starred in the ABC series Conviction, alongside Hayley Atwell.

<i>Nashville</i> (2012 TV series) 2012 American musical drama television series

Nashville is an American musical drama television series. It was created by Callie Khouri and produced by R. J. Cutler, Khouri, Dee Johnson, and Steve Buchanan through season four, Connie Britton through season five, and Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick from season five on.

<i>Steven Universe</i> 2013–19 American animated TV series

Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe, who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst, and Pearl —in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The pilot was first shown in May 2013, and the series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The TV film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelby Earl</span> American singer-songwriter

Shelby Earl is an American singer-songwriter and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Earl's first solo album, Burn the Boats, was produced by John Roderick and released on Local 638 Records. In 2011 NPR's Ann Powers named Earl her "new favorite songwriter" and Amazon.com dubbed her album the "#1 Outstanding 2011 Album You Might Have Missed".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luluc</span> Australian band

Luluc (Lou-Luke) are an Australian band, consisting of Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett. They are based in Brooklyn, New York. Luluc have released five highly esteemed albums; Dear Hamlyn, Passerby, Sculptor on Sub Pop records and Mistletone Records, Dreamboat and Diamonds in September 2023.

References

  1. "Q & A: Gem Club's Christopher Barnes". Boston Magazine. 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  2. Barnes, C. (2010). [Liner notes]. Acid and Everything [CD]. Somerville, MA: Mount Desert Isle Music.
  3. "Gem Club's music a prism making peace out pain". Cambridge Day. May 20, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  4. "Gem Club signs with label, preps full-length album". Cambridge Day. June 28, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  5. "Breakers - Gem Club". AllMusic.
  6. "Hardly Art - Gem Club". Hardly Art. July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  7. "In Roses - Gem Club". AllMusic.
  8. Boilen, Bob. "First Listen: Gem Club, 'In Roses'". NPR. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. "Watch Gem Club's Jarring "Polly" Video". The Fader. February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Bedian, Knar (9 May 2014). "An Intimate Evening With Gem Club". Sound of Boston.
  11. "ABC Music Lounge". ABC. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  12. "Skins Music". E4. Retrieved October 24, 2012.