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Jeff Cloud is an American former bass guitar player for rock band Starflyer 59. [1] He joined the band after the album Americana had been recorded, and remained a member until after the recording of the album I Am the Portuguese Blues . From 1996 until 2002, Cloud was member of the electropop/synthpop group Joy Electric. [2] Cloud currently fronts his own band called Pony Express and has owned and operated an independent label called Velvet Blue Music since 1996, touting bands such as Fine China, Map, and Frank Lenz.
Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synthpop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player and Velvet Blue Music owner Jeff Cloud joined Joy Electric from 1996 until 2002. Joy Electric is currently a solo act.
Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoath, Hawk Nelson, Emery, The Almost, FM Static, Family Force 5, Anberlin, and MxPx.
Starflyer 59 is an American alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including Jeff Cloud, Frank Lenz, and Richard Swift. The band's sound was initially identified as an outgrowth of the shoegaze movement of the early 1990s, but the band's music has gradually evolved to the point of little resemblance to that of its early days.
Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice is an album by the band Starflyer 59, released in 2005.
Jason Martin is a musician from Southern California. He is best known as a member of the indie rock band Starflyer 59, one of the first bands to sign with Tooth & Nail Records.
I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud on bass, Frank Lenz on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums. Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus. The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,
"I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album – no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I'm Portuguese."
The Fashion Focus was the fourth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. This release marked a significant change in the band's sound. Where previous albums had focused on loud guitars in the style of shoegazer bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, The Fashion Focus had a softer sound, with keyboards playing a larger role. This album was also the first Starflyer 59 album not to feature a monochromatic cover.
Calico Sunset is a Bakersfield, California-based electropop band, comprising Joseph Andreotti and Jenny Alvis. Calico Sunset is signed to Jeff Cloud's Velvet Blue Music. Calico Sunset's debut album on VBM, "Deep Deep Paranoia," was produced by and featured Frank Lenz and featured Josh Dooley on guitar. Shortly after the release of "Deep Deep Paranoia," Calico Sunset joined Joy Electric on a national tour. Calico Sunset has also shared the stage with such bands as Moving Units, The Fever, Starflyer 59, Freezepop, Broken Spindles.
David Bazan is an American indie rock singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona who now resides in Seattle, Washington. Bazan is the lead singer and creative force behind the band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer of Headphones. In early 2006, he began performing and recording under his own name. In late 2017 he returned to playing under the Pedro the Lion name.
Jeffrey Ralph Cotton is an American rock guitarist, known for his work as a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. Cotton first came to attention as guitarist with Merrell and the Exiles, who had a few local hits in 1964 in the Los Angeles area. He subsequently joined Blues in a Bottle, which also featured future Magic Band members Mark Boston, Bill Harkleroad and John French. He was recruited into the Magic Band in 1967 as a replacement for Ry Cooder.
Guy Edward Fletcher is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known for his position as one of the two keyboard players in the rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his subsequent work with Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler. Fletcher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.
Paul Brennan is a Canadian musician. A drummer, Brennan has been a member of the Animal Slaves, Odds and Big Sugar. He has also contributed as a guest musician on albums by Meryn Cadell, Sarah McLachlan, Taste of Joy, Julie Ann Bertram and Mae Moore. He is currently playing with Alannah Myles and Ellis Meek and performing locally in Toronto.
Velvet Blue Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by Jeff Cloud.
The Brothers Martin are an indie rock band from Riverside, California consisting of brothers Ronnie Martin and Jason Martin. Musically, they incorporate elements of both Joy Electric and Starflyer 59 : electropop and shoegazing, while modern rock and 1980s new wave are also a central influence.
Jason Finn is an American musician, best known as the former drummer and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America. He was previously the drummer of Love Battery until 1995, when he joined Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer to form The Presidents of the United States of America, who were together for 23 years, until their split in 2016. He plays with an open-handed technique on a right-handed drum kit. He and Dave Dederer collaborated with Sir Mix-a-Lot, to form Subset in 1998, but later disbanded. In 1998, he joined The Pin-Ups with high school friend, Dejha Colantuono. In 2000, The Pin-Ups released an album called Backseat Memoirs.
Joe Doyle is the bassist and backing singer for Irish rock band The Frames and The Swell Season. He has been a member of The Frames since 1996, appearing on six albums to date. In addition to appearing on Frames albums, he has also plays bass and contributes backing vocals to two Swell Season albums: the soundtrack to "Once" and "Strict Joy." He is currently touring as a member of the Swell Season, which also includes Glen Hansard (vocals/guitar), Marketa Irglova (vocals/piano), Graham Hopkins, Rob Botchnik and Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Doyle originates from Allenwood, County Kildare, Ireland.
Neon Horse was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by Mark Salomon, Jason Martin and Steven Dail. They were previously signed to Tooth & Nail Records with whom they have released two studio albums. Neon Horse's sound has been described as a being influenced by the music of the 1980s.
The Band of Holy Joy are an English band formed in New Cross, London, and initially active between 1984 and 1993, releasing several albums. In 1992, they abbreviated their name to Holy Joy. They reformed in 2002, under their original name, releasing a new album called Love Never Fails. They concentrated on other musical projects during 2003 to 2006. The band began performing live again in 2007 and have since released a number of albums, including Funambulist We Love You in 2017, Neon Primitives in 2019, and their latest critically acclaimed release Dreams Take Flight in 2021.
Steven Dail is a musician who is known for playing bass guitar in several Christian metal bands including Project 86 and White Lighter, and Christian punk band Crash Rickshaw. Other bands he has played in are Starflyer 59, Low & Behold, Innermeans and Bloodshed.
Slow is the fourteenth studio album by Starflyer 59. Tooth & Nail Records released the album on June 17, 2016.