Sean Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Sean Nelson at the 2015 EMP Pop Conference | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sean Nelson |
| Born | June 12, 1973 Washington, United States |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, filmmaker, journalist, music critic |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Sean Nelson (born June 12, 1973) is an American musician and journalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock group Harvey Danger.
Nelson is a graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and was a classmate of Paul DePodesta and Courtenay Bram Anderson.
Nelson joined Harvey Danger in 1993 [1] and played with the band through to its farewell show in 2009. In addition to being the band's lead singer, he was also its songwriter and keyboardist. The band's debut album Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was released in 1997 and was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies. [2] The album contained the hit single "Flagpole Sitta", which was featured in the 1999 film American Pie and was later used as the theme song for the British sitcom Peep Show .
In 2001, Nelson formed a second band, The Long Winters, with John Roderick. He left the band in 2004, and Roderick has continued the group as a largely solo effort.
Nelson has also recorded and performed with Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Robyn Hitchcock, Nada Surf, The Minus 5, and others. In 2006, he recorded Nelson Sings Nilsson, an album of songs by the late American composer Harry Nilsson, accompanied by a 25-piece-orchestra. Nelson was also a member of the short-lived side project The Vernacular, along with Chris Walla and Nathan Good of Death Cab For Cutie.
On June 4, 2013, Nelson released his first official batch of recordings to bear his name, Make Good Choices, which includes contributions from Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), Peter Buck (R.E.M./Minus 5), Matt Pence & Scott Danbom (Centro-Matic), Howard Draper (Shearwater), Dave Depper (Loch Lomond, Fruit Bats), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists/M. Ward), Adam Selzer (Norfolk & Western), Steve Fisk (player: Pell Mell, Pigeonhed; producer: Nirvana, Beat Happening, Unwound), and others. Sessions arose over the course of several years between Nelson and his collaborators' other projects.
In June 2019, Nelson released the decades-in-the-making album of Harry Nilsson covers, titled "Nelson Sings Nilsson," a play on Nilsson's classic album of Randy Newman covers, Nilsson Sings Newman . [3]
In December 2019, Sean released the "Viral Love" 7" which contained the first song released from a new full-length album he made with producer Shane Tutmarc. The b-side contained an alternate version of Harvey Danger's "Carlotta Valdez" [4] entitled "Carlotta Valdes [sic] (Texas Version)".
Nelson joined the staff of the Seattle alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger in 1996 while still a member of Harvey Danger. He held several positions at the publication, including web editor, film editor, copy editor, associate editor, and arts editor. [5] He left The Stranger in 2018, moving to Nashville, TN to take another job. [6]
In 2006, Nelson published his first book, an entry in the 33⅓ series on Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark . [7] His essay "Dead Man Talking" was published in the Da Capo anthology Best Music Writing 2008. [8]
In addition to his writing work, Nelson taught a songwriting class at the University of Washington Extension and co-hosted Audioasis on KEXP-FM for five years.
In 2008, Nelson co-wrote and played a supporting role in Humpday director Lynn Shelton's third feature film My Effortless Brilliance, [9] which enjoyed a successful run on the film festival circuit and was released on DVD by IFC Films in November 2009. He has also acted in David Russo's cult film festival hit The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle [10] and alongside Dax Shepard in Katie Aselton's The Freebie, which was released in September 2010. [11]
(as harmony vocalist, except where noted)
(lead singer, songwriter*)
(lead singer, keyboards, songwriter)
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr (drums).
Something About Airplanes is the debut studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 18, 1998, on Barsuk Records. A tenth-anniversary edition of the album was released November 25, 2008, featuring redesigned artwork, liner notes by Sean Nelson, and a bonus disc including the band's first ever Seattle performance at the Crocodile Cafe in February 1998.
Transatlanticism is the fourth studio album by rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 7, 2003, by Barsuk Records. At this point in their career, the group had toured and recorded for nearly a half-decade. With tensions rising, the band decided to take time away from one another; notably, Ben Gibbard collaborated with electronic musician Dntel, and released an album, Give Up, under the name the Postal Service. Death Cab regrouped in late 2002 to create Transatlanticism, which was recorded in a leisurely manner over five-day stretches until June 2003.
Barsuk Records is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, in 1998 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawing of a dog holding a vinyl record in its mouth.
Harvey Danger was an American alternative rock band. It was formed in 1992 in Seattle, Washington, by Aaron Huffman and Jeff J. Lin, who were both journalism students at the University of Washington. Drummer Evan Sult and singer Sean Nelson were brought into the band in 1993, solidifying the band's lineup for the remainder of their initial existence.
The Photo Album is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 9, 2001 on Barsuk Records.
Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? is the debut studio album by American rock band Harvey Danger. It was initially released by the independent record label the Arena Rock Recording Company on July 29, 1997. The second song on the album, "Flagpole Sitta", received extensive airplay in the United States and resulted in the band's fame. As the song gained national attention, the album was picked up and reissued by Slash Records, a label associated with London Records. On July 29, 2014, 17 years to the day after the album's initial release, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was re-released, for the first time as a vinyl LP, by No Sleep Records. The album has been described by Fuse as "a definitive indie power pop punk record at a time and place where grunge reigned supreme".
King James Version is the second studio album by American rock band Harvey Danger, released on September 12, 2000, through London-Sire Records. It was the band's only album recorded for a major label, and was their last album with drummer Evan Sult. Written and recorded and over the span of 16 months with producer John Goodmanson, the album marked a substantial departure from the lo-fi sound of the band's debut Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (1997); it encompassed a variety of rock music styles and explored "the conflict between faith and skepticism". Although the bulk of the album's material was recorded in March and April 1999, work on the album continued periodically until February 2000 due to a dispute surrounding Harvey Danger's contract, which delayed its release.
Picaresque is the third studio album from The Decemberists. It was released in 2005 on the Kill Rock Stars record label. The word "picaresque" refers to a form of satirical prose originating in Spain, depicting realistically and often humorously the adventures of a low-born, roguish hero living by their wits in a corrupt society.
Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes) is the second EP by Harvey Danger. It was released in December 2004 on the band's own label, Phonographic Records. One of the songs is a demo from their next album, Little by Little..., two are different recordings of past songs, and the remaining two are rare songs, released only on special collections in the past.
Christopher Ryan Walla is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie.
The Long Winters are an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.
Nathan Good is an American musician, known for being the first and former drummer of indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. He performed all drum tracks for their album Something About Airplanes. On the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, he performed on "The Employment Pages" and "Company Calls Epilogue", but left during the recording of the album to get married. In the early 2000s, Good played drums for the indie rock band The Revolutionary Hydra, appearing on two of their albums, and recorded drum tracks with engineer/producer Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie that were later used on the album "Make Good Choices" by Sean Nelson.
John Goodmanson is an American recording engineer and indie rock record producer. He is best known for producing multiple albums by Bikini Kill, Blonde Redhead, Death Cab for Cutie, Los Campesinos!, and Sleater-Kinney.
"A Movie Script Ending" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their third studio album, The Photo Album (2001). It was released as the lead single from The Photo Album on February 8, 2002 through Barsuk Records.
Little Round Mirrors is a single/EP by Harvey Danger. It was released on Barsuk Records on October 10, 2006.
The Hall of Justice is a recording studio in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The triangular-shaped building, which has changed ownership and purpose throughout its century-old history, has functioned as a studio for rock bands since the 1970s. The windowless, unassuming space has been home to the recordings of albums by seminal indie rock bands, including Nirvana, Soundgarden, Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, the Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, and more.
Little Champions is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States, formed in 1996. The band's founding members are Becky Harbine, Scott Harbine, and Fred Stuben (drums). Later Fred Stuben switched to guitar, and Chris Shymko was recruited to play drums. The band was signed to Barsuk Records and released its first full-length album entitled Pillow in 1999. Drummer Chris Shymko left the band not long after and was replaced by Kate Kinney. The group subsequently released their second full album on Barsuk Records. Later line-up changes include the addition of Paul Mason on second guitar, later leaving the band to form his own group, Whiskey Ship Choir; the departure of Kate Kinney and return of Chris Shymko on drums; and Eric Wolfe replacing Fred Stuben on guitar. The group's third album, Fire Let Me In, Lava Let Me Out, was a self-release that debuted in July, 2008.
Lucky is the fifth album by alternative rock band Nada Surf. It was released on Barsuk in 2008.
Death Cab for Cutie has released ten studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), a demo tape, a digital album, one live album, thirty-two singles, nine music videos, and two DVDs. Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock group from Bellingham, Washington and was formed in 1997 by Ben Gibbard as a side project from Pinwheel. After releasing a demo tape, he added guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good to the band. Death Cab signed to Barsuk Records and released four extended plays (EPs) and four studio albums through the label. The fourth album, Transatlanticism, reached number 97 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified gold in the United States. The group also issued nine singles and a demo tape through Barsuk.
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