We love small world stories here at PlayPumps International. It makes our day when the stars align and everything comes to a full circle. With
Weather Pending, it did just that.
Last month, the new indie band from San Francisco, California, reached out to us to see if we were interested in partnering with them on their first album. How could we say no to lovely music to help us further our cause?
It wasn’t until I was speaking with lead vocalist Janie Oliver last month that I heard how she originally found out about PlayPumps. Not long ago, Janie’s aunt Peggy Krist was giving a presentation about the Jonathan D. Krist Foundation’s partnership with PlayPumps International. Since Jonathan Krist’s passing in 2006, his family has become key partners of PlayPumps International through their family foundation.
Janie’s cousin, Jonathan Krist, was a brilliant musician and eager community activist. He was also a young, early supporter of ours. Janie was instantly moved by her family’s involvement in PlayPumps in honor of Jonathan’s legacy. She also knew this was a cause everyone in the band could get behind. She presented the idea to her band mates Rob Cross and Brian Blois, and before long we were on the phone.
Taken from
their MySpace page, “Weather Pending is a San Francisco trio that makes music with a subtle electronic groove that brings together jazz, pop, rock, dub reggae, hip hop, and world music. The band creates smoky late night grooves with a deep romantic resonance highlighted by Janie Oliver’s honey and gunpowder vocals, the dark, swooping tones of producer Rob Cross’s electric bass and the shimmering overtones of Brian Blois' lush electric and acoustic guitar.
"On their debut recording, And How!, they’re joined by guest drummers Max MacVeety and Derek G. Taylor who give the music a sense of swing much electronic music lacks. The resulting music is hard to categorize. Call it sultry songs with a cinematic, one drop, hip hop flavor if you like, pop music for grown ups with a cosmopolitan vibe that’s both unique and strangely familiar, with exceptional warmth and a quiet intensity all its own.”
 | Currently listening:
And How!
By Weather Pending
Release date: 2009-06-23 |
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