EXPLORING RUBY

The Explorers Club, who have been lauded for “brightening our winters with their patented brand of sun-kissed beach-pop” (Shindig! Magazine), will release two albums simultaneously through Goldstar Recordings on 16 October 2020. ‘The Explorers Club’ showcases a dozen originals from the self-styled sunshine pop band featuring multi-part vocal harmonies and lush melodies reminiscent of ’60s and ’70s groups such as The Beach Boys, The Turtles and The Association. ‘To Sing And Be Born Again’ is a ten-part love letter to their influences, consisting entirely of covers that were originally recorded by The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Herb Alpert, The Zombies and more. Guest musicians include Steven Page, formerly of Barenaked Ladies, and Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers. The albums will be preceded by a Double A Side single, “Somewhere Else”, an original from ‘The Explorers Club’ and the cover of “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight” from ‘To Sing And Be Born Again’.

The Explorers Club is the brainchild of Jason Brewer, who founded the band in his native Charleston, SC before relocating to Nashville. With several songs featured on such shows as The O.C. and How I Met Your Mother and with three albums already under their belts – Freedom Wind (2008), Grand Hotel (2012) and 2016’s Together – this June’s twin releases are Brewer’s most ambitious undertaking to date. The impetus for this stems from the overwhelmingly positive reaction the band received after releasing several cover songs as free downloads leading up to their sophomore release.

“I still get asked about those songs, so there is obviously a demand for a covers album,” Jason Brewer states. “I had a brand new album just about finished, which I think is one of the strongest things I’ve ever done. I figured I’ve got access to all this studio time and I’ve got some players to pull in to do it, so I’ll do an album of ’60s covers, too. I just got to work and I finished both albums at the same time. It was an opportunity to give back to our hardcore followers who have loved the band for over ten years now.”

The self-titled album of originals is an artistic triumph that includes standout tracks “Love So Fine,” the Phil Spector-inspired “Look To the Horizon” and “Dawn” – The Explorers Club’s first exploration into bossa nova. “I had a solid lineup of musicians working with me on the previous albums and I catered to their tastes, but this time around I made the record that I wanted to make,” Brewer proclaims.

To Sing And Be Born Again is a potpourri of songs from 1965-68, that presents a mix of top 10 hits (“I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight” by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, “She’d Rather Be With Me” by The Turtles, “Kicks” by Paul Revere & The Raiders, “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert, “Quinn The Eskimo” by Bob Dylan via Manfred Mann) and obscurities. These include “Maybe After He’s Gone” by The Zombies and “Roses And Rainbows” by a pre-Three Dog Night Danny Hutton. “Can’t Find The Time,” originally by the “Bosstown Sound” band Orpheus as well as a later chart entry by Rose Colored Glass, features former Barenaked Ladies member Steven Page on vocals; the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Didn’t Have To Do It” features Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers.

How did ’80s baby Jason Brewer wind up covering songs like “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” by Frankie Valli/The Walker Brothers that came out over a decade before his birth? “When I was a kid my neighbor had a bunch of cars from the ’50s in his garage and he was always blasting Elvis, Chuck Berry, The Beatles and The Beach Boys. I liked that music better than the music that was current at the time. I listened to an oldies radio station in my hometown and studied the craft of songwriting. I’ve been a lifelong retrophile.”

Grammy nominated producer Matt Goldman (Copeland, Underoath, Smalltown Poets), who had engineered the first two albums by The Explorers Club, was brought back into the fold to oversee production on both current projects. The majority of the album of originals was recorded live in the legendary Studio A in Nashville, where Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and The Byrds recorded some of their most iconic records. Brewer was taken aback by the living history of which he was taking part. “It was really great to record organ overdubs with an old ribbon mic that Elvis Presley sang into. You can’t beat that!”

Consequence of Sound suggested that Explorers Club’s “vocal harmonies are to swoon for,” adding, “Old-school Americana drips off every warm keyboard hit, horn embellishment and lyric about gosh-darn romances from simpler times.” With the release of two new albums, the swooning should be quite relentless.

Uncut Magazine asserted that “It’s a toss-up whether Jason Brewer’s classically crafted songs or the spot-on arrangements are more irresistible, as the group recasts these magical sounds for the 21st century.” With these latest additions to their catalog, The Explorers Club continues to look into the past and future simultaneously.