Beachwood Sparks are an American

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. An article in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

through a

kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed fro ...

Biography

The band was formed by bassist Brent Rademaker and guitarist Christopher Gunst who met in the 1990s when both were members of

indie-rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent record labels, by th ...

group

Further Further or furthur, alternatively farther, may refer to: * ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus *Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band *Furthur (band) Furthur was an American rock band founded in 2009 by former G ...

. Guitarist Dave Scher and drummer Jimi Hey (who played with Gunst in

Strictly Ballroom ''Strictly Ballroom'' is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann in his feature directorial debut. The film is the first in his '' Red Curtain Trilogy'' of theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by 1 ...

) were recruited before the band's first show in June 1997. Hey suggested the band's name by combining Sparks Street, where Rademaker lived in Burbank, with Beachwood Drive, which runs parallel and adjacent to Sparks. Hey left after a few shows and was replaced by Tom Sanford. At around the same time, the group was also joined by Pete "Sleigher" Kinne on percussion and another former Further member, guitarist Josh Schwartz. They released the "Desert Skies"/"Make It Together" single on Bomp! in October 1998. Sanford left and was replaced by

Aaron Sperske Aaron Sperske is an American drummer who has played in several bands, including Beachwood Sparks, Father John Misty, Lilys, The Miracle Workers, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Chapin Sisters, and The Pernice Brothers. He also played drums ...

, drummer with

Lilys Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the ba ...

, whose first recording with the band was on the

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

singles club release "Midsummer Daydream"/"Windows 65" issued in April 1999. Kinne and Schwartz left shortly after. In spring 2000, they released their first album, ''

Beachwood Sparks Beachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. An article in ''The Daily Telegraph'' on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "country through a kaleidoscope". Biography The band ...

''. The "shimmering twang-pop melodies and gorgeous harmonies" drew comparisons to the late 1960s'

Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neig ...

country-rock of

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...

and

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

as well as to contemporaries

Elephant 6 The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include The Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, The Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...

. The single "Once We Were Trees" (featuring a jangly cover of

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

' "Wake Up, Little Suzie" on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

) was released on the Spanish label Houston Party Records, previewing the mellower sound that featured on the band's second album, also called '' Once We Were Trees'', which was released in the second half of 2001. A single from the album, a cover of

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

's "By Your Side", was released in the United Kingdom and enjoyed some chart success. The video, directed by Chad Misner, was selected for the 2002

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Film Festival and featured footage of Aaron Sperske and

Autumn de Wilde Autumn de Wilde (born October 21, 1970) is an American photographer and film director best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians, as well as her music video works. In 2020 she directed her first feature film, '' E ...

's wedding. The song was later featured on the soundtrack for the 2010 feature film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. For the 2002 EP, ''

Make the Cowboy Robots Cry ''Make the Cowboy Robots Cry'' is an EP by American alt-country band Beachwood Sparks Beachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. An article in ''The Daily Telegraph'' on America's underground psychedelic pop ...

'', Sperske was replaced on drums by the returning Jimi Hey. Strictly Ballroom's

Jimmy Tamborello James Scott Tamborello, (born 1975) also known by his stage name Dntel , is an American electronic music artist and DJ. Aside from his main solo project, Tamborello is also known as a member of the groups The Postal Service, #Other projects, He ...

, aka Dntel, contributed to the EP. Tamborello also worked with Scher and Gunst at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

's radio station,

KXLU KXLU (88.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting out of Loyola Marymount University in southwest Los Angeles, California. It was first on the air in 1957, and in 2007, celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is a non-commercial college radio statio ...

. Since 2002, the band has mostly concentrated on other projects. Gunst formed

Mystic Chords of Memory Mystic Chords of Memory is an American alternative rock duo consisting of Christopher Gunst of Beachwood Sparks and Jen Cohen of The Aislers Set. History Mystic Chords of Memory released their self-titled debut album, '' Mystic Chords of Memory ...

. Brent Rademaker, sometimes with Gunst and Scher, plays in

The Tyde The Tyde are an American indie rock group. Tracing their roots to early 1990s LA indie band Further, formed by Darren Rademaker and brother Brent. The Tyde cite Felt, the Beach Boys and the Byrds as major influences. They are not to be confused ...

and also in

Frausdots Brent Rademaker is a musician, formerly of The Tyde and Beachwood Sparks. He was also in Frausdots, a band with Michelle Loiselle, a former backing singer for Guns N' Roses, Carl Tapia, Roger Brogan, Exiquio Talavera and David Baum. Their deb ...

. Hey and Scher released an album as

All Night Radio All Night Radio was an American indie rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Dave Scher and Jimi Hey, hail from Los Angeles, and have known each other since 1995, when a 16-year-old Hey would call Scher's late-nigh ...

. In March 2007, Scher was recruited as touring keyboard player for New York indie rockers

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

. Sperske joined

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded alb ...

. Beachwood Sparks reunited in 2008 to play at SB20, the celebration of Sub Pop's 20th anniversary. A small number of dates were played on the West Coast and the East Coast, including July 19 at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, California. The reunion line-up was Gunst, Rademaker, Sperske, Ben Knight, Jen Cohen and Dan Horne. Scher also played at four of the West Coast shows. In 2012, Beachwood Sparks released the album '' The Tarnished Gold''. The recording session included Neal Casal, Dan Horne, Jen Cohen, Jimi Hey, Darren Rademaker and

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded al ...

. In 2016,

Neal Casal Neal Graeme Casal (November 2, 1968 – August 26, 2019) ...

, Farmer Dave Scher, Dan Horne, and

joined songwriter

Cass McCombs Cass McCombs (born November 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. Career McCombs has played in numerous bands in the Bay Area during the 1990s before relocating to New York City. He released his debut EP '' Not the Way E.P.'' (2002), d ...

to form The Skiffle Players. Their debut album ''Skifflin'' was released that year, followed by the ''Piffle Sayers EP'' and ''Skiff'' in 2018. Band co-founder Josh Schwartz died in September 2017 from complications from

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (2000,

) *'' Once We Were Trees'' (2001, Sub Pop) *'' The Tarnished Gold'' (2012, Sub Pop) *'' Across the River of Stars'' (2024, Curation) Other albums *''

'' EP (2002, Sub Pop) *''Desert Skies'' (2013, Recorded 1997, Alive Naturalsound) *''Beachwood Deluxe'' (2021 Curation Records) Singles *"Desert Skies"/"Make It Together" (1998) Bomp Records) *"Midsummer Daydream"/"Windows 65" (1999) *"Once We Were Trees"/"Wake Up, Little Suzie" (2000) *"Ballad of Never Rider" (w/ "Fishing Boat Song by

Grandaddy Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California, Modesto, California. The group was formed in 1992, and featured Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a ...

and "Table Tennis Star" by

Persil Persil (, ) is a German brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Henkel around the world except in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Latin America (except Mexico), China, Australia and New Zealand, where it is manufactured an ...

) (2000 Devil in the Woods No. 38) *"By Your Side"/"Sun Surrounds Me"/"Quietly Be"/"Close the Door Lightly When You Go" (2001 Sub Pop) Compilation and soundtrack appearances *"By Your Side" from '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (2010)

References

External links

Fan site
*
Band Interview in Stomp & Stammer, July 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beachwood Sparks Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1997 Sub Pop artists Rough Trade Records artists Alive Naturalsound Records artists Psychedelic pop music groups