Square was a short-lived musical trio from
Lincoln, Nebraska who moved to
Southern California in early 2000. It was composed of Sean Beste (vocals and keyboards),
James Valentine (guitars) and
Ryland Steen (drums). Their sound has been described as including elements of
rock,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
, and
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
.
The band moved to
Orange County after entering an
Ernie Ball-sponsored band competition. They won the grand prize, beating 600 other entrants. Shortly after winning the competition, they released their only full-length album, ''This Magnificent '', on an
indie label called ''Lucy Smith Music''. The band started playing many gigs in the area, including some with local band
Kara's Flowers.
In 2001, the members of Kara's Flowers asked Valentine to join their group, an invitation that he accepted, effectively dissolving Square. Kara's Flowers changed its name to
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
and became one of the most commercially successful acts of the mid-2000s. Steen later joined the established ska band
Reel Big Fish. Beste (who was initially upset and unhappy by Valentine's decision to leave Square but says he no longer harbors any ill will) started a band called The Excuse and moved to
Portland, Oregon for several years.
He has since returned to the
Los Angeles area and has done some work with the band
Maxeen.
Band members
;1999 – 2001
*Sean Beste – vocals, keyboards
*
James Valentine – lead guitar
*
Ryland Steen – drums
References
External links
Square Official Website (Webarchive)Square CD Baby website (Webarchive)Square's MySpace page
Musical groups from Nebraska
{{US-rock-band-stub