The Complete Disco Guide to...

The Company

Kristen Burns (vocals), Bryan Everett (keyboards, vocals, vocoder), Evan Railton (drums, background vocals), Bradley Swanson (bass, guitar, keyboards, micro synth, vocoder, vocals), Reuben Andrew Valdez (guitar, choir vocals), Dean Baskerville (keyboards)

Todd Fadal (keyboards), Geoff Neil (keyboards), Erin Brockway (background vocals), Kim Everett (background vocals), Kirsten Everett (vocals), Terri Swanson (background vocals), Adam Fuller (choir vocals), Bonnie Lucas (choir vocals), Rachel Melcher (choir vocals), Carmen O'Brien (choir vocals), Paul Seif (choir vocals), Michelle Seif (choir vocals), Mark Hutchinson (tenor saxophone), Lars Campbell (trombone), Mike Henkins (trumpet), Lori Presthus (cello), Leslie Hirsch (viola), Adam LaMotte (violin), Aaron Meyer (violin)

The Company is an Oregon band with 6 core members which released a self-titled album in the year 2000 after over a year of development. The album isn't perfect, but it does have a lot of gems (particularly the pure disco song "Should I Let Him Go?"), and most of the songs use real instruments (real bass, real strings, real horns, real guitar, real rhythm guitar, and real drums). The strings were performed by members of the Portland Philharmonic. The songs include party and love songs, a few of which have unobtrusive Christian religious references here and there.

"We're all about the groove... We are trying to bring back the smoothness of disco people seem to have forgotten... We wanted to bring back that real thing because tons of groups are jumping on the so-called 'disco train' but when I listen to their records it just sounds like machines," explained bass player "Tadpole Lowenbad" a.k.a. Bradley Swanson.

Their funky disco track "Boogie Machine" was also included on BEC Recordings' multi-artist compilation "Cheapskates Vol. 2" in 2001. And "Ooh C'mon" was included on "Cheapskates Vol. 4" in 2003.

DISCOGRAPHY

Classic Songs:
2000: Ooh C'mon, Should I Let Him Go?, I'll Sing A Song For You

Albums:

The Company (2000)
TRACKS:   Ooh, C'mon      Boogie Machine      You Turn My World Around      Will You Be There?      Should I Let Him Go?      I'll Sing A Song For You      International      All Around the World      Send Me Your Love      Where To, Lady?      In the Mix
"In a whirl of glitterballs, flares and big hair, The Company emerge blinking from the '70s - and decide they prefer life there! Quite simply gloriously evocative of those heady days, this is deftly done, with tongue firmly in cheek and a big smile on the face, whilst able to make a spiritual point at the same time.... Musically we have styles ranging through Chic ('Ooh C'mon'), Funkadelic meets James Brown ('Boogie Machine'), Gloria Gaynor ('You Turn My World Around'), Earth, Wind And Fire ('International'), Kool And The Gang ('All Around The World') and Donna Summer ('Send Me Your Love').... Funktastic!"
         - Steve Best, Cross Rhythms Magazine (review, February/March 2001)

"With the release of The Company's self-titled debut album, Pep Squad's Bryan Everett attempts to bring disco back in a generation of preprocessed hardcore, emo and heartless, cold electronica.... The Company may not bring a full-fledged disco revival, but their debut certainly makes for some fun listening. Check it out if you're a fan of the genre."
         - Michial Farmer, The Phantom Toolbooth (review, September 9, 2000)

HOW TO ORDER YOUR FAVORITE THE COMPANY SONGS

ALBUM TITLEMerchant 1Merchant 2
The Company (album) CD from Amazon.com MP3s from Apple Music

Related links:

  • BEC Recordings: The Company's Official Publicity - archived from 2001
  • "Hanging with 'The Company'" - article by Sucre Musique, TheOoze, April 30, 2001, reprinted from Bandoppler.com
  • Disco Savvy Homepage