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)
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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
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Also available as an MP3 album from
Amazon.com
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
UBL
ARTISTdirect: The Company (Oregon Christian Disco Band) Profile
Disco Savvy Homepage
