Dear Boy (Band)
Dear Boy | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Austin Hayman, Keith Cooper, Ben Grey, and Lucy Lawrence, performing at the Crystal Ballroom (Portland, Oregon), 2019-08-01 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2012– present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | Scarlet Grey |
| Website | dearboyofficial |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
Dear Boy is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band consists of Ben Grey (lead vocals, guitar), Keith Cooper (drums, vocals), Austin Hayman (guitar, vocals), and Lucy Lawrence (bass, vocals). Dear Boy was formed in London, England[1] in 2011 and held their live performance debut on February 13, 2013 at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.
The band describes their musical style as “Bitter-sweet alternative rock with roots in both post-punk and 90‘s British guitar pop.”
History
2011-2012: Conception
Ben Grey and Keith Cooper were previously members of the band Scarlet Grey. In 2011, Grey and Cooper, along with fellow Scarlet Grey members Pete Emperador and Richard Shackelford, decided to start a new project. In a leap of faith, the four band mates relocated to the United Kingdom to seek inspiration for their new endeavor.[2]
They secured a weekly residency at The Water Rats in Kings Cross, London under their previous band name.[3] Between performances, they focused on writing music and experimenting with their new direction and sound. They tried out the new material at local parties and recorded demos from the shower of their apartments.[1]
After four months in London, the group had written the songs which would later be featured on their debut EP, but still had no name for their new band. They were running low on both money and optimism. Feeling homesick and dejected on Thanksgiving night, they sought to celebrate this American holiday abroad by going to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Soho. Noticing their gloomy demeanor, the waitress turned to Ben Grey and said, “Things will turn around, dear boy.” Grey described this event as "one of those cosmic things where it’s the thing you were searching for."[4]
In early 2012, after returning to the United States, Dear Boy was introduced as the "next evolution" to their existing Scarlet Grey fan-base, who referred to themselves as “The Grey Family.” [5] A debut show was scheduled for May 20, 2012, however, it was postponed soon thereafter. Richard Shackelford decided not to continue as a member of the newly formed band.
Austin Hayman joined Dear Boy in the summer of 2012. An experienced guitarist and previously a founding member of the band Assemble the Skyline, Hayman quickly learned the songs as the band began recording their first album.
2012-2015: Dear Boy EP
Recording of their debut self-titled EP was completed in September 2012. The Dear Boy EP consisted of five tracks which had been written the previous year in London.
Dear Boy independently co-produced the album with engineer Chat Bamford. It was engineered and mixed in Los Angeles, then mastered in London. Some of the original demo recordings were used as additional layers in the sound design. It was important to the band to have the London atmosphere and experience included in the final recordings.[1]
Once recording was complete, Pete Emperador left the band. Nils Bue joined Dear Boy as the bass guitar player in late 2012.
Dear Boy's debut performance was held on February 13, 2013 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.[6] Over the next few months, they performed several more times throughout Southern California. In June, they were selected as Broadcast Music, Inc.'s Pick of the Month and they were featured as part of BMI's showcase at The Troubadour.[7]
Their first single, Oh So Quiet received airplay on Los Angeles radio stations such as KROQ, Alt 98.7, and KCSN 88.5.[8]
During a month-long residency at The Bootleg Theater, their debut album Dear Boy EP was released on September 10, 2013, one year after being completed.[1][9]
Within two months of the EP release, Dear Boy made it to number one on KROQ-FM's Locals Only playlist. In December 2013, Dear Boy was honored again by Broadcast Music, Inc. when they were named Best of Indie 2013.[10]
Dear Boy performed at South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas in both 2014 and 2015. They continued to tour around the western United States both in support of bands such as Kitten and as headliners for shows at famed Los Angeles venues such as The Troubadour and The Bootleg Theater.[11]
2014 also brought about the release of a newly recorded single, Hesitation Waltz. This was the first studio recording that included bassist Nils Bue. In 2015, this song was featured on the band's first 7-inch vinyl single, which also included a B-side recording of their cover of The Psychedelic Furs song The Ghost In You.
2016-2017: Parts of a Flower EP
Dear Boy released Local Roses as a single in April 2016 when it premiered via FLOOD Magazine.[12] The video for Local Roses included model Lucy Lawrence, who would later become a member of the band in 2017. This song would be included on their Parts Of A Flower EP album released on August 5, 2016 with a show at The Roxy in West Hollywood.[13][14]
The second single, Alluria was released in late 2016. The music video premiered on Impose Magazine.[15]
The success of these two singles created local buzz and landed Dear Boy on BuzzBandsLA's "Bands To Watch 2017" list. [16] They were also invited for a third year to perform at the South by Southwest festival in March 2017.
Dear Boy's performance at The Echo on May 11, 2017 was the final show featuring bass player Nils Bue. Lucy Lawrence joined Dear Boy in July 2017 as bassist. They spent most of the remainder of 2017 focused upon recording songs for their next album.
During the holiday music season in late 2017, Cold Spell was debuted exclusively through Live Nation's OnesToWatch.com site. This thoughtful yet melancholy song is about lovers having to be apart from one another, and how comforting and warm a reunion can be even in the coldest of seasons.[17]
2018-2019: The Strawberry EP
Dear Boy actively toured with fellow independent bands such as Rogue Wave in 2018. They regularly performed new and unreleased songs at their shows, and decided to share one such song as their next single.[18] Love Interest was released in early 2018, with the video premiering on PopMatters in May.[19] This was the first song the band recorded with Lucy Lawrence playing bass guitar.
Gaining local notoriety, their music continued to receive recognition such as regular features on KROQ and other Los Angeles radio stations.[20] Through a series of several rounds of voting by fans, Dear Boy was selected as one of ten bands to perform at the inaugural KROQ Locals Only Fest in March 2019. Their song Love Interest was also featured on the KROQ Locals Only Vinyl Volume 1 album, a collaboration between KROQ Locals Only and record label We Are Hear.[21]
They released a new album in March 2019 with a message to their fans via social media: "We are best friends and we made a record... The Strawberry EP is out in the world today and it belongs to all of you now." The EP was premiered by Live Nation Entertainment and was accompanied by an interview with lead singer, Ben Grey. Grey explained that for weeks leading up to the recording sessions, he kept having reoccurring dreams about strawberries and so the band refers to the songs on this album as "The Strawberry Era."[22]
Also in March 2019, Dear Boy returned to the South by Southwest festival for a fourth year.[23] Following SXSW, Dear Boy embarked on a full United States tour with James and The Psychedelic Furs which wrapped in August at the historic Greek Theater in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California.[24]
Their next single, Heaven Moves was released on their own Easy Hell label in August.
Their busy touring schedule continued as they headlined their largest show to date at The Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles [25] followed by a tour in the Pacific Northwest with KOLARS. In November 2019, Dear Boy performed in Mexico City at the Corona Capital music festival.[26] This was followed by a brief three-city tour supporting Pete Yorn.
2020: New Music
Dear Boy kicked off 2020 with the January release of The Nominee on their Easy Hell label. The single premiered on FLOOD Magazine [27] and quickly made it into the top 5 on KROQ-FM's Locals Only playlist.[28] The new song is expected to be included on their forthcoming full-length album planned to be released later in 2020.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Track Title |
|---|---|---|
| Dear Boy EP | Come Along | |
| Green Eyes | ||
| Oh So Quiet | ||
| Funeral Waves | ||
| Blond Bones | ||
| Parts of a Flower EP | Local Roses | |
| Alluria | ||
| Reckless | ||
| Robbery Love | ||
| The Strawberry EP | Semester | |
| Limelight | ||
| Something Good | ||
| Anything At All | ||
| Love Interest |
Singles
| Single Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Hesitation Waltz
B-Side: The Ghost in You (The Psychedelic Furs cover) |
|
| Heaven Moves |
|
| The Nominee |
|
Other Contributions
| Year | Song | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Love Interest | KROQ Locals Only Vinyl Volume 1[29] | Release Date: April 13, 2019
Label: We Are Hear Formats: LP record |
Music Videos
| Year | Song | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Oh So Quiet | Directed by Baley Wynn
Shot/Edited by Baley Wynn & John Lange |
| Come Along | Directed by Baley Wynn | |
| 2014 | Hesitation Waltz (version 1) | Directed / Shot / Edited by Baley Wynn
Featuring: Paisley Grey, Sara Cummings, Madison Crider, Krystall Schott |
| 2015 | Hesitation Waltz (Official Video) | Directed by Ben Grey & Baley Wynn
Featuring: Amber Lucia Propper & Dash Connery Director of Photography: Ryan Verbel Camera: Matt Hindman, Ben Grey |
| 2016 | Local Roses | Directed by Baley Wynn
Director of Photography: Ryan Verbel Edited by Baley Wynn, Ben Grey Filmed at Curryland |
| Alluria | Directed by Baley Wynn
Directors of Photography: Michael Garcia, Michael Elinn Edited by Ben Grey, Baley Wynn | |
| 2017 | Cold Spell | Made by Ben Grey, Ryan Sanders, Andrew Crawford |
| 2018 | Love Interest | Directed by Baley Wynn
Post-production by Ryan Sanders |
| 2019 | Semester | Directed by Samuel Bayer
Filmed at Noh / Wave (Los Angeles, CA) |
| Limelight | Directed by Ben Grey, Paisley Grey
Director of Photography / Post-Production by Landon Stahmer Hands / Production by Charlotte McCollum | |
| Heaven Moves | Directed by Ben Grey, Paisley Grey
Color by Ryan Sanders |
Members
Current Members
- Ben Grey (2012-present): lead vocals, guitar, lyric composer
- Keith Cooper (2012-present): drums, vocals
- Austin Hayman (2012-present): guitar, vocals, keyboard, steel lap, and more
- Lucy Lawrence (2017-present): bass guitar, vocals
Former Members
- Nils Bue (2012-2017): bass guitar, vocals
- Pete Emperador (2012): bass guitar, vocals
- Richard Shackelford (2012): guitar, vocals
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Interviews: Dear Boy". Scene Point Blank. September 2, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Interviews: Dear Boy". Scene Point Blank. May 26, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Scarlet Grey Takes Up Residence in England". Scene Point Blank. July 31, 2011. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Jarrell, Maya (April 2, 2018). "Ben Grey of Dear Boy talks band names and love songs". The Daily Tar Heel.
- ↑ Verducci, Richard (2010). "Interview: Ben Grey (Scarlet Grey)". punknews.org.
- ↑ "New Band Alert: Dear Boy". Local Music Nation. February 1, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Indie Spotlight: Dear Boy - News - BMI.com". BMI.com. June 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Dear Boy - Kings of A&R". kingsofar.com. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
- ↑ "Fall in Love With Dear Boy". buzznet.com. 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "Best of Indie 2013: Dear Boy - News - BMI.com". BMI.com. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
- ↑ "Dear Boy". eatseehear.com. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
- ↑ "PREMIERE: Dear Boy See in Only Black and White in "Local Roses" Video". floodmagazine.com. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "Dear Boy To Release 'Parts Of A Flower' EP". newnoisemagazine.com. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "Dear Boy Releasing EP This Summer - LA Music Blog". lamusicblog.com. 2016-06-12. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "Dear Boy, "Alluria" - Video - IMPOSE Magazine". imposemagazine.com. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "Bands To Watch 2017: 20 Artists (and then some) for the new year". buzzbands.la. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Dear Boy- "Cold Spell"". onestowatch.com. Live Nation. 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ↑ "Ben Grey of Dear Boy talks band names and love songs". dailytarheel.com. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ↑ "Dear Boy Reveal "Love Interest" (video premiere)". popmatters.com. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ↑ "Locals Only Playlist: Dear Boy, Assuming We Survive, Starcrawler, Teenage Wrist + More - Listen & Vote". kroq.radio.com. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ↑ "KROQ 106.7/FM's 'Locals Only' show helps give Southern California artists their big break". dailynews.com. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ↑ "Listen To Dear Boy's Bittersweet 'The Strawberry EP' a Day Ahead of Release [PREMIERE + Q&A]". onestowatch.com. Live Nation. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "Dear Boy Share Offical Video For SEMESTER With Flaunt, The Strawberry EP On 3/1". broadwayworld.com. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "Dear Boy Announce Summer Tour Dates Supporting Psychedelic Furs + James". broadwayworld.com. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "Dear Boy AKA LA's Best Kept Secret Light's Up the Teragram Ballroom". grimygoods.com. 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "Corona Capital 2019 - Day 2: Interpol, Billy Eilish, Bloc Party, and more". monterreyrock.com. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ↑ "PREMIERE: Dear Boy Find Their Purpose on "The Nominee"". FLOOD. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ↑ "KROQ Locals Only Playlist: Hank Fontaine, RH2, TV Party + More". The World Famous KROQ. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ↑ "KROQ Locals Only Vinyl Volume 1 Details". The World Famous KROQ. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
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