Smoke Season
Smoke Season | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jason Rosen (left) and Gabrielle Wortman (right) of Smoke Season | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | smokeseason |
| Members | Gabrielle Wortman, Jason Rosen |
Smoke Season is an American musical duo from Los Angeles. The group consists of Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen and was formed in 2013. They have released three EPs and numerous singles, cover songs and videos.[1] Smoke Season is considered to be a multi-genre fusion of electronic, Americana, indie rock, and soul.[2]
History[edit]
Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen met in the spring of 2012. Both originally from the New York area, they bonded quickly over their mutual appreciation of similar musical tastes and a no-nonsense east coast disposition.[3]
The two were both involved in other musical projects at the time. Wortman was in an electro-pop project called Temp3st. Yielding a Keytar most shows, she was making a name for herself in the east side Los Angeles scene, playing shows at venues like the Bootleg Theater.[4]
Meanwhile, Rosen was playing with a pop project, Honor Society. This band was frequently a supporting act for The Jonas Brothers. After transplanting to LA, as well as many years of touring the US, Canada and beyond with Honor Society, Rosen felt ready for a musical change of scene.[5]
Early in 2013, Rosen parted ways with his band. During that period of time, Wortman was finishing up a rehearsal with her band at their shared rehearsal space and they had a chance spontaneous writing session. From this session, they ended up writing their first officially released single, 'Soleil.'
What followed was a series of writing sessions and new songs. They agreed that forming a musical group made sense to release this blossoming material. The band’s name is based in part on the now cliche Los Angeles disposition to show you smoke and mirrors instead of reality.
Discography[edit]
Signals (EP)[edit]
Recorded and released in 2013, this project was composed of four songs and featured the singles “Soleil” and “Bianco.” Smoke Season felt this project was their first foray into defining their sound. The duo decided to write, produce and play every instrument on the album. Without a strict agenda per se, and utilizing their unique musical expressions, Smoke Season felt it was an important first step into actualizing what their combined influences and direction could become.[6]
Hot Coals Cold Souls (EP)[edit]
Released in 2014, Hot Coals Cold Souls featured three songs, including their previously released single, “Badlands”. The EP was produced by David Burris and Kyle Draper and recorded at Manifest Music. The songs on Hot Coals Cold Souls were intended to flow from one another and showcase the band’s unique sound of what they were calling, ‘dustbowl soul.’ Gabrielle Wortman served the role of lead vocalist and added keyboards, and Jason Rosen provided guitar and co-lead and background vocals. The duo also recruited Christopher Roberts for percussion and Gabe Davis for bass.[7]
Critically acclaimed by blogs and press alike, their breakout single “Opaque” ended up going viral, generating over 5 million streams on Spotify.[8]
Ouroboros (EP)[edit]
This 6-song project, released in 2016, was said to highlight the layered, ethereal Americana flavor that is considered synonymous with Smoke Season. Production collaborators Kyle Draper and Dave Burris of Mateo Sound produced this EP, with additional programming and mixing by Chris Mullings. Jason Rosen described the direction of the songs as "1 part electronic beats, 1 part psychedelic soul and 2 parts whiskey under the Mojave Desert stars.”[9]
As an accompaniment to the EP, Smoke Season teamed up with Scott Fleishman of APLUSFILMZ to write and develop a short film and story seeking to demonstrate the interconnectedness of the human experience. The duo also put out a series of music videos for the EP which was also released as a short film and appeared at Cannes Film Festival and HollyShorts Film Fest.[10][11]
The video for the first single, “Loose”, features actresses Lexi Ainsworth and Nicole Fox, and focuses on the lives of two LGBT teens and deals with issues of teen suicide. The second single, "When The Smoke Clears", follows the characters of Seth (played by actor Julian De La Celle from the television series "How to Get Away with Murder") and his relative Chase (Nicholas Gonzalez of "Jane The Virgin," "Sleepy Hollow" and "The Good Doctor"), a military veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.[12]
The third video in the series, “Emilia”, depicts one family’s struggle with immigration issues and follows a US-born teenage girl (played by Melody Parra) whose mother (played by Alma Martinez) undocumented and is deported.[13]
Touring highlights[edit]
Smoke Season has played a variety of notable events including Sundance Film Festival, CMJ, SXSW, Noise Pop 2015, and San Diego CityFest. In 2016, Smoke Season signed to Hollywood’s leading booking agency CAA (Creative Artists Agency). CAA has since assisted with Smoke Season’s touring opportunities and festival appearances.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
Social activism[edit]
Smoke Season has taken an active role in support of social causes throughout their career. The duo has released music videos addressing various causes including bullying, support for LGBTQ youth, support for veterans, and immigration. In 2016, Smoke Season drew public attention for traveling to Standing Rock, ND to take part in DAPL protests.[20][21][22]
References[edit]
- ↑ Mi2N. “Smoke Season Drops Game-Changing Ouroboros EP” [1] “Music Industry News Network”, Los Angeles, 15 April 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018
- ↑ Guth, Dana. “Indie duo Smoke Season detail their new short film, EP, and ‘banana split.’” [2] “Earmilk”, 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018
- ↑ Helms, Ruben. “Audio Interview: A Q&A With Los Angeles-based Indie Rock Sensation, Smoke Season.” [3] “The Joy of Violent Movement”, 1 August 2015. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Park City Television. “Sundance Music 2012: Gabrielle Wortman interview.”[4] “YouTube”, 21 January 2012. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Kratzer, Emily. “Hey, the Jonas Bros. are the second act.” [5] “LoHud” 17 July 2009. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Bronson, Kevin. “Ears Wide Open: Smoke Season.” [6] “Buzz Bands LA” Los Angeles, 16 May 2013. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Mi2N. “Indie-folk Duo, Smoke Season, Releases New EP Hot Coals Cold Souls.” [ http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=176026] “Music Industry News Network” Los Angeles, 29 July 2014. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Veracious Magazine. “Smoke Season: Tour” [7] “Veracious Magazine” 17 September 2017. Retrieved on 20 March 2018.
- ↑ LaFamos. “Smoke Season Drops Game-Changing Ouroboros EP” [8] “LaFamos” Press Release, Los Angeles, 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Murray, Robin. “Premiere: Smoke Season - 'When The Smoke Clears.’” [9] “CLASH” 3 July 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Scott, Jason. “Smoke Season Mount Beautiful Artistic Project.” [10] “Pop Dust” 20 January 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Frederick, Brittany. “Watch: Smoke Season premiere new video 'When The Smoke Clears.'” [11] “AXS” 15 March 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Shackleford, Tom. “Smoke Season puts a face on immigration with a new music video for ‘Emilia.’” [12] “AXS” 7 December 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Mi2N. “Smoke Season Announces Signing To CAA.” [13] “Music Industry Network News” Los Angeles, 7 March 2016. Retrieved on 28 February 2018
- ↑ Troubadour. [14] Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Oh My Rockness. [15] Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ The Owl Mag. [16] Retrieved on 9 March 2018
- ↑ Oh My Rockness. [17] Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Spaceland Presents. [18] Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Barron, Daniel. “Gabrielle Wortman On The Seductive Fog of Smoke Season.” [19] “Yay LA” 5 February 2017. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ Petersen, Josh. “Smoke Season’s Genre Hopping Pop.” [20] “Daily Utah Chronicle” 10 September 2017. Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
- ↑ BYG Music. “Smoke Season” [21] “BYG Music” Retrieved on 28 February 2018.
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