Everest

by Jason LymangroverComprised of five singer/songwriters, the members of Los Angeles indie alt-country band Everest boast some impressive pedigrees, having played with Earlimart, Sebadoh, the Folk Implosion, Slydell, Mike Stinson, Great Northern, Alaska!, John Vanderslice, and the Watson Twins. Sharing a mutual admiration for each other's respective track records, the five were drawn together by a common desire to make classic-sounding pop songs in the style of earthy bands like Wilco and Calexico. Russell Pollard, Jason Soda, Joel Graves, Rob Douglas, and Derek Brown first assembled in 2007, and connected quickly. Graves was especially excited about the instant chemistry, remarking in interviews, "I'm getting to play with my favorite singer, my favorite bass player, my favorite guitar player, and my favorite drummer. It's the band I've always wanted to be in." In August 2007, they entered New Monkey studio with Foo Fighters producer Mike Terry to capture a light set of acoustic-based songs on vintage equipment. After only two weeks of recording, a week of mixing, and an afternoon of mastering, their debut album, Ghost Notes, was finished, and they started shopping it around. Neil Young's Vapor Records label, home of Tegan and Sara and Jonathan Richman, seemed a logical choice, and after signing there, the group made plans to tour in promotion of Ghost Notes, which was scheduled for release in May of 2008.