The Casual Lean
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| The Casual Lean | |
|---|---|
 The Casual Lean
From left to right Brian Davitt, Chris McClenning, Justin Oliver, Matt St. Jean, Jesse Martin |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Lean |
| Origin | New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA |
| Genre(s) | Indie Rock Alternative |
| Years active | 2003 – Present |
| Label(s) | Orange Peal Records |
| Website | [1] |
| Members | |
| Justin Oliver Chris McClenning Jesse Martin Matt St. Jean Brian Davitt |
|
| Former members | |
| Jay Medeiros Ryan Parker |
|
The Casual Lean (abbreviated as TCL, and referenced as The Lean for short) is an indie/alternative band from New Bedford, Massachusetts[1]. The band's sound is very diverse and tough to pinpoint[2], however they have been described as an indie/punk outfit, who have been said to share comparisons with bands such as The Hold Steady[3], Say Anything[4], and The Killers[5].
Contents |
[edit] History
The Casual Lean is comprised of former members of a band entitled Heaven and Breakfast who enjoyed some brief touring though-out the mid-west and east coast of the United States[6], and released the 7" vinyl titled I Was a Ghost on Chicago-based record label Excursion Records[7]. In late 2002 Heaven and Breakfast parted ways despite plans for an upcoming CDEP[8] to be released on Excursion. Soon after Oliver and McClenning contacted St. Jean and mutual friend Jesse Martin and started The Casual Lean. The original line up featured Oliver on vocals, bass, and keys, McClenning and Martin on guitars, and St. Jean on Drums. A self-titled CDEP was recorded by the band in June of 2003 with this early line-up and is currently available as a digital EP on itunes, napster, rhapsody, and emusic.
Due to the band's yearning for a more animated front man the duty of bass player was passed on to long time friend Jay Medeiros until his initial departure in 2005 when he was briefly replaced with Ryan Parker. No more than seven months had passed before Medeiros had returned to the band only to join the United States Navy soon after and be replaced by Brian Davitt in March of 2007.
In July of 2004 The Casual Lean began recording their debut full length LP entitled Swears with Converge guitarist/producer Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Five months later Doghouse Records (Warner Bros./East West) contacted the band with interest in releasing the record in the spring of 2005[9]. After almost a year of negotiations TCL decided to not sign the final draft of the contract stating that there was too much of a major label influence for an independent deal.[10].
After toying with the idea of another self-release[11], The Casual Lean reached a fair deal with San Jose, CA based record label Orange Peal Records and Swears finally saw the light of day on July 31st 2007. Swears is available in most online and in-store retailers via Koch distribution.
[edit] Band Members
- Justin Oliver - Vocals, Keys
- Chris McClenning - Electric Guitar, Vocals
- Jesse Martin - Electric Guitar
- Brian Davitt - Bass Guitar
- Matt St. Jean - Drums
[edit] Former Members
- Jay Medeiros - Bass Guitar (2003 - 2007)
- Ryan Parker - Bass Guitar (2005 - 2005)
[edit] Discography
- The Casual Lean (Digital EP - Self-Release, 2003)
- Swears (CD - Orange Peal Records, 2007)
[edit] Notes
- ^ "The Casual Lean's All Music Guide Bio" allmusic.com
- ^ "Lack of sub-genre comparison" shop.mtv.com
- ^ "Comparison to The Hold Steady and punk music" wonkavisionmagazine.com
- ^ "Comparison to Say Anything" decoymusic.com
- ^ "Comparison to The Killers" decoymusic.com
- ^ "The Casual Lean's Orange Peal Records bio" orangepeal.com
- ^ "Heaven and Breakfast's 7" record on Excursion Records" interpunk.com
- ^ "Excursion Records announces Heaven and Breakfast's upcoming CDEP" interpunk.com
- ^ "The Casual Lean begins negotiations with Doghouse Records" pastepunk.com
- ^ "The Casual Lean ends negotiations with Doghouse Records" indiehq.com
- ^ "The Casual Lean decide to self-release Swears" mammothpress.com
