BRIAN BLOI (Guitar)--> grew up in miami, where he was exposed to an eclectic mix of culture, music and vices. brian, however, did not pick up the guitar until age 20. what came next was a musical career that would take him to europe and then across the us, to california. doing studio gigs and odd jobs, brian finally landed at rob's sunset district doorstep for a jam session in spring 2007.

JANIE OLIVER (Vocals) --> grew up in a family of scientists and psychologists in the beach town of santa cruz, ca. from an early age she has found solace in viewing and commenting on the human condition through lyrics and poetry. the work of paul simon, leonard cohen, julie andrews and the edgier pop of the day, like portishead and smashing pumpkins, have all provided inspiration to her own writing. her voice, an amazing instrument and one of the most provocative aspects of the ensembles sound, is classically trained at the conservatory of music, where she also immersed herself in jazz, improvisation and songwriting.

Bass player and producer Rob Cross accompanies Oliver’s luminous vocals with the dark, melancholy rhythms of hip hop and dub reggae, profound tones that swirl and dance with the elemental force of a restless ocean while guitarist Brian Bloi’s chords color with shimmering overtones that emote with aching melodies. The album’s ten sultry songs have a cinematic, one drop, hip hop flavor driven by the subliminal swing enhanced by guest drummers Max MacVeety (Crown City Rockers, Zion I) and Derek G. Taylor (Nino Moschella, Alice Russell, Hyim, Darondo).

And How! is a group effort, a mix of home recordings and studio work, assembled by Cross at Broken Radio Studios in San Francisco. It was recorded live to two inch analog tape on a Studer tape machine, with overdubs done at Cross’s home studio. MacVeety and Taylor, though recorded at different times, play simultaneously on almost every track, giving the music a sense of swing most electronic music lacks.

Everyone in Weather Pending writes, both alone and in collaboration with their band mates, which accounts for the wide range of musical ideas that color the arrangements. With the live drummers adding their individual soul, R&B, and hip hop grooves, the music continually moves in new directions, driven by unexpected percussive accents. Weather Pending’s blend of live music with Cross’s subtle studio polish creates music with exceptional warmth and a quiet intensity that brings some much needed verve to electronic music.

Weather Pending is donating $1 from the sale of each And How! CD to Playpumps International. http://www.playpumps.org

"The Tide" is avaialable as a free download here: http://www.weatherpending.net/Tide.zip

Over the last year, his stunning vocals and heartbreakingly beautiful melodies have won me over in a major way. For his most recent performance, Soren handed out tiny daisies (a la Morrissey’s former gladiola obsession) to each & every attendee just before playing his glorious cover of ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’. Fantastic!" (Review by The Music Slut, June 18, 2009)

Soren Anders and The Staves to Perform at New York’s Gramercy Theater

New York, NY – July 3, 2009 – Baroque pop songwriter Soren Anders and his newly formed band, The Staves, will be performing at The Gramercy Theater (127 East 23rd St., NYC) on September 21, 2009 at 7 pm. The Staves are celebrating the release of their newest album, “All Surprises,” as well as their latest video for the song “The Late For You Tango,” which will be played at the event. The video was directed by 15-year-old Max Damashek.

Hailing from New York, Anders is a composer, singer, producer, and instrumentalist. Drawing from influences such as Regina Spektor, Björk, Andrew Bird, and classical composers like Maurice Ravel, Soren has created an innovative sound that ranges from dark reflection on “I Know A Hundred Ways To Die,” to quirky radio-friendly singles like “Proof Conjecture.” Recently, Anders recorded a version of The Smiths’ classic “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” a compilation organized by popular music blog “The Music Slut.” All of Anders’ songs and remixes are available on iTunes.

Contact:
Josh Bennett
joshbennett86@gmail.com
(828) 735-1082

###

Natoya Petrece Drummond (now goes by Natoya Petrece) was born on October 12, 1981, in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, W.I, where she was always surrounded by music in her family.




It all started at the age of 4 when she was in her aunts gospel band (The in time gospel band) and onwards to her high school choirs, where she took part in some small school festivals and concerts. From there her love for music grew more and more and later spreading into song writing as well. After sometime she was placed into a girl group named N’dure back in Kingston Jamaica in 2001 but after a year the group was disbanded.




In the year of 2002 she became a mom, which gave her even more to work hard for. Even though she was now a mom, this did not stop her from continuing to pursue her dreams of becoming an entertainer, it only made her more focused and determined.




“I believe that what ever you put your mind to, you can accomplish with hard work, determination, being focused and having a little faith and knowing that anything is possible in life.”