The Explorers Club
It would be easy to dismiss the Explorers Club as a 21st century Beach Boys clone except the band is just so darn good at channeling that vintage California sound that they somehow end up sounding refreshing and vital because of it.
Formed in Charleston, South Carolina and led by singer, songwriter, arranger, guitarist, and pianist Jason Brewer, the group's founding members also included multi-instrumentalists Dave Ellis and James Faust, bass player Wally Reddington, and drummer Neil Thomas, with Ellis, Faust, and Reddington supplying gorgeous harmonies to Brewer's lead vocals. Unabashed in their mission to carry Brian Wilson's musical vision forward, the Explorers Club evoke the classic mid- to late-'60s vocal sound that made the Beach Boys one of the most admired and influential bands of that decade. If that makes the band a bit of a one-trick pony, well, it's one hell of a trick. The group released a four-song EP, The Explorers Club, in 2006, three of which ended up on their debut full-length album, Freedom Wind, released in 2008 on Dead Oceans Records. The band returned in late 2011 with a series of Amazon-exclusive EPs titled The Californian Suite, The Carolinian Suite, and The New Yorker Suite, each including a couple of works in progress and a cover ("Walk on By," "Stormy," and "Hitchin' a Ride," respectively). Sticking with the '60s and their recognizable harmonies but also reaching into the sounds of '70s AM pop, the group's second album, Grand Hotel, was mixed by Mark Linnett, who worked on many Beach Boys reissues. It was released by Rock Ridge Music in February of 2012.
Brewer relocated to Nashville in 2014 and by the time of their third LP, he was the Explorers Club's sole remaining original member. With the lineup of Brewer, singer/multi-instrumentalists Paul Runyon and Michael Williamson, singer/bassist Wyatt Funderburk, and drummer Kyle Polk -- and still sporting those vocal harmonies -- the band issued Together with Gold Star Records in 2016.
© Steve Leggett & Marcy Donelson /TiVo
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To Sing And Be Born Again
Alternative & Indie - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 12 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Explorers Club
Alternative & Indie - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 12 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Age Of Impact
Progressive Rock - Released by Magna Carta Records on 17 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Freedom Wind
Rock - Released by Dead Oceans on 20 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Hotel
Pop - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 16 Apr 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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California’s Callin’ Ya/ Nature Boy
Pop - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 13 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Do You Love Me? b/w Carry Me
Rock - Released by Dead Oceans on 8 Apr 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Don't Waste Her Time (Orchestral Version)
Pop - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 29 Jan 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I've Been Lonely Too Long
The Explorers Club, Chris Price
Soul - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 25 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wattage - "Jingles"
Soul - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 17 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy
Soul - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 9 Apr 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
Pop - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 6 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruby / I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite
Rock - Released by Goldstar Recordings on 27 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo