Afternoon Naps

Inspired by psych-pop and bubblegum acts of the 1960s (and especially by bands like the Yellow Balloon and the Left Banke), Cleveland, OH-based musicians Tom Dechristofaro (vocals, guitar) and Leia Hohenfeld (vocals, keyboards) teamed up to form the Afternoon Naps in 2006. Bassist Mike Allan, multi-instrumentalist Augustus Gus, and drummer Craig Ramsey were brought on board to round out the group's sugary sound, and the newly expanded Afternoon Naps self-released their debut mini-album, Sunbeamed, one year later. The group's sunny, sugary sound -- one that welcomed comparisons to Saturday Looks Good to Me and the School -- found them releasing a single, "Can't Stop the Weather," on Cloudberry Records' roster soon after, and the band followed up the single with some high-profile gigs, notably at the Athens Popfest and the NYC Popfest. All of this was enough to pique the interest of the Athens, GA-based indie pop label Happy Happy Birthday to Me, which signed the band before 2008 came to a close. The Afternoon Naps' debut full-length album on that label, Parade, was released the following September.
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