Money & King

Brooklyn-based pop group Money & King were formed in 2010 by guitarist James Sparber and drummer Brandon Goldstein who share songwriting and vocal duties. Longtime friends Sparber and Goldstein grew up playing music together in Vienna, Virginia before parting ways to explore separate music careers on opposite coasts. Sparber immersed himself in the indie community of Brooklyn while Goldstein spent a decade in L.A. playing in bands and doing session work. Reuniting in Brooklyn, the duo recruited bassist John Loggins and the trio began gigging around New York, developing a sound rooted in '60s and '70s country and pop. Melding the wry sensibilities of Harry Nilsson with the jangle and vocal harmonies of Americana forebears like the Byrds and CSN&Y, Money & King recorded their debut album, Across the Cul-De-Sac, at Sparber's Brooklyn studio enlisting various friends and guest musicians along the way. Two of those guests, guitarist Jeff Mensch and keyboardist Brady Bagger, were former bandmates of Sparber's and went on to join Money & King as permanent members. Across the Cul-De-Sac was released in early 2013. Over the next several years, writing for their follow-up commenced sporadically with Goldstein living in Indiana and Sparber still in New York. The two songwriters eventually pooled their offerings and the full band headed to Sparber's Brooklyn studio to record their sophomore outing, There Are So Many Ways To Be Alone, which arrived in June 2018. A logical outgrowth of their debut, the album expanded on Money & King's intricate arrangements and vintage pop acumen, while playing even easier on the ears than its predecessor.
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