Thee More Shallows

Thee More Shallows

Thee More Shallows are a three-piece San Francisco based experimental indie rock band formed in 2001, consisting of song-writer Dee Kesler, Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales. The key elements of their sound usually consist of soft, whispered vocals against a backdrop of finger-picked guitar and synthesized beats, along with a wide variety of other instrument sounds. Their style has sometimes been refered to as a kind of slowcore or sadcore music. [1]

Kesler and Gonzales are also in Ral Partha Vogelbacher, and Kesler co-produced and played trumpet on "If Found" from Sinombre's debut album Curves of Sirens.

History

The three musicians who would come to comprise Thee More Shallows met for the first time at a concert in 2001, where they were all playing with different groups. Songwriter Dee Kesler at the time was in a band called Shackleton along with Tadas Kisielius, and the two of them became the original founding members of the group originally known as simply Thee Shallows. Tadas soon moved away, however, and so Kesler brought in Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales, both of whom were performing as drummers at the time.

It was in a basement room in the Tenderloin District of San Fransisco that the band began work on their debut album, A History of Sport Fishing. The album was both composed and recorded in a two-week period during which the band would work only in the early hours of the morning. The final product was released in 2002. It showcased classical influences as well as laying down the foundation of the groups mellow, textured sound. [2] In the US the album was released under Megalon Records and recieved very little promotion while in the UK it was given a big push by Monotreme Records and this led to the band becoming more popular in Europe than in their home country. [3]

The band returned from their promotional tour filled with determination, soon building their own studio in Oakland in order to set about recording the follow-up. But this was a task which would come to occupy them for the next two years as they painstakingly recorded each track to their own satisfaction. The final result of this lengthy process was More Deep Cuts which came out in 2004 in the UK once again under Monotreme Records. In 2005 the band decided to go with Turn Records for the US release after struggling to find a dedicated label for their music. [4] The band followed up this album with two EPs over the next two years, Cuts Plus Two in 2005 (which was released only in the UK), and the Monkey vs. Shark E.P. in 2006.

In 2007 members of the group became involved with various projects involving the San Fransisco-based anticon. label, and eventually decided to sign with them for their third studio album, Book of Bad Breaks, which came out in late April. This album, like their previous efforts, was met with a favorable critical response. [5]

Discography

Albums

• A History of Sport Fishing (June 17, 2002)
  A History of Sport Fishing
  (June 17, 2002)
• 
  More Deep Cuts
  (July 12, 2005)
• Book of Bad Breaks (April 27, 2007)
  Book of Bad Breaks
  (April 27, 2007)

EPs

• Cuts Plus Two (EP), (Monotreme Records, 2004)
• Monkey vs. Shark (EP), (Turn Records/Monotreme Records, 2006)

External links

• Thee More Shallows' website
• Interview with Dee Kesler
• Turn Records profile
• Monotreme Records profile
• Thee More Shallows' live review and videos