The Western States add the Cosmic American element to Winnipeg Manitoba’s thriving roots music scene. The band’s sound follows a path through latter-day America, making stops at Gram Parsons country rock, and Neil Young's singer/songwriter americana along the way.
Initially formed in 2002, original members Sean Buchanan (vocals and guitar), Nicole Marion (guitar, vocals), Ashley Roch (Piano, Organ, Vocals) Jared Plummer (drums) and Keli Martin (bass) started developing their sound by letting the songs be built from the ground up.
The Western States have quickly been embraced by Winnipeg's strong roots, Americana and indie scenes opening for the likes of the Weakerthans, Fiest, Nathan, The D Rangers, The Perpetrators, Julie Doiron, Christine Fellows, and Radiogram. Like most roots bands in Winnipeg, The Western States call The High and Lonesome club home, and can be seen taking the stage on a regular basis.
In 2007, the band released their debut self-titled album on Dollartone Records. The album features guest musicians including Chris Carmichael (Romi Mayes), Bill Western (Nathan), The D Rangers, and Producer/Musician Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams). The album reached 1 on the national College radio Folk/Roots charts, and the band was voted best new band in Winnipeg by Uptown Magazine.
For the bands forthcoming second album, they travelled to Austin, Texas to record at Bruce Robison's Premium Recording Studio. The album was tracked live to tape, with no digital effects or computer programs. The result is "Bye and Bye", set for release in early 2009.
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