Living amongst the immense musical talent in a city like Chicago is eternally inspiring. But standing apart from the crowd can be a never-ending challenge. So Canasta came together in early 2002 when six friends joined forces and augmented the standard rock set-up with piano, violin, keyboard and trombone, in an effort to craft a more ambitious strain of majestic, ultra-melodic, orchestral pop. Canasta songs are nothing if not eclectic; you'll hear everything from bouncy, horn-driven ditties to epic, sweeping anthems and slow, country-tinged narratives to instrumental post-rock. But what's constant is an emphasis on sophisticated songwriting, dramatic dynamics and meticulous orchestration that has won them comparisons to Belle & Sebastian, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, The Delgados, The Sea and Cake, Wilco and Yo La Tengo.
Canasta has performed for sizeable audiences all over the country, including stops at the SXSW Festival (Austin), CMJ Music Marathon (NYC and Cleveland). In their hometown, they have headlined the legendary Metro, held the esteemed "Practice Space" residency at Schubas, played sold-out gigs at Double Door and Subterranean and performed at the amazing Riviera Theater, along with Wilco, Macy Gray and Barack Obama, at a fundraiser for the senator. They've also shared stages with artists such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Kaiser Chiefs, Sloan, Devotchka, Voxtrot, Grizzly Bear, Menomena, The Lemonheads, The Delgados, The Dears, The Posies, Jeremy Enigk, The Clientele, The New Amsterdams, Crooked Fingers, American Music Club, Longwave, The Cool Kids, Earlimart, Nebula, Imperial Teen, Califone, Annuals, Elf Power, Jill Sobule, Starlight Mints, Aqueduct, Nicolai Dunger, Adam Green and The Kingsbury Manx, among others. They've also done a number of charity performances to benefit domestic-abuse, rape advocacy, AIDS, sustainable architecture, independent radio and arts organizations.
Canasta's recording career began in 2003 with the release of its debut EP, Find the Time. The five songs, which was mastered by Keith Cleversley (The Flaming Lips), brought the band to the attention of a growing number of critics and music fans. The album's success earned them airplay on National Public Radio, major Chicago stations like WXRT and WKQX (Q101), plus countless webcasts and college frequencies nationwide. A few songs even found their way into TV and radio commercials, leading to licensing representation by Minty Fresh. Once the album had sold out, anticipation was high for something more.
Fast forward to 2005, when Canasta released its first full-length album, We Were Set Up. The record's thirteen tracks were recorded with Ted Cho (Poi Dog Pondering) at Chicago's North Branch Studio and mastered by Mike Hagler (Calexico). The songs featured guest appearances from vocalist Edith Frost, upright bassist Barry Phipps (The Coctails), trumpeter Max Crawford (Archer Prewitt), pedal-steel guitarist Steve Dorocke (Freakwater) and cellist Alison Chesley (ex-Verbow). And while some of the material was louder and more aggressive than that which they'd created in the past, other songs were moodier and more atmospheric, while others were sparser and more emotional. However, their knack for turning it all into pop music remained intact. Some of Canasta's biggest exposure would soon follow, as its music was chosen to accompany the trailer for the Matthew Broderick / Alan Alda film Diminished Capacity, as well as a soon-to-be-released video for Barack Obama's online presidential campaign. After selling out once, the self-released album, now distributed by Carrot Top, is currently in its second pressing.
In 2008, while preparing demos for their sophomore follow-up, Canasta invited friends of theirs to remix the songs from their full-length, resulting in We Were Mixed Up. All in all, it's nearly 100 minutes of music, re-imagined by some of the most talented folks Chicago has to offer, including members of OFFICE, The Hood Internet, Brighton MA, Allá, The Fake Fictions, Roommate and others. As a "thank you" to their fans, this digital-only release can be downloaded completely free of charge at www.canastamusic.com !
"...Canasta can be called an indie-pop band for good enough reasons, but on their debut album We Were Set Up they display both an ambition and a sense of range that any number of early 21st century American groups described in similar terms would be
wise to follow... subtle... mesmerizing... stunning..." Ned Raggett, AllMusic
"...effortless, effervescent pop that doesn’t call undue attention to its carefully
constructed layers of intertwining melodies... the ork-pop genre has produced
some of the best bands in the Chicago underground in the last decade...
Canasta certainly deserves a place on this list." - Jim Derogatis, Chicago Sun-Times
"...Imagine the prize musicians from six adjacent counties' high school orchestras growing up and coalescing to form a pop band inspired by Queen, Kraftwerk, and Nick Drake... each song is a barrage of hooks and nuanced performances...
[Canasta's] value to the pop music scene continues to grow..." - PopMatters
"...one of the most vibrant pop sounds to emerge from Chicago in years..." - UR Magazine
"...one of Chicago's best pop bands...
We Were Set Up doesn't disappoint..." - Monica Kendrick, Chicago Reader
"...smartly constructed songs that balance traditional
pop and indie-minded subversiveness..." - The Onion
"...inventive arrangements... remarkable catchiness...
Canasta looks primed for a considerable breakthrough..." - NPR's "World Cafe"
"...impressive orchestral pop... really could catch on at any moment in a big, big way...
listening to We Were Set Up again for the first time in a long while,
I can’t believe I was able to put it down in the first place." - Tom Lynch, New City
"...pop phenoms... lyrical, buoyant pop tunes recalling the delicacy of
Belle and Sebastian and the lush, upbeat melodies of The Shins..." - Flavorpill
"...Out of nowhere comes a band that sounds ready for primetime...
could sneak its way onto some year-end top ten lists..." - Real Detroit Weekly
"...miniature blockbusters for the head and heart... earnest, literate and
lonely in all the right spots... the result is transcendent..." - The Daily Herald (Chicago)
"...one of Chicago's most promising and hardest work bands..." - Illinois Entertainer
"...nothing less than blissful... a revolution just might ensue..." - Badger Herald (Madison)
"...I was hooked from the opening organ chords... pure chamber pop bliss..." - Splendid
"...incredibly tight and consistent throughout 13 tracks of pop goodness..." - OnMilwaukee
"...4 Stars... quality music is evident with just one listen..." - The Pitt Times (Pittsburgh)
"...musical diversity, quirkiness and loads of talent fuse into an eclectic 13-song set...
indelibly stylish and hard to pin down..." - Midwest Beat
"...Canasta's broad sonic palette defies pat descriptions...
delightfully askew songwriting..." - INtake (Indianapolis)
"...smart and subtle... never cluttered or convoluted... both Belle & Sebastian and The New Pornographers would be proud to claim it as one of their own..."
- Plague of Angels
"The fact that there's just so much going on that you're still hearing something new
on the fourth listen is really impressive to me... These guys are unsigned by the way,
so to any labels reading this: What are you waiting for?!"
- Skatterbrain.org
"...a brilliant collection of intelligent, compelling, ultra-melodic orchestral-pop songs...
every time I think I have dissected the album from top to bottom
I find something new to love about it..." - Breakthru Radio
"...a delicious find... What's not to love about this band?" - WXPN (Philadelphia)
"Best Songs of '05: Slow Down Chicago - Canasta" - WXRT's "Local Anesthetic" (Chicago)
"...Watch for Canasta to take the indie scene by storm..."
- Villains Always Blink
"...harrowing and beautiful... the best pop band you've never heard of..." - The Stir Online
"...on the cusp of national acclaim... believe the hype..." - songs:illinois
"...one step away from blowing up... label reps, listen to this band, now..." - Gapers Block
"Top Ten Albums of 2006: We Were Set Up - Canasta" - Kwaya Na Kisser
"Number 1 Album of 2006: We Were Set Up - Canasta" - Creekside Review
