Member Since: 11/25/2004
Band Members: Andrew Hartzell
Lee Gianou
Jeff Grabowski
Jim Hanke
Mark Mendygral (2004-2005)
Jasen Kinart (2005-2006)
For our MySpace pages + current projects, please see our top friends list.
Sounds Like: "Meshing indie rock, Bends-era Radiohead, folksy guitars and canyon-wide sing-along choruses... El Oso brandishes a loaded gun. Rating: 4/5" - Aversion.com
"An absolute treasure."- Splendid
"[El Oso is] a band adept at juggling divergent personalities and styles while keeping a keen eye on the final product. Refreshingly, it's all about the songs. And they're damn good."- Dallas Observer
"[One might call it] genre-hopping, but the transitions are so smooth I think genre-sliding is a more appropriate term. Each piece has its charm, sweeping in between shadowy urban-Americana and bright, mid-tempo paced indie rock. El Oso have worked hard to make their music distinct, but by no means have they declared the boundaries of their sound. That indeed, is the sign of a band with good things ahead of them."- Beat the Indie Drum
"If you dig groups like Canyon, Boy’s Life, The Weakerthans and Ben Lee, this’ll be your thing... El Oso is an inspired group to watch out for!"- Indie Workshop
"With conviction in lyrics that bring about imagery comparable to Wilco, [Jim Hanke] has a voice that's real genuine Americana. There are touches of key effects and analog sounding action that really put it over the top."- Kevin Compton, PureVolume.com
Record Label: Contraphonic Music Ltd.
Type of Label: Indie