Biography
Golden Bloom multi-instrumentalist and frontman, Shawn Fogel, tests the dichotomy between hope and fear, bright energetic melodies shadowing the questions pervading society. A state of cause and effect, the upcoming album, Fan the Flames explores the exploitation of peoples’ fears which lead to that spark of passion to make a difference. “Most of the songs I’ve written in the past stemmed from personal relationships and existed very much in my head,” says Fogel. “These new songs are different - they come from a frustrated optimism, or an optimistic frustration. They're less about what's going on in my head and more about what's going on in our country and our planet.”
"Shawn's humble approach and tasteful songwriting almost make you forget about his incredible musicianship,” says Guster’s Adam Gardner, “which is exactly the way it should be.” And what musicianship it is: Fogel played all the instruments on Fan the Flames – piano, bass guitar, tenor sax, keyboards, harmonica, and drums – with his usual precision and passion.
In January 2009 SPIN Magazine designated Golden Bloom as one of "8 undiscovered bands worth a listen” while stating that “’Doomsday Devices’ feels like a great b-side from the Summerteeth era.” The single off the upcoming full-length release, Fan the Flames, due out August 18, 2009 was recorded with Ryan Ball at The Gearbox and produced by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Mates of State). Selecting an unorthodox approach, Fogel then went on to work with producers’ Roger Greenawalt (Ben Kweller), and Dylan Magierek (Mark Kozelek) to lend an ear to the pop-centric melodies. Fogel explains his reason for working with several producers, “A great album is only as good as the sum of its parts, so I like to focus on one song at a time rather than thinking about the album as a whole until it's pretty much done. In the end, each song was well suited to the individual producer's style and influence. Peter, Dylan, Roger and Ryan each added their own strength and creativity to create a collection of songs that are both varied and cohesive.”
Fogel’s most recent solo EP, One Day in the Desert, garnered distribution through recordhead (former label home of Guided by Voices’ Robert Pollard). Collecting accolades for its Americana homage and power-pop sensibilities, WXPN’s Bruce Warren praised “Fogel manages to offer a fresh take on ye olde tradition of sensitive power pop.”
Sharing the stage with Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide, Pela and Bobby Bare Jr. among others, the live collective of sorts features an ever changing line up that guarantees no two shows will be identical. Core members include Deleon frontman Dan Saks, Ryan Ball, bassist for famed Pink Floyd tribute band the Machine, Brooklyn guitar ace Jeff Patlingrao, Guster sideman Josh Cohen, and music journalist Michael Azerrad. “Shawn can play any instrument as well as anyone else in the band, which tends to keep the rest of us at the top of our game,” says Azerrad. “And his songs are so good because they come straight from his good-natured heart –
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