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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Smoosh| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Seattle , Washington (U.S. state)|Washington , USA| genre = Independent music|Indie , Pop music|Pop , Rock music|Rock | years_active = 2000–present| label = Barsuk Records , Pattern 25| associated_acts =| website = http://www.smoosh.com/ smoosh.com| current_members = Chloe (original member) Asy (Asya, original member) Maia (joined 2007)| past_members =| notable_instruments = Smoosh is an American indie pop band from Seattle, Washington . They have released three albums, She Like Electric , Free to Stay and Withershins (album)|Withershins , all of which were written and performed by singer/keyboardist Asya (preferred name Asy, born February 2, 1992) and her sister, drummer Chloe (born March 5, 1994). Their younger sister Maia (born September 5, 1996) joined the band in early 2007.imaginary liz, http://www.threeimaginarygirls.com/node/5111 Meet Smoosh's Bass Player!, Three Imaginary Girls , May 24, 2007.
At the time of their first album, She Like Electric , released on September 21, 2004, Asy was 12 years old and Chloe was 10. All of their songs are originals with both music and lyrics written by the girls themselves. Maia, then not in the band, provided the cover artwork for both that album and their next, Free to Stay .
They live with their father Mike, a medical researcher, their mother Maria, a pediatrician of Swedish descent, and their younger sister Scout. They do not give out their last name to interviewers. Asy, Chloe and Maia are all vegetarians.Lisa Heyamoto, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2002164249_smoosh29.html Tweenage band Smoosh rocks Seattle scene, January 30, 2005. Accessed 12 April 2006.Marc Hirsh, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/06/14/novelty_think_again/ Novelty? Think again, The Boston Globe , June 14, 2006. Accessed 19 November 2006. They are, to some extent, protégées of Chloe's drum teacher, Jason McGerr , who is now the drummer of Death Cab for Cutie . Almond, Steve: http://www.believermag.com/issues/200506/interview_smoosh.php "Smoosh" (interview), The Believer (magazine)|The Believer http://www.believermag.com/issues/200506/ June 2005. Accessed online 13 November 2006.
Biography
Quote box| quote = "There's this band Smash Mouth|Smashmouth , and we liked how that sounded, so we came up with Smoosh. We just liked the sound of the word. But we pronounced it Smush rhymes with bush. Then people started saying it Smoosh, with the ooo sound. So it became Smoooosh. " | source = Asya on the band name's origin in a 2005 interview.Steve Almond interview, (brackets in original) | width = 35% | align = right Smoosh started in 2000 when the family was at a Seattle music store The Trading Musician , standing in line to restring a violin. Asy and Chloe wandered into the drum section of the store, where Chloe met Jason McGerr ; the family eventually left with a $600 drum kit for Chloe, McGerr's card from the Seattle Drum School , "and no violin." http://www.pattern25.com/bands/smoosh.shtml Smoosh, Pattern 25 Records. Accessed 16 November 2006. When McGerr learned that Asy had been playing the piano and writing songs since she was very young, he offered to help them both. Neither Asy nor Chloe read music, then.Alexander Lauence, http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/2005/02/an_interview_wi_1.html An Interview with Indie Sensation, Smoosh, Free Williamsburg , February 18, 2005. Accessed 11 December 2006. Asy had then had some formal piano training but soon quit because it was "boring".
In 2000, Smoosh released Tomato Mistakes & nbsp;– a two-track single (music)|single that, for a long time, was mailed free of charge to anyone who wanted it. Four years later, in September 2004, She Like Electric , Smoosh's LP record|full-length debut was released under Pattern 25 Records.
By the time Smoosh released their second LP, on June 6, 2006, titled Free to Stay , they were picked up by Seattle-based independent record label|indie label Barsuk Records . Its third and title track, "Free to Stay", was an early song featured on Tomato Mistakes . Asy also plays guitar on the track 'Waiting for Something' off Free to Stay . The second album also features the song "Find A Way" which Smoosh performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on July 12, 2006, marking their first performance on late night TV.Performance on YouTube http://youtube.com/watch? v=pfdQoTdazq4 As they toured with the Eels (band)|Eels as part of a world tour in mid-2006, they are also featured on the California -based band's live DVD/CD Live and in Person& #33; London 2006 .
On August 5, 2007, Smoosh performed at Lollapalooza 2007 at Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park . Their set included a cover of " This Modern Love " by Bloc Party , who they would later tour with that same year in September. Earlier that year, they also performed a headlining spring tour on the East Coast of the United States|east coast with The Postmarks.
The band plays "Pajama Party Time" on Yo Gabba Gabba& #33; episode 5 originally aired August 27. 2007.
Critics have generally compared their sound to that of Tori Amos and PJ Harvey , and have been almost uniformly impressed with the quality of the material coming from such young writers and performers.Douglas Wolk, http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0439/040929_music_smallmouth.php Discovering the Dream, Seattle Weekly , September 29, 2004. Accessed 12 April 2006.Anuj Desai, http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/catpower/articles/story/6795003/preteen_smoosh_are_rad? rnd=1144800640630& has-player=true& version=6.0.12.1465 Pre-Teen Smoosh Are "Rad", Rolling Stone , December 28, 2004. Accessed 12 April 2006. They have opened for many leading Pacific Northwest bands including Pearl Jam , Death Cab for Cutie , Sleater-Kinney , and the The Presidents of the United States of America (band)|Presidents of the United States of America , as well as for other acts such as Mates of State , Jimmy Eat World , Cat Power (who also covered their song, 'Rad'), Nada Surf , Sufjan Stevens and The Go& #33; Team . Asy collaborated with Seattle indie band Head Like a Kite to create the songs "Noisy at the Circus" (which can be found on Head Like a Kite's first album Random Portraits of the Home Movie ), "Daydream Vacation" (which can be found on their second album There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere ), and "Let's Start It All Again" (which can be found on their album Dreams Suspend Night , and also available via the KEXP Song of the Day website http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2010/05/14/song-of-the-day-head-like-a-kite-%E2%80%93-let%E2%80%99s-start-it-all-again-extreme-interview/). The girls have also been performing a cover of "Flyswatter" by The Eels, in which Maia plays glockenspiel. Asy also lends her voice to the soundtrack of the musical film God Help the Girl created by Stuart Murdoch (musician)|Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian , where she sings on the songs "I Just Want Your Jeans" and "A Down and Dusky Blonde". She also provided the vocals on the song "I Fell for the Fall" by Swedish band Karma Tree.
In June 2010, Smoosh released their much anticipated third album, Withershins (album)|Withershins (previously titled The World's Not Bad). In early summer of 2012, they will release a 4-song EP, title yet to be known.
Members
Asy (Asya)& nbsp;– Lead vocalist|lead Singing|vocals , Keyboard instrument|keyboards
Chloe& nbsp;– vocals, Drum kit|drums , percussion
Maia& nbsp;– vocals, bass guitar , harpejji
Discography
Tomato Mistakes (2000)
Free to Stay EP (2002)
She Like Electric (2004)
Free to Stay (2006)
Live and in Person& #33; London 2006 ( Eels (band)|Eels CD and DVD; Smoosh plays on three tracks)
Withershins (album)|Withershins (2010)
Gallery
Notes
McLean, Craig: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,27869-2208384.html "Too Much Too Young? ", The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times , June 11, 2006
Nelson, Sean: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content? oid=18879 "This Is the Band". The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger , July 22, 2004. Band profile
http://faculty.washington.edu/kendo/smoosh.html Smoosh page maintained by University of Washington librarian Tom Bolling, very extensive set of links to newspaper stories.
http://portable-infinite.blogspot.com/2005/02/alexander-gets-rad-with-smoosh.html Interview by Alexander Laurence
http://www.barsuk.com/bands/smoosh/ Smoosh on Barsuk Records
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=91054554 Smoosh Raises the Lights with 'Dark Shine' / Sister Band Smoosh Rocks Kids-at-Work Day, National Public Radio. Two NPR pieces on Smoosh.
http://www.smooshnotes.webs.com/ Smoosh Notes A Database of Smoosh information, ranging from articles and media to graphics and fanart.
http://smoosh-links.webs.com/ Smoosh-Links-Archive of Smoosh related links: interviews, bios, videos, etc.
Category:Child musical groups Category:All-female bands Category:American child singers Category:American indie rock groups Category:American vegetarians Category:Musical groups established in 2000 Category:Musical groups from Seattle, Washington Category:Sibling musical trios Category:Sibling musical duos Category:Alternative rock groups from Washington (state)
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