San Diego, CA. (Top40 Charts/ SideBMusic) - After a seven-year hiatus, Chewy Marble is releasing their much-anticipated third album, called Modulations. The new CD marks several firsts for the band, including some lead vocals by front-man Brian Kassan, a couple of instrumental tracks and a guest appearance by Brian Wilson's percussionist,
Nelson Bragg.
Brian Kassan, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter from Los Angeles, formed Chewy Marble in 1995 as a vehicle for his growing catalog of unrecorded material after a three-year stint as co-founder, bassist, session guitarist and co-songwriter/producer for the Wondermints, who would later become part of the lineup in Brian Wilson's touring and recording band. Joining Kassan were college friend, guitarist and lead vocalist Stuart Forman; bassist Derrick Anderson; and drummer Tammy Glover, who has since gone on to fame as the touring drummer/percussionist with Sparks.
1997 saw the release of Chewy Marble's critically acclaimed self-titled debut on Permanent Press Recordings in the U.S. and on Nippon Columbia in Japan. In 2001, their sophomore effort Bowl of Surreal was released on the band's own Furry Sidekick Recordings in the U.S. and on Philter Records in Japan. The band wowed crowds at many an International Pop Overthrow festival in Los Angeles as well as Poptopia, an early version of IPO. Kassan was also a member of David Ponak's Mello Cads, performing with them around Los Angeles as the keyboardist. Kassan has since appeared with such luminaries as the Liquor Giants, Maple Mars, and now with Jim Bacchi of Fuzzbubble fame's new surf/exotica combo, the Tikiyaki Orchestra.
Over the next six years, Kassan wrote songs for Modulations. Brian enlisted the talents of several friends/musicians/engineers/co-producers, including guitarist Don Mogill of the Don's; drummer Jim Laspesa; drummer/percussionist/singer/songwriter Nelson Bragg of Brian's Wilson's touring band; vocals and co-production/engineering/mixing from Rick Hromadka of Maple Mars; mixing assistance from Cloud Eleven's Rick Gallego; engineering/mixing and co-production from multi-instrumentalist Ken Lee of Eleven Shadows and Nectarphonic; and co-production/engineering and mixing from Steve Refling (who has produced Adam Marsland, Nelson Bragg, The Negro Problem and Martin Luther Lennon).
With the nucleus of the band remaining as Brian, Stu and Derrick, Modulations was recorded over a period of time where Kassan saw many profound changes in his life, which are reflected in some of the introspective tracks on the album, most notably where Kassan takes lead vocals on several songs for the first time in the band's history.
Kassan's more personal, introspective tunes take a turn or 'modulate' from these Zombies/Jellyfish/Turtles/Squeeze/Fountains Of Wayne influenced tunes to the darker songs reminiscent of such artists as Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett, The Flaming Lips, Elliot Smith, and The Beatles' White Album period. Also notable are the inclusion of two instrumental tracks, another first on a Chewy Marble recording.
The band signed with SideBMusic (Nelson Bragg's label) in the winter of 2008 and Modulations was released in May 2008.
