New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Sweet Remains PR) - USA TODAY Praises The Sweet Remains' 'Sumptuous Three-Part Harmonies'
BOSTON HERALD: 'It's been a long time since three-part harmonies this lush were yoked to songs as melodically gorgeous as these'
TIME OUT NY: 'The Sweet Remains ply hushed, smooth folk-pop...'
METROMIX: 'Will remind you of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Van Morrison, Guster or Paul Simon'
'If you have a chance to see these guys live, make sure you do'
Press has been introduced to The Sweet Remains, and they like what they're hearing. In USA TODAY, pop critic Elysa Gardner chose the band's cover of The Police classic 'So Lonely' as a LISTEN UP MUSIC PICK, and praised the band's 'sumptuous three-part harmonies.' TIME OUT NY noted their 'hushed, smooth folk-pop,' THE BOSTON HERALD's Kevin Convey noted 'it's been a long time since three-part harmonies this lush were yoked to songs as melodically gorgeous as these,' and METROMIX said the band 'will remind you of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Van Morrison, Guster or Paul Simon.'
The band is a collaboration between accomplished singer/songwriters Rich Price, Greg Naughton and Brian Chartrand. With three-part harmonies and a distinctive, modern sound, The Sweet Remains deliver an eminently listenable folk-rock debut that finds its home somewhere on the road where Wilco meets CSN. Their CD 'Laurel & Sunset' is available now via iTunes, Amazon and most online outlets, and features songs written by each band member as well as inspired co-writes. TSR has proven that in a time when the music scene is dominated by solo artists and bands driven primarily by one writer and singer, a multi-lead-singer group can sound both familiar and completely fresh.
USA TODAY - THE PLAYLIST: USA TODAY's music critic Elysa Gardner highlights 10 intriguing tracks, new or old, found during the week's listening. 'So Lonely - The Police fave gets a folky makeover, with sumptuous three-part harmonies, on Laurel & Sunset.'
Here's a recent Q&A interview feature from MELODIC:
9/9/09 By Rickard Holmgren
The Sweet Remains is the collaboration of three accomplished singer-songwriters; Rich Price, Greg Naughton, and Brian Chartrand. Melodic.net had some questions for the band, Rich Price answered them. Here are the results.
Hi guys and welcome to Melodic.net. How are things? Rich Price: Thanks! Good to be back with you! Things are great! Were excited to get out on the road and have people hear this record.
Tell us about yourselves, who are you guys? Rich Price: Were the most geographically challenged band around! I just moved to Vermont, Greg is in New York and Brian is in Phoenix. We should get an Apple endorsement, because all our band meetings are video conferences on iChat.
How did you come up with the idea of this trio? Rich Price: Greg and I have been performing together off and on for about six or seven years. As different as our voices are, theres always been a sweet blend there, and wed often talk about how nice it would be hear that third harmony. Brian and I met a few years ago- we were fans of each others songs on myspace- and I reached out to him and suggested we set up some shows together. It was actually a huge leap of faith on both our parts, two strangers setting off in a van together to tour. By the time we got halfway across the country on I-80, I called up Greg and asked if he could meet us for the east coast shows. He met us in Rhode Island, and in some crammed little hotel room in Newport we sang a few tunes, and it was great! We kept dipping our toe into the water, and after a few months, the response we were getting from people, and the fun we were having...we decided we needed to cut a record.
When solo artists form a group together it is always difficult to know, is this dead serious for you or 'just for the fun of it'? Rich Price: Yeah, I think theres always that risk, but we all realized pretty quickly that our blend musically- and personally- is rare. Likewise, you just dont see many multi-writer, multi-singer bands like this anymore. Dont know why. And, as cornball as it sounds, we love the sound we make when we sing together! I think well continue to work on solo stuff, and bring our separate experiences into this band, which is very helpful. But were "dead serious" about seeing how far we can take this.
Tell us a bit about your new album. Rich Price: We recorded this mostly in my apartment in Los Angeles, on the corner of Laurel and Sunset. My wife and baby flew to Virginia to spend a week with my in-laws, and we transformed the apartment into a studio. I think we figured out that we worked 120 hours in seven days. It was grueling but great fun. We added a few overdubs across town with our friend Brian Humphrey, and a few in Vermont with a longtime collaborator, Clint Bierman, but most of it was done during that week. We added four songs that we had cut with Andy Zulla (good friend and producer on two of my solo records) in New York. The album has a very organic feel, a do-it-yourself vibe that we really like, and, I think, somehow were more proud of it because of that.
Who are your main influence(s)? Rich Price: In broad strokes, certainly one influence for the band is Crosby, Stills and Nash. I think the end result is something very different, but as a blue print for a trio of songwriters, singing in three-part harmony, they were a good model. But individually, Id say we share some key influences but gravitate to different ones. For me, its bands like The Beatles, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Greg Brown, Patty Griffin, David Gray, Adam Duritz, Mark Knopfler. Lately, Ive been on a Ron Sexsmith kick.
In your group, what does the song creation process look like? Rich Price: Some are written individually, away from the band, and then get a spit shine from the group. We call that it Sweet Remains-ifying a song. Some of them are true collaborations. Easy, for example, was a tune that Brian and I wrote back and forth. I think the next record will be very much the same. Its fun to write together, but part of what makes this band interesting to me is that we each write in different ways.
What are the main differences when being in a group compared to being a solo artist? Rich Price: The biggest difference is negotiating a set list, or picking the tunes to put on a record. We have a ton of material, and sometimes we have different ideas about which tunes should get our full attention. But, all things considered, were pretty good at navigating through that. As far as performing goes, its been nice to share duties. Its easier on the voice not having to be lead vocalist the whole time
Does this trio mean that you are putting the solo careers on hold, or even abandoning them? Rich Price: Weve thrown ourselves into this trio because its something that feels very natural for us. For me, its a sense of creating something thats greater than the sum of the parts, but well always continue to cultivate our solo careers. We write too many songs to fit on Sweet Remains records.
What strikes me while listening to your album is that the harmonies are gorgeous. Where did you draw inspiration for them? Rich Price: Each of us has a natural ear for harmonies, and they come pretty easily when we sing. In a few places, we definitely thought more about what to sing, something beyond the obvious thirds and fifths. Greg, in particular, will steer us toward a more thoughtful arrangement. All three of us are big music fans, so we have a long list of touchstones to draw inspiration from.
How do you decide who is doing lead and background vocals on each song? Rich Price: In most cases, whoever wrote the line is singing the lead, but in a few spots its whoever sings it best. In a song like Both Your Hands, for example, we thought Greg sang the bridge better than I could. On his tune Dance With Me, once we chose a key that worked for everyone, it made sense for me to sing the lead opening lines. We switch things up from time to time in our live set, which is fun.
What are the plans for the future? Touring? Rich Price: World domination! I feel that we do something unique, that if we get in front of people well make some fans. We have a lot of fun together, and as long as thats true, Im excited to see where we take it.
Thank you for answering the questions. Any final word for out readers? Rich Price: Well, its an interesting time in the music biz. The "machinery" has really fallen apart. I kind of witnessed that during my time at RCA and then Geffen- it was like standing there, watching a train station burn and thinking, how the heck are we going to get anywhere now? Now we know there are a ton of ways, but bands like us depend more than ever on fans spreading the word. So, whether its us or some other band you like, shout it from the roof tops! Check us out at sweetremains.com!
MELODIC - CD REVIEW
3� Stars - 8/09, By Rickard Holmgren
'The harmonies are simply gorgeous!'
The Sweet Remains is a trio consisting of Rich Price, Greg Naughton and Brian Chartrand, all with their own solo careers as well. Together however they have released their debut album and is currently on tour. The album is filled with folk-rock music. What lifts this above your average album in this genre is the vocal contribution; the harmonies are simply gorgeous! All three singers complement each other superbly. First out is the song "Dance with Me" is a great example of how the harmonies work on this album. It is a beautiful song. The tempo of the album is varied and nice, slower songs are mixed with more up-tempo ones. Other highlights of the album are "Easy", "Love Song" and the closing track "Winslow's Lullaby". What is also a nice thing is that even though each individual singer has brought songs to the table it still sounds like an album made by the group. They manage to find a sound that really fits all three of them. The album also contains a cover of the Police's "So Lonely". Each singer gets his chance to shine, but as mentioned before, it is the combined vocal contribution that really lifts this album high. If you like beautiful vocals in your music this should be a solid purchase. Fans of Crosby Stills and Nash should also like this and also fans of the Fleet Foxes to make a more current comparison. Solid songs, great vocals. If you have a chance to see these guys live, make sure you do.The Sweet Remains deserves attention!
The band has been on tour in recent weeks, and local press has embraced them as well, with the Burlington Free Press describing them as a 'rootsy-rock band' and The Norwalk Hour praising the trio as they 'harmonize their way through some incredible tunes.' Here's a sampling of recent coverage from the road:
Norwalk Hour
The Sweet Remains plan a hometown show with special guests
09/17/2009 By KEITH LORIA
For those coming to see folk-pop trio The Sweet Remains at the Fairfield Theatre on Sept. 20, they are in for a real treat. Not just because Weston-native Greg Naughton, Rich Price and Brian Chartrand harmonize their way through some incredible tunes, but because the hometown show will feature plenty of notable guests (who just happen to be family).
The all-star roster includes Broadway star James Naughton, three-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara and actress Keira Naughton (Greg's dad, wife and sister), all taking part on stage in the show.
'We had never really played in Fairfield County until a show in 2007, which was a similar setup and so much fun that we decided to do it again. We had so many family and friend performers in the area as special guests and worked them into special songs," Naughton says. "The first half of the show will be mostly the Sweet Remains and then we'll take a short break and open up the second set with covers and include our special guests."
Not that on their own, the Sweet Remains aren't a show worth seeing. Originally the three band mates toured together as three solo acts (working under the name RGB) and would back each other up on stage as needed. But they soon realized that combining to make three-part harmony, with a modern sound, was something worth singing about.
"Rich had this idea for the three of us to start playing together and very quickly we realized we had something that we all really liked," Naughton says. "I love music and the collaborative part. I missed that when I was a solo artist, but these guys are kindred spirits and buddies and we can travel together and have a blast."
Their first CD "Laurel & Sunset" features songs written by each of the three and highlight the trademark harmonies that the Sweet Remains are now known for. Naughton knows that their sound is something out of a past decade, but thinks that's what makes the band special.
"It's interesting because older audiences have a reference point for it and they love it. I think a lot of younger audience to the extent never got tapped into Crosby Stills and Nash or the Eagles, so to them it's a new amazing surprising thing," Naughton says. "I have always lamented that there weren't bands like that and I'm kind of psyched to be a part of one. That's kind of one of the cool things to the band in general. Either way, people are excited about it and it's new and that doesn't happen much anymore."
Considering the house he grew up in, it's no surprise that he was driven to music and performing.
"I don't think there was any other thing for me. There were other interests and I did things to pay the bills over the years, but my passion has always been in the arts," he says. "It did begin in theatre."
Naughton was a founder of Off-Broadway's Blue Light Theater Co., where he served as artistic director for six seasons and 16 productions, including the Obie-Winning productions "Oedipus," starring Frances McDormand and Billy Crudup, and "Waiting for Lefty," directed by Joanne Woodward with Marisa Tomei.
He also acted and through the years, he has had ample opportunity to perform with his dad as well.
"I did something with my father and we ended up singing at the White House for the Clintons once," he says. "We kind of have a rep for doing things together and his voice is bass and mine is tenor so we can do a lot of great stuff that way."
Expect another duet at the show in Fairfield.
"I am really looking forward to it and it should be a great time," he says. "Between my sister and wife...these are the kind of things that make doing a hometown show so fun."
Westport News -
Sweet reunion for Naughton family
By Alison Walkley 9/18/09
Fairfield County's own folk-rock band, The Sweet Remains, made up of locals Greg Naughton, Rich Price and Brian Chartrand, will be playing Fairfield Theatre Company's Stage One on Sept. 20. What makes this show special is the list of guests that will be joining the band on stage: James Naughton, Keira Naughton, Kelli O'Hara, Robin Batteau and Chris Davis. The band began five years ago when Greg Naughton and Price collaborated on Price's 2004 Geffen Records debut, which in turn spawned the single "I'm On My Way," featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack. Naughton has garnered success in his own right, playing venues nationwide and releasing his independent CD Demagogue & the Sun Songs, co-produced by Grammy-winner Phoebe Snow. In addition to his musical career, Naughton is also an actor and founder of Off-Broadway's Blue Light Theater Co. in New York City. Chartrand came to the duo as a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who was the front man of Phoenix, Ariz.'s Ten Dollar Outfit. Several late-night jam sessions later, the trio discovered a blend of sound that would become The Sweet Remains (TSR).
TSR sold out its 2007 show at Westport's Seabury Center when the guys were known as RGB - Rich, Greg and Brian. "RGB" was used as a working band name when the three members first came together, according to Naughton.
"It took a while to hit on a name we all liked, but loved 'The Sweet Remains' when we hit on it, and miraculously the only other Sweet Remains seemed to be a heavy metal band in Norway," he said.
Naughton hails from Weston, where he honed is music and acting talent under the tutelage of his parents, Pam and James. His father is a two-time Tony Award-winner who bestowed his craft not only upon Greg, but his sister Keira, now an actor, as well. Greg Naughton's wife, O'Hara, is also an actor and singer who has been nominated three times for Tony Awards and is now starring on Broadway in South Pacific. The family will additionally be backed by Westport's Batteau, of the recording act Buskin and Batteau, as well as Redding's Davis.
Now back east on tour, TSR had to make a stop in the region where the bandmates grew up.
"What's not to like about a hometown show?" Greg Naughton posed. "Our 2007 show was really the first time I've played my home turf since the high school garage bands back in the day - all three of them with Chris Coogan, still Weston's most prolific and ubiquitous pianist - and I didn't know what to expect. "� So it was a really fun surprise to see who got the word and came out. "� But the best part is, I know a great many terrific musicians and performers there, so we've shamed them into being special guests for this show and we're going to exploit their talents and fine reputations to amuse ourselves - and hopefully the audience."
The rest of the family was excited for the opportunity to perform together.
"There is nothing that's more fun," James Naughton said. "Greg and I started at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Cabarets they did there in the 80s. He was 16 or so. Then, a few years later, Keira joined us on stage there. I invited Greg to join me on a song when I was performing on a TV show we did from the White House during the Clinton administration, and Keira invited me to perform with her band, The Petersons, at Joe's Pub a couple of times. If you are a singing family, nothing beats singing with your family. Sunday we'll do some of the songs we did back when."
He added, "Also, Buskin and Batteau are old friends with whom we've all made music for 20 years. Dave Buskin and I actually sang in a group together when we were at Brown, and Robin Batteau and I have worked together with Paul Newman at the Hole in the Wall Gang camp galas for two decades."
Keira said she wished the family would perform together more often.
She explained, "The one night that Dad, Greg and I performed in the American Songbook Series/Jazz at Lincoln Center was a blast. I was opening in a new play off-Broadway the next night and had a pinched nerve in my neck and it was an entirely new show, but after the first song, I remember Dad started singing "Harvest Moon," (one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite songwriters, which I had asked him to sing), the lighting guy at the Allen Room painted the stage in moonlight, Greg and I were singing back-up and suddenly, all the stress of the week melted away and we started to have fun. I completely forgot about the pinched nerve in my neck."
She said that between her father's cabarets, Greg's band and her own "faux-family rock band," The Petersons, they're normally focusing on different types of music, yet their deep appreciation for each other's talents lets them bring their different sounds together.
"These are three totally different styles of music. We only recently began putting all three together in one show and it works. It's a family: everyone has his or her particular voice. But we all enjoy each other's music and have so much fun together. So, audiences usually can't help but have fun, too," Keira said.
TSR has also found harmony together, and since 2007, it has started to take itself more seriously.
"It just took a little bit of touring together before I think we all realized the blend - musically and personally - was rare and really gratifying on many levels," Greg recalled. "Likewise, the reaction from audiences really encouraged us. Despite "� all those great bands that used to have multiple writers and singers collaborating, we're really something of a rarity on the music scene these days. But it seems to be a fresh and compelling thing to people."
TSR has fans from all age groups - from younger audiences who, as Greg put it, "think we're completely unique," to older audiences "who come up to us and say, 'Thank you, why are there no bands like this anymore?'"
Last year, TSR took this encouragement into the studio to record what is now its debut CD, Laurel & Sunset. "We spent one week "� holed up in Rich's apartment on Laurel and Sunset [in Los Angeles, California] and nearly all of the main tracks and vocals for the album were done that week. We were hoping to get a few songs tracked, but it was a creative explosion that really surprised and excited all three of us."
At Sunday's show, Naughton reported that audiences could expect to hear songs from Laurel & Sunset, with additions from the all-star guests on the ticket.
"About halfway through the set, we're going to take a hard right turn and really run off the grid with some new tunes and covers we're working up just for this show, which will bring a bunch of the guests together - lots of harmony, a little rock 'n' roll history - and hopefully some good clean fun," Greg said.
Following this leg of the tour, TSR will head back to the studio next month to start on their second CD, only to hit the road again for the remainder of 2009.
THE CONNECTICUT POST
By Joe Meyers 9/20/09
Musician and actor Greg Naughton is winding up the national tour of his band 'The Sweet Remains' with a show at the Fairfield Theatre Company Sunday night. It's a homecoming for the Weston native and he will be celebrating this local appearance with a special show that will include his two-time Tony-winning father James Naughton, his actress sister Keira Naughton and Greg's wife, Kelli O'Hara, who has three Tony nominations to her credit (the most recent of which was for the hit Lincoln Center revival of 'South Pacific'). For Greg what began as a 'fun side project' with two musician friends - Rich Price and Brian Chartrand - has turned into a top priority that has included the recently released debut CD 'Laurel & Sunset' and the tour that will end Monday in New York City. 'It really was just a case of three solo artists coming together in the beginning (to jam). We were all surprised by how much we liked it,' he said, adding that at first the trio came up with the rather generic band name of RGB.'Nobody thought too much of that name,' Naughton said, with a laugh, during a recent phone interview. 'So we looked for a better name...We spent so much time on that. Fortunately, everyone liked 'The Sweet Remains' right away.' Fans shouldn't look for too much meaning in the name - it's not designed to be a classic rock conversation starter like Three Dog Night or Steely Dan - but Naughton said it does tie in with the ephemeral nature of the music industry these days. '(The business) is in the ashes right now, before the Phoenix hopefully rises again,' Naughton said, with a chuckle, of the current chaotic atmosphere in which CD sales have plunged. long-term contracts have vanished and artists are expected to take charge of nearly every aspect of their careers. Naughton started as a solo artist, but is enjoying the collaborative nature of being in a band of equals. 'It's so much nicer to share the burden,' he said. 'When you work solo, you go play some place and then you're sitting in your hotel room by yourself...The three of us together have fun.' The performer sees both the glass-half-full and glass-half-empty aspects of the contemporary music scene. 'The upside is that it's not up to other people to make the decisions. It can make it easier because things are more direct now. The downside is, Who pays for the tour support when you don't have the money for it? Obviously, somehow this all has to be resolved because people will always want to listen to music.'Naughton hasn't turned his back entirely on acting. He has a role as a street musician in a new independent film, 'Clear Blue Tuesday,' but one of the lures of that role was that the performer was able to write the songs for his character.'When I got out of school I went at theater full bore,' he recalled, adding that he enjoyed starting the Blue Light Theatre Co. off-Broadway where he served as artistic director for six seasons.'It went well, but was a mixed blessing. Ultimately, I didn't want to spend all of my time raising money,' he said of running a theater company, adding that he is glad he got out of that end of the business before the current financial crisis hit the non-profit arts community.Naughton was looking forward to adding his wife and dad and sister to the musical mix Sunday night.'My family and I have a long history of performing together,' he said, noting that he would be taking part in the cabaret shows his wife is doing at the Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan this month.The plan for Sunday night is a long first set in which The Sweet Remains will perform songs from the new CD, as well as tunes by such musical influences as Crosby Stills & Nash (some reviewers have called the style of The Sweet Remains a cross between CS&N and Wilco).In the second half, Naughton will talk a little bit about his family and the widely varied music that has meant a lot to them, with each member contributing a tune or two to the show.
More About The Sweet Remains:
Rich Price and Greg Naughton first started collaborating as they wrote songs for Price's 2004 Geffen Records debut - a CD that spawned the single "I'm On My Way", featured on the multi-platinum Shrek 2 soundtrack. Price (Burlington, VT) has released two other solo albums and written music for many high-profile film and television projects, including MTV's "Real World" last year - which lead to him becoming the most-viewed "MySpace" artist that particular month. Hailed by Performing Songwriter Magazine as "a magnetic writer and performer", Naughton (NYC) has played his music all across this country in venues ranging from New Orleans' grittiest clubs to the east room of The White House. His acclaimed indie debut 'Demogogue & the Sun Songs' was co-produced by Grammy-winner Phoebe Snow. Chartrand's journeys as a talented singer-songwriter and instrumentalist have taken him from Northampton, MA, where he grew up, to an unlikely home-base in Phoenix, AZ - where he has emerged as something of a poster-boy for Phoenix's music scene. As a solo-artist and frontman of underground Phoenix heroes 'Ten Dollar Outfit', Brian has released numerous CDs and was recently praised by The Phoenix New Times as "a cross between Nick Drake, Dave Matthews and Radiohead's Thom Yorke." The trio has been winning fans across the country since 2007, headlining venues ranging from L.A.'s "Hotel Cafe" to Austin's SXSW to New York's "Joe's Pub". 'Laurel & Sunset' marks their debut full-length CD.
The band came together by happenstance: After a chance jam-session brought these three artists together, they were so inspired by the sound and kinship they discovered that they began recording songs together at Rich's Los Angeles apartment on the corner of Laurel and Sunset (hence the CD name). Producer-mixer, Andy Zulla (Kelly Clarkson, Rod Stewart, etc) heard the tracks and dug it so much he came on board to help mix and produce several songs.
A November Tour will be announced soon.
