About

Some bands sweat over creating an effortless musical chemistry that will translate seamlessly on to the stage and in the studio. Others find the pieces falling easily and comfortably into place, and you can hear that ease and comfort in every note they play.

“Our band formed really serendipitously,” says Sunbeam guitarist/vocalist Brian Hall. Brian wanted to stop taking himself so seriously. He decided to start a group that was more community focused. Weeks later he found himself rehearsing with his wife and friends. The chemistry was just perfect. What poured out of these six individuals is easygoing folk pop that just barely hides the deep wells of lyrical loss and joy.

The band – Brian Hall (guitars/vocals), his wife Amy (percussion/vocals), Liz Palmer (keyboards/vocals), Charlie Morris (guitars/vocals), Adam Souza (bass/vocals), and Jon Collins (drums) – has been bringing this warm, familial sound to clubs and theaters around their home base of Portland, including the Crystal Ballroom, the Doug Fir Lounge, The Woods, and the Laurelthirst alongside friends and collaborators like Nick Jaina, Norman, Mike Coykendall (She & Him, M. Ward), and The Parson Red Heads.

But now the band is ready to let the rest of the world in on what Portland already knows with the release of their first LP Sunbeam & the Lovely Ghost.

This self-released album is an intimate epic. You’ll be drawn in by the delicate musicianship and arrangements, and rhapsodic vocals, but ensnared by the big ideas woven into the fabric of these songs. In Brian’s words, it’s “an album about love and estrangement and forgiveness and hope.”

That is to say, there is something in these songs that we all can relate to. These are the universal subjects that we humans struggle with every day. Sunbeam follows the thread of life’s journey, taking you from the shuffling cadence of songs like “Honey” and “Let It Go” to the full-throated, arms spread wide bliss of “The Garden”.

It’s an intelligent, literate album, created by an equally intelligent and literate band, crafted with love and surprising ease. And it’s only the beginning for Sunbeam. There’s much more in store for this Portland gem and you won’t want to miss a moment of it.

Sunbeam released their debut album, Sunbeam & the Lovely Ghost, in August 2011.

Connect with Sunbeam:

+ Contact: amy@sunbeamband.com