Transplants by The Comforters

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- lonesomemusic

The Comforters - Pia and Jason Robbins - live in Eugene, Oregon with their dog, Walrus. The husband/wife duo write warm and inviting songs that evoke the rich story telling and pop sensibilities of artists like Aimee Mann and The Cowboy Junkies.

The Comforters draw from a wellspring of influences, but cite the three B’s as their foundation: Beatles, Bergman, Bacharach. Jason explains, “The Beatles, I don’t think I really need to say anything else, do I? With Bergman, it’s the pace, the shadows, the internal life, the close up as the tip of the iceberg. Bacharach, well, we feel quite free to use major 7th chords whenever we darn well feel like it, thank you very much!

But really, it comes down to the fact that we write songs that we want to hear, about things that interest us, songs that may well evolve into cinematic-style productions, but can hold their own when played with just a piano or guitar."

Pia sums up The Comforters’s songwriting atmosphere: “A piano, an acoustic guitar, and lots of trees.” “Yeah, there’s definitely something about the pacific northwest,” adds Jason, “that really lends itself to creativity …it’s a very liberating setting.”

The Comforters recorded Transplants at their own Big Timbre Studio in Eugene. Jason has engineered and produced records by artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Pete Anderson, Michelle Shocked, Curt Kirkwood.

“We worked hard on crafting a record that has a unified sound”, says Jason, “even if we wander around stylistically. With Pia – you know, she has such a beautiful voice that communicates so much, that it’s just painting around that with sounds and textures.” The irony is that, while on the surface there is an air of tranquility and endless calm to the album, the songs reveal an unsettling dead-calm that is the backdrop to affairs, depression, heartbreak, alienation and yes, some negative things as well.

The Comforters have quickly found ears tuned to the bittersweet in life. Their songs are receiving airplay on several radio programs across the U.S and in Europe.

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