Swells

From Portland, Oregon, 2002-2012. 

Members/ recorded artists included: Ryan Cross (02-12), Glen Scheidt (02-12), Joel Holly (02-12), Kate O'Brien-Clarke (02-08)Mark Olsen (04-06), Michael Jones (06-07), & Chris Pickolick (09-12) .

Iretsu was a music project based on the writing principles of : improvise/record/arrange/reduce/record/perform.

Their ensemble-generated formula spans genres of pop, world, chamber and electronic, and has been most accurately described as “avant-everything” (St Johns Sentinel). With an arrangement of twice as many instruments as people, Iretsu promises a musical and visual spectacle: “Whether they’re rocking on guitars or glockenspiels, local electro-pop consortium Iretsu truly knows no bounds” – Portland Mercury. 

Iretsu began in a house in the Sellwood district of Portland, Oregon during the spring of 2002, where Ryan (Loch Lomond, 6-minute Heartstop) and Kate (Loch Lomond, Eric Bachmann, Pseudo Six) started forming songs using guitar and cello/violin. Joel (Hurtbird, Y5K), a resident of the house, was intrigued and began collaborating on guitar and bass. Within a year, they found their drummer, Glen Scheidt (Basta, One Last Thing, Knuckle Heads). They recorded and self-produced their 1st self-titled EP on a 4-track in the basement of the Sellwood House. They performed these songs live at benefits and fundraisers, as well as regular shows. Their EP found its way into the art-house scene of Portland and a buzz was quickly generated.
Fueled with a set of new songs, Iretsu recorded Moon & Stars Remain in the Morning Sky in 2004 with recording engineers Rob Oberdorfer (The Standard, Dolorean, Ages & Ages) and Micheal Jones (Jandek live), mastered by Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Malkmus, The Standard). Before they could even promote this record, they were invited to collaborate with the experimental, ensemble-generated theatre troupe Fever Theatre. Iretsu was taken to a retreat center in the Cascade Mountains for a month in the dead of winter to create music for a show based on the life of Leni Riefenstahl. That March they presented 25 performances of Mitlaufer, with Iretsu performing the soundtrack live, which they later recorded that April (unavailable, unreleased)
In 2006, Iretsu was signed to Australian record label Hidden Shoal, which re-released 'Moon & Stars...', then later 'Name our Numbers, Numbers' (ep).
In 2010, Iretsu released it's most critically acclaimed album, 'Fang' (Hidden Shoal records). Fang received heavy rotation on the Australian FM radio stations, but it would be the last mastered Iretsu album to date.
Iretsu dissolved during the recording of their 6th album 'Class under glass' (unreleased). 

Currently all members are still playing music, look them up.

Swells

iretsu