The Native Sibling released  their full-length debut, Letters Kept To Ourselves, in June of 2014. They received iTunes "Best Singer/Songwriter albums of 2014" and "New and Notable" on NoiseTrade.

It’s a cliché that often you must travel the furthest distance only to discover what was right under your nose all along. Yet this was precisely the experience of Ryan and Kaylee Williams, who together form the Santa Cruz brother-sister duo, The Native Sibling.

A couple of years ago, Kaylee was exploring a scholastic pursuit in a quaint town in rural Ireland. Already an accomplished singer, she found herself quickly assimilating with local musicians and singing traditional acoustic folk music at local pubs. Ryan, taking a break from his normal grind as a touring and session guitar player, came for a visit not knowing what to expect from new and unfamiliar territory.

These two siblings had clearly missed one another, and needed an outlet to rekindle their closeness. What happened next was a spontaneous flurry of songwriting that neither had anticipated. Inspired by their new surroundings, they spent many late nights crafting songs and discovering how seamlessly their voices harmonized into a singular sound and vision. “When I came to visit, it was the first time we had ever performed together. The foreign and musical environment sparked our curiosity to play a few songs together at a pub. It felt as if we had been singing for years,” said Ryan.

It was obvious to both that they should continue making music together, so they brainstormed a fitting moniker. “Ryan and I had finally met in a place where we wanted to make the same kind of music. The response assured us that our journey needed to continue as a combined effort,” said Kaylee.

Growing up beside the inspiring backdrop of the Santa Cruz mountains, Ryan and Kaylee shared a childhood blessed by a nurturing family, but also marred by the tragedy of their mother’s death just five years ago. They credit her for instilling in them a passionate spirit and a love of music. 

After releasing their first EP, recorded by a close friend in Santa Monica, the duo toured up and down the coast, which served to tighten their bond and hone their abilities. In an effort to build upon their momentum, they started a Kickstarter campaign and sought out New York producer Daniel Mendez (Noah Gundersen, Dashboard Confessional, Heart) to make their first full-length album. Ryan and Kaylee took a leap of faith and holed up at Mendez’ Brooklyn studio for a full two months. Fortunately, it was the precise chemistry they had been looking for. As Ryan explains, "Daniel listened to what we do naturally, found the best parts and brought them to the forefront of this album. He gave us the perspective to realize what we are capable of creating. I'll never forget him saying, ‘If I do my job right, nobody will know I was even here.’”



From the onset, Liam McCormick, the mastermind behind The Family Crest, knew that Beneath the Brine was an audacious project. But so is The Family Crest itself.

The brainchild of McCormick, The Family Crest was started as a recording project in 2009 with co-founder John Seeterlin (bass). “We were in another band and had become disillusioned,” explains McCormick. “John and I were actually planning on leaving music at that point because we wanted something that in ten years we could be proud of.”

Instead of leaving music, they set out to reinvent how it could be created, starting The Family Crest. “We always liked making music with people — getting a bunch of people together and singing. So we put ads everywhere,” says McCormick. “We posted on Craigslist and emailed old friends from school.” The outcome was greater than the original duo imagined, with 80 people credited on the first recording the band produced. From that a band emerged, at the urging of the guest musicians, who wanted to hear the songs performed live. “We’ve worked with a lot of conservatory students as well as people who just sing in the shower,” McCormick adds. “It became a lot about giving these people a chance to express themselves without being locked into a commitment.”

The result is a seven-piece core band boasting over 400 “Extended Family” members who have contributed to the music.  The Family Crest released its album Beneath the Brine in February 2014 and, just with its previous recordings, the San Francisco band set out to capture a plethora of instruments — including bassoon, vibraphone and French horn — in unique places, such as living rooms, churches and cafes across the West Coast.

Beneath the Brine shows that McCormick’s ambition was well placed. The expansive breadth of arrangements – from dark, classical romanticism (“Beneath the Brine”) to horn-laden sounds akin to the Roaring 20s (“Howl”) — are complemented by the incredible range of McCormick’s voice. Beneath the Brine also showcases The Family Crest’s ability to infuse pop into complex arrangements, with songs like “Love Don’t Go” and LIVE105 favorite “The World.” The album is a sweeping soundscape befitting the oceanic theme of the title and what SPIN notes as “ambition wide enough to swallow you whole.”

Named #13 on Paste‘s “Best New Bands of 2014″ list and proclaimed NPR Music’s “Favorite New Artist of 2014,” The Family Crest is looking ahead to its next set of audacious projects. Paste founder Josh Jackson notes that “Even with just seven people on stage, The Family Crest’s sweeping orchestral pop can hardly be contained…. It feels like bigger venues are just around the bend.”

Deep Sea Diver is Jessica Dobson::Peter Mansen::Elliot Jackson

Buy our new album at www.thedeepseadiver.bandcamp.com

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