Barcelona is a band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2006. On December 18, 2008, the band announced that they had been signed to the major label Universal Records. The band's songs are harmonious and piano-based with elements of rock. Formed in 2005, the band cites U2, Coldplay, Copeland, Death Cab for Cutie and Lovedrug as its influences. Barcelona released a debut album, Absolutes, in September 2007, which was distributed through Curb Appeal Records. Originally working with A&R, the band decided to create its own label, NBD Music, in order to be able to focus on songwriting. Barcelona has also signed a co-publishing deal with Warner Chappell Publishing to aid in the album's distribution.
Two years prior to the formation of the band, Brian was involved a solo project. He recorded Safety Songs and then employed his musically-inclined friends to accompany him on a tour to support the debut album. After working with his fellow muscians, Brian came to realize that he worked better as a quartet. They decided to stay assembled as a music ensemble and called themselves Barcelona. Fennell described the band's sound when he stated that, "[w]e classify our music style as piano rock."
Touring began in late 2005 upon the formation of the band. Brian Fennell, Chris Bristol and Rhett Stonelake attended Seattle Pacific University. Bristol and Stonelake were still seniors when the band began performing gigs. Most of the band's earlier shows were on the West Coast, which has been attributed to its success in becoming a familiar name amongst music listeners.
The band was featured on MySpace on August 15, 2007, which caught the attention of an A&R representative who helped initiate a promotional deal with MySpace Records and MySpace.com. The band made a television appearance on Good Day Sacramento on August 8, 2007 to promote the upcoming debut album, Absolutes, and play a sample set. Barcelona released Absolutes, on September 25, 2007, which received favorable reviews, especially from hometown critics.
Barcelona performed at Bumbershoot 2008 in Seattle.
On December 18, 2008 Universal Records announced that they had signed Barcelona to their label. The label plans for an April 2009 remastered release of Absolutes including additional tracks. Absolutes is being self produced by Barcelona and Brian Eichelberger. Michael H. Brauer, two-time Grammy winner for his work with Coldplay and John Mayer, will be mixing the album.
The song "Falling out of Trees" from their album "Absolutes" played on the promo of the favorite TV series "Grey's Anatomy"s season 5 finale episodes.
The indie electronic band Barcelona (1998-2002):
Barcelona was an indie/new wave/pop band from Arlington, Virginia consisting of Jason Korzen, Jennifer Carr, Ivan Ramiscal, and Christian Scanniello. The band addressed geeky themes in many of their songs, such as "The Downside of Computer Camp", "I Have the Password to Your Shell Account", and "Paging System Operator", about a boy who contacts someone in Sweden whom he believes to be an experienced cracker, using a BBS, only to find he is also a thirteen-year-old.
1998: Formation
Barcelona was formed in 1998 by Korzen and Carr. The pair recruited Ramiscal and Scanniello and began writing and performing original songs that year. Later that year, the group met producer/engineer Trevor Kampmann (also known as Trevor hollAnd) and began work on their first LP, Simon BASIC, which included the single Why Do You Have So Much Fun Without Me?
1999: Simon Basic
The band signed to March Records in early 1999 and released Simon BASIC on that label in June 1999. In the fall of 1999, they embarked on their first tour, mainly on the East Coast, but also including Chicago. The band performed to indie rock fans at places like MIT. The album takes its name from the Simons' BASIC programming language, developed for the Commodore 64.
2000: Zero One Infinity
In 2000, the band began work on Zero One Infinity, again with producer Kampmann. The album included I Have the Password to Your Shell Account (which received some circulation on the Internet), Studio Hair Gel, Robot Trouble and Kasey Keller, an ode to the US soccer goalkeeper. "Studio Hair Gel" and "Robot Trouble" were both released as singles prior to the album and included remixes by the likes of Figurine and Dntel's James Tamborello and Baxendale. The band toured again in the fall of 2000 on ZOI, and the album was well received.
2001: Transhuman Revolution
Barcelona recorded transHUMAN revolution in 2001 again with Trevor hollAnd. The album includes the singles Everything Makes Me Think about Sex and Human Simulation. Shortly after the album's release, the band played their final show at The Metro Cafe in Washington, DC in February 2002.
Post-Barcelona
Jason Korzen formed Sprites with his wife, Amy Korzen. Both Christian Scanniello and Ivan Ramiscal, who were also in Barcelona, have contributed to the project. Ramiscal formed The Positions.
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