Pomplamoose

Pomplamoose
Background information
Origin	Corte Madera, California, United States[1]
Genres	Power pop, blue eyed soul, Jazz fusion, electro-jazz, trip hop, indie rock, alternative, Pop punk, indie folk, indie pop
Years active	2008 (2008)–present
Labels	Mercury [2]
Associated acts	Jack Conte, Nataly Dawn, Julia Nunes, KNOWER, Lauren O'Connell, Louis Cole, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Wade Johnston, Ryan Lerman, My Terrible Friend, Ben Folds, Allee Willis, Zoë Keating, Matt Payne, Anton Patzner, Andy Wilke, Carlos Cabrera
Website	Pomplamoose.com
Members	Nataly Dawn Jack Conte

Pomplamoose is an American musical duo which feature Californian multi-instrumentalists, real life couple Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. The duo formed in the summer of 2008^[3][4] and sold approximately 100,000 songs online in 2009.^[5] They are known for elementing rock music sounds with electronic and jazz music.

Etymology

The name of the band derives from the French word pamplemousse,^[6] meaning grapefruit. Pomplamoose is an English-spelling approximation of the French pronunciation.

Recordings and performances

Pomplamoose's presence is primarily videos on YouTube and MySpace, with few live performances. They have gathered over 377,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel as of December 2013. The group first gained widespread recognition when their video performance of "Hail Mary" was featured on the front page of YouTube. The duo recently produced the latest studio album of Julia Nunes. In February 2013 the duo's YouTube channel had over 85 million views.

Their videos mostly take the form of "VideoSongs", a medium Jack Conte defines with two rules:

1. What you see is what you hear. (No lip-syncing for instruments or voice)
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it. (No hidden sounds)^[7]

On April 11, 2010, the band was interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered.^[8] Conte discussed the "glitz-free" manner in which they record:

"I guess I kinda don't like how there's such a pedestal for music culture and especially for band culture, it just feels fake; it feels like smoke and mirrors. I feel like music doesn't have to be like that. It can be something that's very normal and very accessible."^[5]

Also in April 2010, their cover of The Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" was used in a commercial for Toyota's Avalon series, set in an art-deco train station.^[5][9]

In September 2010, Pomplamoose recorded a collaboration with Allee Willis entitled "Jungle Animal". Willis contacted the duo after hearing their cover of "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire and offered to write the new song for them. Willis also provided the single art for the song.^[10]

During the Christmas season of 2010, Pomplamoose performed in several ads in the style of their YouTube videos for Hyundai singing their versions of the Christmas classics such as "O Come All Ye Faithful", "Jingle Bells", "Up on the Housetop" and "Deck the Halls".^[11]

In 2011, Pomplamoose began a weekly, interactive, half-hour webcast called “Hey, It's Pomplamoose: A Show about Pomplamoose and Other Things” that airs every Tuesday. After the March 29th show, the webcast was put on hiatus until their East Coast tour was completed. The tour included Ryan Lerman, Carlos Cabrera, and Lauren O'Connell as backing band and opening act. For the Washington, DC show, Pomplamoose opened for OK Go, also known for their YouTube videos.

Charity

On November 8, 2013, Pomplamoose performed at "Lens", Mateo Messina's 16th annual benefit concert at Seattle's Benaroya Hall for Seattle Children's Hospital.^[12]

In November, 2010, Pomplamoose created a book drive for a school district in Richmond, CA, offering a free download of an album to anyone who would purchase a book for the school district. The drive raised over 11,000 books.^[13][14]

Discography

Albums

• Pomplamoose (2009)
• the album you bought at our show (thanks for that) (2011)

1. "River Shiver"
2. "Single Ladies"
3. "Beat the Horse"
4. "Centrifuge"
5. "September"
6. "Another Day"
7. "Mister Sandman"
8. "If You Think You Need Some Lovin'"
9. "Achin' Heart"
10. "Telephone"

Extended plays

• 3 New Songs Woot! (2010)

1. "If You Think You Need Some Lovin'"
2. "Another Day"
3. "I Don't Know"

• Don't Stop Lovin Me (2012)

1. "Don't Stop Lovin Me"
2. "I'll be there in a Minute"

Other Albums

• Tribute to Famous People (2010)

1. "My Favorite Things"
2. "La Vie en Rose"
3. "Nature Boy"
4. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
5. "September"
6. "Mister Sandman" (featuring Ryan Lerman)
7. "Beat It"
8. "Makin' Out"
9. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
10. "Telephone"

• Christmas in Space (2010)

1. "Up on the House Top"
2. "Jingle Bells"
3. "Deck the Halls"
4. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
5. "Always in the Season"

Music videos

• "Royals 2Pac Beck Mashup" (November, 2013)
• "Don't Stop Lovin Me" (June, 2012)
• "Do Not Push - A Gotye Call Me Maybe Mashup" (July, 2012)
• "Batman Theme ("Do Not Push" Sequel)" (July, 2012)
• "I'll Be There In a Minute" (August, 2012)
• "Hey It's Pomplamoose" (October, 2012)

Solo work

Both Conte and Dawn maintain solo careers, releasing videos through YouTube and songs through the iTunes Store.^[15] Conte has recorded two EPs - Sleep in Color and Nightmares and Daydreams. He released them along with the compilations VideoSongs Volumes I-IV through the iTunes Store.^[16] Conte's use of Electro-Harmonix audio equipment has been featured by the company in several different videos.^[17][18][19] Conte's first notable appearance in mainstream media was when he supplied his voice for the "teenage boy" character in the popular videogame The Sims 2.^[20] Conte first gained widespread attention when his video "Yeah Yeah Yeah" was featured on YouTube's main page.^[21] The video, animated in stop motion, has garnered 804,361 views as of February 14, 2012. The majority of his new music is released as singles posted to YouTube in the form of "VideoSongs" (see recordings and performances).

Critics have reviewed Conte's solo work positively, citing evocative lyrics in Sleep in Color,^[21] creative delivery of his videosongs,^[22] and the tenacity to create his own niche in the Internet music market.^[23] However, Amplifier magazine negatively reviewed Conte's music stating, "Hints of Conor Oberst, Radiohead, Patrick Watson, contemporary punk rock (screamo), radio power pop, and incalculable other singer-songwriters are more than borrowed, making for a short mishmash of electro rock."^[24]

In 2010, Nataly Dawn in collaboration with Lauren O'Connell formed the side project group My Terrible Friend.^[25]

In May 2011, it was announced that Dawn would be joining Barry Manilow on his new album, entitled Fifteen Minutes, singing the song "Letter From a Fan".^[26]

On July 17, 2011, Dawn announced that she would be releasing her first solo album.^[27] She started a funding campaign on Kickstarter where the minimal goal of $20,000 was reached in just 3 days.^[28] On September 6, 2011, the album funding campaign came to a close with 2,315 people donating a grand total of $104,788 exceeding the original goal of $20,000 by more than five times.^[29][30] The album, How I Knew Her, was released on February 12, 2013, from Nonesuch Records, and features Conte, Ryan Lerman, David Piltch, Louis Cole and Matt Chamberlain.

Conte discography

Albums

• VideoSongs Volume 1

• Release date: Unknown
• Label: ShadownTree Music
• Format: Digital download

1. "Push"
2. "Eat"
3. "These Days"
4. "The Giant"
5. "Lonely Ghost"
6. "Flavors"
7. "Passenger Seat" (featuring Louis Cole)
8. "Yeah Yeah Yeah v2"

• VideoSongs Volume 2

• Release date: 2008
• Label: ShadowTree Music
• Format: Digital download

1. "We Grew Up So Well"
2. "Kitchen Fork"
3. "This Disaster"
4. "Ten Thousand Feet per Second"
5. "Out of Nowhere"
6. "Trains and Window Collection (aka Marvin in the Dark)"
7. "Impression"
8. "On Planets"
9. "Gulf"
10. "I Know"

• VideoSongs Volume 3

• Release date 2008
• ShadowTree Music
• Digital download

1. "The Way it was Before" (featuring Nataly Dawn and Ryan Lerman)
2. "Freaks and Clowns"
3. "Bloody Nose"
4. "Get Happy"

• VS4

VS4 is the fourth album in the series of videosong albums by Jack Conte. With the release date being March 23, 2011, Conte released "Make the Grade" as the first videosong. Conte stated at the end of the video that he will be releasing a new videosong every two weeks for the next seven months.

Conte also stated that there is a 109-page book filled with the orchestral scores, lyrics, and five full page black-and-white photos. It also includes piano and vocal transcriptions for "I Wonder Where the Moments Go", vocal arrangement for "Away", and a piano transcription for the riff in "Time of Your Life".

• Release date: March 23, 2011
• Label: ShadowTree Music
• Format: CD, Digital download

1. "Make the Grade"
2. "Time of Your Life"
3. "Sinking Feeling"
4. "The Time Has Come"
5. "Off with His Head"
6. "Long Long Time Ago"
7. "Mercenary"
8. "Away"
9. "Only Dreaming"
10. "Get it Out"
11. "I Would be Happy"
12. "I Wonder Where the Moments Go"
13. "Mister Money Bags"
14. "Push It"
15. "Reprise"

Extended plays

• Nightmares and Daydreams

• Release date: May 21, 2007
• Label: ShadowTree Music
• Format: Digital download

1. "Starlight"
2. "Yeah Yeah Yeah"
3. "Tick Tock"
4. "Unfrozen"

• Sleep in Color

• Release date: September 25, 2008
• Label: ShadowTree Music
• Format: CD, Digital download

1. "Hollywood Endings"
2. "Like a Match"
3. "The Greatest Hoax"
4. "Now That's Sacred"
5. "Carousel Waltz"

Music videos

• "Yeah Yeah Yeah"

Dawn discography

Albums

• How I Knew Her

• Release date: February 12, 2013
• Label: Nonesuch Records
• Format: CD, Digital download

1. "Araceli"
2. "Leslie"
3. "How I Knew Her"
4. "Back to the Barracks"
5. "Long Running Joke"
6. "Counting Down"
7. "Caroline"
8. "Please Don't Scream"
9. "Still a Believer"
10. "Even Steven"
11. "Why Did You Marry"
12. "I Just Wanted You to Get Old"

Music videos

• "Please Don't Scream"

References

External links

• Official website
• Pomplamoose's channel on YouTube
• Pomplamoose on Myspace
• Nataly Dawn official site
• Nataly Dawn Nonesuch Records artist page
• Interview, HitQuarters 2 April 2012
• Jack Conte interview for Music Life Radio in August 2012

v t e Pomplamoose Nataly Dawn Jack Conte Studio albums Pomplamoose (2009) The Album You Bought at our Show (2011) EPs 3 New Songs Woot (2010) Don't Stop Lovin Me (2012) Other Albums Tribute to Famous People (2010) Christmas in Space (2010) Featured singles "Single Ladies" "Hail Mary" "Expiration Date" "Jungle Animal" "If you Think you Need Some Lovin" "Don't Stop Loving Me" "I'll be there in a Minute" Related articles Everything But The Girl Julia Nunes Ben Folds Allee Willis Anton Patzner Zoë Keating