Speechwriters LLC

Speechwriters LLC

Misha Chellam and Dave Lowensohn.
Background information
Origin Claremont, California
Genres Pop, Rock, Folk, Acoustic, Death Metal, Nap
Years active 2001–present
Labels Handwoven Records

Speechwriters LLC is an American acoustic pop group from Claremont, California, based in Portland, Oregon since 2012. They began as a two-man coffeehouse act but have expanded to bigger and better venues and a respectable following. The band is known for frequently being on tour, allowing the majority of their music to be shared and permitting anyone to record their shows for personal use.[1]

Biography

Misha Chellam and Dave Lowensohn met while Chellam was attending Pomona College and Lowensohn was working a day job down the road; Lowensohn had graduated from Pomona in 2000. Chellam's sister, a friend of Lowensohn from when they had studied abroad together in Paris, suggested the two get together and play. Chellam and Lowensohn first played together on January 21, 2001, named the band the following day, and performed their first show on January 25, 2001.

The pair went through multiple rhythm sections until stumbling upon drummer Matt Kolsky in February 2002, at which point they began touring the country as a trio. Matt eventually left, and the band continued to play for a while as a duo. Jack Mahaffy was signed on full-time as bass player in the summer of 2003. Nitzan Lumer, the new drummer, was found ten months later, on Craigslist.

Their style is often compared to that of Dispatch, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson, and their sound a fusion of Nick Drake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Often, Chellam and Lownsohn harmonize with both their guitars and their voices, utilizing slide guitar on a large number of their songs. The group varies between a solo (usually Lowensohn), a duo, a quartet and the less common trio.

Since 2006, the band has largely divided its time between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California. The group has scored a handful of films, including Monster Camp and FrICTION. After his work on the Jim Webb campaign, Chellam decided to take a break from the band to "let some life happen"[2] and moved to Vietnam.[3] Lowensohn occasionally moonlights in such Portland bands as Ramona Falls, Lost Lander, and Laura Gibson.

Speechwriters LLC played on the first ever live performance of Mraz's eventual mega-hit I'm Yours when both artists played a Gimme Shelter benefit show at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, CA on December 8, 2004.[4]

Line-up

Discography

Official albums

Unofficial albums

Other

References

  1. ↑ Speechwriters LLC FAQ
  2. ↑ Speechwriters LLC blog
  3. ↑ Speechwriters LLC
  4. ↑ https://archive.org/details/jmraz2004-12-08.at831.flac16

External links