Bands & Performers
The Lonely Forest
Anacortes band takes EMP SoundOff! competition
John Van Deusen and the Lonely Forest wowed fans and judges and won first place in the 2006 SoundOff! competition.
The four-piece rock band from Anacortes also won the “audience response” prize in the fifth annual battle of bands for musicians 21 and under at the Experience Music Project’s Level Three performance space. Among the comments the group received from judges were: “excellent harmonies, awesome drummer”; “warm, smart lyrics and good song structure.”—from the Seattle PI
The Lonely Forest was brought to life in my bedroom under a year ago. Between Zelda, Kurt Vonnegut and The Silver Chair, I had been feeding my imagination on a lot of fantasy/ sci-fi stories during my free time. After recently purchasing Dark Side of the Moon and Tommy, I was eager to start writing concept albums. The result was not only multiple concept albums, but also the beginning of a few different concept bands. The Lonely Forest was the furthest developed of all, so when the time came to record again, I chose to elaborate on that specific story.
The key concept of the Lonely Forest is the breaking of routine. Every song on this EP parallels something in the real world, all of which deal with modern America’s desensitized, selfish and hopeless population. You can read the liner notes to further your knowledge of the Lonely Forest, which actually is an alternate dimension only accessible through self-regulating magnetic time portals. After finishing this EP, I set out to find musicians who would help me present my music in the truest, most creative form imaginable. Thus, The Lonely Forest, a conceptual band that plays high energy, piano driven, rock and roll.
As a band, our influences include Elton John, The Cure, Sunny Day Real Estate, Talking Heads and the Smashing Pumpkins. Though we have yet to find our final sound, seeing us live will show any listener that we have trouble doing anything sensible, and that our music cannot truly be tied down to any one genre.
-john v
www.lonelyforest.com
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