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about

"Riley Urbano is a musician based in Seattle. Since 2017 he’s put out carefully sculpted tracks that blur the lines between polished indie pop and timeless songwriting. Revisiting this early work, it’s easy to sense how a lonesome system allowed Urbano to develop the talents of a one man band. While that output showcases the sound of an impressive young songwriter effortlessly blurring the lines between a myriad styles, Urbano felt like he needed to make a change after burnout from pandemic isolation. So – when gearing up to start writing his next batch of songs – he decided to embrace a spirit of collaboration.

Over the past few months, Urbano has teamed up with rising Seattle act the Bee Fee Tees. Made up of Keegan Metcalf (lead guitar), Aiden Ryser (bass), and Ben Schuh (drums), the band got its start when the members bonded while playing horns in the same school band. Although the Bee Fee Tees’ guitar-driven formula is pretty far removed from the sound of a band that might play in a high school auditorium, these jazz roots shine through in their intricate music. Along the way, they met Urbano at a battle of the bands. The performers kept up after that show, joking around and talking music—they discovered that they appreciated different types of art in the same way. Since playing rock had a grip on the Bee Fee Tees, they jumped at the opportunity to start working with Urbano when he hit them up to collaborate.

With the Bee Fee Tees supporting him, Urbano’s sound has soared to exciting new heights. The demos for their upcoming record touch on everything from soaring, summer-y psych rock (“Birth Control”) to shuffling, half-time indie a la Deerhunter (“Memory Leak”). It’s easy to hear how much life the Bee Fee Tees breathe into Urbano’s music, but one can also trace the impact that his masterful craftsmanship has had right back on them.

Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees cite a range of artists as influences, but they are starting to find that their songwriting is occupying a world more tethered to musicianship and ingenuity than reference. Back when he was working solo, Urbano was hyper-aware of who he was trying to sound like. But now, he feels like things are coming out of him naturally without having to think too much. “Right before I got productive again and started really writing, I was kind of having a crisis about it all. I’m at a point where the stuff I’m listening to doesn’t really correspond to what I’m making at all anymore. I hit a point sometime in late-2021 where I was, like, ‘I don’t even need to seek out new music that often anymore because I have, like, John Coltrane and Beethoven and Autechre and Beefheart,” he says. While Urbano knows it’s challenging to replicate the singularity of those aforementioned artists, he tries to channel their spirit. This is especially apparent on the song “Oh My Stars,” which finds Urbano trying to filter his nostalgia through the lens of a teenage sitcom like iCarly.

Speaking with Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees, it’s clear that the crew cares about so much more than just jamming and making noise. Urbano’s songwriting is inspired by movies and literature. His past work has drawn from postmodern authors like Thomas Pynchon and James Joyce. But this time around, there’s a dystopian bent to his verse—Urbano is quick to reference Mark Fisher and Michel Houllebecq when discussing this set of upcoming tracks. “I think that we’re living in very ‘ultra’ times,” he says. “Every day there’s something that has never happened before that happened.” The members of the Bee Fee Tees, on the other hand, offset Urbano’s weary vibe by searching for beauty in the humdrum of day-to-day life. Because of this, the collaborators flaunt an intriguing dichotomy, which one can pinpoint in the band’s tendency to traverse both abrasive and contemplative terrain.

Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees are coming up during an exciting moment for the Seattle scene. The act is working to turn Seattle into as much of a music town as Los Angeles or New York. Urbano has seen the landscape spring to life since Covid lockdowns lifted, as there’s been a resurgence of bands catering to young listeners on the hunt for cool new music. Being based in a somewhat off-the-beaten-path city has allowed the musicians to embrace a spirit of patience and experimentation that might not fly in a more industry-centric town.

This eagerness to give back to their hometown’s creative community was reflected at an Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees show this past fall at storied Fremont bar The Sunset Tavern. Even though it ended up happening in the midst of a snowstorm, they showcased the outcome of seven months’ worth of intense workshopping to a packed house. The band has also hit the stage at Chop Suey, The Sunset Tavern, and a few house shows. While writing and recording an album is rarely a fast process, it’s clear that Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees aren’t letting tediousness sour their enthusiasm. They’ve embraced an uncertain timeline, and are relishing the experiences they encounter along the way. “It’s been so fucking easy to get the ball rolling on things in Seattle,” Urbano says. In a community as imaginative and energetic as the one Urbano and the Bee Fee Tees are cultivating, it’s clear that they’re well on the way to cementing their place as key players in the booming Pacific Northwest rock underground."

- Ted Davis

credits

released August 8, 2023
Riley Urbano - Vocals, Guitar
Keegan Metcalf - Guitar
Aiden Ryser - Bass
Ben Schuh - Drums

Recorded Live, Engineered, Mixed & Produced by Riley Urbano & The Bee Fee Tees

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Riley Urbano Seattle, Washington

musician and host of "fake radio"

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