The Like - May 2005

The Like formed in 2001 in Los Angeles, when best friends Charlotte Froom (a bassist of two weeks at the time) and Tennessee Jane Bunny Thomas (a drummer in her all-girls-school band) met Z Berg and found the voice and songs they had been looking for. Almost immediately, they began to garner attention and praise locally, surprising each of their audiences with a complexity belying their very young years (two 15 year olds and a 16 year old at the time).

Since then, the praise and adoration has grown exponentially, leading to a contract with Geffen Records and tours with Phantom Planet and Maroon 5, as well as an extraordinary cache of glowing press, remarkable for a band yet to release a full length record (the girls have recorded three self-produced EPs which they have sold at their shows and through their website).

At the foundation of the band is the drumming of Tennessee Thomas, whose parts are simple and classic while totally unique and idiosyncratic. Charlotte Froom’s bass playing carries a melodic counterpoint to the vocals, moving constantly and pushing the momentum of the songs forward. Z Berg’s guitar playing is a wash of atmosphere, providing a ringing wall of sound. Her vocals, meanwhile, are thick and rich, leaping from wounded to resentful to coy to yearning to angry in a matter of a phrase. Her voice has a unique and heartbreaking balance of innocence and world-weariness. The songs are stunning, emotionally complex, lyrically sophisticated, thoroughly arranged pop songs, in the tradition of The Pretenders, The Sundays, Ride, and countless other guitar rock bands that The Like touch upon but never mimic.

The Like transcend all the easy labels that one may be inclined to attach to them: all girl band, teenage band, LA band, etc. They simply write beautiful music, and possess an irresistible collective personality that emanates from every aspect of their recordings, shows, and press. The ladies are currently in the studio with Producer Wendy Melvoin (an original member of Prince and the Revolution), and co-producer John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, Bikini Kill, Deathcab for Cutie) recording their long-anticipated debut album. Look for their album in summer 2005!

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