Reubens Accomplice

Strip mall chintz. Cinder block suburbs. Depressing Dairy Queens. Hirsute hesher metal. For lifelong desert dwellers and North Phoenix, Arizona natives Jeff Bufano and Chris Corak this deadening litany could’ve doubled as a description of their adolescent lives. Before long the two schoolyard chums and burgeoning musical misfits began pining for something more than an existence predicated on old Slayer riffs and tweaker- trailer culture. And so, Reubens Accomplice was born. The band’s peculiar journey– a labyrinthine saga that’s taken them from high school talent shows to amphitheatre stages– has yielded a spectacular bounty in the sun struck pop perfection of their latest album, the Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) produced THE BULL THE BALLOON AND THE FAMILY. Reubens Accomplice has made a name for itself in recent years touring with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Promise Ring, The Weakerthans and No Knife, and building a dedicated fan base throughout the U.S. The group’s 2001 full-length debut I Blame The Scenery (released on Los Angeles’ Better Looking Records) helped establish them as critical and cult faves. In 2002 the group’s rhythm section, bassist Andy Eames and drummer Jim Knapp, departed the band for careers as a farmer and federal prosecutor, respectively. Unbowed by the loss, the newly reconstituted Reubens Accomplice entered the studio last spring with Jimmy Eat World mainman Jim Adkins to record their much-anticipated sophomore album, THE BULL THE BALLOON AND THE FAMILY. The disc is an aptly titled affair as the band enlists several members of its extended “family” to aid in this impressive 13-song effort. Guests include producer Adkins, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand, Band of Blacky Ranchette), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case, Old 97s), as well as a talented crew of West Coast luminaries (Matt Maher, Ryan Kennedy, John O’Reilly Jr.). Mixed by Chris Fudurich (Nada Surf, Matthew Sweet), THE BULL THE BALLOON AND THE FAMILY combines the plangent guitars and yearning, almost genetic harmonies of Bufano and Corak. The album is a mélange of urgent rock and bouncy pop, fantastically infectious anthems and haltingly emotive balladry. Reubens Accomplice is the flagship act on the newly launched Western Tread Recordings. The imprint is an Arizona-based venture between Jim Adkins and Phoenix music impresario Charles Levy. Western Tread has already released titles from Jimmy Eat World (a vinyl reissue of 2001’s multi-platinum self-titled album and a vinyl version of the bands latest, "Futures") and the debut EP from Atlantic recording artists The Format.