The Lonely Forest

Formed in the waterfront town of Anacortes, WA, the Lonely Forest center on the talents of vocalist/pianist John Van Deusen. The group came together as a quartet in 2005, when frontman Van Deusen chose to bolster his piano-driven compositions with help from guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger, and bassist Eric Sturgeon. The group's spacy sound attracted the ear of Seattle's Jack Endino (who, in 1989, produced Nirvana's Bleach), and the Lonely Forest subsequently entered Endino's studio in 2006 to cut the Regicide EP. Ruland left the band soon after the EP's release, but the remaining bandmates opted not to replace him, choosing instead to let Van Deusen's piano assume a larger role in the group's sound. Retreating to their drummer's garage, the Lonely Forest rehearsed and recorded Nuclear Winter, an indie rock concept album revolving around the themes of apocalypse and space travel. Although the album's release was largely limited to the Pacific Northwest, it received much support from KEXP and other local outlets.