Based in London, the indie rock quintet Absentee are comprised of Dan Michaelson (vocals, guitar), Melinda Bronstein (vocals, keyboards, melodica, glockenspiel), Babak Ganjei (guitar, lap steel), Laurie Earle (bass), and Jon Chandler (drums). The group signed to the Memphis Industries label and released its debut EP, Donkey Stock, in 2005. They followed up with the full-length album Schmotime, which was produced by James Ford, in 2006. When not recording or touring with Absentee, both Michaelson and Bronstein have side projects with Dan Michaelson & the Coastguards and the Bronsteins, respectively. Bronstein also plays with Babak Ganjei in Wet Paint. Absentee is everyone's main concern though and the group released their second album, Victory Shorts, in the fall of 2008. ~ Katherine Fulton