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Channeling Fleetwood Mac’s musical stylings with a hint of late-era Beatles, Family of the Year braid catchy melodies, stellar male/female vocals and personal folk tales to create some of the happiest and saddest music you’ve ever heard.
 
Singers Joe Keefe and Vanessa Long harmonize their way into your hearts in the Beach Boys-esque ballad, “Summer Girl,” while “Stupidland” and “Let’s Go Down” are up-beat folk tunes guaranteed to make you shake your stuff.  The chemistry between the two is undeniable in “Let’s Be Honest” as seamless male/female vocals are bounced between the two.  The heartfelt story telling in “No Good at Nothing” excels lyrically, but the band also touches on more important subjects, like your favorite pair of blown-out blue jeans in “Intervention (Staple Jeans).”  Family’s cover of Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” is featured in the theatrical trailer for Rachel Getting Married, and they have recently taken their own magical approach to James Taylor’s “Shower the People.”
 
Like most American families, FOTY come from all over. Brothers Joe and Sebastian Keefe grew up in Wales before staking their claim as locals on the rustic country island Martha’s Vineyard.  Vanessa Long and Christina Schroeter, who coincidentally are mistaken as sisters all too often, are misfits of the land of bleach-blonde hair, leathery tans and silicone, Orange County, CA.  Southern gentlemen James Buckey and Brent Freaney grew up in Jacksonville, FL and Long Beach, MS, respectively.
 
Musical veterans Joe, Seb and James enjoyed local Boston success in their raw rock ensemble Unbusted.  The Keefe brothers switched gears when they created the up-tempo indie-pop band The Billionaires, while James pursued a career in sound engineering.  Vanessa, a child of musical theatre, has acted in many independent features and major motion pictures since being in Los Angeles.  Christina, who spent five years of her childhood trying to weasel out of piano lessons, recently resigned from an entertainment PR firm, where she often rushed to walk clients down red carpets before heading to band practice.  And when Brent isn’t designing web sites, he’s probably reminiscing about his childhood experiences playing the viola in youth orchestras.
 
As described in their ‘60s-style pop tune, “Cha Cha,” Joe and Vanessa met outside of a Silver Lake bar “late one night,” became very close friends and inspired each other to make music with the ambition to record a song a night.  The rest of the band naturally came together, putting forth each of their talents to create something beautiful.  But even when they're not practicing, you can bet that this tight-knit group are hanging out.  Whether it’s fixing up their new country house tucked in an Eastern nook of Los Angeles, playing board games at the practice space/club house in Rosemead, or grabbing a cheap drink at the bar that started it all, FOTY truly consider each other family.

Family of the Year self-released their debut EP Where’s the Sun on their Washashore imprint in September, 2009. The EP showcases a variety of Family’s music, and includes "Let's Go Down," "Castoff," "Summer Girl," "What a Surprise," and "Psyche or Like Scope."  The cover art was created by Vanessa's mom Carol, who teaches art at a local school.  Where’s the Sun is available for digital download for an optional donation, and contributions go directly toward the release of Family’s debut full-length in November.

In October, Family was handpicked out of 700 artists by Ben Folds and Keith Lockhart to open for Ben and The Boston Pops at Symphony Hall.  Shortly after, the band flew west for California shows with Bell X1 before returning east for the  CMJ Music Marathon, marking Family Of The Year’s New York debut.  SPIN.com has selected the band as one 25 Must-Hear Artists from the 2009 CMJ Festival.  Post-CMJ, Family will hit the road with Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.

November 17th, 2009 will mark the release of Family’s debut album, Songbook.

"I'd never heard anything like them before.  They were so eclectic in the music choices, something like a combination of folk indie rock and the Beach Boys.  I was fascinated.  They were [Ben Folds’] favorite, too."
-Keith Lockhart, Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra

“A collective that's equally comfortable harmonizing on '70s-style Hollywood Hills piano rock as it is churning out urgent, high-tech indie pop.”  --SPIN.com

Pictures by Rennie Solis