Parks & Recreation

By January 2005, Michael Johnson's solo project Reclinerland (Hush Records, Lelp Recordings) had blossomed into a jaunty five-piece pop band. Felling that the band had evolved beyond its singer/songwriter origins, Michael, together with members Anthony Georgis (American Girls), Jason Hughes (Periscope), Joe Ballman (Nordic), and Bob Ham (Rally Boy) decided to form a new group: Parks & Recreation.

Parks & Recreation call their warm 70's AM radio sound Postmodern Pop, a kind of genre-less pastiche of pop music trends that comes straight from the first cassette mix tape your high school crush gave you. Making quality pop songs is a highest importance as Hughes's angular, sinable guitar lines, Ballman and Ham's piquant, jjaunty rhythms, and Georgis' stylish modern synth-pop embellishments buoy Johnson's memorable melodies and storyteller lyrics. The band takes inspiration from the likes of The Beatles, Queen, and Wings in the 70s; Squeeze, The Smiths, and The Cars in the 80s; Blur, The Divine Comedy, Billy Bragg, in the 90s; and The Magnetic Fields, Belle & Sebastian, and The Flaming Lips in the new century. Their songs are about the stuff of modern life: spy movies, piano lessons, food courts, parking lots, grocery stores, kissing in motels, and cyber sex; all existing within a sunny suburban backdrop. In short, Parks & Recreation make pop songs for everyone!

in their short history, Parks & Recreation have supported Ben Lee, Crooked Fingers, The Trash Can Sinatras, and Dolorean. They have appeared onstage at the Sasquatch Festival in Eastern Washington, sharing the limelight with such great acts as Menomena, Joanna Newsom, Wilco, and the Pixies.

Parks & Recreation are looking for a lable to call home as they work diligently on their fisrt record, which is already eagerly anticipated in their hometown of Portland, OR. They're also planning a full-scale tour pending the album's release.