Discover new music - Sherwood, where pop-punk meets the Beach Boys

Sherwood takes a break before hitting the road; photo by Matt Wignall

Sherwood's album, “Qu,” was released earlier this week and, if you act quickly, you can have the entire set for less than the price of a medium latte.  If you want to preview first, you can stream the new material at the band’s MySpace page. That’s where you’ll also find a quick link that allows you to purchase all 11 tracks for a mere $2.99 from amazon.com. The offer is said to be active for an "Extremely Limited Time” (typically just a day or two), so get on it. The online retailer is also offering a 16-track digital “deluxe edition” of the band’s 2005 CD, “Sing, But Keep Going” for just $7.99.

And here’s why you should care. An indie quintet from San Luis Obispo, CA, Sherwood straddles an unusual position on the alternative music spectrum – the band has traveled the country as part of the pop/punk/emo Vans Warped tour, but plays a cheerful power pop that owes more to the Beatles and the Beach Boys than it does to the likes of Green Day or the Offspring. The band’s current tour, which starts tonight in Boston with all-grown-up boy band Hanson and synth-happy SoCal goofballs hellogoodbye, seems much more in line with Sherwood’s upbeat aesthetic.

“Qu” is a summery set, packed with catchy melodies, bright harmonies, handclaps and singalong choruses. The faster-paced material shows why Sherwood was a good fit to tour nationally with Relient K and Mae, which it did in 2007, while the occasional piano-driven ballads draw comparisons to the likes of The Fray, Jack’s Mannequin or Ben Folds. There’s also a lovely duet, “Worn,” sung with fellow SoCal singer/songwriter Molly Jenson.

A few extra fun facts about Sherwood:
* In the summer of 2005, guitarist/singer Dan Koch and then-guitarist Chris Armstrong released a free online EP of children's melodies like ‘the Itsy-Bitsy Spider” on the Myspace page for a one-off screamo band called I'll Beat You Up. Alas, while the page itself is still active, the music is currently unavailable to stream or download.
 * In 2007, Sherwood posted the pilot episode for “The Sherwood Show,” an online set of videos in which the band offers some traditional music video segments plus offstage antics and genial silliness. At this point, the series has nearly three dozen clips. Check out “Sneak Peek Video #4,” wherein the band does its best Queen-in-Bohemian-Rhapsody-mode imitation in a snippet for the new Sherwood track, “Shelter.”
Qu Video Sneak Peek Video #4 - Shelter

Sherwood | MySpace Music Videos

Tour dates for Hanson, hellogoodbye and Sherwood:

Oct. 14   House of Blues     Boston, MA
Oct. 15   Nokia Theatre       New York City, NY
Oct. 16   Northern Lights      Albany, NY
Oct. 19   Rams Head Live    Baltimore, MD
Oct. 20   9:30 Club               Washington, DC
Oct. 22   Amo’s Southend    Charlotte, NC
Oct. 23   House of Blues      Myrtle Beach, SC
Oct. 24   House of Blues      Orlando, FL
Oct. 26   Workplay Soundstage Birmingham, AL
Oct. 27   House of Blues      Nashville, TN
Oct, 28   Tabernacle             Atlanta, GA
Oct. 31   House of Blues      Houston, TX