Art & Ransom

When they were both four years old, Matty McBride and Ben Joseph went to Temple Shalom Preschool together. 12 years later, they got back in touch and started making music together. But they needed a band.

Matty knew a drummer, John Moxley. John had a brother, Peter, who played guitar. They all went to school with Matt Rankin, who played saxophone and keyboard. Ben played bass; even though he could play any other instrument just as well, it was decided that he would play bass. Matty played guitar and sang at the same time. Ben knew a violinist named Clara Brill, so she joined too.

Taking their name from the title of a John McPhee book, Art & Ransom started writing. After they had enough songs for a thirty minute set, they started playing shows. In early 2006, they recorded and released, by themselves, the "Blind Trumpeteer EP," which had most of the first songs they had written together on it. The shows kept on coming, and they kept on writing – they were getting better at it.

Then, opportunity presented itself. To record a full-length album. This was given to them by Marc Dickow who had heard the band at a show. They took it. The album was recorded at the end of 2006 by Christopher Scott Cooper, and released February 10, 2007. It is called "We Couldn't Even Believe What We Saw." Inside of it are songs about fascist children, jaded ravers, Charlie Parker, and the northwest. Now that they're done with it, Art & Ransom are writing even more and playing as much as they can.