Grand Hallway
| Grand Hallway | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | indie folk, chamber pop, art rock |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Labels | Porchlight (U.S.) Sideout (Japan) |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | Tomo Nakayama Brian Wright Chris Early Jaclyn Shumate Aaron Otheim |
| Past members | Kevin Large Jeramy Koepping Erik Neumann Bob Roberts Alina To Esther Shin Chris Zasche Joel Harmon Shenandoah Davis Maria Mannisto |
Grand Hallway is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Tomo Nakayama. Their sound is described variously as chamber pop, indie folk, and art rock.
Grand Hallway began as a recording project between singer/songwriter Tomo Nakayama and producer Jeramy Koepping. After the dissolution of his first band, Asahi, Nakayama sought a different direction from that band's guitar-based indie rock sound. Using the piano as his main instrument, Nakayama began to write songs inspired by artists such as Nina Simone, Neil Young, and John Lennon. After playing a handful of solo shows, Nakayama recruited bassist Erik Neumann and drummer Bob Roberts, and along with Koepping on guitar, began playing out in earnest as Grand Hallway. Strong word of mouth based on a four song demo and live shows opening for the likes of Damien Jurado led to The Stranger declaring them one of the "10 Emerging Bands of 2007."
The basic tracks for Grand Hallway's debut album, Yes is the Answer, were recorded in 3 days at Jack Straw Productions through a grant received from their Artist Support Program. Engineering was performed by Moe Provencher, and overdubs and mixing were completed over the following summer by Jeramy Koepping. What began as a minimalist collection of piano/bass/drums songs grew into a fuller, chamber-pop sound with the addition of a string quartet. The cover art was hand drawn by Japanese artist Heisuke Kitazawa, after a chance meeting with Nakayama at an art show in Seattle. Yes is the Answer was released in Japan on Sideout Records (Bright Eyes, Nada Surf, The Velvet Teen), and self-released by the band in the U.S. The album was received warmly in both countries. The Stranger praised it, saying it "glows brightly with warm, delicate orchestration and thoughtful song structures." In September 2007, joined by new members Alina To and Jaclyn Shumate on violins, Grand Hallway toured Japan with fellow Seattle band Arthur & Yu and Japanese singer/songwriter Shugo Tokumaru.
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