What's in a name?

"The name Goldenboy started on one of the tours I was doing with Elliott Smith," explains Shon Sullivan. "We all had these funny little nicknames, and that became mine. We got back after the trip and started to play some shows, and the booking agent started booking us under 'Goldenboy'. We thought it was funny, so it stuck."

'Blue Swan Orchestra' is the debut record from Goldenboy, aka young Californians Shon Sullivan (vocals, guitar, keys) and Bryan Bos (drums). Originally released in 2002, these ten tremulous, evocative songs steal quietly into your psyche before yielding their emotional payload. It's an album that speaks of innocence and experience, unmistakably but unpretentiously built in that classic Californian mould: blue skies up above, but heavy weather brewing on the horizon. "I think there is a definite California sound that's always somehow been here in one way or another," reckons Shon. "To me it always felt like there has beena nostalgic sound in the melodies in everything from 'Pet Sounds' to current Grandaddy."

Shon and Bryan grew up in Diamond Bar, an old rancher's town in the verdant hills 30 miles south east of Los Angeles. There's not much to do in Diamond Bar: there's a bowling alley, a pizza parlour... and a shop-cum-hangout called The Music Store. It was there that Shon and Bryan met, two school kids still learning their chops, just bumping through bands together for the fun of it, but slowly, surely accruing skills and writing songs.

Links
Official band website
Goldenboy MySpace website

Zip forward a few years and a quick scan of the CV might suggest the pair to be a safe pair of hands: the twosome have criss-crossed the world together as part of former Weezer/The Rentals man Matt Sharp's touring band, while Shon has played with bands including The Eels, Johnny Marr, Spain, Neil Finn - and most prominently, Elliott Smith, who he gigged alongside for four years until the songwriter's suicide in 2003. "I never really thought of myself as a gun for hire," explains Shon. "I've always just felt flattered and honoured being asked to play with some of my favourite bands and friends."

It's an approach that's extended to their present incarnation of Goldenboy, whose ranks open to allow friends and comrades in: listen out for 'Summertime', which features a backing vocal from Elliott Smith, recorded back in 2001."There has always been a huge collaborative element to Goldenboy, and that extends to our management and record company as well the band," explains Bryan. "I think one of the strongest aspects of the band is our ability to adapt and have the ability to join forces with other artist and keep it fun and spontaneous," adds Shon. "It keeps it open and stops us from taking things too seriously."

Goldenboy's second record, Underneath The Radio, has just landed in the US. Right now, though, is your chance to hear where it all began. What's in a name? Don't puzzle over it: It's just Goldenboy - making golden sounds, keeping Californian dreams alive.