Koshari

Koshari is: Barbara Western - Vocals Bryan Baxter - Guitar Dave Gassmann - Bass Brian Moran - Drums Previous members: Danny Ralston - Drums Harry Glee Evans - Drums & Backing Vocals Jeffry Cudlin - Bass Washington DC's Koshari - built around the sparkling voice of Barb Western and the signature guitar playing of Bryan Baxter - blends the spacey, effects-drenched swirl of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Beach House with a bit of aggression and heaviness. The result is a creative voice at once familiar yet without close analog, that has been described by Kim Kirkpatrick of online magazine C60 Crew as "packed with atmosphere, beauty [and] substance." Of course, if you've been in the DC area for the past fifteen years or so, listening to the right people, hanging in the right places, you've had the chance to find out for yourself. The band's first EP, Disenchanted, came out in 2001, attracting attention for its "haunting" and "unearthly" qualities and overall promise from both the Washington Post and Left of the Dial. Their debut full-length, Unless, followed in 2005, garnering praise from the Washington Post for its "expert use of guitar effects and non-classic song structures" and earning the distinction of being "one of the best local releases of the past year." For 2008's Reappear, Koshari slimmed down to a trio, but Western, Baxter (doing double duty on bass), and founding drummer Danny Ralston soldiered on to deliver a record that PopMatters hailed as establishing them as a true heir to the shoegazer tradition. Koshari then added bassist David Gassmann and delivered Light in Dark Places. Recorded live in a crowded basement in Arlington, Virginia, this album presented an exciting new aspect to the band's sound - being among the most direct and accessible the band had created, as on the charging and melodic "Same Today" or "The Last Goodbye." The ambitious scope of earlier records is still present, though, in epics like "Blue" or the slowly unfolding "The Dazzling Lies." In 2014, Koshari released an all-analog double-single vinyl (Just in Time/Into Shreds) recorded on 2 inch tape at The Brink. These two songs are part of a larger collection of material, Embers, that was released in 2017. Embers is their first concept record and all of songs are snapshots of turning points in a relationship. Harry Evans, drummer and good friend of the band, joined the ranks for that chapter. Most recently (late October 2018) the band released "The Phoenix (Thinking of You)" which takes them leaps forward -- melding all of the precious musical elements into a driving, upbeat, thundering tune. This is the first single off a set of releases that is due out at the end of 2019. And, most recently Brian Moran has joined forces with the group take over drumming for Evans. Look for them in the DC area and up and down the Eastern seaboard. And keep your ears open.