Since its beginning in late 2012, Seafair has been turning heads and confusing critics who want to place the sextet into a carefully constructed box. The thing is, with six musicians whose backgrounds range from classically trained to punk rock roots, the band can’t be pigeonholed by genre.
From the heavy hitting of drummer Ryan Kelly to the acrobatic guitar and bass lines of Michael Flaherty and Joshua Riehl, the band builds a soundscape that is completely their own. But it is this, with the combination of the trio of women at the band’s epicenter, that make this ensemble more than your typical indie-rock band. Andrea Belding Elson and Tara Hanish blend precise and poignant violin and cello voices amidst the band’s sound, while the presence and strength of frontwoman Chayla Hope makes the experience of seeing Seafair live one that will not soon be forgotten.
In 2014, Seafair took its live performances on the road, from New York to Denver. In Denver, the band recorded its forthcoming album at Black in Bluhm Studio with Chris Fogal. The album, The Querencia, is scheduled for release in May 2015.