Arwen :: vocals and guitar (as told by Michael)

Well, first and foremost Arwen is a pretty fantastic songwriter, which makes things both a lot easier and more engaging for the rest of us in the band. Whatever else happens to be going on in one of her songs, there's always a plangent emotional core to connect with at the human level. She consistently provides a good story to play to, a compelling tale with a definite mood and tone. She also has a solid ear for melody and a knack for unusual musical twists and turns, all of which give us a wealth of musical room to work with while also giving us enough cues to know how to approach the songs. Working out new material in this band is always an adventure, a challenge, and a lot of fun.

Besides that, though, she's a powerful, dynamic singer—and she's not too shabby on the guitar, either. (Band "secret": I'm really a guitarist, and I'm quite envious of her finger-picking.) All this would be enough for most people, but the tale of Arwen doesn't stop there—oh, no. She's also a damn talented actress (you may've seen her in any number of productions around town), a passionate manatee advocate, an electric presence whose often pixieish energy is in many ways the heart of the band, and, on top of everything else, a good friend.

If you want to impress her: show off your knowledge of Neil Gaiman and/or Philip Pullman.

Dave :: drums (as told by Deb)

When my freshman year roommate was spending "time" over in Dave's room with his roommate, Dave and I became friends (and we're getting old so that was a while ago). Back then, I was impressed by Wish You Were Here and he would play Wish You Were Here. What do you know; everyone's a winner. Since those days, he's become a Renaissance man of many things musical. Though he started on guitar, he's become a full-fledged drummer and bassist in his own right, not to mention sound engineer, mandolinist(?), and Robert Plant-style vocalist. At risk of sounding too Successories-like, he has such a can-do attitude and he really can deliver. I will never lend him my violin because he could get better at it than me if he wanted to.

In Coraline, he really makes the songs. If you ever heard our songs without his drumming, they'd sound like a large, concrete, institutional room with no furniture. He also contributes a great deal to the arrangements.

The clever musician also sports a refined palate; he enjoys fine tea and chocolates (>70% cacao content to be certain). Please feel free to bring gifts of tea and chocolate and I will be 100% absolutely sure to pass them on to him.

Deb :: violin (as told by Arwen)

Knitter, geologist, Super Power #1 = ability to fall asleep anytime, anywhere, wire-worker, turtle, snowboard enthusiast, book club leader, creator of a myriad of small cartoon animals that tend to say things like, ‘merp?!’, crafter of mobiles, Super Power #2 = ability to ingest incredible amounts of food in a single sitting/ability to eat whilst asleep, swing dancer, web-mistress, jewelry artist, the person you ask "hey what did that Pv=nRT thing mean?" knowing that she will always have the answer stashed somewhere in her very large brain, crochet-ist, google-hacker, excellent pie maker, sometimes bassist, sometimes guitarist, classically trained violinist who adds that extra special sauce to every song. Basically, Deborah is one of those irritatingly superior and magical people who can do everything and anything they attempt, with general ease, and yet don’t know just how incredibly talented, gifted and cool they are or what feats of incredibleness they are capable of. She would know that I just ended that sentence with a preposition. I wish I could hand Debbie a magical mirror that reflected back to her the amazing Deb that the rest of the world sees, just so that she could actually know for one moment how great she really is.

From a musical perspective, I really appreciate that I can say things like "Debbie, could you try something here that sounds like cheese rumbling in your tummy?" To which she will not even blink, but simply respond with something like, "Cheese. Delicious." (And then somehow the violin will make that sound.)

Michael :: bass (as told by Dave Deb)

I figure Michael's bio has been pending long enough that I'd fill in a bit of nonsense till Dave comes up with something brilliant. Michael is a cornucopia of whimsy and freedom. His voice is an agitated lullaby. His bass playing keeps us from flying away - it's grounded, like he is, as in "feet on the ground," not "stay in your room." His dominant temperament using the four temperament system is phlegmatic. He is really smart - he turned into a teacher in the course of one year. He knows a LOT about bands and music. You may not have him on your team for Trivial Pursuit; he's taken. Except when he is behind the wheel or talking about politics, he is the nicest person ever and a flavorful band mate. Every band should have a Michael.