**[From Radio Free Silverlake, Whitney Hawke, June 03, 2009]:
“Alaskan Summer is coming. So slap on some sunscreen and get ready to bake, because these kids are hot. The
Los Angeles duo consisting of Ashton Lunceford – a sprightly blonde pixy with a saccharine croon – and Douglas
Smith (frontman of the band his Orchestra) is slated to released their self-titled debut EP June 29, and has an
acoustic show at El Cid scheduled for June 15 to showcase their pure, unadulterated indie-pop to the masses.
The young twosome orchestrates tracks fit for summer nights on the back porch, barbecues in the park, or holding
hands with a cute person you like a whole heckuva lot. With lyrics romanticizing kisses on the eyelids, third floor
walk-ups, and love machines, Lunceford and Smith's songwriting plucks at the heartstrings. Carefully placed string arrangements – played by Paul Cartwright of Tandemoro – accent Alaskan Summer's otherwise acoustic, toned-down
tracks to give the EP a holistic, full-bodied sound.
Recorded in Eagle Rock's Kingsize SoundLabs with producer Dave Trumfio (Built to Spill, OK GO, Jesus and Mary
Chain), the six heartfelt tracks on Alaskan Summer feature accompaniments from Cartwright (violin, bass,
trombone), Mike Griffin (electric guitar), and Shannon McKinnon (drums) – all of whom are in L.A. band
Tandemoro. With a little help from their friends, Alaskan Summer recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP over
the course of nine days in February, but the EP doesn't cut any corners. For a slick start to the summer, check
out Alaskan Summer's self-titled EP when it hits the market June 29, or pick up an advance copy at their El Cid
show June 15.
And the kids are just getting started. With one EP wrapped up, Lunceford and Smith have already begun work on
an LP which they hope to release within the next year. If the fresh faced duo continues to crank out witty,
snappy pop tracks, Alaskan Summer will be heating up the scene through the falls, winters, and springs to come.”
Standout Tracks:
So I'll Wait -- catchy, jaunty, thoughtful.
Public Office – cute, soft, clever
**[From Buzzbands LA, Kevin Bronson, May 27, 2009]:
Ears Wide Open: Alaskan Summer
by KEVIN on MAY 27, 2009
“Douglas Smith is a busy guy. Besides acting (he’s Ben on HBO’s “Big Love”) and lending his talents to the L.A.
ensemble His Orchestra, Smith has teamed up with singer Ashton Lunceford to form Alaskan Summer. The duo’s
old-school boy-girl pop is built on bouncy piano lines and crisp guitars — their debut EP, coming digitally in late
June and recorded with noted L.A. studio wizard Dave Trumfio, features contributions from Mike Griffin, Shannon
McKinnon, and Paul Cartwright of Tandemoro, and keyboardist Dennis Hamm. It’s sticky as bubblegum on a
sidewalk in August.”
||| Download: “Machine of Love” (and/or watch the video)
||| Live: Alaskan Summer plays June 15 at El Cid
**[From We Like It Indie, May 21, 2009]:
May
21
2009
“Basically, Alaskan Summer consists of beautiful Ashton Lunceford & this tall curly haired guy named Douglas Smith. You may
know him from the band his Orchestra or as Ben on HBO’s Big Love. his Orchestra just released their debut album, A Field Guide
to the Wilds. They have been written up in several sites & have been playing a lot of shows around LA as well as licensing songs
to films & networks like ABC Family & Lifetime for different television spots. Doug is the lead singer/songwriter for his Orchestra.
Ashton is from South Carolina, and she has been singing since she was just a little kid. She’s done some acting as well & she is
a journalism major at CSUN.
Back to Alaskan Summer, Ashton is the lead singer. They write the songs together for the most part. Ashton plays a little piano
while Doug plays guitar, piano, & sings. They just formed the band about a year ago. They wrote the songs in 2008, and then
started thinking about recording around Christmas. Alaskan Summer ended up finding the amazing producer Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Ok Go). He heard their demos and said that he would love to record with them at his studio, Kingsize in Eagle Rock, and also co-produce with
Doug. A couple of months passed by & the duo recorded 6 amazing songs that will be out by the of June. Here’s your first peep.”
“Machine of Love” | download
P.S. the duo is playing a Acoustic Lounge night at El Cid on June 15th at 8:30pm!