Versant (band)
Encyclopedia
Versant is a Swedish and American band from Vänersborg, Sweden and Newbury Park, California that formed in the summer of 2008. Versant features vocalist Carah Faye Charnow
, of the band Shiny Toy Guns
, guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Johansson, drummer Richard Ankers, formerly of the band Melody Club
, and bassist Nicholas Oja. Recently, Versant has announced their relocation from Sweden to California to work on a full length album.
' album Crossing the Rubicon
, formed Versant. Together they searched out fellow bandmates Richard Ankers (no longer a member), Johan Grettve (no longer a member), and Nicholas Oja to complete the line-up. Versant is currently seeking a new drummer to replace the recently departing Ankers.
In 2009, Versant released two demos on their MySpace
page; "Push Away" and "Out of Touch".
On February 14, 2009, Versant released a special Valentine's Day
video for their fans on Vimeo
. The instrumental track in the background appears to be the "roots" of the demo "Quick Escapes", which leaked online in November 2009 but has since been removed. "Quick Escapes" was eventually released as the band's debut single.
In the Fall of 2009, Versant posted a cover contest on their MySpace page. They accepted song submissions from their fans and held a vote for the song that they should perform. On October 9, 2009, Versant released a live video of them performing S.O.S.
by the Swedish band ABBA
on Youtube
as their contest winner.
Versant played their first two shows in Sweden in November 2009.
Versant's debut EP heartbeats ep was digitally self-released on September 21, 2010. The track lising is: 1) Heartbeats 2) Push Away 3) Quick Escapes 4) Out of Touch
On October 21, 2010, Versant released "Quick Escapes" as their debut single.
On September 24, 2010, the band began selling a limited edition autographed CD version of their EP from their website store. This version was limited to 250 copies, each of which were numbered and autographed by Carah and Daniel. These copies were quick to sell out. The regular (unsigned) CD version of the EP went on sale on November 23, 2010 from their website store.
Past members
Carah Faye Charnow
Carah Faye Charnow is an American singer and songwriter. She is currently the female vocalist of the band Shiny Toy Guns , with whom she scored a Grammy nomination, and is also currently the frontwoman/vocalist of the band Versant...
, of the band Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns is an American indie rock band that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles, California. They released their first studio album We Are Pilots in 2006, after recording it two previous times. It featured three singles that peaked inside the top 30 in the Alternative Songs Chart. We Are Pilots...
, guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Johansson, drummer Richard Ankers, formerly of the band Melody Club
Melody Club
Melody Club is a Swedish pop/synth rock band from Växjö formed in January 2000. Their break-through came in 2002 with the song Palace Station, which was also a big success in Germany. The band has frequent radio airplay in Sweden, Germany, Japan, Norway and Denmark.Melody Club's style can be...
, and bassist Nicholas Oja. Recently, Versant has announced their relocation from Sweden to California to work on a full length album.
History
After she was released from Shiny Toy Guns in the summer of 2008, Carah Faye Charnow and Daniel Johansson, who produced the title track of The SoundsThe Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
' album Crossing the Rubicon
Crossing the Rubicon (The Sounds album)
All music and lyrics by Jesper Anderberg and Félix Rodríguez except:Track 1: Lyrics by J. Anderberg, F. Rodríguez, F. Nilsson, M. IvarssonTrack 6: Lyrics by J. Anderberg, F. Rodríguez, M. Ivarsson...
, formed Versant. Together they searched out fellow bandmates Richard Ankers (no longer a member), Johan Grettve (no longer a member), and Nicholas Oja to complete the line-up. Versant is currently seeking a new drummer to replace the recently departing Ankers.
In 2009, Versant released two demos on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page; "Push Away" and "Out of Touch".
On February 14, 2009, Versant released a special Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
video for their fans on Vimeo
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
. The instrumental track in the background appears to be the "roots" of the demo "Quick Escapes", which leaked online in November 2009 but has since been removed. "Quick Escapes" was eventually released as the band's debut single.
In the Fall of 2009, Versant posted a cover contest on their MySpace page. They accepted song submissions from their fans and held a vote for the song that they should perform. On October 9, 2009, Versant released a live video of them performing S.O.S.
SOS (ABBA song)
Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus . It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself....
by the Swedish band ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as their contest winner.
Versant played their first two shows in Sweden in November 2009.
Versant's debut EP heartbeats ep was digitally self-released on September 21, 2010. The track lising is: 1) Heartbeats 2) Push Away 3) Quick Escapes 4) Out of Touch
On October 21, 2010, Versant released "Quick Escapes" as their debut single.
On September 24, 2010, the band began selling a limited edition autographed CD version of their EP from their website store. This version was limited to 250 copies, each of which were numbered and autographed by Carah and Daniel. These copies were quick to sell out. The regular (unsigned) CD version of the EP went on sale on November 23, 2010 from their website store.
Band members
Current members- Carah Faye CharnowCarah Faye CharnowCarah Faye Charnow is an American singer and songwriter. She is currently the female vocalist of the band Shiny Toy Guns , with whom she scored a Grammy nomination, and is also currently the frontwoman/vocalist of the band Versant...
– vocals - Daniel Johansson – guitar, keyboards
- Nicholas Oja – bass
Past members
- Johan Grettve – guitar, keyboards (2008–2010)
- Richard Ankers – drums (2008–2010)