Arthur & Yu

Seattle-based duo Arthur & Yu quickly became favorites on the local and national music scenes for their evocative, lightly psychedelic folk-rock tunes and rich but homey harmonies. Grant Olsen was born and raised in the state of Washington and had come back there early in the 21st century to make music, while Sonya Westcott, who had played bass for a spell with Rogue Wave, had recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest from San Francisco, CA. Olsen met Westcott through a notice posted on Craigslist, which caught his eye when he noticed her influences and enthusiasms included Lee Hazlewood, Karen Dalton, and Melanie. The two began working together, recording homemade demos of Olsen's songs, and when they needed a name for their act, they put together their childhood nicknames -- Olsen's friends called him "Arthur," while Westcott was known to her pals as "Yu." The Arthur & Yu demo started making the rounds of indie records labels and the two began playing small-scale live shows when their recordings caught the attention of Jonathan Poneman, co-founder of Seattle's Sub Pop Records. Poneman was planning to launch a new label, Hardly Art Records, and he was impressed enough with Arthur & Yu's demos that they became Hardly Art's first signing, and their rough recordings were released in June 2007 as the album In Camera. The album won enthusiastic reviews, and Arthur & Yu hit the road, taking their music across the country both as headliners and opening for the likes of Iron & Wine and Kevin Drew. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide