David Bazan

The son of a pastor, David Bazan wasn't introduced to secular music until his early youth, an experience that helped fuel the Christian-influenced songwriting of his first project, Pedro the Lion. Bazan formed the band in 1995, mixing first-person narratives and nuanced indie rock with contributions from a rotating cast of musicians. Based in Seattle, the group released four albums, beginning with 1998's It's Hard to Find a Friend and concluding with 2004's Achilles Heel. Bazan stopped using the name in early 2006, but his musical aspirations continued with several other outfits. Shortly after dropping the Pedro the Lion moniker, Bazan joined Nick Peterson and Starflyer 59's Frank Lenz to form the electronic pop outfit Headphones. He also began recording his own solo material, and 2006 saw the release of a solo EP entitled Fewer Moving Parts. The ten-track album featured five songs, each one given a full instrumentation effort as well as an acoustic rendition. Bazan even altered the songs' names depending on their arrangements. Named one of the Top 100 Living Songwriters by Paste Magazine, he spent the early portion of 2006 on tour in Europe with the Undertow Orchestra, an outfit featuring Vic Chesnutt, Will Johnson, and Mark Eitzel. He headed to North America later that summer, supporting his EP's release with a tour alongside Micah P. Hinson. Three years later, Bazan released his full-length solo debut, Curse Your Branches, on the Barsuk label. ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide