For band photos, interviews, etc., contact James Gray: 704-854-3437/meetjamesgray@yahoo.com      For full bio and press quotes, visit www.rossbeach.com

Ross and the Hellpets   Optimism   CD: ABS011   Release Date: Nov 15, 2005   File under: Indie Pop     Jump to tracks:     3. Both Horses     5. It's Over     7. Voyeur     9. You Were Right     12. Quesadilla As a document of overdriven power-pop with leftist, political themes, Optimism might have come in handy before the 2004 election. Still, this offering from the Louisiana native and one-time Elephant Six associate, Ross Beach, and his bi-coastal bandmates The Countess Von Hellpet and C. Baker, is as timely as ever. Launching immediately into the driving satire of "We Vanquished Terror", Optimism keeps the criticism high with fuzzy tones that recall Imperial Teen and J-Church, dirty rock a la The Cramps, and even a Sanskrit chant.

Ross Beach   Country   CD: ABS010   Release Date: Nov 15, 2005   File under: Alt Country     Jump to tracks:     2. Ballad of 1999     3. Can't Be Good     4. Pepper     7. Sweet Stick     8. Country Mile As a southerner, Ross Beach had ample opportunity to internalize the prevailing music styles of the region. This study is on full display as Ross uses the country genre as a launchpad for meditations on the country in which he lives. Joined by guest singers Myshkin and Per Se, Country veers between Will Oldham and Camper van Beethoven, garnished with a touch of psychedelia. "The Proverbial Shit" not only broaches the subject of class in America, but is notable for being the first Ross Beach song title to contain an obscenity.

These two records are the most recent chapter in a fifteen-year independent recording career. Ross Beach now makes his home in Portland, Oregon, where he has become a cheerleader for the local underground (and increasingly above ground) music scene, and serves on the board of the PDX Pop Now! music festival.