Album Notes

Working with his band under the new name Rogue Valley, Minneapolis singer-songwriter Chris Koza is set to release Crater Lake, the first album in a series of four to arrive with each season.

Assembled of Chris Koza's longtime musical collaborators Peter Sieve (guitars, vocals), Luke Anderson (drums, percussion), and Linnea Mohn (bass, vocals), Rogue Valley kicks off an ambitious year with the release of Crater Lake. The songs tell the first part of a story that spans four full length albums, each one marked by one of the four seasons.

Crater Lake sees Koza exploring new ground as a songwriter, crafting a sound that distinctly identifies the group effort behind the music. Lush vocal harmonies stand out as a signature element against a backdrop of naturalistic instrumentation. Arrangements are complex, swirling affairs that dive and flutter unexpectedly, supporting the emotional arc of the story at hand.

Throughout the album, a sense of migration, wonderment, and optimistic melancholy weaves itself between starkly beautiful pastoral imagery, reflecting the band's experiences touring the vast stretches of the West coast. The songs and stories merge events and memories like an embellished memoir, blurring the lines between fiction, reality, memory and perception.

In 2004, Koza released his debut album, Exit Pesce. It was a homemade gem, unpolished and earnest, earning rave review and thrusting Koza prominently into the local Twin Cities music scene. Over the next four years, Koza and his band made three more records, each building upon the success of the last. Consistent radio play, local performances, and three years of national touring all led to increased visibility. With Rogue Valley, Koza builds on his strong reputation, and aims higher.