Album Notes

Blue Skies And A Clean Getaway:

The 90\'s are back with a vengeance and they\'ve brought with them all the trappings of the 80\'s and the 00\'s that were worth holding onto. Inspired girl/guy vocals over often blistering pop leaning guitar rock. These lucky 13 songs will take you around the block and back with their inspired and rocking rockness. ROCK! The first collection of original tunes from this NW power trio. They\'ve thrown in some Cheap Trick and a little Band just so you know where they\'re coming from.

The Valiant Arms: A Brief Chronology

Eugene 1996
Diane (then Beck)—of Oswald Five-O—and Jonn Lunsford and Lisa Jackson of the Crabs record a single under the name “22 Sparkling Smiles” with Rob Jones in his garage. That single becomes the 10th release on Rob’s budding Jealous Butcher label.

Portland 2005
Sweetly haunted by the songs of the Crabs over the years, Rob Jones gets the idea to release a split 7” with him doing his favorite Crab song on one side and inviting Diane (now Rios) to do the same on the other. To assist, he recruits some other old Eugene friends, Kevin Walters (ex Soda Jerk guitar slinger) and Rachel Blumberg (drummer extraordinaire and overall shining star). And one fine spring morning Diane, Rachel, Rob, Kevin, and their engineering pal Adam Selzer, meet up at Type Foundry—Diane and Kevin making the trip up from Eugene and Salem respectively. They effortlessly learn and record six songs and the project grows from a 7” split single to a collaborative 10” record. They dub their glorious union The Valiant Arms and vow to rock again.

Portland (a year or so later)
Diane moves up to Portland, gives Rob a call, and The Valiant Arms are reactivated with a vengeance. Unfortunately, Kevin and Rachel must bow out; Kevin tied down by job/life commitments in Salem and Rachel busy trotting the globe with the likes of M.Ward and Bright Eyes. But mammoth drum-pounder and all around rock n’ roll renaissance dude, Eric Jensen, steps into the breach, transforming TVA into a full tilt power pop trio. But the collaborative spirit does not die—rumors fly that the band’s first album (as a three piece) will have very special guests—and Rachel agrees to stay on as the band’s spiritual adviser.

What about the Crab’s tribute that started it all?
Rob, ever the master producer, enlisted some more friends to contribute their ample talents to the project: Derek Trost played some drums and accordion, Tony Moreno added some bass and banjo, Cory Grey played some trumpet, Eric Clampitt played the pedal steel, and Adam Selzer provided a dash of mandolin.

The final product is JB-060-\"Swallow The Sea: The Songs Of The Crabs,\" a beautifully hand silk-screened limited edition (51 copies!) lathe cut 10\". It also appears as a less limited run of specially packaged CDs, as well as a limitless digital download available soon from your favorite digital retailer.

And don’t forget to come out and hear the sweet strains of The Valiant Arms at a gin joint near you!

Viva la Crabs! Viva la Valiant Arms!