Quick Facts
Biography
Cedar Avenue is an American pop rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band was formed in 2005 by lead vocalist Jesse Mathews and bassist Kyle Wachter. Their song "7 Years" was featured in the season finale of the ABC / Global TV (Canada) series Rookie Blue. "7 Years" was also featured on the Cities 97 Sampler Vol. 22.
History
The band got its start when Mathews collaborated with a friend from school who played bass, Wachter. They recorded a song that soon became popular with many fans in their local community. They named the band after Cedar Avenue, a historic Minneapolis street they both grew up near. While Mathews was off at college in California, he was creating new songs that he then brought back to Minnesota to collaborate with Wachter.
These songs were brought into the studio to create the Running Home EP. Finished with his studies, Jesse returned to Minnesota, bringing with him a wife and band-mate Derrin Mathews. Mathews later ran into an old high school friend, Shawn Burtis, who joined the band on drums.
Notable accomplishments
Rookie Blue
On September 9, 2010, the Cedar Avenue song "7 Years" was featured on the ABC police-drama Rookie Blue. The song was played in its entirety during a pivotal scene of season finale. Rookie Blue was the most successful scripted summer debut in over a year and in nearly six years for ABC. The finale episode drew nearly 5 million viewers.
Cities 97 Sampler Vol. 22
On November 18, the Cedar Avenue song "7 Years" was also featured on the Cities 97 Sampler disc. The Sampler disc features unreleased acoustic tracks from artists such as John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and U2. The compilation CD is put together by one of largest radio stations in Minnesota, Cities 97. The CD was available exclusively at Target and all 33,000 copies sold out in under 2 hours.
Discography
Running Home EP (2005-2008)
The Running Home EP was recorded at Winterland Studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota by producer/engineer Brian Johnson. The EP features only the original two members, Jesse Mathews and Kyle Wachter, along with longtime friend Mark Betters on drums.
Someday Soon (2009-2011)
Someday Soon was recorded in March, 2009 at Blackwatch Studios in Norman, Oklahoma with producer/engineer Jarod Evans. The CD was mixed by Shane Wilson (Switchfoot, David Crowder Band) and mastered by Dale Becker (Neil Diamond, Tenacious D). The band lived in Norman for the entire month, sleeping on mattresses in various rooms of the studio. The album was officially released in December, 2009. Someday Soon features their hit single "7 Years".
Human/Nature EP (2013)
Human/Nature, released in 2013, took the band in a new direction. According to the "about" section of their YouTube channel, Cedar had "jettisoned their pop songwriting roots, lit them on fire, and thrown them into a back yard Minnesotan snow drift." Although Cedar Avenue enjoyed significant success with their "industry formula," the band "decided they should be writing music for themselves instead of a blog editor or phantom music executive, so they ditched the pop equation for something a bit more primal." With the new EP also came the band's name change, which they altered "to celebrate the new sound, new members, and new approach." According to the band, Human/Nature "has the same heart that Cedar Avenue once did, but there's a little less suburban Diet Coke and a little more whiskey."
Siren EP (2014)
Siren was released in 2014 and includes the tracks "Rerun," "Original," "Stray Kids" and "Western Shore."
Esc (2019)
Esc was released on November 25, 2019 and includes the tracks Dream of Love Scene, Oxygen, Machine Heart, No Clear Survival, and a rework of their own song After All.
Members
- Jesse Mathews - lead vocals, guitar
- Justin Lansdowne - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Kyle Wachter - bass
- Nathanael Raway - keyboards, synthesizer, programming
- Shawn Burtis - drums
Past members
- Derrin Mathews - backing vocals, keyboards