Laura Burhenn (Voice/Electric Piano) and John Davis (Voice/Guitar/Bass/Drums) -- with live help from Michael Cotterman (bass), Andrew Black (drums), James Canty (drums), Paul Michel (bass/guitar), Cale Parks (drums) and Adam Robinson (bass).Disbanded in August 2008.
Georgie James was a classic four-piece pop/rock outfit from Washington D.C., featuring John Davis (ex-drummer of the defunct Q and Not U) and D.C.-based singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn.
Having met through mutual friends, Davis and Burhenn (who had released 4 solo albums on her own Laboratory Records prior this project) found out that they both had an affinity for retro-pop from the 1950-70's; subsequently, they decided to start working together as a band derived from said style. Davis would handle guitars and drums arrangements while Burhenn oversaw the Rhodes electric piano - both would share vocal duties. A few hours later they had written a few songs, and decided this was a worthy project to take aboard.
Later in 2005 the duo went to record at the Dance Place in Washington with producers Chad Clark and T.J. Lipple, and by November they produced a 7-song demo (Demos at Dance Place), showcasing a general flurry of infectious, danceable, high-octane power pop.
On May 15, 2007, they announced that their debut full-length, Places, would be released on Saddle Creek in the fall.
On August 4, 2008, the band announced they were splitting up. The official word was posted on their website, georgiejames.com:
"After three years, Georgie James is calling it a day. We're proud of the album we made and everything else that we were able to do during our time together. We are both working on our respective solo projects (John's can be found at www.myspace.com/titletracksdc and Laura's at www.myspace.com/lauraburhenn) and hope to have albums out early next year. Thanks to everyone that helped our band over these past few years. And thanks to those who've listened to the music and come out to the shows. It is greatly appreciated. See you around soon. - John and Laura/Georgie James"
Official Website
From Wikipedia:Georgie James was an indie pop/rock group from Washington D.C. composed of John Davis (formerly of Q and Not U) and Laura Burhenn.
When Q and Not U called it quits in 2005 after releasing three albums, the band split into three different projects: Ris Paul Ric, a folk/electronic solo effort from Chris Richards; Harris Klahr commenced work on his new project, President; and finally, Georgie James, featuring Q And Not U's drummer Davis.
Having met through the D.C. music scene, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Davis and vocalist/pianist Burhenn (who had released two solo albums on her own Laboratory Records prior to this project) discovered that they had similar tastes in classic pop music from the 1950s to the 1970s. They decided to start working together as a band, Davis writing the guitars, bass and drums, Burhenn on the Rhodes Electric Piano. A few hours later they had written a few songs, and decided it was a worthy project to pursue.
Later in 2005, the duo recorded demos at Silver Sonya Studio in Arlington, VA. with producers Chad Clark and TJ Lipple and also at their practice space in NE D.C. By November 2005, they produced a 7-song demo, showcasing a mix of cool pop production, dancey riffs reminiscent of Power-era Q and Not U and unexplored territory for the both of them. The resulting demo was entitled Demos at Dance Place (named after the arts center adjacent to their practice space) and was self-released in 2006.
In February 2007, they released their first single, "Need Your Needs," on Burhenn's label, Laboratory Records. That spring, Georgie James signed a record contract with indie label Saddle Creek Records. They toured North America and Europe extensively to promote their debut full length, 'Places,' which was released in September 2007.
The final touring version of the band included Davis on guitar/vocals, Burhenn on keyboard/vocals, Michael Cotterman (formerly of The Loved Ones and Kid Dynamite) on bass and Andrew Black (formerly of The Explosion) on drums. Other musicians that played in the live version of the band included Cale Parks, James Canty, Adam Robinson and Paul Michel.
It was announced on August 4, 2008 that the duo had broken up with hopes of focusing more on respective solo projects. Davis formed a solo project called Title Tracks. The debut Title Tracks album, It Was Easy, was released by The Ernest Jenning Record Co. in February 2010. Burhenn formed a solo project called The Mynabirds. The debut Mynabirds album, What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood, was released by Saddle Creek in April 2010.