BAEBLE SESSIONS: The Lonely Forest at The Creative Little Garden

A polite outfit of child hood friends band together under a fitting musical moniker to embody affectionate musical melodies and earnest storytelling. The Lonely Forest: a friendly four-some striding down some of the very same paths blazed by earlier peddlers of bright and bold, Pacific Northwest Indie Rock. The Decemberists pop to mind, with an ode to the acoustic turns Elliott Smith's melodies tend to take. But the big touchstone here is Death Cab for Cutie; convenient considering the band can count Chris Walla as their fan, producer, and boss. The band recently signed to Walla's label Trans Records.

Though we couldn't offer a green, lush forest of evergreens, The Creative Little Garden provides an appropriate setting for The Lonely Forest in this, our latest episode of The Guest Apartment. Here singer/guitarist/keyboardist John Van Deusen and guitarist Tony Ruland discuss their relationship with Walla, as well as the importance of their hometown of Anacortes Washington. It's a topic that also weaves its' way into the hometown yearning at the heart of "I Don't Want to Live There"; a song the duo perform for our cameras. They also lace in three other tunes, including "Turn Off This Song and Go Outside". Luckily, we're already nestled in the back of our sunny garden hide-away, providing the best of both worlds in this Guest Apartment session with The Lonely Forest. - David Pitz