GospelbeacH

GospelbeacH is a United States group led by vocalist and guitarist Brent Rademaker. The band draws on several strands of California music, including folk rock, sunshine pop, country rock and the paisley underground, and its sound also connects to alt-country, americana, power pop and folk rock.

Formation and members

The group forms in 2014 around Rademaker, who has previously played in Beachwood Sparks, Further and the Tyde. After reconnecting with drummer Tom Sanford, formerly part of an early Beachwood Sparks line-up, the two begin writing and jamming together. Rademaker and Sanford then work with guitarist and singer Neal Casal, another former Beachwood Sparks member who also has a solo career and plays with Ryan Adams & the Cardinals and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. The line-up is rounded out by friends bassist Kip Boardman and guitarist Jason Soda, both of whom have played with the Watson Twins’ backing band; Soda also plays in Everest. The band’s listed members include Neal Casal, Brent Rademaker, Tom Sanford and Jason Soda.

Recordings and style

GospelbeacH’s debut album, Pacific Surf Line, arrives in 2015 on Alive Naturalsound Records. It reflects the spirit and sound of early-1970s Grateful Dead music and features the band’s interlocking guitar approach. The second album, Another Summer of Love, appears in 2017 and moves toward the jangling pop style associated with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, while keeping a warm West Coast feel. Material recorded for that session, along with songs captured at a London concert in 2017, later forms the 2018 release Another Winter Alive. The third studio album, Let It Burn, follows in 2019 and brings in a more pastoral Laurel Canyon influence.

Label and naming

Patrick Boissel of Alive Naturalsound Records approaches the band before it has settled on a name and offers to release an album. He also suggests the name GospelbeacH, which reflects the group’s musical interests and California identity.

Related projects and background

Before forming GospelbeacH, Rademaker builds his reputation in the 1990s and 2000s through Beachwood Sparks, Further and the Tyde. After Beachwood Sparks releases The Tarnished Gold in 2012, he spends time in Florida working at a gallery framing artwork before returning to music with the new group. Casal also works as a solo artist and with Ryan Adams & the Cardinals and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, linking GospelbeacH to a wider network of American roots and rock acts.