Two Guys is a prog-pop band from Portland, OR, consisting of Cameron (baritone guitar, vocals) and Ryan (drums) Jones. The glaringly unadorned, some might even say awkward band name is a reaction to what the Jones brothers see as a trend of style over substance. Wanting their music to take precedence over their image, they chose the least pretentious name they could think of, and have kept with that philosophy throughout their existence. Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way…
The Joneses formed Two Guys after moving to Portland in early 2001. Ryan was tired of his Northern California hometown and was itching to get back to playing music with his bro. Cameron had spent the past four years living in San Diego and touring all over the US and Europe in other peoples' bands and was ready to craft something from scratch. That isn't to say he hadn't enjoyed his time in Southern CA; he'd been lucky enough to hook up with some of the city's finest musicians, and had learned a lot from the bands he was so tired of being in. First of those bands were drone-rock pioneers, Physics, in which Cameron played drums. Second came Heavy Vegetable follow-up, Thingy, in which he took on the bass duties. Third came the almighty Pinback, in which Cameron also played drums.
But enough about the past already, what has Two Guys accomplished, right? Well, in 2003 they released their debut album, Recorded, on Absolutely Kosher Records in the US and Zealrecords in Europe. Uber-hip indie website insound.com featured Recorded as a pick, calling it "a lovely debut". Overseas, French website Only Angels Have Wings had this to say: "I have listened to 'Recorded' over and over again during the last week and I have not found something bad to say about it yet... In the end, I can only advise you to try to grasp a copy of this excellent record." Cameron's singing continually draws comparisons to that of Elliot Smith or Sam Coomes of Quasi.
Two Guys have toured the west coast a couple times, sharing bills with acts such as Hella, Pinback, and +/-. They've played The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Cane's and The Casbah in San Diego, and just about every club there is to play in Portland. Hence, the first goal has been reached: Two Guys is no longer "that guy-who-was-in-Pinback's band"; they've established themselves as a unique presence in the indie-rock world. Now that Recorded is in stores and doing well, the Guys are headed back out on the road to continue to build their ever-growing fanbase.
Two Guys
Recorded
Out Now
Animal Trainers
Beach House Hangover
Another Chance to Fuck Up (live)
