CHRISTOPHER BRADY -- Bass, Vocals STEVEN BIRCH -- Guitar, Backing Vocals PAUL JOHNSON -- Drums
Back in the early '90s, pre-Nevermind, Christopher Brady and Steven Birch became friends through mutual connections in the burgeoning northwest music scene. Both were in the first Portland, Oregon bands to sign to Seattle rock heavyweight Sub Pop Records (Brady with Pond and Birch with Sprinkler). Playing numerous shows together throughout the NW, they quickly became a two-man mutual admiration society. After Sprinkler broke up in early 1994, they didn't see each other all that often, but Birch remained a huge Pond fan.
Fast-forward to fall 1998: After a brilliant third record (Rock Collection) on a very confused label, Brady and the Pond boys decided to call it a day. At the same time, Birch had reached complete burnout from a grueling year of non-stop touring with Everclear. The two had long talked about playing music together, but it was only now that the time seemed right. Initial rehearsals included Pond's David Triebwasser on drums. When Triebwasser decided to move away from Portland, a mutual friend introduced Brady and Birch to drummer, Paul Johnson. Johnson, a music major in college, had played in numerous bands, but was looking for something bigger, better, and more challenging--one rehearsal was all it took to know that his dynamic playing would be a perfect fit.
Early shows were played under the name Mandarin, and a completely self-made EP, "Home Recordings," was given away to friends and family. Two of the copies ended up in the hands of Rich Egan (owner of Vagrant) and Adam Kasper (Seattle uber-producer).
In spring of 2000, Adam Kasper contacted Brady saying that he wanted to be involved with the music of ALC. Having worked on all the Pond records and becoming friends over the years, Brady was excited by the prospect of working with Kasper again. Holed up in a Seattle studio, the band quickly recorded the rhythm tracks that would lay the foundation for their first album.
Over the next several months, Brady and Birch finished recording most of the guitars and vocals in the band's home studio. Brady kept in contact with his friend Egan, who took an instant liking to the material and agreed that Vagrant Records would be an ideal home for ALC. With this newfound partnership adding fuel to the ALC engine, the trio returned to the studio with Kasper to mix the home recordings and the original rhythm tracks, ultimately producing the album Friendships Often Fade Away.
Audio Learning Center is currently gearing up for extensive touring, and are already hard at work on new songs for their next full-length album.
