Derby is a three-piece band based in Portland, Oregon.
The release of their self-produced debut, “This is the New You” (Roslyn Records, 2005), recorded in their home studio in Portland, OR, put Derby on top ten lists around the country. Their vocally-driven, vintage-tinged pop-rock received comparisons to the Shins, Sloan and Brendan Benson, and critical acclaim was instantaneous: Derby was labeled one of the Best New Bands in Portland by Portland alt-weekly Willamette Week, and their wildly frenetic live show led to successful touring up and down the West Coast and beyond. Derby regularly sold-out shows in their hometown, and played to capacity crowds at Spaceland in L.A. with the 88, and the Mercury Lounge in New York City with the Robbers on High Street. Their highly-acclaimed slots at South by Southwest, MusicFest NW and Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, WA, were highlights of the festivals, fueled by rumors of lonely bartenders whose customers forgot about refills during Derby’s mesmerizing sets.
Over the first year and a half of Derby’s life, these DIY darlings garnered critical acclaim—AbsolutePowerPop.com’s 2005 Album of the Year; countless top ten lists—and shared the stage with the Decemberists, Cake, Magic Numbers, British Sea Power, the Posies, the Minus Five, Robyn Hitchcock, Robbers on High Street, Youth Group, Stars of Track & Field, Violent Femmes, Imperial Teen, Badly Drawn Boy, and Rogue Wave, just to name a few. After non-stop performing and touring in support of “This is the New You,” the band took a break from the stage to concentrate on the surplus of new material they had developed.
