Biography
Los Angeles-based dark folk-rock duo Dead Man's Bones features vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Although Gosling gained prominence as an Academy Award-nominated performer in films such as Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, and The Notebook, he explored music on the side during his acting career. The pair first connected in 2005 while Gosling dated his Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams and Shields dated her sister Kayleen. Shared passions for music, horror films, and all things frightening led them to develop an eerie musical project. Over time they abandoned the stage component and concentrated solely on the supernaturally themed songs they had composed. To channel the atmosphere of the Langley Schools Music Project, they incorporated the Silverlake Conservatory of Music children's choir during recording sessions. Strict guidelines governed those sessions: click tracks and electric guitars were prohibited, Gosling, Shields, and producer Tim Anderson performed every instrument themselves, and each take was limited to three attempts. The group's music first appeared publicly in 2009 through homemade videos for "Name in Stone" and "In the Room Where You Sleep." That autumn, Shields and Gosling issued the album Dead Man's Bones on Anti Records and their own Werewolf Heart label. They further intended to produce videos for every track on the record, enlisting collaborators including sculptor Arthur Ganson.
Albums