Biography
Enumclaw emerged from the Pacific Northwest with a sound anchored in the darker currents of 1990s alternative rock, incorporating pop leanings and a measure of Brit-pop bravado. Thick rhythm-guitar textures support lyrics that alternate between inward examination and direct confrontation, while the band’s alt-rock foundation reflects the wide-ranging tastes of musicians shaped by pop and hip-hop as well.
Significant attention arrived before any live dates, sparked by strong reactions to the 2021 Jimbo Demo and the subsequent full-length Save the Baby in 2022. Two years later, Home in Another Life reinforced their alt-rock center while confronting uneasy topics such as family tensions, personal hardships, and the drive toward self-acceptance.
Aramis Johnson, Tacoma native and the group’s lead singer plus rhythm guitarist, launched the project. Active in Tacoma’s music community since 2013, Johnson DJed for Ghoulavelii and Bujemane, made beats for local hip-hop acts, ran the underground hip-hop and dance night Toe Jam, and helped operate karaoke at Bob’s Java Jive, the storied Tacoma bar modeled after a coffee pot. Although his background centered on rap and hip-hop, Johnson had pursued indie rock and punk since high school and played briefly in an emo band with friends. In 2019 he began playing guitar and, believing rock & roll required a vital new group, decided to start one.
He joined bassist and guitarist Nathan Cornell and drummer Ladaniel Gipson; the trio first operated under the name Jimbo. They rehearsed and developed material, continuing to woodshed once the COVID-19 pandemic suspended live music.
Unhappy with the name Jimbo for their five-song demo, Johnson renamed the band Enumclaw after a rural Washington town whose high-school wrestling team regularly beat Tacoma squads during Johnson’s own scholastic wrestling years. Circulation of the recordings as Jimbo Demo brought a favorable February 2021 blog notice from Seattle’s KEXP-FM. The notice expanded awareness, additional indie-press recognition followed, and Youth Riot Records gave Jimbo Demo an official release in April 2021. By then Eli Edwards had assumed bass duties from Nathan Cornell, who moved to lead guitar. Although the pandemic still prevented live performances, the growing positive response led Luminelle Recordings, an imprint tied to Fat Possum Records, to sign the band. Save the Baby appeared on Luminelle in October 2022.
As touring began and the members gelled, they developed their second album through closer collaboration, heightening the angst-driven aspects of their music. Lyrics touching on struggle, self-improvement, and difficulty fill Home in Another Life, issued in August 2024 on Run for Cover Records.
Significant attention arrived before any live dates, sparked by strong reactions to the 2021 Jimbo Demo and the subsequent full-length Save the Baby in 2022. Two years later, Home in Another Life reinforced their alt-rock center while confronting uneasy topics such as family tensions, personal hardships, and the drive toward self-acceptance.
Aramis Johnson, Tacoma native and the group’s lead singer plus rhythm guitarist, launched the project. Active in Tacoma’s music community since 2013, Johnson DJed for Ghoulavelii and Bujemane, made beats for local hip-hop acts, ran the underground hip-hop and dance night Toe Jam, and helped operate karaoke at Bob’s Java Jive, the storied Tacoma bar modeled after a coffee pot. Although his background centered on rap and hip-hop, Johnson had pursued indie rock and punk since high school and played briefly in an emo band with friends. In 2019 he began playing guitar and, believing rock & roll required a vital new group, decided to start one.
He joined bassist and guitarist Nathan Cornell and drummer Ladaniel Gipson; the trio first operated under the name Jimbo. They rehearsed and developed material, continuing to woodshed once the COVID-19 pandemic suspended live music.
Unhappy with the name Jimbo for their five-song demo, Johnson renamed the band Enumclaw after a rural Washington town whose high-school wrestling team regularly beat Tacoma squads during Johnson’s own scholastic wrestling years. Circulation of the recordings as Jimbo Demo brought a favorable February 2021 blog notice from Seattle’s KEXP-FM. The notice expanded awareness, additional indie-press recognition followed, and Youth Riot Records gave Jimbo Demo an official release in April 2021. By then Eli Edwards had assumed bass duties from Nathan Cornell, who moved to lead guitar. Although the pandemic still prevented live performances, the growing positive response led Luminelle Recordings, an imprint tied to Fat Possum Records, to sign the band. Save the Baby appeared on Luminelle in October 2022.
As touring began and the members gelled, they developed their second album through closer collaboration, heightening the angst-driven aspects of their music. Lyrics touching on struggle, self-improvement, and difficulty fill Home in Another Life, issued in August 2024 on Run for Cover Records.
Albums
These Are Some B-Sides
2023
Save The Baby
2022
Jimmy Neutron
2022
Painted Valley of the Mineral Monks
2010
Opening Of The Dawn
2009
Singles
