Biography
Originating from Long Beach, California, the five-piece outfit Greater California merges the psychedelic textures associated with Zombies in their Odessey & Oracle phase and the nocturnal textures supplied by peers such as Society of Rockets and Low. The group came together in summer 2000 and features multi-instrumentalists Terry Prine, Nick Benich, Chris Berens, Kari Prine, and Paul Sakry. Its debut, 2002’s Little Pacific, reached the CMJ Top 200, prompting extensive critical praise along with a series of live dates alongside the Kingsbury Manx, Jesse Sykes, and Calexico. Warm and melancholic in tone, Somber Wurlitzer appeared in March 2005 after sessions held between midnight and 5 a.m. that spotlighted the band’s recently purchased piano of the same name.