The Shore

In 2002 the Shore took shape in Los Angeles’ Silverlake neighborhood, fusing dusky alt-rock textures, vocals styled after the Verve, and West Coast psychedelia. Singer-guitarist Ben Ashley first played a set of new compositions for producer acquaintance Rick Parker, who advised him to cut demos with nearby musicians Kyle Mularky on guitar, Cliff Magreta on bass, and John Wilmer on drums. The band later secured a deal with Maverick Records, which put out a debut EP in 2003 and a self-titled full-length the following August. Although “Hard Road” received modest radio spins, the album fell short of the commercial expectations set by Maverick Records; soon after the label folded into Warner Music Group, the Shore were left without a contract. Ashley returned to writing, generating a new collection of songs that became the core of the band’s independent second album, Light Years. Rick Parker again served as producer, and the record appeared digitally in 2008.