Umbrellas

Scott Windsor, following the release of two albums and an EP that focused primarily on acoustic material through his Lyndsay Diaries project, moved toward a stronger indie pop direction by launching Umbrellas. Working in the studio with musicians including Chad Copelin, Nathan Price, and Eric Arndt, the project unveiled its self-titled debut in spring 2005 on The Militia Group—the same label behind the Lyndsay Diaries releases—yielding a set of dynamic and refreshing pop songs produced by Ed Rose. Extensive touring came afterward, though with different supporting players than those featured on the recordings, and several tracks landed on programs such as Grey's Anatomy and Alias. During a stretch of heavy tornado activity, Umbrellas decamped to an unused comedy club in Oklahoma and tracked their second album in just two weeks. Illuminare arrived in July 2006, with studio assistance from James McAlister of Pedro the Lion and Sufjan Stevens plus Ryan Lindsey of the Starlight Mints. The remainder of that summer was spent on national tour dates alongside labelmates Brandtson.