Barcelona

There are at least two bands to hold this name - Cronologically they are:

Barcelona (Washington DC 1998-2002) was an indie pop band that incorporated elements of new wave and geeky subject matters to their songs. Consisting of Jason Korzen, Jennifer Carr, Ivan Ramiscal, and Christian Scanniello, Barcelona was formed in 1998 by Korzen and Carr. The pair recruited Ramiscal and Scanniello and began writing and performing original songs.
Later that year, the group met producer/engineer Trevor Kampmann (also known as Trevor hollAnd) and began work on their first LP, Simon Basic, which included the single "Why Do You Have So Much Fun Without Me?".

The band signed to March Records in early 1999 and released Simon Basic on that label in June 1999. In the fall of 1999, they embarked on their first tour, mainly on the East Coast. The band performed to indie rock fans at places like the Massachussetts Institute of Technology. The album takes its name from the Simons' BASIC programming language, developed for the Commodore 64.
In 2000, the band began work on Zero One Infinity, again with producer Kampmann. The album included "I Have the Password to Your Shell Account" (which received some circulation on the Internet), "Studio Hair Gel", "Robot Trouble" and "Kasey Keller", an ode to the US soccer goalkeeper. "Studio Hair Gel" and "Robot Trouble" were both released as singles prior to the album and included remixes by the likes of Jimmy Tamborello (Dtnel/The Postal Service) and Baxendale. The band toured again in the fall of 2000, and the album was well received. Barcelona recorded Transhuman Revolution in 2001 again with Trevor hollAnd. The album includes the singles "Everything Makes Me Think about Sex" and "Human Simulation". Shortly after the album's release, the band played their final show at The Metro Cafe in Washington, DC in February 2001. Jason Korzen formed Sprites with his wife Amy. Both Scanniello and Ramiscal have contributed to the project. Ivan Ramiscal formed The Positions.

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Barcelona (Seattle 2005- )

Seattle melodic rock quartet Barcelona is readying their debut disc titled absolutes out September 25 (digital release: August 14 on iTunes). The independent release will be licensed and distributed by Curb Appeal Records and the band recently inked an exclusive, worldwide deal with Warner Chappell Publishing.

What began as a solo project two years ago has matured into the four-piece piano-driven, melodic, indie rock machine of Barcelona.

After recording his solo debut Safety Songs, an up-and-coming Seattle singer/songwriter Brian Fennell (vocals, keyboards) assembled a band for a short tour including his childhood friend Brian Eichelberger - a classically trained violinist who self-taught bass - and college buddies Chris Bristol (Guitar) and Rhett Stonelake (drums).

As the chemistry clicked and the sound evolved, Fennell realized his musical ambitions were best suited to a band, and Barcelona was born.

Attracting the attention of A&R execs, the band did the song and dance of major label showcases but became restless and ultimately returned to Seattle to refocus their attention on songwriting for a debut disc to be released on their own label, NBD Music.

Using "Numb," "Response," and "Colors" - three tracks from Fennell's solo disc Safety Songs - as the anchor, Barcelona crafted a new batch of piano-based melodic songs led by Fennell's soaring vocals that would become absolutes.

During the recording, the band was courted by renowned publishing heavyweight Warner Chappell to an exclusive co-publishing deal that helped secure distribution for the disc through Curb Appeal Records.

Now, with their first full-length album under their belts, Barcelona will hit the road to showcase the new songs for the fan base they've built on the west coast, and beyond.