the Real Numbers

49 square miles. Water on three sides. Two bridges. And one champion of powerpop — The Real Numbers. With the release of their debut album, Welcome to the Numberhood, the songwriting duo of Dave Ambrose and Lawrence Grodeska have found their sweet spot. After years pursuing separate musical endeavors that spanned the musical map, the pair met in 2008 through the digital wilds of Craigslist. Grinding it out in their geek day jobs, both dreamed of a new project to achieve the same musical vision — part power pop, part quirky melodic rock, always tight, always tasty. From the start, a shared love of powerful melodic hooks, beautiful harmony and concise, well-crafted compositions was clear. Adam White and Chuck Lindo were brought on board to round out the rhythm section, punctuating the tight arrangements behind lush chords and big melody. Their debut album, Welcome to the Numberhood, conjures an era of songwriting come and gone from commercial airwaves, but carried on by the likes of Fountains of Wayne, Ben Folds and The Feeling. Not afraid to embrace geekdom or plant tongue firmly in cheek, their smart yet smart-ass lyrics make mundane observations meaningful, amusing or both. The Real Numbers recently released a video for the Wiggle! their pop-paean to San Francisco's local-lore bicycle route by that name. Half PSA, half goofy love letter to the beloved bike-highway, the video has been featured on many San Francisco news outlets and blogs and even recently graced the pages of the Huffington Post. San Francisco's finest power pop.