The Western States add the Cosmic American element to Winnipeg, Manitoba’s thriving roots music scene. The band’s sound follows a path through latter-day America, and can travel from Gram Parsons to Bob Dylan's Basement tapes within one song. Initially formed in 2002, original members Sean Buchanan (vocals and guitar), Nicole Marion (guitar, vocals), Ashley Roch (Piano, Organ, Vocals) Jared Plummer (drums) and Keli Martin (bass) started developing their sound by letting the songs be built from the ground up. The Western States have quickly been embraced by Winnipeg's strong roots, Americana and indie scenes opening for the likes of The Weakerthans, Feist, Nathan, D.Rangers, The Perpetrators, Julie Doiron, Christine Fellows, and Radiogram. Like most roots bands in Winnipeg, The Western States call The High and Lonesome Club home, and can be seen taking the stage on a regular basis. In 2006, the band recorded their debut self-titled album on Dollartone Records. The album features guest musicians including Chris Carmichael (Romi Mayes), Bill Western (Nathan), D.Rangers, and Producer/Musician Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Willaims). Jerrod Falk was introduced as the new bass guitar player, and Joanna Miller joined as the new drummer. http://www.thewesternstatesband.com/ Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.