WHO IS SEÑOR HAPPY?

If you love great rock music, you’ll love Boston-based Señor Happy. Reversing the trend of musicians moving from Boston to Los Angeles is Derek Schanche, who formed Señor Happy with bandmates Joe McMahon (Tanya Donnelly), Tom Polce (Letters to Cleo) and Josh Lattanzi (Ben Kweller/Lemonheads).

Compared to a cross between Elliot Smith and the Foo Fighters, Señor Happy has a fresh breathy-vocals- over-loud-guitars pop sound.

Referring to the new album I’m Sorry, Schanche says "I still have a breathy approach to vocals, but the music is like everything I got out of the '70s and '80s and '90s. It's like classic rock meets indie rock. And there's a ballad and a folk tune, too. I think it comes from listening to the White Album. We tried to have something for everyone -- and it's definitely meant to be heard from start to finish.“

Produced by veteran studio wizard Mike Denneen (Fountains of Wayne, Howie Day) and Señor Happy drummer Tom Polce (whose studio credits include Kay Hanley), the 11-track collection illustrates a maturity that didn't cost the band its intuitive pop sensibilities. Songs range from the fervent urgency of "Get Up and Go Out" to the weepy and surprisingly rootsy "Drowning."

"We love that Americana-folk thing. That's part of our rock music," Polce says of his and bassist Joe McMahon's contributions to Schanche's musings. "You might not know because it's covered wtih so much distortion, but it's there.“

(Material from The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine)