Familiar

**Familiar** is a psychedelic rock group formed in Birchwood Vale, WA.

## History

### Early Years

Familiar formed out of a jam session of Birchwood locals who had one final summer together between high school and college. They liked the sound they had, saying it sounded "unique but familiar". They recorded a 3-song demo, made a copy for each band member, wrote the word 'Familiar' on it, and they went their separate ways. No one involved in the recording used their real names to evoke a sense of mystery, and to this date, the true identities of half the musicians involved have not been revealed.

Singer Emily Williams, who had used the alias Lorelei Chapel on the demo recording, showed it to musician friends she met while attending the University of Puget Sound. They loved the recording and wanted her to expand on it, but each of the four musicians had moved away and had their own lives. It was never supposed to be an ongoing project, just something they did to pass the summer.

### Reformation and Strum of the Heartstrings

Lorelei contacted each of the musicians from the demo and asked if she could continue the band, using the same name and musical style. According to her, everyone said yes. After several jam sessions with her college friends, they had written six more songs, four of which were chosen to be recorded with the 3 from the demo being rerecorded. These 7 songs made up their first LP, Strum of the Heartstrings. The album was played on the university's radio station where it gained some popularity in the Tacoma region, but failed to reach a larger audience, even after being uploaded online.

### First EP and Initial Success

Undeterred, the group, consisting now of Lorelei, Alastair, Nathaniel, Missy, and Charliss of the Meadow, re-worked two of the unused songs from their writing session and recorded them for their first EP, titled Pressing Flowers. The title track gained widespread popularity on the internet and the band was soon contacted for a record deal.

The record deal meant the group would have to go on tour in support of national headlining acts, which they were able to schedule around summer break from studies. After their initial North American tour, the group's popularity surged and their songs received millions of plays on all major streaming platforms. In every city they went, they found new fans. A slot on another tour was offered, and the members debated if they should continue their education or live the rockstar life. They agreed to continue touring - they could always go back to school, but the opportunity to play their music in front of tens of thousands of fans might never come around again.

About half-way through touring for their EP, Charliss of the Meadow had to drop out and give birth to her first child. Lorelei tried to reach Belladonna The Witch to fill in on theremin and additional percussion duties, but she could not be reached. The tour concluded with no theremin or additional percussion.

### Controversy

As their popularity grew, original guitarist Sebastian accused Lorelei from stealing the band name and songs without permission. Lorelei claims she had verbal confirmation from each band member that she was okay to use the name Familiar and the songs they wrote together. Original bass player Autumn Eve came forward to confirm Sebastian as the guitarist on the demo recording, but claimed that Lorelei did contact her asking permission, which Autumn Eve granted. Sebastian filed a lawsuit, accusing Lorelei of theft of intellectual property. The case was settled out of court.

## Musical Style and Influences

Familiar has been described as psychedelic rock, gothic rock, folk rock, and synth pop. Some of their songs follow a traditional structure while others feature experimental arrangements and can stretch out to 10 minutes in length or more.

## Members

### Current Lineup

* Lorelei Chapel - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizer
* Alistair Belmont - guitar
* Nathaniel Seagraves - bass
* Missy Magdalene - drums, percussion
* Charliss of the Meadow - theremin, additional percussion

### Former Members

* Sebastian - guitar
* Autumn Eve - bass
* No One - drums
* Belladonna The Witch - theremin, triangle (demo)

## Discography

* Familiar (demo)
* Strum of the Heartstrings
* Pressing Flowers (EP)
* Kaleidoscopic Dreams

## Notes and Trivia

* The true identities of No One and Belladonna The Witch have never been revealed.
* Only 5 copies of the original demo were ever made, one for each band member. After becoming famous, Lorelei Chapel auctioned off her copy for over $50,000. She donated the money to the Seattle Children's Hospital.
* The original 3-song demo was recorded in Lorelei's grandmother's garage.