Aberdeen - Biography
By Marcus Kagler
Well before Belle & Sebastian was a twinkle in Stuart Murdoch’s eye a couple of kids from Southern California were pioneering twee pastoral pop music with only a handful of singles to their name. Aberdeen formed in Palm Desert, California in 1993 when high school sweethearts John Girgus and Beth Arzy decided to form their own band. They took the name from the Scottish city Arzy had visited a few times in the past. The band was quickly signed as one of the few American acts on UK imprint Sarah Records. Aberdeen released their first rainy day pop EP Byron (Sarah) in 1994 to rave reviews. Singles like Toy Tambourine (1994-Sarah), Fireworks (1995-Sarah), and Snapdragon (1995-Sarah) soon followed. By late ’95 the romantic relationship between Girgus and Arzy dissolved, along with their label, and Aberdeen went their separate ways. Arzy later re-located to England to join Bobby Wratten (Field Mice) in his new band Trembling Blue Stars.
Time does heal all wounds however and Aberdeen reconvened in 2001 with drummer Brian Espinoza and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Joyner. Now a quartet, Aberdeen released their only full length Homesick and Happy to be Here (2002-Tremelo Arm Users Club) and launched an extensive U.S. tour. The band only released two more singles, The Boy Has Gone Away (2003-Tremelo Arms Users Club) and Florida (2005-Better Looking) before calling it quits one last time. Arzy still records with Trembling Blue Stars while Girgus has become a full time member of Languis. A career retrospective, What Do I Do Now?: Singles & Extras 1994-2004 (2006-LTM) followed a year later with remastered and long out of print tracks from their Sarah Records days.