Draft:Late Cambrian (band)

Late Cambrian is an American alternative rock band from Brooklyn, New York, made up of John Wlaysewski (Vocals, guitars), formerly of Flying Machines, and Olive Hui [aka Pineapple O] (Vocals, keys).

The current line-up of the band includes Matthew Milligan on bass, Eric Zeender on guitar and backing vocals, and Ben Weiss on drums.

Band history

After his previous band Flying Machines disbanded in 2010, Wlaysewski put together a solo project to record songs that later became Late Cambrian’s first album, The Last Concert," which was Wlaysewski playing all the instruments, along with drummer Colin Schiller.

They were soon joined by O, who Wlaysewski met while they both were playing patients on the Showtime show, Nurse Jackie. She sang backup vocals on the album, before officially joining the band later. The Last Concert was released on June 14, 2011.

The band released the EP, "Social Season," including the single “Ryan Gosling,” in 2012. Brendan Brown from Wheatus sang and played guitar on “Song 11.”

In April 2013, Late Cambrian released its second album, "Peach," featuring the singles/videos for “Flowers from Anonymous,” “The Wolf,” “Lover’s Point,” as well as a remastered version of their earlier single, “Ryan Gosling.”

Late Cambrian released the single “Walk of Shame" in August 2013, and in September and October 2014, the band toured extensively in the UK and Ireland, as well as touring Europe with Wheatus.

In 2013, Late Cambrian also received the final stage in The Deli's Best of NYC 2013, achieving 4th place in the Alt Rock category.

Late Cambrian released its third album, "Golden Time", on December 30, 2014, led off by the single “Golden Time,” followed by “Objects May Appear,” and “DYBIL.” Angie Hart sang on the song “Montauk,” and make-up company “Illamasqua” (https://www.illamasqua.com/) commissioned the song of the same title. Kevin Salem played guitar on “Throwing Shade” and “Made for Love.”

The group also recorded and released a cover of The Human League’s 1981 hit single “Don’t You Want Me” in January 5, 2015.

That same year, Late Cambrian was chosen to take part in the Converse Rubber Tracks Concert program.

Sweet Cambrian High was Late Cambrian’s fourth album, released February 20, 2018, featuring the singles and videos for “Dark Heart,” “Yearbook Photo,” “Girl Bag Holder,” and “Hot Minute.”

In 2019, the singles “February” and “Forget My Number” were released, but neither of them appeared on an album. Other singles released during that time included “Paraidolia,” “Home for Christmas,” and “Best Laid Plans (A Lullaby).”

In August 2022, Late Cambrian released its sixth studio LP, "Future Snacks," through Mifflin Street Music, which was written and recorded during the COVID pandemic. The album included the singles/videos “The Last Wave,” “It’s Always Something,” and “Sydney Sweeney.” At that point, Matt Milligan (from Wheatus), Eric Zeender, and Ben Weiss joined the band, beginning with live shows and then for recording. "The Last Wave" was a 2022 finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the rock category.

Baby Robot Media said about "Future Snacks": “Poppy, upbeat, infectious… a lush musical atmosphere [that] could pass as something Radiohead may have concocted… an impressive feat that is testament to the unique partnership between the duo.”

In 2023, Wlaysewski and Late Cambrian released another single, “You Stayed with Me,” which won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

In August 2023, Late Cambrian released their next single, “I Love My Friends Even Though They’re Dumb.”

On February 1, 2024, Late Cambrian released the double single, “Late Bloomer” with “Cave My Head Full of Dreams,” the former featuring a guitar solo by Brendan Brown of Wheatus, the latter featuring a solo from musician and comedian Dave Hill (comedian). The B-Side Guys called “Cave” a “vibrant tapestry of psychedelic rock captivating listeners with introspective lyricism,” while Johnny Reed’s Indie Artist Spotlight referred to “Cave” as “melodic, neurotic Indie Pop/Rock takes you back," while mentioning the band in its May 2024 Indie Artists Spotlight.

April 20, 2024 saw the release of “Reflection Collection (Singles 2012 - 2024)” via the band’s Bandcamp, collecting 12 songs that never appeared on any of the band’s albums.

The single “Ride to Valhalla on a Tooth Balloon” was officially released on July 22, 2024, but it became a Semi-Finalist in the 2024 Unsigned Only Music Competition even before its release. "Ride to Valhalla" was called "a brilliant demonstration of what this band is capable of achieving" by Radial Expansion, noting its "hard-hitting and vibrant guitar riff."

Late Cambrian once again received the Music Room's Indie Artist Spotlight in August 2024.

In the Media

The band appeared in the web series, "Going Up? The Series," in 2013, where they sang “Ryan Gosling” in an elevator with puppets.

The band appeared in 3 episodes of the “coming-of-middle-age” web series, "Maybe Sunshine," in 2015, playing themselves, and their song “Ryan Gosling” also appeared on that soundtrack.

Side Projects

John Wlaysewski is a prolific record producer and mixer, who produced and played multiple instruments on Tracy Bonham’s Modern Burdens, as well as working with Wheatus, and more.

Wlaysewski also has regularly played guitar with Kids in the Hall’s Kevin McDonald, first as part of his one-man off-Broadway show, and then again for his opera, “Kevin McDonald Superstar” in 2023, for which Wlaysewski was music director.

Wlaysewski composed the music for Sean Nalaboff’s "Montauk,", which included the Late Cambrian song “It’s Just Me” in the closing credits.

Wlaysewski formed the experimental pop and post rock group, Fashion Bird Danger Danger, with bassist Matthew Milligan of Wheatus in 2020, and the group has released two albums, "Chemtrail Bae" in 2010 and "Phanerothymes" in 2021, as well as the holiday song, "Cherry Mristmas." Wlaysewski is credited as “Music, Mixing” while Milligan plays “Synthesizer, Vocal Samples.” Guests have included Olive Hui, Lisa Hammer, and Levi Wilson. In September 2023, Fashion Bird Danger Danger released the song “Fall into the Backrooms.”

In 2023, Wlaysewski released his first solo single, “It’s Fine.” On June 1, 2024, Wlaysewski released the “Prehensile Tales EP” with lead-off single, “Doing Sh*t, Trying Not Be Sad.” That was followed on August 23 with a new double single "Future Ghosts"/"Running Out of Time."

Olive Hui is also an actor, a model, a performance artist, an artist, and a comedian. She/they have appeared in “Falling for Grace,” “Loving Leah,” and “Sisters,” and they recently appeared in the music video for Valley Lodge’s “I Wrote a Song.”

On March 18, 2024, Hui announced their “All of Nothing” art and music project via their new website.

Current

• John Wlaysweski – Vocals, guitars (2011 - present)
• Olive Hui - Vocals, keyboards (2011 - present)
• Matthew Milligan - Bass (2022 - present)
• Eric Zeender - Guitars, backing vocals (2022 - present)
• Ben Weiss – Drums (2022–present)

Former

Drums

• Colin Schiller (2011 - 2013)
• Will Tully (2013)
• Alex Cohen (2014 - 2018)

Bass

• Nunzio Moudatsos (2011 - 2014)

Albums

• The Last Concert (Vacation Island Recordings, 2011)
• Peach (2013)
• Golden Time (Audio & Video Labs, Inc., 2014)
• Sweet Cambrian High (2018)
• Future Snacks (Mifflin Street Music, 2022)

Extended Plays

• Social Season (2012)

Compilations

• Pareidolia EP (2021)
• Reflection Collection (Singles 2012 - 2024) (2024)

Singles

• “Walk of Shame” (2016)
• “Yearbook Photo” (2016)
• “February” (2019)
• “Everyone But You” (2019)
• “Forget My Number” (2019)
• “It’s Just Me” (2020)
• “Fluoxa Tina” (2020)
• “Pareidolia” (2021)
• “Best Laid Plans (A Lullaby)” (2020)
• “The Last Wave” (2022)
• “It’s Always Something” (2022)
• “Sydney Sweeney” (2022)
• “You Stayed With Me” (2023)
• “I Love My Friends Even Though They’re Dumb” (2023)
• “Late Bloomer/Cave My Head Full of Dreams” (2024)
• “Ride to Valhalla on a Tooth Balloon” (2024)

External links

• Late Cambrian on Bandcamp
• Late Cambrian on Facebook