The story of the Jeunes

In late 2002 Australian singer/songwriter James Hall, having recently moved to Seattle, placed a newspaper ad, looking to start a new band. One of the first replies came from Jaime Clapper, a self-described "Verve-like" bassist who had previously played with the Sophies. They were joined by drummer Curtis Hall, also previously of the Sophies as well as the New Candidates, a side project of Magnapop guitarist Ruthie Morris.

This lineup recorded the "Four Songs" EP with Kyle Sheaffer and Lance Workman in Portland, OR in late 2003. Ostensibly a demo, the band were so happy with the results they decided to self release it as an EP. It very quickly sold out, earning great reviews in the process.

Keen to expose the EP to as many people as possible, the band posted it online for free download. One of the people who downloaded it was a DJ from Derby, England named Jyoti Mishra, best known for his 1997 worldwide #1 hit Your Woman, released under the pseudonym of White Town. Mishra would later recount how he discovered the band in an interview on National Public Radio. Later he would remix "Never Be The Same" from the unreleased 2nd Jeunes EP, which will finally appear on the new "Strangers In The Night" LP.

Lead guitarist David Bos, previously of Lloyd's Rocket, expanded the lineup to four when he joined in mid 2004. Throughout 2004 and 2005 the Jeunes furthered their reputation as an energetic live band with a support slot for touring UK band Delays along with dozens of shows across the Pacific Northwest.

Recording sessions in 2004 engineered by Cops guitarist John Randolph yielded nine songs - three of which appeared on Strength In Numbers, a compilation disc featuring several other local bands, "See You Again" appeared on Reverb Records' The Fuzzy Ball disc, while the others were slated for an EP that remains unreleased.

In 2005 bassist Jaime Clapper departed and was replaced by Kevin Millard, previously of Panopticon, Thornton Creek, and The Melody Unit. Demos for a planned LP were recorded shortly thereafter but instead of being the foundation for that LP, they became the band's epitaph. In September 2005 the Jeunes disbanded.

Singer/guitarist James Hall recorded a solo album in 2005/6, recording new versions of some Jeunes songs alongside brand new material. The album was released in January 2007 under the moniker of Shake Some Action! The album won widespread acclaim and received heavy airplay in Seattle and across Europe. Several of the songs have been licensed for use in advertising, TV shows and feature movies. In late 2006 Shake Some Action! became a fully fledged band with the addition of other members, including ex-Jeunes guitarist David Bos (after a stint with Daylight Basement). Bassist Jaime Clapper also played with Daylight Basement before touring Europe with the Rotten Apples. She is currently playing with Black Nite Crash. Drummer Curtis Hall now plays with Grand Archives while bassist Kevin Millard plays with Library Science and Moraine.

When the Jeunes disbanded they left behind a slew of unreleased tapes seemingly never to be heard again. Using those 2004/05 tapes as a starting point, founding member James Hall created new mixes of the Jeunes best-known songs in 2008. Guitar, bass and vocal tracks from various unreleased studio and live recordings were remixed with new drum tracks and other sundry overdubs added by Hall in 2008*. The result is Strangers In The Night, released January 1st 2009 on Satellite 451 Records.