Umbrellas coming to Sunset

UMBRELLAS Tonight, 7 p.m. The Roxy, $10

The road to the Sunset Strip is a long and tough one for many
intrepid bands from across the country trying to hit it big in
Tinseltown. There are many bank accounts to empty, floors to sleep
on, and much equipment to move. Or in the case of the indie-pop
group Umbrellas, tumbleweeds to run over.

“We ran over a giant tumbleweed outside of Lincoln,
Nebraska; I think that’s about the worst thing we hit,”
said Scott Windsor, vocalist and head songwriter for Umbrellas.
“We take really good care of (our van) because breaking down
on the road is no picnic.”

Umbrellas will bring its dynamic brand of indie-pop to the Roxy
tonight, in the latest stop on a tour with The Forecast.

While making it to the Sunset Strip can be arduous, Umbrellas is
no stranger to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

“I’m really excited to play the Roxy. It’s a
really nice club. We usually play the Troubadour or the Knitting
Factory, so this ought to be new and fun,” Windsor said.

At age 25, Scott Windsor, singer and head songwriter for
Umbrellas, has been on five national tours since graduating high
school.

He’s lived in all parts of the nation, coming to the
warmth of the Southern California climate only to head back to St.
Louis, Mo., after three years.

Windsor’s first major musical project, The Lindsay
Diaries, began while he was still in high school.

“I did a solo acoustic thing for a few years, sold a
couple of records; then I got bored and had to start a new
band,” Windsor said.

This “new band” has already released two
synth-filled pop records through The Militia Group, a label based
out of Orange County that’s home to such bands as Rufio and
Copeland.

The latest album, “Illuminare,” was released in July
and takes a different approach from the first Umbrellas project,
while maintaining the mellow indie-pop for which the band has come
to be known.

“The new record we did all ourselves, so we had complete
creative freedom, whereas (for) the first record, we had a real
producer helping us out and telling us what would work with
different songs. So this one was much more creative on our part,
and we just let the songs go where they wanted,” Windsor
said.

The sophomore effort, which features themes of desperation and
disappointment amid its catchy choruses and synth beats, was
recorded in an abandoned comedy club ““ which may have
inspired the album’s optimistic title.

“The title was just something I saw somewhere, and it
really fit what I was thinking at the time ““ just to kind of
light up my life and be more positive,” Windsor said.

Windsor is the anchor of Umbrellas. Beyond simply providing a
name for the group, Windsor also is responsible for penning most of
the songs and playing many of the instruments on the group’s
records.

“For the most part, I just do all the writing. I write
basic ideas for the song, and when it’s time to record, I
take them in and kind of shape them with the other guys. I do all
the foundation work,” Windsor said.

Although Windsor is currently immersed in a tour-centric
schedule and lifestyle, which finds him home mostly during winter,
he continues to establish plans for the future.

“The new record just came out, so we plan on touring a
bunch this year to support it,” Windsor said.

“We are taking some time off in the winter, and
we’ll probably write some new songs, but next year we plan on
touring a lot just to keep the momentum going,” he said.

And if Windsor ever gets tired of life on the road?

“I’m sure I’ll do something within the music
business. I don’t think I could get away from music even if I
wanted to,” Windsor said.