The Pantones were born in a derelict printshop in mid-Michigan, the first record was recorded among the stacks of paper stock and bottles of ink and songwriter Matthew Carlson took the color system he'd employed there as the name of his new band. In 2000 he released Cosmic Americana a discomfitingly confidential group of songs that drew heavily on the works of The Byrds and Leonard Cohen. Two years later came "Memory is All" an album that Popmatters called, "nearly flawless, pretty without being boring."

In 2005 came "Sleepless Nights, Silent Mornings, an album that saw The Pantones dropping their "Matthew Carlson and the..." prefix and delivering a program more R.E.M. than Byrdsian. Releasing the album on their own Phonophore label, The Pantones played more than 120 shows in support of "Sleepless Nights, Silent Mornings" at venues including The Belmont and Cork Town Tavern in Detroit, The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Elbo Room in Ypsilanti and a self-propelled tour with stops including Cleveland's Barking Spider, Silvie's Lounge and The Hideout in Chicago, and a spot in the NXNE music festival.

While they were driving to gigs and loading out gear, calling bookers and sleeping on floors, the press was noticing "Sleepless Nights, Silent Mornings." Amplifier Magazine said it had "A certain there comes a time feel," and DJs and bookers across the midwest often likened their new roots-rock sound to Wilco and The Old 97s. A DIY media effort found the album spun on college radio stations from Virginia to California and with great excitement, The Pantones sat down to make a new record.

In 2009, the Pantones unveiled their fourth and final album, “Inside The Sun’s Wild Flame, a pristine mix of baroque pop vocals and their trademark indie/americana sound. The album is a boisterous send off with nods to the Kinks, The Zombies, Brian Wilson and Alejandro Escovedo. While it was never planned to be their swan song, real life came in and took over as band members became parents and relocated to other locales.

The decade that the band spent together leaves behind a legacy of great songs that have held up well to the test of time. The midnight ache of so many of the characters in these tunes seems perfect for an era of disconnection and distraction.

Matthew Carlson: lead vocals/guitar/synth
David Baldwin: guitars/keyboards/trumpet/backing vocals
Joel Kuiper: drums
Jake McCarthy: bass guitar/backing vocals