NPR Music - Meet the folk-pop music duo: The Well Pennies
February 4th, 2019
“So we have had the benefit of live music in our shows this week from Iowa. The Well Pennies have been with us. They're a husband-and-wife folk-pop duo from right here in Des Moines. Their names are Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool, and a lot of their songs are about coming home to the Midwest.”
No Depression - 2020’s Silver Lining? A Whole Lotta Roots Music Cover Albums
December 18th, 2020
“…The song choices are delightfully quirky and delightfully rendered, tied together only by Sarah and Bryan Vanderpool’s evident love for each selection and ability to take each somewhere surprising...”
The Des Moines Register Front Page Feature Story - The Well Pennies, From the Coasts to the Corn Belt
July 7th, 2019
“[…] a songwriting powerhouse.. At their recording studio, Golden Bear Records, on a recent Friday, The Well Pennies recalled how moving to Des Moines gave them total control over their latest album. Because they recorded and mixed their music in their own studio and on their own time, this record is more personal than their first, Sarah said...”
Picked up by The Associated Press - The Washington Times - The San Francisco Chronicle - USA Today - and hundreds of other papers from around the country.
Billboard Magazine - The Well Pennies' 'Oh My Blue Sky' Premiere: 'There's Life and Light All Around Us'
January 24th, 2019
“Their four-year break between albums included their move to a house that now includes a home studio, where the act records not only itself, but other artists, having settled into a rich Midwest music scene. Packed (and unpacked), thankfully, in the journey were The Well Pennies' trademark harmonies and gift for melody, as well as lyrics, often drawn from the natural world, that, even when cautious, inspire. Bryan shared insights ahead of the new album's release, as Billboard exclusively premieres one of the LP's most buoyant tracks, "Oh My Blue Sky."
No Depression - The Well Pennies Take Joyous Flight on 'Murmurations'
January 25th, 2019
“the album is filled with harmonies, hooks, and lyrics that evoke bright sunshine and a wide-open horizon…Married duo Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool find plenty of depth in themes of hope and encouragement, love and longing that has a good chance of being fulfilled. It feels like a celebration, and as much as I love sad songs, it’s nice to just revel in feeling happy for the space of these 13 songs (and in the lingering glow they leave). “Ooh La La” is a prime example of the folk-pop perfection
Pro Sound News Magazine - The Well Pennies Embrace Classic Neve Sound
July 14th, 2019
“In a bid to capture the sonic characteristics that they admire in older records, US band The Well Pennies have supplemented their very modern workflow with Neve 1073LB microphone preamplifiers, which are allowing them to embrace the warmth of classic analogue technology. Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool, the husband and wife duo who make up this successful Folk/Pop duo, have now installed three 1073LB preamps into the fully stocked 500 Series rack at their studio in Des Moines.”
Picked up by ETNow - Pro Sound Media
Coat Check - The Well Pennies Releases New Album 'Murmurations'
January 25th, 2019
“[…] the track listing, detailed below, is jam packed with imaginative, sunny lyrics and melodies to help melt the snow, or at least hold you over until Spring.”
Folk Da World - Valeu a pena esperar quatro anos para ouvir o novo disco do The Well Pennies
January 25th, 2019
Translated: “…With light lyrics and engaging harmonies, we are led to put aside some of the many concerns we have and walk down the street with headphones on high. Nothing matters but the melody in our ears. And do not be surprised if you want to be looping already in the first song, it is impossible not to sing along with the duo the delicious lyrics that says "Heal your heart with rhythm and blues". you wanna feel it too ".
No Depression - Leaving Los Angeles: How a Move to the Midwest Paid Off for the Well Pennies
August 27th, 2018
"Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool make soft-spoken, big-hearted folk full of lush vocal harmonies and intricate string passages...The transition has also given them time to work on their sophomore album, Murmurations, due out later this year. While Endlings was an introspective album, Murmurations’ overarching theme is about accepting the person you are, and the larger part you have to play in life."
Alive Magazine - 9 Songs by Heartland Artists We Can't Stop Listening To
January 18th, 2018
"The Well Pennies, Des Moines, IA “Oh La La” - But hope’s a honey in the air, a melody around you when no one else is there..."
DSM Magazine - Pennies from Heaven
May 1, 2016
“Want to escape for a bit online? Search “The Well Pennies”and turn up the volume. You’ll be rewarded with sweet harmonies, innovative originals and engaging covers. (That’s how we happily spent a chunk of time last night, and we’ll be back for more).”
Diffuser - "Endlings" Album Review
February 2, 2015
"[...] In today’s crowded musical climate, it takes a lot to cut through the clutter and rise above the digital din — so give the Well Pennies credit for not even bothering to try. This is not to say that the folk-pop duo’s debut full-length, ‘Endlings,’ reflects a lack of effort; in fact, this is an exquisitely crafted album, replete with deceptively thoughtful arrangements that surround their soaring harmonies with shimmering guitars and lush strings while leaving plenty of room for the songs to breathe. But it’s also a confidently quiet work that asks for room to reflect rather than demanding the spotlight, and in these years of lossy formats and loudness wars, that’s nothing less than refreshing..."
Billboard Magazine: The Well Pennies Endlings Interview
January 22, 2015
“[...] Harmonizing husband-and-wife duo the Well Pennies broke through with a highly-praised Beatles cover. Now, as it preps its new album Endlings, due Tuesday (Jan. 27), the pair is finding creative ways to stand out in the complicated, but potentially high-ceiling, independent artist landscape…”
Interview Magazine – Discovery: The Well Pennies
October 9, 2012
“[...] They perform in their Sunday best, often slotted into bills featuring Los Angeles’s finest screamo, rock, and noise acts. Their defense? Lush folk harmonies and crystalline male/female vocals, set against a wash of banjo, guitar, piano, violin, and the occasional suitcase-based percussion kit. Meet The Well Pennies, husband and wife team Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool, who—for the record—enjoy their position as musical outsiders…”
USA Today Top 10 Playlist – The Well Pennies
October 1, 2013
“USA TODAY music critic Brian Mansfield highlights 10 intriguing tracks found in the week’s listening. All My Loving, The Well Pennies – Boston folk-pop duo tweaks a familiar melody, adds strings, for a new Beatles Reimagined set, with delightful results…”
Diffuser – Most Anticipated Albums of 2015 - The Well Pennies "Endlings"
January 2, 2015
“[...] An “endling,” according to the Well Pennies, is a creature that dies as the last of its kind — and although this album focuses on the theme of “extinction and how it relates to all aspects of life,” don’t go thinking it’s some sort of morose rumination on death. “Our goal is always to write songs that inspire something — however simple — to smile, to love, to go out and experience life,” says the band, and their mission has definitely been accomplished with the record’s leadoff single, ‘Drive’ (above), which showcases the duo’s bright harmonies and warm melodies alongside sun-dappled lyrics..."
Billboard Magazine: Our Favorite Beatles Covers
February 06, 2014
“[...] a Los Angeles-based, Boston-formed husband-and-wife duo who reworked them as sweet, harmony-driven folk songs, even bringing out melodies not present in the originals – an amazing accomplishment for any remake; that feat has to be multiplied exponentially when covering the Beatles. The latter appears on the compilation “Beatles Reimagined,” recently released for the 50th anniversary of the group’s breakthrough…”
VARIETY – The Well Pennies – Beatles Reimagined
November 13, 2013
“[...] Built around early songs not controlled by Sony/ATV publishing, even the poppiest of these indie-flavored covers, such as the Well Pennies’ version of “All My Loving,” underscore the keenly evolved songcraft. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros treat “I Saw Her Standing There” as a folksy hoedown…”
NYLON Magazine – Love me do – The Well Pennies
October 4, 2013
“[...] What made you interested in being a part of Beatles Reimagined? “We loved the concept of the album. The Beatles are such an important band that even today, decades later, they still inspire creativity through their music. We also love a challenge; The Beatles are so iconic and so loved by the world that it seemed like a risky move to re-imagine the well-known melodies and lyrics of their music. But even then we couldn’t pass on this chance to honor their legacy and the influence they’ve had on us and so many other artists” –Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool”
Whoa Magazine – The Well Pennies
July 2, 2012
“[...] Los Angeles-based husband and wife duo, Bryan & Sarah Vanderpool, self-titled manages to create the perfect amount of happy fused with just the right amount of folk. The bands stunning harmony and melody blends are enticing…”
Rollingstone – Beatles Reimagined Release
September 30, 2013
“[...] The album, which comes out October 1st on Community Music’s Community Projects label, includes covers of early Beatles songs including “She Loves You” and “All My Loving” by indie bands such as Badwolf and the Well Pennies…”
Direct Current Music – RADAR: The Well Pennies
February 29, 2013
“[...] Husband and wife Bryan and Sarah Vanderpool make up the creative nucleus of The Well Pennies, an acoustic indie pop outfit that keeps their spry, buskery songs loosely tethered to folk and Americana influences. After meeting up in the Boston songwriter scene and kicking around clubs in New England and New York’s Lower East Side, the Vanderpools packed up and headed west to LA …”
Daily Unsigned – The Well Pennies Featured
October 25, 2013
“[...] Today’s Fresh Pick on Daily Unsigned, The Well Pennies delivers music that will always be there for you in good times and those bad times. Music that is edible enough to replace your comfort food…”
Under the Radar Magazine – Premiere The Well Pennies Music Video
November 13, 2013
“[...] Beatles Reimagined is an album featuring twelve takes on classic Beatles tunes from bands such as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Leftover Cuties, and The Well Pennies, who made a video to go along with their heartwarming version of “All My Loving…”