Eastern Conference Champions
| Company type | Independent |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Joshua Ostrander, Greg Lyons |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; later Los Angeles, California , United States |
| Products | Indie rock music, albums, EPs |
Eastern Conference Champions (ECC) was an American Indie rock ensemble originating in Philadelphia and later relocating to Los Angeles. The group included members Joshua Ostrander, Greg Lyons, and Melissa Dougherty. They achieved significant recognition after contributing to the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack released in May 2010.
Band history
The band was established in 2005 by Joshua Ostrander and Greg Lyons following their departure from the rock outfit Laguardia. In March 2006, ECC issued their The Southampton Collection EP through Retone Records. By the end of 2006, they secured a deal with Geffen/Suretone Records, a division under Geffen.
Collaborating with British producer Owen Morris, they launched their first full-length album, Ameritown, on July 17, 2007. Although critically well-received, the members felt disconnected from the major label environment and decided to terminate their contract for the second album. Utilizing the termination fee, they independently released subsequent work under their own label "RockHampton," named after their hometown of Southampton, Pennsylvania.
On August 9, 2007, ECC appeared as musical guests on Last Call with Carson Daly. After founding bassist Vern Zaborowski left in 2009, Melissa Dougherty joined the lineup. The trio self-produced and released The Santa Fe EP on September 30, which secured placements on television shows such as 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Melrose Place,' notably featuring the track "Sideways Walking." Their rendition of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" was featured in the season finale of Gossip Girl in May 2010 and became their highest-selling track on iTunes.
Building on this momentum, ECC initially planned to release another EP in early 2010 but shifted focus to a full album after being confirmed for inclusion on the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack. Their album Speak-ahh, issued on April 26 via RockHampton Records, represented their most significant stylistic evolution to date. Ostrander characterized the lead single "Bull in The Wild" as their most substantial song.
In 2010, the band contemplated abbreviating their name to 'ECC' but ultimately maintained the full name due to its association with the Twilight soundtrack release. They acknowledged that their lengthy name posed challenges for online discoverability, which contributed to limited commercial traction.
Eastern Conference Champions managed all facets of production internally—including recording, mixing, and mastering—with Ostrander also responsible for designing the artwork. He has wittily described himself as an "un-qualified hack at everything" who "should have been a lawyer."
On August 24, 2015, Josh Ostrander announced that Eastern Conference Champions had disbanded following their release of Love in Wartime on iTunes.
Albums
- Ameritown (2007)
- Akustiks (2010)
- SPEAK-AHH (2011)
- Love in Wartime (2015)
EPs
- The Southampton Collection EP (2006)
- Home Away EP (2007) Vinyl 7'
- Santa Fe EP (2009)
Soundtracks
- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (soundtrack) (2010)
External links
- ECC Forums (archived 2009)
- Suretone Records band page (archived 2007)