Emerald City Council

Short Bio

Emerald City Council is an American progressive rock band, formed in 2021 out of a recording project produced by saxophonist/keyboardist Brent Bristow. The band features vocalist Jake Livgren (Proto-Kaw, Kerry Livgren) and drummer Noah Hungate (The Band Perry, son of Toto’s David Hungate), along with Jeremy Nichols (Erin Coburn) on bass, and up and coming guitarist Seth Hankerson. Brandon Goff, Associate Professor of Music Industry at Francis Marion University, has also contributed significant guitar work as special collaborator to the band.

Bristow, Professor of Music at Arkansas State University-Beebe, began the project to record some of his original material, in which he wanted to feature the saxophone in a non-jazz context to show the versatility of the instrument. The rhythm section of Hungate, Nichols, and Hankerson clicked very quickly with impeccable musicianship, and Livgren’s range and versatility as a vocalist brought greater depth and meaning to the lyrics and melodies.

After hearing the early results of these sessions, Casey McPherson (Flying Colors, Alpha Rev) suggested that they move beyond merely recording together and actually form a band. Adopting Livgren’s suggested name of Emerald City Council, the band is eager to perform live shows in the near future!

Emerald City Council Discography

Motion Carries (2024) CD, LP, Digital & Streaming

Latest Release

About Motion Carries

The band has completed their debut album, Motion Carries, written and produced by Bristow, which boasts a wide variety of styles and influences. Scheduled to be released on Melodic Revolution Records in January of 2024, the album has a unique blend of saxophone and guitar-driven material that fans of both classic and modern progressive rock will love.

The album includes several guest appearances, including guitar solos from Paul Bielatowicz (Carl Palmer, Neal Morse), and Mike Thompson (The Sons of Kirk), plus contributions from actors Jeffery Combs (Star Trek, Re-Animator) and Steve Rankin (Star Trek, X-Files).

Multi-Grammy/Emmy-winning engineer and producer Jamie Tate, an important member of the ECC team, mixed and mastered the material at the Rukkus Room Studio in Nashville. Artist Thomas Ewerhard provided the cover artwork that perfectly captures the spirit of the music.

Bristow says of the album, “Producing this album has pushed me on many levels as a musician and songwriter. Everyone who worked on it put their heart and soul into bringing this material to life, which forced me to be better, and I could not be more grateful. While the songs can all stand on their own, I think we are providing a true album experience for those who want to lose themselves in music for an hour.”

The Band

Jake Livgren-lead and backing vocals, keyboard
Noah Hungate-drums
Jeremy Nichols-bass
Seth Hankerson-guitar
Brent Bristow-saxophones, keyboards, recorder, guitar, vocals