The Blasting Company

American nouveau-Folk band

The Blasting Company

The Blasting Company logo

Background information
Also known as| The Petrojvic Blasting Company
Origin| Los Angeles, California
Genres|

* Eastern European Folk
* American Folk
* Jazz[1]

Years active| 2008–present
Members| 5, including

* Justin Rubenstein
* J.R. Kaufman
* Charles De Castro
* Cory Beers
* Brandon Armstrong

Website| blastingcompany.com

The Blasting Company, formerly known as the Petrojvic Blasting Company, is an American nouveau-folk band based in Los Angeles, California.[2] The band was founded in 2008 by half-brothers Justin Rubenstein and J.R. Kaufman and the group has since expanded to include five members.[2]

The band composed the soundtrack for the Cartoon Network mini-series Over the Garden Wall.[3]

## History

[edit]

The Blasting Company originally started as a street band called Albania Mania. They traveled around America living on a school bus and busking with a frequent rotation of members. When their bus exploded in Savannah, GA, they decided to live there. While there they met a kind old man approached who inspired them to learn Yugoslavian music so that they could perform at his upcoming party. The man's surname was Petrojvic (or that's how they thought it was spelled) so after learning all the music on his list, they redubbed themselves the Petrojvic Blasting Company.

In 2007, while busking in Nashville, Tennessee, they met their future bandmate, Brandon Armstrong. It is reported by them that he was the unsung hero of the band during their work on "Over the Garden Wall".

In 2014, when releasing their soundtrack to "Over the Garden Wall", the band shortened their name to "The Blasting Company" with the reasoning that they were no longer performing the songs on the man's list.

## Style

[edit]

The band's music is inspired by the music of Eastern Europe, particularly the music of the Balkans,[2] and New Orleans dixie.[4] The band has also been noted for its folk influences and Bohemian style.[5]

The band uses a variety of more orthodox instruments including an accordion, as well as a Bulgarian tapan.[2]

## Performances and projects

[edit]

The band regularly performs in Los Angeles, and plays every Sunday at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.[2]

The band wrote the soundtrack for the television miniseries Over the Garden Wall, for which it was critically acclaimed.[6][7] The extended version of the soundtrack was debuted at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016.[7]

The band provided a theme for a fan made Dungeons and Dragons project titled The Crooked Moon.[8] They have also been offered opportunities to provide further music including themes and ambience tracks for the individual campaigns within the expansion.

The band has contributed music for an upcoming indie game currently in Kickstarter called Layers Deep.

## Discography

[edit]

### Albums

[edit]

* A Gift To Remember (2008)
* A History of Public Relations Dilemmae (2010)
* Over the Garden Wall (2016) (Also includes Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Jack Jones and others)
* Kids of Rutherford County (2024)

### EPs

[edit]

* Sketches of the Unknown (2020)
* Tiny Star (2020)[9]
* For Hire (2022) (Includes Ashley Nguyen DeWitt)

### Singles

[edit]

* Candy (2020)
* Old Summer Reckoning (2021) (Co-written by Van Dyke Parks)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Polo, Susana (3 November 2014). "An Interview With the Folks Behind Cartoon Network's Over the Garden Wall, Premiering Tonight!". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
2. ^ a b c d e Wappler, Margaret (18 December 2010). "The wild, wild Petrojvic Blasting Company". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. ^ "Over the Garden Wall Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
4. ^ Henderson, Melissa. "The Petrojvic Blasting Company: Coming soon to a sidewalk near you". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
5. ^ "THE BLASTING COMPANY". Lugano Buskers. Lugano Buskers. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
6. ^ Amidi, Amid (13 October 2014). "6-Minute Preview of CN Mini-Series 'Over the Garden Wall'". Cartoon Brew. Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
7. ^ a b Shiach, Kieran. "Mondo to Debut 'Over the Garden Wall' Soundtrack Vinyl at San Diego Comic Con". Comics Alliance. Comics Alliance. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
8. ^ Amidi, Amid (21 September 2023). "The Crooked Moon: Folk Horror in 5E by Legends of Avantris - Kickstarter". Dicebreaker. Dicebreaker. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
9. ^ "Discography". The Blasting Company. The Blasting Company. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

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