Sometimes success depends on an intricate combination of things going right - a delicate balance that when found, transfixes us all with its rare qualities. Such is the case with the new band One Hundred Paces an unexpected trio formed earlier this year with the talented Jim Lombardo and Sean Price and featuring a guest appearance by Sarah Beth Corum.

When the Santa Barbara quartet The Little Heroes, an emo-tinged guitar pop band formed in 2005, took an indefinite hiatus, the band’s front man, singer and guitarist Jim Lombardo, decided to use that time to write all new material and explore a simpler and more stripped down style of music.

Lombardo and long time friend, Sean Price, who is a multi talented instrumentalist and audio engineer, quickly worked to recruit the help of fellow Santa Barbarian Sarah Beth Corum; lead singer of her own indie rock band, ThreadSpinner, known for their emotive, sultry female vocals and many layers of guitar tones and textures.

The trio locked themselves in Price’s downtown L.A. loft with a mission: to transform Lombardo’s quiet melancholic songs into a beautifully crafted record, using very little instrumentation in order to augment the raw emotions the musicians themselves no longer wanted to contain. Fortunately for listeners everywhere, their mission was undoubtedly accomplished - the highlight of the album is Lombardo and Corum’s voices, dancing around the melodies with an unsettling magnetic quality while the haunting sounds of the piano, acoustic guitar, and soft percussion play on.