Read on down the page to find out about more shows.

It’s Wednesday, April 23, 2008, and you are looking at your calendar to see that there is nothing written in the little box. What is there to do? Well, you can thank Bangorang Productions for making big things happen yet again. They have arranged for Crowded Streets to do a show tonight at James Madison University’s Memorial Hall. The show will begin at 8:00 and you can buy tickets in one of the following locations: at the door for $10 or in advance for $7 at either www.bangorangproductions.org or JMU’s music building from 11-1.

Crowded Streets is a Dave Matthews Band (DMB) tribute. You can listen to some of their music on their Myspace site to see what you think. Honestly, I was shocked. Attempting to re-create the music of DMB are some very large shoes to fill. If another band is going to shadow Dave Matthews Band, they better be sure they can handle the heat in the kitchen. From the clips I listened to of this band, they are definitely in the kitchen.

In the Washington-metro area, Crowded Streets is said to be one of the best. This band takes the awesome jams of DMB and, in combination with their own interpretations of the music, plays a session you won’t be able to forget. Alyn McDermott describes them as having, “…addicting sound and infectious beats.”

Previously, the band has played with some of the best in the coolest venues. Some of the venues they’ve rocked include: The Kennedy Center, The Nissan Pavilion, and The House of Blues. Crowded Streets has also had the opportunity to open for bands like: Live, the Gin Blossoms, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Another bonus to the show is, like always, you are going to be a philanthropist for the night! All proceeds of the show will be donated to the Harrisonburg Education Foundation that was established in 1994. This organization helps buy school supplies and other necessities for the K-12 schools in Harrisonburg.

So, let’s discuss. If you come to the show tonight, you will: be a philanthropist, get to see an awesome band, listen to excellent music, and be with hundreds of people having a good time. If you don’t come to the show, you will: be disappointed. Definitely come out and see Crowded Streets tonight. I promise you, it will be good.

Also, our friends at  Rocktown Bar & Grill are making sure to keep the music coming and the good times rolling:

§ Friday, April 25:  The Reflex @ 9pm

§  Saturday, April 26:

o       8pm: Vintage Bluegrass featuring Richard Hefner

o       9pm: TK-421

I thought this was a pretty creative picture:

The inspiration for Crowded Streets:

1. Could you tell us a little about the band members?

Stephen Drolshagen is our lead singer, and is currently attending Piedmont Virginia Community College. He’s a pack-a-day chain smoker, a sandwich and movie aficionado, and the laziest son of a bitch we know. He can play a mean harmonica, and dabbles in piano as well. Basically, his whole life is music. We don’t like him, but goddammit, do we respect him. Seriously though, he’s a hell of a good singer, and he IS the voice of Sweetbriar.

Jonathan Drolshagen is one of our lead guitarists. He graduated from UVa in 2007 and manages three different locations of popular Five Guys burger joint. If Stephen is the soul of Sweetbriar, Jon is the heart. He writes most of the songs and almost all of the lyrics, in addition to being the oldest, most responsible, and primary contact/booking/businessman of the group. He earned the nickname “Pudge” in high school, and even though he’s been trim and thin for years, we still tell him he’s fat for old time’s sake.

Matt Coppock is one of the founding members of the band, and he drums like no other whenever he can make it down from graduate school at Penn State. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 2007, and holds the title of the best looking member of the band. Matt’s also a talented songwriter, and plays both guitar and mandolin, in addition to background vocals. Offstage, he’s the best beer pong player you’ve ever seen in your whole life.

John Byrnes graduated from UVa in 2007 and now dedicates his whole life to rock n roll. He’s truly a gifted guitar player, but his real weapon is his ability to consume massive quantities of alcohol. That’s not a joke. But seriously, he can write amazing songs in any genre, ranging from rap to folk to progressive metal. His nickname is “Toots,” and is noted for his trademark cutoff t-shirts and cab driver hat, as well as the ability to perform the coveted over-the-head, behind-the-back guitar solo.

Dan Brandao is the only current UVa student, and will graduate in 2009. He plays bass and provides another harmony. When he isn’t wearing too-tight jeans with a white shirt and black tie onstage, he enjoys Parcheesi, cigars, and haberdashery. He’s completely out of place in the band, and actually likes Fall Out Boy. We try to keep him a dirty little secret.

2. Why the name “Sweetbriar?”

This actually isn’t that good of a story. Matt, Jonathan, Stephen and Dan all went to high school together. We had always practiced at Matt’s house, which was on Sweetbriar Drive in Fredricksburg, VA. We were “Sweetbriar Drive” until around 2006, when we decided to drop the “Drive,” because we thought a shorter name would be catchier and easier to remember. On a side note, if we ever change our name from Sweetbriar, we would absolutely be “Stormy Steve and the Teardrops.”

3. If you could pick one of your songs and call it your favorite, which one would it be and why?

Dan and Matt picked “Señorita.” It’s catchy as hell, the fans have been having a good time dancing to it, and the harmonies sound great. They would definitely vote for it if we had to put a single out right now.

Byrnes picked “Ride On Down To Georgia,” which is the most complicated song we play, and one that he penned himself. It has some beautiful chords and an unusual song structure, including a prolonged guitar solo (who would’ve guessed?), and swings from soft and pretty verses to intense choruses and breakdowns.

Jonathan and Stephen both picked “Time, Sweet Time,” the newest song in the Sweetbriar lineup. It’s a little different from the songs we usually write, and Jonathan gets to play piano on it. Lyrically, it’s the best writing we’ve put to music yet, and when we jam on it we have the option of throwing in an interlude with a couple of recognizable covers, so it’s a versatile addition to our set.

4. What are your goals for the future of the band?

Short term goals include going into the studio early this summer to cut a full-length debut record, and hopefully going on a brief tour along the east coast late summer to promote it and getting “Steva the Diva” to help set up and take down equipment. After that, Matt and Dan finish their respective degrees next year, and we’re gonna get serious spreading the rock-and-soul love that only Sweetbriar can offer.

Their upcoming shows include:

Benefit Concert for Students Helping Honduras w/ Tim Be Told- Satellite Ballroom, April 24, 8pm- Charlottesville VA

Randolf Macon University- May 10, 8pm- Ashland, VA

Princeton University- May 13, 8pm- Princeton, NJ

Uncle Charlie’s Smokehouse- May 31, 10pm- Charlottesville, VA

So it’s Saturday in Harrisonburg and there are so many things going on.

Valkyrie is playing tonight at the Blue Nile in downtown Harrisonburg. The show will start at 9:30pm and the cover is $3. The band describes their sound as “classic doom, hard rock, and heavy metal from the mystical climes of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia,” so if that’s your jam you should definitely come out and see them throw a kick ass show.

The Worx will be playing again at Rocktown Bar & Grill. That’s right, if you missed them last night, Friday, you can come out tonight, Saturday, April 19, and see them again. I don’t know what kind of music this band has, but it must be an amazing show because Rocktown had to turn people away last time because of the crowd size. Plus, Rocktown always has really mind-blowing shows. I saw The Monster Band there about two weeks ago and it was a phenomenal show. The lead vocalist was a female vocalist with a voice to die for. Hopefully we can get them back here for another show! So, as stated on The Worx web site, “Don’t settle for less than the best. Get The Worx!”

Things are not just “happenin” in Harrisonburg.

 We have The Sometime Favorites playing at Virginia Tech ZTA in Blacksburg, VA. I was first introduced to this band a couple of months ago and have become a big fan. Actually, scratch that, I have become a huge fan. Their sound is a combination of indie, pop, and rock and what a sound it is. Definitely check out their myspace to get a preview before the show. I guarantee you, if you can attend this show you won’t want to miss it. The show starts at 9pm. If you can’t come to this show, we’ve got the inside scoop that they’ll be in Harrisonburg on Friday, May 16, 2008, playing at, yup, you guessed it, Rocktown!

Friends to the Valley Vibe, Mozely Rose, will be playing at Dice’s Nightclub in Staunton, VA tonight at 9:30pm. This Richmond, VA based band has been spreading their music nationally since 2004. Having recently released their second album in 2007, The New Brew, they are becoming world renowned having their music played in places like Italy, Germany, France, and all across the United States. Pretty cool, guys! As stated on their myspace account, “the listener will find the album samples country, funk, and blues drenched with outlaw-rock finesse.” Definitely come out to rock with these guys. They’ll show you a good time!

Don’t forget about these shows as well on Saturday, April 19, 2008:

-         Sweetbriar: Charlottesville Marathon Finish Line @ 9am

-         Proverbial: Radford University Quad Fest @ 5pm

-         The Silo Effect: Baja Bean in Richmond, VA @ 9pm

Good luck to all of the bands playing this weekend! I know they’ll all throw amazing shows. Have a great rest of the weekend Bloggers and check back tomorrow, Sunday, to find out what is going on the rest of this week. Also, we’ll be doing a feature story on Crowded Streets, a Dave Matthews Band Tribute, who will be playing on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at James Madison University’s Memorial Hall. Thanks to Bangorang Productions for setting this event up. Get excited!

Before I forget, Sunday, April 20, 2008 (also known as 4-20), is The Green Apple Festival in Washington D.C.. This is a FREE concert and tons of unbelievable musicians will be there. To name a few: O.A.R., The Roots, Talib Kweli, Jorden Sparks, Ne-Yo, Will.i.am, and many more. It will begin at about 12pm on the National Mall. I’ll be there and I hope to see you there too!

Josh Love graduated from Bridgewater College in 2004 and moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a career as a stock broker.  After three years as a stock broker, Love decided the music business he grew up around was his calling.  When asked his motivation for coming back to reclaim his Grandfather’s music store, Love replied, “I missed the music business.  I spent so much time in my grandfather’s store and I learned to love and appreciate what my Grandfather was doing.”  However, Love’s respect for music extends past the business side of things.  Love is also a dedicated guitar player who has been playing for many years.

The name Whitesel Music has a rich history in Harrisonburg.  At the moment Love offers the sale of countless instruments, amplifiers, and anything else a musician would need including a large collection of Gibson guitars.   Apart from serving as a music supply store, Love has quite different plans for his newly acquired business compared to its traditional ways.  Love plans to keep his Grandfather’s mentality while putting his own spin on the store as well. 

Whitesel Music will serve as a music supply store during the day, and at night provide a chance for individuals throughout the community to come together for instrument demonstrations.  These events are already in the works.  A Blues Jam Session, which begins this Thursday, April 17, will give enthusiasts the opportunity to jam with others throughout the community.  Love has set up a drum set in the store for the event and has also set up a hammond organ for people to play.  ”The hammond organ is the original blues keyboard.  It is over 30 years old and was the instrument of choice by many blues greats like Stevie Wonder,” said Love.  The Blues Jam Session will be a weekly event on Thursday nights at 7:30.  

Love also plans to begin a Jazz Jam Session that will start the following Friday, April 25, that will work along the same lines.  “This will be a great opportunity for music enthusiasts throughout the community to come and play with complete strangers, yet create something that everyone can enjoy,” said Love. 

Whitesel Music has brought a brand new vibe to the valley and is a key player in the downtown music revival effort.  As a guitar player and music enthusiast I feel like this store is the missing link in the valley because of its modern ideas, amazing supply of instruments, and excellent customer service.  Harrisonburg needed a dedicated music store, and I believe that Whitesel Music, “Where everything is music…..and music is everything,” is exactly what we’ve been looking for.   

There will be a private grand opening of Whitesel Music on April 25 for high school and college students located throughout Harrisonburg and surrounding areas.  Be sure to go and check out this amazing store and what is has to offer music enthusiasts throughout the valley. 

For more information, contact:

Josh Dove

Whitesel Music – 34 South Main St. Harrisonburg, Va. -(540) 434-1376 – www.whiteselmusic.com 

Well, Rocktown Bar and Grill is making sure we’re starting off the week right. Tonight, April 13, 2008, at 8pm Rocktown will be hosting The Beetnix. Their web site describes their music as, “nothing you’ve ever heard before,” and it’s true. They have created some truly great beats that will keep you dancing all night long. I can tell you this hip-hop group has an awesome rhythm and the potential to be rise up with the likes of Method Man and Redman. Previously, this band has joined the stage with the likes of: Ghostface Killah, Al Kapone, and Blackalicious. What I found most interesting was their list of influences; the list ranges from some of the greatest bands ever (The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix), to hard-rocking bands (My Chemical Romance, Incubus, The Used), to jam bands (Bob Marley, Sublime, Thievery Corporation, Fiona Apple), and then all the way to hip hop (Nas, WuTang Clan, Talib Qweli). With all of these inspirations, one can only imagine the type of sound they have. Opening for the Beetnix will be DJ XSV (excessive), the official DJ of The Beetnix, and The Super Octavius. Yet another bonus to this event is that you will yet again become a philanthropist ($5 entrance fee)! Yes, it’s true. All proceeds to this event will be going to the Harrisonburg Education Foundation, which aids the community in buying classroom supplies, giving school grants, and offering scholarships to those in need. So college students get out of your computer chairs, parents find babysitters for the kids, and everyone else who wants to change up their Sunday night come to Rocktown for a rockin’ good time.

Don’t worry if you just can’t get away tonight, the rest of the week should prove to be just as eventful!

Rocktown Bar & Grill

Sunday, April 13: The Beetnix w/ DJ XSV & The Super Octavius @8pm

Tuesday, April 15: Reckless Kelly w/ Mickey & the Motorcars @ 9pm

Wednesday, April 16: Proverbial w/ the Bridge @ 9pm

Friday, April 18: The Worx @ 9pm

Saturday, April 19: The Worx @ 9pm

Clementine Café

Friday, April 18: Tony Trishka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular @ 9pm

The Little Grill Collective

Friday, April 18: Red River Rollercoaster and Hound Dog Boys @ 8am

Taylor Down Under (TDU)

Tuesdays: Open Mic Night

Thursdays & Fridays: Open Mic Late Night @ 10pm – 2am

The Bag

Friday, April 18: Ryan Villanueva, The Nice Jenkins, The Silo Effect, Jah B @ 8pm (Wear your toga!)

In the Shenandoah Valley:

Monday, April 14:

-         The Avenue @ Whitesel Music in Harrisonburg, VA @ 8pm

-         Secret Ninja Death Squad @ The Artful Dodger in Harrisonburg, VA @ 7pm

Thursday, April 17:

- The Avenue – Rock for Relief (Festival Ballroom) in Harrisonburg, VA @ 8pm

            - The Kings of Belmont – Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville, VA @ 8pm

Friday, April 18:

-         Sweetbriar – UVA Amphitheater w/ Tim Be Told @ 5pm

-         Sweetbriar – House Show w/ Streamline @ 8pm

-         The Avenue – Bridgewater College @ 8pm

-         The Kings of Belmont – Club R2 in Charlottesville, VA @ 10pm

-         Alien Cabbage – Byers Street Bistro in Staunton, VA @ 9pm

-         Broda – The Flagship Restaurant in Portsmouth, VA @ 6:30pm

Saturday, April 19:

-         Valkyrie – Blue Nile in Harrisonburg, VA w/ Angels of Meth @ 9:30pm

-         Proverbial – Radford University Quad fest @ 5pm

-         The Sometime Favorites – Virginia Tech ZTA @ 9pm

-         Sweetbriar – Charlottesville Marathon Finish Line @ 9am

-         Mozely Rose – Dice’s Nightclub in Staunton, VA  @ 9:30pm

Also, Springfest was very successful this weekend. Awesome job to all the bands that came and played for us!

As stated on the Springfest facebook, “Come out for a day of fun, sun, live music, and brews….” Springfest this year will be held today, April 11, 2008, in the backyard of the 1400’s of Fox Hills. True to James Madison University (JMU) tradition, it will be an event you won’t forget, but you’ll have to try and remember. The head creator of this event, some of you may know, is Gil Harrison. He has arranged for four local bands to be playing throughout the course of the day for some live entertainment. These bands are: Proverbial (playing at 3:30 – 4:30pm), The Void (5:00 – 6:00), Electric Baby (6:30 – 7:30), and last, but not least Blatant Vibe (8:00 – 9:00). We’ve talked about some of these bands here at the Valley Vibrations before and we fully support their music. I can honestly say that I am excited to see all of these musicians perform because I know they will all be amazing.

So come out and experience the shenanigans with me, the JMU Alumni, and thousands of other crazy cats today! I’ll see you there!

Proverbial…

The Void…

Electric Baby…

Blatant Vibe…

All Along, these talented young men knew that they wanted to Be The Ones to bring you What You Wanted, really freaking good music. While they still have to go through their day-to-day routines in the Real Life filled with Shades of Grey, they Can’t Stop Fighting It, that they belong in music and they won’t stop till they hit number one. Many eagerly Waited Until New Years to find out when their CD would be finished and ready for sale, all so they could buy it and say “I Was Right” when they hear them on the radio making it big. I know my friends and I will say the Same Thing. We Are fans for life (Ok, that was a really hard paragraph to write, every song title from their new album found a way into those sentences. That was my attempt at being creative and sincere, so I hope you enjoyed it).

Q & A:

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the band members?

James East, the lead singer, comes from the particularly cultural and well-informed area of southwestern Virginia. While working towards is PhD in Chemistry, James is still waiting with bated breath for that multi-million dollar record deal. When not sweating and looking sweet on the stage of a Sometime Favorites Show, he entertains himself with the musings of the young Adam Smith and tinkers with various and sundry calculus word problems. His mother is proud of him and you should be too.

Adam Long, guitar player and failed beard-grower, grew up in the metropolis that is Broadway, Virginia. He graduated from UVA in 2006 and now works with a land development firm engineering local subdivisions. Adam is an avid fan of t-shirts, cowboy boots, and the late-night political ramblings of Ray Szwabowski. He hates celery, because that **** is disgusting.

Matt Chick, bass player extraordinaire, orginally hails from Illinois, and graduated from UVA in 2005. Matt played guitar for a few years and switched to bass to lay down that funky rhythm for The Sometime Favorites (TSF) He is currently working as a mechanical engineer designing radio telescopes. Chick enjoys hoppy beer, thai food, and vertically striped shirts.

Ray Szwabowski, Chicago-born, and UVA alum ’04, has been drumming since third grade after enduring (at his mother’s insistence) two years of piano lessons to “learn to read music”. An avid follwer of politics, both domestic and international, Ray will gladly yammer on and on about current events if given the opportunity (consider yourself forewarned). He likes his beers hoppy, hi wines peppery, his foods spicy and his coffee strong (with a bit of skim milk, ’cause he’s sensitive like that).

2. Why the name “The Sometime Favorites”?

We wish we could tell you an elaborate, whimsical tale about how we came to be known as The Sometime Favorites, but such a story does not exist. Basically, Adam, James, Chick and James Gammon each came up with 10 band names a piece. Each name was placed into an NCAA basketball tournament-style bracket and the games commenced. After the final four was announced, there was a problem, no one was completely satisfied with any one of them. So, they took pieces of each and combined them together to make The Sometime Favorites.

3. If you could pick one of your songs and call it your favorite, which one would it be and why?

James and Chick: Both picked “Same thing” because it, ” Has a great mix of seriousness and whimsy about it. It’s the one song that I haven’t tired of listneing to and I don’t suspect I ever will. It has a great groove and can have meaning for any listener regardless if they know the story of the song or not” said James. “I think it is a more unique pop song than some of our others, and certainly one of our most catchy. It combines a great hook with a cool groove to really get your foot tapping” said Chick.

Adam: My favorite would definitely have to be “We Are”. The lead riff is just a lot of fun to play. Our live version is a little different in that the intro announces the guitar theme prominently with just the bass drum. Breaking it up like that really adds intensity with the full band comes in. It’s also one of my favorites to listen to. When James and I wrote the chorus to this song, it really became autobiographical. Having a song mean something to you always helps when you end up playing it night after night.

Ray Szwabowski: “Be The One”, it’s just absurdly catchy and very extremely fun to play. In our live version, there are these silly drum fills in the bridge that make me irrationally gleeful; methinks Adam feels the same way about it, or he just gets a kick out of watching me giggle while drumming.

4. What are your goals for the future of the band?

Ideally, we would like to be able to make disgusting amounts of money playing our original music full-time. To that end, we are currently focused on promoting our debut album to anyone who will liste. We hope to be able to pitch the album to record labels in the near future. In the meantime, we are continuing to pay the bills and hone our live act by playing small clubs and cover shows booked by our great agents at Sam Hill Entertainment.

Basically, we want to get our cd into as many hands as possible. We are really proud of our debut album and we think if people hear it, they’ll like it. Your can hear some songs off the CD on Myspace and/or buy the CD on iTunes or cdbaby.com. But, if you come to a show we’ll sell you a CD for $5. We’d sell it that cheap on iTunes and cdbaby if they didn’t need their cut too.

Thanks for reading everyone, you all are troopers for getting this far. I hope that you enjoyed this post if you’re already fans, that you become fans if you’re not already, and that I see you at their shows. Their next one is with Fools and Horses at the Outback Lodge in Charlottesville, VA on April 4. They will be back in Harrisonburg to play at the WNRN Benefit at Rocktown and Grill on May 9.

 Tonight, Tuesday, April 1, 2008, will be the First Annual Benefit Concert and Event deemed “Take the Pulse.” It is presented to you by James Madison University’s Student Ambassadors and Amnesty International. All of the proceeds will be going to entrepreneurs in the developing world; specifically KIVA, a worldwide organization that is endorsed by the likes of Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Yes, this is yet another chance for all of you to become philanthropists and support the music world at the same time, sweet! So, who will be the bands at this gig? Secret Ninja Death Squad, Dear Dear, Josh Vana, Wild Animal Party, and The Avenue are some of the bands that will be coming to perform for you. Some other guests that are attending will be: New & Improv’d (JMU’s Comedic Improvisation Troupe), Ryan Woodward, a Georgetown Law graduate, and Mozaic Dance, a hip-hop dance club for both men and women. An array of different music varieties, this should prove to be a rockin’ experience.

I know I’ll be there and I hope to see you there as well. Check back tomorrow for information about the MacRock events this weekend!

<—Secret Ninja Death Squad   

  <—Wild Animal Party 

 <—The Avenue

   <—Dear Dear

All of these together = A Rocking Good Time! 

It’s yet another Monday night and I’m sitting in bed watching some trashy television show about drug-addicted teens. Suddenly, my cell phone begins singing to me in some foreign language I can’t exactly place. I look at the caller I.D. because, let’s be honest here, Gwen Stefani had it right when she sang “no matter who calls, I gotta screen my phone calls.” The display reads “CJ.” Sweet! I’ve been waiting for his call and when I answer, he tells me they’re on their way over. I race out of bed, start doing my make-up, put on my fanciest, million-dollar outfit, and fashion my hair…not! Instead, I head downstairs, in my pajamas and with my hair a mess, turn on the lights and open my front door. This isn’t just a regular Monday anymore; this is the Monday I get to interview Gifts from Enola (GFE), my long-time friends and fellow James Madison University (JMU) schoolmates. Three of the four band-members walk into my house and I take them up to my room, oooolala. CJ and Andrew sit on my bed (I hear it again… “Oooolala”) and Nathaniel sits next to me in a chair, so gratefully borrowed from my roommate, Valerie.

Let the interview “sess” begin…

Gifts from Enola is a band of four:

§         CJ DeLuca: a guitar player who embraces the capital “L” in his last name

§         Andrew Barnes: A guitar player who was kind enough to narrate me through my first episode of South Park

§         Nathaniel Dominy: a bass player who carries around the sickest business card in his wallet (that I’m sure he’ll show you if you ask him)

And last, but not least:

§         Jordan Endahl: the drum player (yes, it was confirmed numerous times that there is a drummer) who unfortunately could not be here for the interview

Their story is short, but sweet. It all began when Nathaniel and Andrew met in Eagle Hall, a freshman dorm at JMU, and found that they had two separate sounds that could, in fact, become one. After combining the two, they sent a recorded copy over to CJ, an acquaintance through mutual friends, and he reacted with a very original “It’s so tight.” After that he was hooked and they recruited Jordan, a long-time friend of Andrew, to join as the drummer.

So I hit the band with my first real question, “What would you consider your sound to be?” At first they look at each other, then at me. Nathaniel tells me that this is one of the most dreaded and difficult questions to answer. Faltering for a moment, they throw out words like “post-rock” and “experimental,” but CJ comes in with a decisive “predominantly instrumental” and saves the day.

Their first CD, Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind , came out Fall ’06. It was recorded in a dorm room at JMU using a home studio software program. They laugh recalling some of the crazy things they had to do to make the CD a successful venture: duct tape to hold microphones up in front of the amps: $3.99, gum to keep wires together: .99¢, home-studio recording software: $139.00, creating an album that was front-runner for the 2006 “Yndi Halda” award and nominated by The Silent Ballet as September’s “Release of the Month:” Priceless. To help get the word out about their new album, the band sent copies to web sites such as; The Silent Ballet, Decoy Music, and other French, Italian, and German web sites that do CD reviews. They created internet space on Myspace.com and Purevolume.com. This brought other web sites to contact them about the CD as well and the band developed international acclaim.

Being as the band had a fan-base, or as they like to say a “friend-base,” they wanted to test out their live scene by setting-up tours. They did a four-day tour in Virginia during the summer and a longer one during the winter, which took them up to New York and down to Norwalk, Ohio, one of the sketchier places they’ve traveled. Gifts explained to me the process of setting-up a tour and, let me tell you, it’s not an easy task. The first step was contacting other bands to find out where they had gotten the best response for shows, and then they used the internet to contact venues they found or heard about. Come Summer 2007, Gifts established a tour that took them all over the country.

Having extensively traveled their music throughout the U.S.A., I wondered: what place had GFE rocked the hardest?  “Music was everywhere in Austin, TX,” said guitarist, CJ. “There are awesome bands and lots of adventurous times to be had in Los Angeles, CA,” said bassist, Nate. Then Andrew reminded them of the relief they felt arriving in New York and they quickly changed their original opinion. CJ informed me that driving around an old van pulling a massive trailer in the hills of L.A. was not the best idea. Apparently they drove up one hill too many and the van broke down. They documented the moment: .  This occurrence changed the plans. It took the band 2 ½ days to get from Oregon to New York City, but it was well worth it. Thrilled to have finally arrived, Gifts raged an unforgettable show with Caspian, a band with similar-type music and long-time friends of GFE. All things considered, GFE had a very successful tour and fully intends to do it again.

Currently, Gifts is creating a new CD for all of their friends to enjoy and re-selling their first CD on a Vinyl Record. They just released a split LP with You.May.Die.In.The.Desert entitled Harmonic Motion. To anyone who attends their show, the band offers shirts, CDs, hugs free of charge and a complimentary hang-out session (um, where can I sign up?).

After two hours, I had asked all of my questions and the interview came to an end. As much as I hated to see them go, I can’t keep them in my room forever. I can best describe them as a band that knows how to chill…real hard. Be sure to check out their Myspace and Purevolume sites or listen here to get a taste of Gifts from Enola. Keep an eye out for up-coming shows and the new CD; I’m sure it will be “tight.”

Concluding remarks from the band: “Chuch!”

April Tour Dates:

April 5, 2008: Tim’s Pilot Crib (House Party) – Blacksburg, VA

April 12, 2008: The Bag w/ Maps and Metal – Harrisonburg, VA

Some fun pictures of the band:

      <–Vinyl Cover