Biography
In these troubling times of today's world, The Last Straw promises to be a ray of light. Since forming in February 2007, the band has been just outside Nashville brewing its own sound. At the end of the first jam everyone present knew they had experienced one of those magical moments all the great bands speak of. The combination of all five men's eclectic southern roots and influences produces a stripped down, in your face sound that’s familiar, yet fresh. Huge guitar solos and keys sweep over the top of hip-swinging bass lines and thunderous drums and combine with many of the same elements that made bands like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Black Crowes legendary. 23 year old Daniel's soulful lyrics describe vivid stories that cut to the quick of the human experience. The Last Straws commanding delivery, energy and passion on stage consistently thrills audiences show after show.
Capitalizing on their early notoriety, The Last Straw recently released its highly anticipated debut album, "Brought to Life" on February 28, 2009. The album was tracked at Germantown Studios in Nashville, TN with engineer Michael Bridges and mixed and mastered by Daniel Scobey of ITC Productions. In order to catch the live sound and energy of the band, the whole album was recorded in just 5 days with the emphasis on quality takes in a live setting. "Brought to Life" is an album that takes the listener on a journey from start to finish with 11 well crafted songs that show a maturity well beyond the short life of the band. Daniel says, “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to put a new twist on an old sound.” The opening track, "She Don't Love You", co-written with Mike Anderson, is a powerful R&B flavored song that starts the album off with a bounce that remains ever present the whole album. From there the album shows the band’s range and ability to move through many genres of music with songs like the All-American rocker "Down the Line", about Hurricane Katrina and the Cajun shuffler "Which Way to Go". Hard chargers like “Rock n Roll Queen” and “Take a Ride” prove that The Straw knows how to rock with the best of them. Other highlights on the album are "Be Here Tonight" and the reggae jam "Soul On Fire". Williams says, “Our goal with this first album was to go in and make a record on our terms to show the world what we’re capable of. We're all very proud of what we’ve done here and feel we’ve accomplished what we set out to do.” The band would like to specially thank John Salaway for his song writing contributions on "Brought to Life".
In early 2008, the band performed at Nashville's biggest rock awards ceremony The Buzzies hosted by 102.9 "The Buzz" FM. The band was nominated for 3 prestigious awards and took home two for "Best Guitarists" for Daniel and Meeks and "Best Auxiliary Instrumentalist" for Adam Botner. The Last Straw has already proven themselves as one of the most highly recognized bands in Middle Tennessee. They have played packed out shows at legendary venues in Tennessee such as Exit/In and 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville and toured several states to include Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia and Florida. With the release of "Brought to Life", The Straw will be expanding its tour schedule significantly in 2009.
Instrumentation
Kyle Daniel - Lead Guitar / Lead Vocals
Pearce Harrison - Drums
Quincey Meeks - Guitar / Harmonica
Adam Botner - Keys / Backup Vocals
Marc Williams - Bass / Backup Vocals
Discography
The Last Straw - Brought to Life (Feb. 2009)
EP - The Last Straw (2007)
Live Recording - The Last Straw Live @ 2nd Half Studios (2007)
Links
| http://www.myspace.com/thelaststrawjams |