Along Those Lines

Only on the music scene for two years, one would have reasonably low expectations for anything released by a band so new. However, Along Those Lines newest CD, Somewhere In Between, beyond exceeds your expectations. The 11 tracks on this album have an infectious sound combined with honest lyrics that instantly get stuck in your head. “In My Head” is a rock ballad with lyrics so candid and true, “I told you forever and forever I mean…” it’s sure to be one of ATL’s most popular songs. Differing between rock/alternative melodies and love songs, the CD is a true combination of everything you’d want from a band. Slowing things down, “Jersey Girl,” the final track of the album, will make you melt. “I loved you endlessly. I close my eyes and you’re right here with me. In my arms was my whole world…I’m still in love with the Jersey Girl.” Not falling into any cliché sounds or categories, their sound and lyrics are all unique and special, making this CD an instant hit. This is one CD where you won’t skip tracks; each song proves that this talented Fairfax-based band has staying power. – Ashley Estill - OnTap Magazine

Shamrock Fest – Band’s Eye View
All festival-goers are excited to see bands, but at ShamrockFest three bands disclosed to us what excites them the most. By Beverly Scholnick
Below is an excerpt from the feature article specific to “Along Those Lines”
“……At the other end of the venue, the mainstream Virginia rock band Along Those Lines has just finished its set.
For the next fifteen minutes the band does nothing but gush about their fans. Though they originally decided to pursue the music business to have fun and make money, it is immediately obvious when they speak that the venture has become something much more personal. “What I like most about playing on stage— Honestly I love the crowd reaction. I love that feeling that they’re here for us,” drummer Jared Alexander says. “I mean, we’re here for them, but getting that mutual respect back.”
While ATL attends ShamrockFest first and foremost to perform, the members of ATL still want what everybody else wants: “We’re just gonna hang out and try to network and get to see some great bands.” Says lead singer Ben Bradley enthusiastically, “I’m really looking forward to seeing Carbon Leaf.”
When night falls and the festival draws to a close, the band will prepare to hit the road again. In the absence of a truly permanent home and family, the band members find ways of filling the emotional gaps. “It’s the kind of thing where we’re so used to it [the stage] that it’s basically like a second home for us,” says lead guitarist Will Trenum with a chuckle. “Well, a third home if you include the [tour] van.”
“A lot of it is actually developing a relationship,” says Bradley about their fans. “We want to actually know everyone by their first name. We actually had a guy that we gave out a CD to like at four o’clock in the morning at a Taco Bell in the middle of nowhere, and he came to our last show in North Carolina. So stuff like that goes a long way. We try to be friends with all of our fans on Facebook, hit them up.”
But when the band is in transit there are no fans to look to for encouragement. The road can easily become a very lonely place to be, but bassist Isaac Shields has learned that he can depend on the other band members as ever-growing sources of emotional support. “We spend a lot of time together,” says Shields as he stands alongside the others. “It started off we were just dudes in a band. But when you spend this much time with each other on the road: six hours driving, six hours here and there, you tend to pass the ‘annoying barrier’ and get to the ‘might as well just get over it and be friends.’”
The other band members grin knowingly and give exaggerated nods. “I really don’t have any other friends besides the band because we spend so much time together,” says Bradley. “I don’t have any time really for any friends or whatever so these are kind of like my brothers… So, we get on each other’s nerves, but it’s actually part of being together.”
When the final performers of the night have played their last notes, thousands of fans donning green necklaces and festival Tees embark on their journeys home in the pouring rain. Hopefully they have all witnessed their music idols in the heat of performance. Little do they know that for Carbon Leaf, Charm City Saints, and Along Those Lines, they themselves were the headliners.
- No Apologies Magazine

Selling T-Shirts to fans who recognized them at a gas station, handing out a CD to a man that they met taking out the trash at McDonald’s and greeting all of their fans with a friendly reception are just some of the ways that local band Along Those Lines has tried to make sure that their music is heard.

Now, someone is listening. The band formed about three years ago and has undergone several lineup changes, but they were recently invited to open for Nigels11, featuring former NSYNC member Chris Kirkpatrick, on Aug. 9 at the State Theatre in Falls Church. Along Those Lines members now include Benjamin Bradley of Vienna on lead vocals and guitar, CJ Cummings of Gainesville on lead guitar, Jared Dumale of Springfield on drums and Isaac Shields of Gainesville on bass and vocals.

Members’ backgrounds represent many genres on the musical spectrum ranging from a classically trained percussionist to a bass guitarist raised on funk. Their collective style as a band, though, they describe as alternative rock with a twist. Jon Chevalley of Alexandria, the band’s manager, said that the style is popular among listeners.

“Once they hear the music, they usually love us because the type of music and the style is very appealing to a large audience” Chevalley said. “The challenge is to get new people to hear the music.”

Northern Virginia is a difficult area to establish an audience, band members said, because they find they are competing not only with other local bands but also with people’s busy schedules.

“It’s actually one of the most competitive scenes” said Dumale. “It’s so busy around here that you want to go play a show, but if people are doing something else, or they have such a busy week, they don’t want to go see a show. … It’s probably one of the hardest things we’ve ever done trying to get fans in our own neighborhood.”

Members of Along Those Lines said they have found better reception from audiences in other states. Besides Virginia, they are looking to expand their fan base in places like Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. They have begun to establish a niche for themselves with audiences on military bases. In addition to playing many local venues like Jammin Java in Vienna and Jaxx Night Club in Springfield, the band has also been invited to play at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Bolling Air Force Base, Md. and Quantico, Va.

Bradley said he appreciates the military fans and even wrote a song titled “War Song” to encourage his friend and band manager Chevalley, who was deployed at the time. Some of the proceeds for another one of their upcoming shows at the State Theater on Sept. 11 will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization whose mission it is to empower wounded military members.

So when will the band know they have succeeded in the competitive world that is the music industry? Band members say it will be when they can finally play music professionally full time.

“If you’re doing what you’re loving, you’re making good music and you’re touching people’s lives, everything else will fall into place” said Bradley. “I just don’t think that being on MTV and all this other stuff, if that’s your goal or an amount of money … I just don’t think you’re in it for the right thing. We want to do this full time, but more importantly, we want to touch people and all of our songs have a message.” - The Springfield Connection by Sarah Moore

Along Those Lines In My Head

ATL's debut EP, which includes the featured track "In My Head," is filled with catchy tunes in a style that the band describes as "rolternapunk." Their mass appeal and energetic live show has already begun to attract a healthy following in and around ATL's hometown of Fairfax VA and it seems this group is doing everything right from the beginning. This band is staying busy with performances and when they're not playing, you can be sure to find them out and about supporting other bands and promoting their next gig. I'd suggest that you head over to www.myspace.com/alongthoselinesmusic and pick a show to attend…I'll probably see you there.
- DC101 Local Lix Producer Tommy Walker