Color the Coast

Anyone tempted to say youth is wasted on the young should swing by BayFest's Launching Pad stage at 5 p.m. Saturday and check out Color the Coast, who don't seem to be wasting a bit of it.
All four musicians nod vigorously when asked if they're excited about the gig, which puts them at a heavily traveled festival crossroads just as crowds usually begin moving in for the evening's headliners -- in this case P.O.D., Puddle of Mudd and Buckcherry on the nearby Pepsi Stage, and Delbert McClinton and Kid Rock on the AT&T/IP Stage.

But there's more to their mood than that.

"We're pretty excited about what we've done in just one year," said songwriter and principal vocalist Nick Chamblee.

The band's roots go back farther. Five years ago, at age 16, Chamblee was already playing solo gigs under the "Color the Coast" name. But the solo sound was a little thin for the pop material he was trying to create, so he began bringing in partners.

It was a little over a year ago that the current quartet took shape: Chamblee plus Kyle Coffey on bass, Matt Arensberg on drums and Kyle Duncan on guitar and piano. (Arensberg, 22, is the "old man" of the group.)

Before 2007 was out, they'd put together their first album, "Unplug & Run." Despite the band's youth and the fast pace, it's an impressively assured debut.

Recorded at the Dauphin Street studios of Jada Entertainment, it's characterized by a crisp, open sound, fresh harmonies and lyrics and lead vocals that are instantly accessible. Rock is the dominant influence, but it's hard to pin the group down to a single genre, and anyway such demarcations take a back seat to an overall focus on straightforward pop songcraft.

These are tunes meant to be latched onto, danced to and, especially, sung along with. The bouncy strum-and-thump of "The Whoa Song" is a prime example:

"And I'm feelin' it now/ she's burnin' me down/ slowly but surely/ all the way to the ground/ and this post-love lull/ oh it's so typical/ once again caught in/ between the push and the pull."

They had fun in the studio, Coffey said, hoping that loose vibe would come through.

"We love to see people dance," Duncan said. "We're dancing on stage."

"That really is the main goal of every song we write," said Chamblee. "Is it fun to play? Is it fun to listen to?"

Partly, that's inclination. Partly, it's a matter of influences.

"All of us are influenced by The Beatles and the Beach Boys," Chamblee said. "All of our influences come from '60s pop."

In some cases, band members said, those influences are filtered through Myspace-era acts such as Dashboard Confessional, The Format and Hellogoodbye. But, they said, it all goes back to the classics, and to having fun.

Certainly they hope Saturday's set is a fun time for all.

"BayFest, we're hoping, is going to open a lot of doors," Chamblee said.

The group is known for dividing its time between coffeehouse acoustic sets and full-band club shows. That dual approach has helped them build an audience that ranges from "10-year-old kids all the way up to 60-year-old grandparents," as Chamblee puts it.

Members said the group's fan base includes a large high-school following, and for that audience in particular, BayFest promises to be more accessible than the typical club show.

They'll definitely take the full-band, fully electrified approach Saturday. Duncan said the band probably will split its set between songs on "Unplug & Run" and newer material. And with this group, there is no shortage of newer material.

"We could go back into the studio and record another two CDs' worth of material," Chamblee said.

The newer stuff is more experimental, he and his bandmates said. Some of it leans toward country. Other tunes, like the synth-heavy "I Could Never Love A Robot," definitely do not.

Beyond BayFest, group members said, they're looking to expand their touring range. They've played as far away as Hattiesburg and Jacksonville, but come January, they're looking to tour the Southeast.

Partly it's about promoting the album. Mainly it's about meeting new people who can help them spread the word.

"Everything is about making contacts," Chamblee said.

"Unplug & Run" can be ordered through the Color the Coast Web site. It can be found at FYE in Springdale Mall; at Serda's Coffee in downtown Mobile; and at iTunes and other online services.

For more information on the band, visit www.colorthecoast.com or myspace.com/colorthecoast.

http://blog.al.com/just-coasting/2008/10/color_the_coast_all_of_our_inf.html
- Posted by Lawrence Specker, Press-Register entertainment reporter

Every year our region’s best artists take the stage at the BayFest Launching Pad. Some of these bands are veterans of the Mobile music scene and a few are in their infancy stages, but the Launching Pad also attracts local artists on the brink of making it big.

Lagniappe wanted to introduce a few of the local faces who hope to win you over with their musical endeavors. So, we took some time to ask them a question or two.

Color the Coast

Relatively new to the Mobile scene is Color the Coast, an upbeat early pop/rock band that formed in January 2007. From humble beginnings as Nick Chamblee’s solo project to recording the ten-song LP, “Unplug and Run” with band mates Matt Arensberg, Kyle Duncan and Kyle Coffey, Color the Coast has had an exciting ride accompanied by a growing fan base in neighboring Gulf Coast states.

L: How does it feel to be playing in front of your hometown at BayFest?

CtC: We are all very excited and grateful for the opportunity. It feels great to be recognized. When we formed the band a year ago, we were honestly pretty worried about whether or not our style of music would go over well here in Mobile. We have been received well, but hopefully BayFest will continue to open doors.

L: What are you thoughts on the local music scene here in Mobile?

CtC: We don’t think that Mobile has reached its full potential, as far as what could possibly become of the music scene here. The city is definitely moving in the right direction. There are a lot of venues that are extremely supportive of original music, such as The Blind Mule, Alabama Music Box, Serda’s Coffee Company and many others. However, we all have a long way to go before we truly get Mobile on the map.

L: What artists have influenced the direction of the band?

CtC: I think, for us, it has to go back to The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Many of the more recent bands that have inspired Color the Coast, also recognize those bands as some of their main influences. So, in a way, we’ve kind of been directly and indirectly influenced by a lot of 1960s pop music.

L: What’s next?

CtC: We’re currently working on booking a tour for January of 2009 that will hopefully spread the word throughout the Southeast. We’re also planning on getting back in the studio to start working on our next album in mid-2009.

Color the Coast takes the stage at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.
- By Peter Teske, Lagniappe Staff