Music
Press
Artist: Early April
Contact: eddyapril@yahoo.com , Kris@blueplaterecords.com
Location: Chicago
Label: none
Genre: alternative/hard rock with a ska /roots reggae feel in some
Sounds Like: 311/Sublime/Puddle of Mud
Album: EP Tracks: 4
Production: Kris Anderson & Early April
Background: Ed (vocals), Adam (guitar), Goat (bass) and Joe (drums)
Review: The influences of this band really shine through. Ed's growling vocals at times are hauntingly similar to Bradley Nowell from Sublime. You can really hear this in the second track. Even though their influences come across really strongly, the band does a great job of mixing it up to create their own sound.
It's cool how the CD opens into with "Someday", a very emotional progressive rock track and slides right into "The Way I Feel", which is regge/ska and is completely different song, without missing a beat. In face, all of the songs are very different from one another but the guys somehow manage to maintain a cohesive sound. We love how they can transfer so easily between sounds and everyone in the band can hold their own.
We think that "Cancer", track three has almost a Soundgarden feel with Ed's voice being slightly reminiscent of Chris Cornell. This was one of our favorite songs. It has a very catchy melody, is emotionally engaging and has great lyrics. Again, this track is different from the rest and still fits in nicely. "In Before Dark" is also a great track and we really enjoyed the screaming vocals at the end. It was a great finale to the compilation.
The blend of all instrumentation and vocals is flawless, and the composition of all tracks is very polished and professional. These guys seem to have a strong connection because they are each able to find their part and fit in while traveling through different styles of music. They intuitively know how to accompany one another nicely without overpowering anyone.
Stars: 4
courtesy of www.tinderboxmusic.com - Tinderboxmusic.com
EARLY APRIL: Not So Simple
Listen to Early April's "Not So Simple"
By Jennifer Wagner
for RedEye
Published July 18 2007
Listen to Early April's "Not So Simple"
# Return to the Chi-Tunes home page.
# Early April can be found at earlyapril.com.
When life hands you a lemon ... you start a band. That's how the band Early April was created.
In 2004, singer/lyricist Ed Larson and drummer Joe Tufano played in a band that shared practice space with another group that included guitarist Adam Pilarczyk and bassist Jason "Goat" Henricy.
"When both of our respective bands went sour, it was time for us to step up to the plate and get in with the guys who knew what they were doing," Henricy said.
The guys--who had had been playing their favorite covers just for kicks--broke off on their own and Early April was born.
Tough times returned, however. The death of a friend, as well as Larson's split from the mother of his daughter, Kaylee, provided painful fodder for his introspective lyrics.
Yet the band soldiered on, finishing its full-length debut, "Through the Eyes of Her," on which their musical versatility shows.
"We're all, I guess, kind of musical nerds," Pilarczyk said. "We all listen to pretty much everything--hip-hop, jazz, blues, funk--you know, everything, so it really shows in our music, I think."
[ jennifer wagner is a redeye special contributor. ] - Jennifer Wagner
Discography
Album: "Through the Eyes of Her" (Available as a free download at www.earlyapril.com)
Photos
Bio
Early April was formed in April 2004 by four talented musicians based out of Chicago. They became friends from separate local bands who wanted to make some different music. Guitarist Adam Pilarczyk and bassist Jason "Goat" Henricy had been in bands together since they were in high school. More recently, the two were in the band Pushbutton. Through mutual agreement, Pushbutton shared a practice space on the south side of Chicago with another local band: Swellbox. This was when Adam and Goat first started jamming with singer Ed Larson and drummer Joe Tufano of Swellbox, who had also been in bands together since high school. Before and after practice with their respective bands, the four of them would play cover songs along with blues, funk, reggae, and whatever else they could improvise. Eventually, the mutual love of music and the friendship that they had developed became more than enough incentive to start their own original band. Recently, however, drummer Joe Tufano has left the band to persue his family life back home in California. Tufano has since been replaced by long-time friend and fellow musician, Rogelio (Roger) Reyes. As the newly formed, Early April, the four talented and diverse musicians have an original and refreshing sound that combines both post-grunge and progressive rock with the likes of alt-rock. In June 2007, the band released their first independent record album, "Through the Eyes of Her", an 11 song opus of rock perfection. Currently, the band is focused on playing gigs and having their music heard by the masses.
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