Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Shi Eubank left Memphis in his rearview mirror, unsure of what awaited him in East Tennessee.
All he knew was that a geographical change was in order, and the he wanted to play music that touched some nostalgic part of his brain that he still has trouble putting into words.
“You know how you listen to a song, and it can remind you of where you were when you first heard it?” Eubank told The Daily Times during a recent interview. “Like, you’ll hear a song, and it immediately takes you bank to spring break at the beach or something like that, and you’re thinking about how awesome it was.
“That’s what I knew I wanted to convey. I had to get our of Memphis, because there were a lot of problems there, but I wanted to create songs that would jog the memory. I have a bad memory myself, so it needs jogging. So I moved to Blount County and started gathering musicians.”
That was back in 2001, and thus began the first incarnation of East Bank. Saturday night, after a lineup change and a shot of rock’n’roll into its proverbial arm, the band will unveil its new look and new sound at Prince’s Deli in Knoxville. Before, the band used a deejay to mix digital and analogue sound: now, the deejay is gone and the band is relying on the ferociousness of its live show to blow away the crowds.
“Most fans actually remember us having a deejay, so when we some out with this new format, it’s going to introduce people to a broader sound,” Eubank said.
In place of the digital/analogue mix, the band has been focusing on making its stage presence as integral a part of the show as the music.
“When I think of all of us growing up, I hated going to shows and feeling like I’d been ripped off because , even though the music was awesome, there was no action on the stage,” said guitarist Nik Teffetller. “Personally, I’d rather see a band that makes mistakes and doesn’t play perfect, because if they put on a great show, you feel like you got your money’s worth.
“What we do may not be new, but we put our own spin on it. Last year, we played Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, but we had some problems, so we decided to reform with just me and Shi. And it’s been really hard and taken a lot patience, but I think we’ve gotten it right this time. Everybody puts on a show, and it’s high energy all the way through.”
Teffeteller was the first member of Eubank’s band search, and the Memphis transplant still speaks in awed tones about his bandmate’s abilities.
“When he first played this one song, it took my breath away and laid me on my ass big time.” Eubank said. “I saw what he was capable of, and how he was always writing, 24 hours a day.”
The next member the band recruited was Chad Sullivan. Eubank pestered Sullivan until the latter agreed to jam with Eubank and Teffeteller, providing a close friend could watch the session and later advise Sullivan on the chemistry.
As it turned out, Sullivan friend was enthusiastically in favor of the union, and the deal was sealed.
In searching for a drummer, the band picked up another guitarist, Deuce Morgan, who fit in perfectly, Eubank said. Finding a skins-pounder, however, was a little tougher.
“We looked everywhere, but we know what we wanted,”
Eubank said. “We could have found the best drummer in the world, but if they didn’t show any emotion on stage, we didn’t want them.”
Finally, in a Knoxville music store, they heard D.K. Brummett pounding away like a madman on an in-store kit. He’d already pulled one of the band’s in search-of-drummer notices from the store’s bulletin board, and when he agreed to play with the band, the final piece of the East Bank Puzzle fell into place.
Brummett fit perfectly with the band’s philosophy and brought an powerful anchor to the band’s unique style of postcore emo, hard rock and metal.
And when the bnad hits the stage Saturday night, he said, fans will see just how different the new East Bank really is.
“The stage show is my favorite part of this band.” Brummet said. “I think the visuals pull you into everything moreso than the music. Just watching everyone going nuts, I told them, “Just watch what I can do.” I can’t stand to just sit there. I’d rather not play than do that.”
Steve Wildsmith “The Daily Times” Maryville TN
- The Daily TImes
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Eastbank is a band of four young artists that deliver a rare blend of power, songwriting, and performance. Eastbank is out of Knoxville, TN, consisting of guitarists Nick Teffeteller and Nathan "Deuce" Morgan, bassist Ryan Hughes, and drummer David "DK" Brummett. The members, all having a common interest in their love for music and dedication to finding a major record deal decided to put their individual talents together to form the emotion filled, sound breaking, influential Rock band that is known as Eastbank.
The raw emotion Eastbank brings to each performance can only be appreciated at their live shows. Their performances are on a whole new level. They do more than push the envelope, they rip up the entire damn thing. Eastbank is ready to bring a whole new realm of music to the public. These young musicians are longing to connect with their audiences and convey their messages to all who have been waiting for it. Eastbank has developed a very large fan club of young loyal fans who truly love the band and love the energy they bring to every venue.
Each one of the members of the band have extensive stage experience, playing in the club circuit and are incredibly talented songwriters, and lead vocalists in their own right, and when you listen to their unique style of rock you realize every song should be part of mainstream radio. They are serious about their music to the extent that they will be the first to tell you if it's not a hit record it's not going on their album. They also take great pride in their musical talent, mastering their instruments, always achieving to be outstanding musicians.
They are presently recording their first album at Timba Music recording studio in Knoxville, TN. Their record producers will be Gary Vandy with over 30 gold records to his name and Javier Sanjurjo, a veteran of the independent music business.
Nick had been touring venues from Memphis to the Tri-Cites, when he decided to take a hiatus in 2004 and sought out the missing pieces to form a truly great rock band to fulfill his dreams. After months of trying to find a highly radical and energetic guitarist that would blend perfect with Nick's style. A friend contacted Nick with excited news of a second guitarist that he felt was the one, he was right, Deuce was the best in the area and together they became the ultimate guitar powerhouse. Ryan, a bass player playing with the areas top groups was known for his incredible stage presence and lead vocal abilities. He immediately joined the group when asked making the third member possible, and with most of the picture in focus, the next member fell into the band’s lap. The three members set out to find the heartbeat of their music. The final chapter of the Eastbank creation happened while they where standing outside the drum department of Guitar center, they heard an unnatural beat mixing rock, punk, with complicated high energy rhythms, they all knew this was the one, imported from Korea and now living in the United States, DK was approached by the other three members, and after the first auditioned every one knew that this was history in the making. When you see and listen to this young amazing rock group nothing else has to be said, just sit back and bet blown away.
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