Earthbound

Earthbound
Somewhere in Between
Independent

By Dave Terpeny

When the Grateful Dead were inspired to move beyond their acoustic Americana roots and become an electric rock and roll band they brought with them the sensibilities, rhythms, time signatures and soul of the early string and jug band music that they had honed their chops on. Those traits helped to create the clear liquid sound of Jerry’s guitar, their broad use and interpretation of American roots music, the melodies applied to contemporary lyrics and the relaxed and experimental vibe that was then amplified through the Acid Tests.

Many bands have since tried to re-create what the Grateful Dead did, both in sound and in spirit. Some have come close and others have failed catastrophically but none have managed to capture that unique vibe with its musical bounce, lyrical guitar leads and every man soulful lyrics. Or so I thought.

Listening to Alabama’s Earthbound I’ve begun to change my mind. This quintet has managed to grasp the soul of the roots and bring it into the rock and roll arena, without losing any element of either. And in doing so they’ve captured an element that has been sorely missing from music for decades.

With the clarity of bluegrass, the ache of the blues, the purity of old string bands and the vigor of rock and roll, Earthbound has delivered an album that is uniquely theirs, steeped it in their country roots and forced me to describe them as a combination of the Grateful Dead and String Cheese Incident. Ain’t that something?

But, whether you agree with my comparisons or not, I know you’ll enjoy their music. It is true to the spirit of both the Americana roots and rock and roll vibes from which it sprang, in a way that few bands have been able to do in decades. And that can only lead to happy ears, broad smiles and moving feet.
- KYND Music.com

Somewhere in Between - Earthbound
With five credited songwriters, it's amazing that Earthbound's Somewhere In Between holds together as well as it does. The band comes clearly cut from the Southern jamband tradition, though mix the elements nimbly -- from the acoustic leanings of "Stony Ridge Road" to the distantly reggae tinges of "The Great Unknown." The music itself isn't remarkably original (listen to the positively Garcia-esque solo on the latter tune), but the musicians fit together well. During the numerous solos, each of the five musicians is constantly contributing something interesting to the mix. Instead of playing mere support roles, they add almost microscopically to the total picture. And, hey, they've got heart. - Jambands.com

The Snake Skin
September 2004
by: Mark Barrett

Next stop, Southside's tried and true hangout, Marty's. Marty's is a Southside institution, every band in town has played there atleast once, and you never really know what to expect. Well, you can expect it to be a late night. There's something about this place, you can't just pop in for just one - you can't. Every time I stop in, it's suddenly 3am and I'm half in the bag. I guess that's what makes it an institution, right?

Anyways, the band of the night was Earthbound - first time I'd seen them. Performing nearly all originals, this band has obviously spent some time listening to the Grateful Dead. Their musical meanderings really pull you in, the music seeming to drift, to flow. But just when you think they've lost their place, POP, their back into it again, and off on another excursion to the unknown. It's certainly an interesting six piece ensemble, all young guys, one girl singer and the "more mature" Kent Donovan on Keyboards. I'm going to make a point to stop in and see them again. - The Snake Skin

Earthbound finds fanbase
Jesse Morton
Staff Writer Volume 95 Number 8
Thursday, January 22, 2004


When Birmingham's Earthbound last jammed at Barley's, the prospect of a large turnout was grim. The Wailers, perhaps one of reggae's biggest names, were playing across the street at Blue Cats.

Facing the fact that there may only be room for one jam band performance on any given night in Knoxville, Earthbound and the staff of Barley's lowered their expectations - and were pleasantly surprised.

"There were between 150 and 200 people in the audience," band manager Wes Keith said. "Earthbound had them all moving ... and that is why they booked us again."

A bigger audience is what Earthbound is looking for. The six-man band is confident that they have all the elements necessary for mass appeal.

"Earthbound has so many different faces," Keith said, citing how the band performs "a fusion of jazz, blues, reggae, rock 'n' roll, country and bluegrass."

But Earthbound is more than just a grocery list of musical styles.

Earthbound formed in the summer of 1998 in the wake of a powerful thunderstorm that killed the electricity in a downtown Birmingham neighborhood. In the chilled, damp silence that followed, the sounds of an acoustic guitar attracted keyboardist Kent Donovan to the front porch of guitarist Scott Hudson.

With the accrual of bassist Ed Meredith, the front porch jam sessions evolved. Despite the normal art-snuffing hardships of life and a veritable revolving door of talent, the band's core members prevailed to release their first album, "Somewhere in Between" in 2002.

With six instrumentalists and a rhythm section that includes a bass, a traditional drum kit, three congas, two bongos, two timbales, a table rack with different shakers, maracas, goat rattles, wood blocks, cow bells, chimes and even a didgeridoo, many venues have neither the space nor the funds to suffice.

So Earthbound will divide into Acoustic Earthbound and Organic Earthbound to play smaller gigs in more intimate settings.

With a relatively large stage, Barley's has space enough for Earthbound in its entirety. But that doesn't mean that experienced Earthbound fans should expect a routine show.

"Earthbound never plays the same show twice," Keith said. "One of the band rules is that there is never a set list - just to let the music take it where it goes."

"Earthbound is spiritual in its own weird way."

Spirituality is a defining characteristic of many jam bands, several of which have influenced Earthbound's style.

But be warned to dispose of any preconceived expectations, Keith says. "With over 150 songs in their repertoire ... even the band members don't know what they are going to play."
- Daily Beacon - Knoxville, TN

“Whippoorwill also features local favorites Earthbound, whose latest album Somewhere in Between proves that you don’t have to play bluegrass exclusively to be masters of your craft, as most genre devotees are won’t to believe. In the tradition of such heroes as the Grateful Dead in their electric-less heyday, Earthbound combines top-notch picking with the trappings of the modern age. The band emerges triumph with a neo-traditional offering that promises to charm even the most diehard of Monroe-philes”…
Daisy M. Winfrey,
Birmingham Weekly “Whippoorwill calls”
September 4-11, 2003 - Birmingham Weekly - Birmingham, AL

DRUM!
Vol. 12 # 6
September/October 2003
Special Jamband Drumming Issue

Profiles in Jamming


Drummer: Myron W. Scott

Band: Earthbound

Website: www.earthboundweb.com

Latest CD: EP.1

Influences: Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz, Marc Quinones, Jim Donovan, Tito Puente

Trust Never Sleeps: It’s all about the connection and trust you have on stage with the other instruments. I appreciate the trust I have with the guys I play with. They will send me out on stage to do any where from ten to 20 minutes of sometimes percussion soloing. Solos give me a chance to show the crowd what and who is making all that noise back there!



Drummer: Marcus London

Band: Earthbound

Website: www.earthboundweb.com

Influences: John Bonham, Tommy Lee, Stewart Copeland, Kenny Aronoff, Russell Batiste, Danny Carey

Pet Peeve: My biggest [problem] in the studio is engineers that insist you record to a click track. That may be fine for other genres of music, but jam music is supposed to be organic and breathing, and you just can’t get that with a click.
- Drum Magazine

Birmingham News (AL)
BAND ON THE RUN: EARTHBOUND

April 25, 2003
Section: Lifestyle
Cindy Peek

Personnel: Scott Hudson, guitar and vocals; Clinton Mann, guitar and vocals; Kent Donovan, keys and vocals; Brad Porter, drums; Ed Meredith, bass; Wes Keith, manager/booking; Sam Ray, stage manager. What: Guitarist Hudson describes the group's sound as "rock fusion most of the time, except a reggae or country tune here and there." The Birmingham-based band formed in 1999. Discs: Earthbound released its debut, "Somewhere in Between," last year. The band is gearing up to record its sophomore CD. Tracks: Songs on the disc include "Live the Dream," "Rockin' Me Goodnight," "Sun Went Down" and "Stony Ridge Road." In store: "Somewhere in Between" is available at Laser's Edge, Slip Disc, on the band's Web site and at its shows. Where you'll hear them: Earthbound will hit the stage May 8 at The Mill. Also, the band will perform May 10 at Do Dah Day at Caldwell Park and May 16 at Bailey's Pub. Behind the music: Each band member contributes to the songwriting. "Even when I write a tune, I bring it to the band and we work it out," Hudson says. "It usually is different than what I had in my head and that's what makes it cool." On that note: "Even though the lyrics are very difficult, they are easy to hold on to," Donovan says. "We write about what people can relate to." It's a fact: "Clinton and I met through a mutual friend and then we met Kent one night when an electrical storm crippled the power," Hudson recalls. "Clinton and I stepped on the front porch to play our acoustic guitars, Kent heard the music, grabbed his guitar, which became our first official jam." Influences: The Kingston Trio, Jaco Pastorius, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, reggae, J.J. Cale, Howlin' Wolf. Off stage: When he's not performing, drummer Porter says you'll find him practicing. Donovan says he can be found spending time with his kids, playing golf or fishing. Hudson says he likes to hike and camp. Claim to fame: "Our upcoming festivals are Do Dah Day on the Main Stage and at the Whippoorwill Creek Bluegrass Festival, which is a two-day festival with Sam Bush, Red Stick Ramblers and many others in the bluegrass world up in Altoona," Keith says. Practice schedule: "Usually twice a week, if performance schedule will allow," Donovan says. Most requested songs: "Alabama Reggae," "The Great Unknown," "Noah's Boat," "Going Back" and "Today." Band favorites: "I like 'Never is Too Late' when we do it right, I feel that song truly has a meaning to it that strikes a cord with me," Hudson says. "It is one of the few songs I really look around to see how the crowd is reacting." Mann says he prefers playing "The Great Unknown." How is it unique?: "One thing I think sets us apart is that we are willing to experiment a lot," Hudson says. Donovan adds: "We are always following the music, we don't want to get in a rut and stay there." Cover me: The band's renditions of tunes include Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and "Tangled Up in Blue," the Grateful Dead's "Shakedown Street," J.J. Cale's "Travelin' Light" and Bo Diddley's "Mona." Name game: "We are environmentally conscious, that is what the name Earthbound is all about," Mann says. Shows per year: "Seventy-five to 100, and looking for more," Donovan says.

Web site: www.earthboundonline.com.
E-mail the band at kyndproductions@bellsouth.net.

Members of Earthbound are, from left, Clinton Mann, Ed Meredith, Scott Hudson, Marcus London and Kent Donovan. "We would like to recruit people who are little more adventurous musically, or that don't mind a little more than the middle of the road to come out and see us live," guitarist Hudson says.
- Birmingham News - Birmingham, AL

THE GUIDE'S “Not So" LOCAL BAND CORNER

Name:
EARTHBOUND

Members:
Scott Hudson – Guitar and Vocals
Clinton Mann – Guitar and Vocals
Ed Meredith – Bass and Vocals
Marcus London – Drums
And our longtime friend Myron W. Scott on percussion

Where You Can Be Found Performing:
Thursday 17th in Hickory, NC
Friday 18th in Macon, GA
SATURDAY 19th at THE PLUMS in BEAUFORT

How Long You've Been In The Lowcountry:
Unfortunately we don’t live in this beautiful part of the world. Most of the members live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Three Signature Originals:
Ruby, Going Back, Letting Go (Scott)

Three Signature Covers:
Shakedown Street by the Grateful Dead
Come Together by the Beatles
Love Me Two Times by the Doors (Clinton)

Why People Should Stay Up Late To See You Play:
That is when the Magic Happens. Something about the After Midnight and we are loose, that when the Action Gets Going. (Scott)
And So they can keep drinking (Ed)

Describe Your Band In 5 Words Or Less:
Real Good Music (Clinton)
Southern Grassroots Jamrock (Myron)

Things You Should Shout Out at Our Concerts:
More Cowbell (Scott)
ENCORE (Marcus)

Least Favorite Member of Styx:
Who is Sticks? (Scott)
TED NUGENT <laughing> (Marcus)
I can’t say Tommy Shaw, because he grew up less than a mile from where I live in Montgomery, AL. (Myron)

Web Site/MySpace/Facebook/Sound Samples:
Website: earthboundweb.com
Myspace: myspace.com/earthboundweb

- Island Packett - The Guide

Earthbound - by Rebecca Ledford

Earthbound is an Alabama based band consisting of two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer who once played for Nine Inches Nails. With each return to Earthbound's music, you'll become convinced the singers for the band, Scott Hudson and Clint Mann, are a conduit for Jerry Garcia's lost vocals. The percussion work is like a hyper sprite always dancing around the rest of the bands's improv (read jam). Earthbound accomplishes what good improv does best: changes gears smoothly. And the occasional Digarido accompanies that sprite quite nicely. Put yourself on relaxed auto-pilot Saturday at 550 Blues, 550 Riverside Drive. 750-0005 - Macon Telegraph - Macon.Com - Macon, Georgia

Describing music, a non-verbal language, in words is always a difficult task, but the music of Earthbound can best be understood in terms of the diverse influences from which the band draws the inspiration and performance. The experience of witnessing the band perform may at times be a veritable schooling in rock'n'roll, certainly a multi-genre encompassing term. Their repertoire draws from and combines traditions such as Americana, folk, country, bluegrass, jazz, psychedelia to create a sound attuned not only to the collective effects of these diverse genres but each members' unique contribution to creating music as a collective ensemble. This musical philosophy recognizes and celebrates the collaborative nature of playing music, but Earthbound is fortunate enough to consist of band members who share similar ideals, musically, which allows for a unified trajectory in their songs. For more information www.earthboundweb.com - Robert Rea - Ole Miss