e double

“Of all the bands that call Kansas City home, very few can brag…E Double can:” – Tim Engle, Kansas City Star

“They have a lead singer who is so solid, he puts some major acts singers to shame.” – Mathew Blades, KMXV Mix 93.3 DJ

E Double is “a promising relief from the abundance of garage rock that pervades the charts.” – Geoff Harkness, The Mag

“Rootsy folk-rock with a finesse in playing that you just don’t find in unsigned bands anymore.” – Listen.com

“These guys put a rock monument smack in the middle of alt-country.” – Josh McBee, knotmag.com
- Misc.

Cold in May Published: Thursday, April 14, 2005

Spending those late nights staring at a computer screen, you often drift off into dreams of stardom that would take you away from the paper due in hours and school in general. Well, in 2001 four guys who met in Lawrence achieved what many can only dream about with the release of their debut album, From Here to Now. Four years later, E Double is back with their long-overdue sophomore album, Cold in May.

It’s evident the band members are from the Midwest. Their vocals give them an edgy country sound, but the music is not country. With up-tempo guitar playing, the sound E Double creates rivals that of Maroon 5 and Ryan Cabrera, a couple of the artists they have performed with since the release of their debut album.

The vocals harmonize unbelievably well with the music, allowing the listener to hear both at any given time with neither being overpowering.The flow continues from track to track, making it difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. This ability seems to be taking a back seat to CDs that sound as if they are 12 singles on one disc.

For a person who is not that into rock music, this is one CD that has definitely earned a spot in the CD changer.
- the University Daily Kansan

Musicianship – 8.5 out of 10
From the Breadbasket of the Nation comes a band simply known as E Double! This Kansas City, KS band mixes Folk-Rock guitar playing with Pop-Rock vocals for a combination that is really cool to hear!

Guitarists/vocalists Scott Newcomer and Michael Deitrich combine forces to create one of the hookiest sounds I’ve heard in a long time! Their guitar work runs the gamut, from straight-ahead Rock to Folk and finger-picked styles. They always manage to stay one step ahead of their singing, providing just the right backdrop against which the lyrics can shine! Vocally, they layer their voices (with additional help from bassist Brian Gaddie), creating multi-dimensional melodies that are memorable and very pleasing to the ear! At times, the lead vocals of Scott Newcomer even remind me of Live frontman Ed Kowalczyk or Train frontman Pat Monahan. He has a very cool, emotive voice that carries the soaring feel found in the chorus of most of the band’s songs!

Backing up the melody on Cold In May is the rhythm section of Brian Gaddie (bass) and Bernie Herrmann (drums). Their playing is solid, with just the right amount of everything to help round out the band’s very tight sound. This is a band that works very well together musically!

Songwriting – 9 out of 10
The attitude that you have when you listen to a band the first time can make or break the experience. I had a picture in my mind of the sort of music that E Double played before even hearing the first note of Cold In May! It was an incorrect picture, as it turns out, but it still colored my perception of their music. Without knowing it, this band had to fight for my attention from the very first notes! My skepticism (why I was skeptical I don’t know!) melted away, though, with the first chorus of (In The Dark)! That moment was the one that convinced me there was more to E Double than my preconceived notions!

A lot of bands struggle with writing good melodies. Not E Double! Every song has a hook that grabs you! They also have vocalists that can harmonize really well, which helps a ton. Their voices blend to create soaring choruses, supported by music that is just as interesting. Put simply, they are excellent musicians with extraordinary songwriting abilities!

Sound Quality/Professionalism – 9 out of 10
A big part of the success of Cold In May is the high quality of the sound that the band was able to achieve. Working in conjunction with Aaron Conner, E Double mastered, mixed and produced their own disc, proving that they are just as adept behind the console as they are in front of it. The instrumentation and vocal mixes are both near perfect; there are only a couple of moments in the first couple of songs that I felt could have been done better. However, after hearing the quality of the rest of the music/vocals, it’s easy to forget the minor flaws. You will like what you hear!

Packaging – 9 out of 10
The packaging for Cold In May is outstanding! Besides the very cool art work that graces the 6-panel insert and back cover, they include a lot of good information, like lyrics for all of the songs and band/production credits. I like it when a band takes the time to design packaging that complements the music on the CD, and this is definitely an example from which other bands could learn!

Favorite Tracks
Til Then
Morning Calls
In The Drawer
My Blind Eyes
Ordinary

Overall Rating – 9 out of 10
It’s always nice to be surprised by an album. For one reason or another, I had a totally different impression of E Double in my mind than that which I heard on their new album, Cold In May. I really like their music, and I think this is a collection of songs that is out of this world!

I know that Indie bands are supposed to have some sort of ‘hook’ to make them unique; I guess E Double’s ‘hook’ is that they consistently write good Pop/Folk/Rock tunes that listeners enjoy hearing again and again! Put another way, their ‘hook’ is the hook they lay out in the chorus of their songs!

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of Cold In May as soon as it’s available. I’ve said it before, but it is definitely true this time: you will thank me for turning you on to this record! It’s definitely a keeper!—Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 4/25/05
- Midwestbands.com