Everlasting Earle

Pickens power-pop sensation Everlasting Earle took the stage next, playing two of the songs that helped them win this year's Battle of the Bands and a trip to the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta. They are one of the most prominent up and coming bands on the local scene, and it's easy to see why.

Written by James Nichols
11 August 2004 - Metrobeat

OCTOBER 20, 2004
One Louder
With events such as last week's Sound Check at the Warehouse Theatre, area musicians are finding better opportunities to promote themselves in an ever-more competitive music industry.


BY MAX PRICE


Last Wednesday, a handful of Upstate and regional bands were given the chance to play downtown at the Warehouse Theatre before a panel of judges that included two Grammy-winning record producers. Sponsored by Red Bull, the Warehouse Theatre and local entertainment agency OMG, the event was called Sound Check. Bands played 15-minute sets in front of a small crowd of invited guests, then went next door to the studio for a half-hour critique by the judges. Both the performances and the critiques were also webcast live on New Rock 93.3 The Planet's website. Participating bands were Aldehyde, Boxing Day, Noxious, Sanctity, Headsnap, Everlasting Earle, Vagabond 12, and Upanotch.

Sound Check started as an idea from Angel Shields, who works at the Red Bull marketing department. Angel is also the publisher of Swallow This, a local music fanzine that focuses mainly on the punk and metal scene that thrives around Spartanburg's Ground Zero. Through her, the people at Red Bull have had the opportunity to interact with many Upstate bands. Sound Check was Red Bull's way of saying "thanks" to the local scene by giving eager young musicians the chance to get the expert advice they need to take their bands to the next level.

The panel of judges included famed LA record producers Mike Clink and Noel Golden. Clink is best known for producing Guns n' Roses during their heyday, although he has also recorded such seminal hard rock bands such as Metallica, UFO, and Megadeth. Golden began his career as an engineer for Clink, but has since gone on to produce albums for Matchbox Twenty, Lee Ann Womack, Willie Nelson (for which he has won several Grammy awards), and Greenville's own Edwin McCain. Also on hand was Robin Stymac, a promoter for the Zomba Label Group, and Vance Cobb, the Associate Director of Southeast Promotions for RCA/Jive Records. Though it may seem strange for a group of such busy music industry professionals to give their valuable time to a group of local bands, it is really all a matter of good timing. During the course of Sound Check, it was revealed that Golden has plans to leave LA so he can run a studio in downtown Greenville with OMG.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The diversity of the bands was impressive, ranging from the percussion-spiked metal of Headsnap to the melodic indie-rock of Everlasting Earle, who invited Metrobeat to the event. Despite the pressure of having to play for a room full of cameras and chin-scratchers, the bands turned out strong performances overall. In the critiques that followed, the judges offered some measure of praise towards all of the bands, but also offered a critical perspective in order to advise the bands on how they could better themselves.

Afterwards, some of the band members offered their opinions on the evaluations they had just experienced. Lee Huggins, drummer for Headsnap, said that the judges "let you know exactly what you need to work on. They obviously know what they're talking about." All the bands took their criticism in stride, and showed quiet respect towards the knowledgeable judges. Adrian Lee, singer/rapper for Vagabond 12, simply said during their critique that the band was "honored" to play for such a distinguished panel, and it seems as though the feeling was mutual; both Golden and Clink were especially impressed by Lee's confident and charismatic performance.

After the last band was finished with their critique and the event was winding down, Metrobeat spoke briefly with Noel Golden about his plans for the future. When asked why he decided to move to Greenville, he stated that the biggest reason was "Edwin McCain. In a word." While working on McCain's latest album Scream and Whisper, Golden got an offer to come to Greenville to run a new studio that McCain and OMG were building right next door to the Warehouse Theatre. After giving it some thought (McCain had been trying to convince Golden to make the move for a while), Golden decided to make his home in Greenville based on the offer from his favorite singer-songwriter, as well as the fact that Greenville is the "furthest place from LA" possible. Golden says that the new OMG studios will be world-class facilities and will open sometime early 2005. He hopes that the presence of such a studio will bring about some positive changes in the Greenville music scene.

Indeed, it seems as though there are definite changes taking place in the Upstate. With the growing number of studios emerging in Greenville over the past few years, it should become easier for bands in the area to get their material heard. Though only time will tell which bands will "make it" and go on to bigger things, with events such as Sound Check, it seems that there are more opportunities every day for young Upstate musicians.

- Metrobeat

Posted on June 04, 2004

Everlasting Earle takes top prize
Pickens' Everlasting Earle's winning combination of tuneful melodies and driving classic rock rhythms reminiscent of early Eric Clapton and The Who earned the group top prize at the Radio Super Showcase finals May 27 at the Handlebar in Greenville.

The band won a showcase at Atlanta's Cotton Club July 22, where they will perform for music industry representatives at the Atlantis Music Conference 2004. Anderson's Remains of the Day was first runner-up and Easley's Anthem was second runner-up.

Everlasting Earle vocalist Keith Carson said the victory has encouraged the band to pursue its musical goals with increased vigor. "(The victory) gives us a little more confidence," he said. "It makes us want to work and practice even harder to get things to sound even better so we can go down there and do our best."

In addition to the showcase, Everlasting Earle won Dezeray's Hammer's 1996 Ford Econoline E150 cargo van.

Written by Tad Taylor - Spartanburg Herald-Journal

July 16, 2004 Section: Lifestyle Page: 1, 5D BIG, BIG GIG Donna Isbell Walker Staff The Greenville News= Final

Everlasting Earle hopes to parlay its invitation to the Atlantis Music Conference into a record contract

By Donna Isbell Walker Entertainment Writer dwalker@greenvillenews.com

The green Ford Econoline van is nice, but for Anderson band Everlasting Earle, the best part of winning the Radio Super Showcase Battle of the Bands is the chance to see a few doors open. Everlasting Earle will attend the Atlantis Music Conference next week in Atlanta and will perform in a showcase Thursday at the Cotton Club; full conference registration, a spot in the showcase, and the van were part of the grand prize in the band contest held at the Handlebar in April and May. The Atlantis Music Conference, now in its seventh year, is held for four days every summer in Atlanta. It brings together bands, mostly from the Southeast, and music industry movers and shakers from all over the country to mix and mingle. The musicians can learn the ins and outs of the business through panel discussions with record company executives, producers, songwriters, booking agents, radio programmers and musicians. And every evening, there are showcase performances at clubs in Atlanta, with musicians from around the region showing off their stage presence. It was at one of those showcases a few years back, for example, that singer John Mayer was spotted by a rep from Aware Records, who signed him to a contract. "There should be plenty of record labels and music industry people around for the show. So that could mean a lot more to us in the long run than the van," Everlasting Earle guitarist Dan Youngblood said recently. Everlasting Earle, whose music is straight-up rock 'n' roll, got together in 1998. Youngblood and singer Keith Carson, then students at Pickens High School, decided to form a band. Drummer Marty Higman joined in early 2003. The current lineup gelled last fall when bassist J.C. Ward came on board. The band's CD, "The Wiley Street Demos," was released earlier this year. Any band can pay the registration fee and attend the seminars at the conference, but the bands performing in the showcases must be invited by Atlantis. More than 2,500 artists submitted their music for consideration, and about 250 were chosen. Everlasting Earle isn't the only Upstate band with a spot at the show. Second-place Battle of the Bands finisher Vinyldrive will perform July 23 at the Masquerade, and hip-hop-flavored rock band Vagabond 12 plays a show July 24 at the Masquerade. Other local artists, including Spencer Rush, Emic and Remains of the Day, will be around as well. For Vagabond 12, the performance is a "make or break" opportunity, said manager Ruben Morales. "The invitation alone means a lot to us," Morales said. "It means that we're really being recognized as one of the more talented bands in the region." Of course, the dream scenario for any of the bands would be for a record executive to hear a show and immediately sign the band to a contract. But there are other opportunities as well. "Club owners, club managers might be there who would like what they hear and want us to come back and play at their club, a lot of gigs out of that one show," Morales said. Networking is a major component of Atlantis. The whole point of the conference is to give unsigned bands a leg up, said Kathy Gates, conference manager. Industry folks from the three big music cities -- New York, Los Angeles and Nashville -- will be in attendance, and it's rare to find record executives from all three cities in one place at the same time, Gates said. There are also social events, parties where artists and executives can get to know each other and, with any luck, make a connection that might lead to a deal. "If they follow up after the conference, to me that is the key, to follow up after Atlantis. ... The bands that stick out are the ones that after the conference, send an e-mail, send their material, keep in touch," Gates said. Probably the biggest success connected to the conference is Mayer's story. Mayer performed at Atlantis twice before getting signed to a record deal. Other bands that have generated Atlantis-fueled buzz include the Lost Trailers, Marvelous 3 (now defunct) and the Hiss. "What we've gotten the reputation of is being able to spot up-and-coming talent," Gates said. The members of Everlasting Earle are aware of what can await them in Atlanta, and they've been in rehearsal overdrive ever since they learned of their spot in the Battle of the Bands back in the spring. Saturday's performance with Will Hoge at the Handlebar will be a sort of dress rehearsal for the Cotton Club show. And while the showcase performance is an exciting opportunity, the guys are hoping to learn important things about the business as well. "To this point, we've been totally independent," Youngblood said. "We've done everything ourselves. ... We haven't had any management, haven't had any booking done for us. We're kind of proud of that. We want to have that one day, but we want to have the right group." Since the Atlantis panels cover everything from the legal ins and outs of a record contract to getting radio play to songwriting, there should be plenty to learn. "We want to try to become as educated as we can," singer Keith Carson said. But there will be time for fun as well; the Everlasting Earle guys hope to see a lot of bands while they're in town. Whatever happens, though, the band is excited to see where things go next. "The best thing that could happen to us from going to Atlantis would be to have a record company show some interest and have that maybe lead to us getting signed," Youngblood said. "We're not betting that that's going to happen ... but it would be nice." IN TOWN Everlasting Earle performs at the Handlebar Saturday with Will Hoge and Clay Cook, the band's last local show before heading for Atlantis. Show time is 8:30 p.m.; tickets are $8 to $10. Call 233-6173. WHO'S PLAYING Showcase performances by local bands at Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta include: - Thursday, Everlasting Earle at the Cotton Club; Emic at Vinyl; Remains of the Day at Masquerade - July 23, Spencer Rush at Smith's Downstairs; Vinyldrive at Masquerade, Jason Marcum at Dailey's - July 24, Vagabond 12 at Masquerade. For more info about the conference or getting tickets to the showcases, go to www.atlantismusic.com. Cutline: ALAN DEVORSEY / Staff A band with a van: Everlasting Earle, from left, Marty Higman, drums; Keith Carson, guitar and vocals; J.C. Ward, bass; and Dan Youngblood, guitar, stand with the van they won as part of the grand prize in the band contest at the Handlebar earlier this year.



Copyright (c) The Greenville News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.

- Greenville News

Everlasting Earle wins van, Atlanta gig in Upstate battle
Posted Tuesday, June 1, 2004 - 12:22 pm

By Erin Ridgeway
STAFF WRITER
eridgeway@upstatelink.com

The fans have spoken and crowned Greenville-based Everlasting Earle the winner of the Super Radio Showcase Battle of the Bands.
The band, with Daniel Youngblood on lead guitar, Keith Carson on rhythm guitar and vocals, Marty Higman on drums, and J.C. Ward on bass, will celebrate their victory by driving to gigs in style in the grand prize, a brand new band van.

They will also play a showcasing spot at the Cotton Club in Atlanta as part of the Atlantis Music Conference.

Fun fact: The band is named for Youngblood's grandfather, who never seems to age.


- The Link