Five O'Clock People

...this would certainly be one of them. This is an intelligent, complex record. The harmonies alone are worth buying the album for, but the combination of instruments and worthy lyrics propel this album into another class. Several styles and tempos are exhibited here as well. The album seems to have Celtic influences in spots, and in others it is a brooding march, full of echo and reverb. This is one you can listen to without skipping tracks. The best way I can describe this record in more popular terms is Jars of Clay with intelligence and depth. - Stosh D. Walsh

Five o'Clock People is one of the most spectacular and underappreciated bands in the world today. The Nothing Venture, their sole full-length "label" release, shines with such impassioned alterna-folk tracks as Blame, Sorry, and Same Old Line. They dance between celebration and contemplation with impeccable musical integrity, making this album a truly superior work. - Pezzettino

i've been a big fan of these guys for the last three or so years, and im contiually amazed. i have all of five o'clock people's albums (including the very very first one)and each one has something new to offer. beginning to end, the nothing venture is full of lush sounds, excellent production, tight harmonies and strong lyrics. they have an amazing way of portraying exactly what they want people to hear. their music and lyrics match very well. i see these guys (and girl)taking music like jars of clay, burlap to cashmere and the dave matthews band a little further. all of their personalities come through in their music making a huge impact on their listeners. this is a must-have album. a true masterpiece. - Wayne Miller

The Nothing Venture may be the best CD I've ever discovered by complete accident. Actually, I didn't discover it - a good friend of mine did while glancing through a music catalog from her record club. She saw Five O'Clock People listed in the "Christian Rock" section, noted that their style was being compared to that of Jars of Clay and Caedmon's Call, and incorrectly remembered me recommending the band to her. I must have recommended Five Iron Frenzy or someone far more well known with a similar name - I had never heard these guys before. She ordered the CD sight unseen, and within the first few listens, she was hooked, and she proceeded to get me hooked as well. No CCM hype, no radio singles, no nothing. Just a CD that spoke for itself.

Five O'Clock People has actually been putting out music for almost five years now. They started out doing the coffeehouse thing in their native area of Portland, Oregon, and their music is about what you'd expect from the sort of band you might find in such a small venue - acoustic, poetic, and intimate. But it was always more than just a few guys and their guitars. An array of acoustic instruments really makes this band stand out - fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, and upright bass come to mind immediately. This gives them a bit of a country flavoring at times, but it is not an overwhelming influence. They seem to get pegged for some reason as an alternative rock band - which is acceptable in the same way that Jars of Clay was once considered alternative - it doesn't sound like the typical pop/rock on the radio. But this isn't a grungefest full of fuzzy guitars and angst-ridden vocals, either. There is something quieter and yet still very powerful at work here - a sort of pensive undercurrent that magnifies the intensity of the music far more than any amplifier could. What's so surprising about this CD, their first full-length album, and their first set of recordings after being signed to Pamplin Records, is that it is definitely not overproduced. Having a bigger budget didn't make the band feel compelled to "go for broke" with an array of catchy sounds (though they are quite catchy in their own right). So while comparisons to the thoughtful folk/rock of bands like Jars of Clay and Caedmon's Call are not entirely out of line, they're also not entirely fair. As much as I love those bands, Five O'Clock People somehow strikes a deeper chord with me. - David Martin for EPNIONS.com