Leading Edge
| Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
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Bands start and end every day in Athens. Out of the literal thousands formed, several hundred make it to a stage. A few hundred make it to a studio. Maybe a hundred make it to the radio. When I put Leading Edge on the air at WUOG, I felt that we had something here.
Matt, the lead singer, slipped me a disc during Music Business class and asked if I'd give it a listen. It's not the first time a friend has asked me to try their stuff but it was one of the few times that I actually liked what I heard.
I gave it a few spins on WUOG during the show to find out if anyone would react to it. People started calling in saying how much they loved it. After going to the 40 Watt show the other night, it's easy to see why.
Leading Edge has a pretty classic sound, akin to the Modern Skirts with a bit more edge (pardon the pun). "Sarah" is one of the best things I've heard from a new band in a long time. The songs on their EP are pretty catchy and stick in your head.
That said, they are a new band and have a bit more growing to do as songwriters and performers but that's half the fun. Nobody should ever stop growing. These guys will only get better with time and I can't wait to hear what they do next.
Link:
http://athensmusicjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-addiction-leading-edge.html
- Athens Music Junkie
This band's career actually began in 2004 in Social Circle, GA, but Leading Edge just recently expanded its trio into a quartet in spring of 2008. Songwriter Matt Daniel dedicates himself to writing provoking lyrics and melodies while the group riffs on psychedelic grooves. "Leading Edge’s main goal is to use music as a catalyst for provoking emotion," says Daniel. What really sets Leading Edge apart from other alternative rockers is the musical education of its members. Three of the four bandmates also perform in UGA's Redcoat band, and all four have had formal music training since the sixth grade. The technical prowess really comes across in the band's clever pop arrangements - especially impressive considering the youth of the band's members.
Listen to the band's high-energy rock at www.myspace.com/leadingedgeband - Flagpole Magazine
http://echoreynofathens.blogspot.com/2009/11/leading-edge-ghouls-ghosts-and-phantoms.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14BdAXemNRU
Oh, Halloween week. Sure, I've already mentioned all of the spectacular shows that downtown Athens offered its costumed partiers for the actual night of All Hallows Eve, but the week leading up to this spooky holiday was just as amazing!
Last Wednesday night, several old favorites played sets all across town at around the same time. Which band to choose? Well, Leading Edge has been high up on my list of groups to check out for a while now and with Doctor Squid opening for them too, I just knew I had to pick Tasty World Uptown!
Walking onto the dance floor was like entering a whole new realm. We were surrounded by Halloween madness! Right next to me was a guy covered from head to toe in blood. And look over there! That's Hannah Montana and her best friend having a conversation with Draco Malfoy and Cap'n Krunch. The bands, too, were appropriately festooned in a curious array of costumes. Doctor Squid, for instance, featured a giant penguin, a demonic being, a hippie, and a jack-o-lantern. Awesome. As always, they rocked the stage, using their fun-inducing powers to put the whole crazy crowd into a dancing frenzy. Oh wow, the audience was fun to watch! I could hardly keep my eyes off of them. Some of the girls in the front row, clearly longtime fans, even moved in unison in what resembled a choreographed dance to one of the songs. Seriously, I never leave one of Doctor Squid's shows without a smile on my face!
Then, after an impromptu venue-wide cha-cha slide dance party, Leading Edge took the stage. Man, these guys started it off right! Through a cloud of thick greenish fog, Matt the lead singer/ keyboard player appeared, his face obscured by a lovely mask a lá Phantom of the Opera. Ah, phantoms always fill me with such joy! He began the show with a creepy gothic tune that melded into the band's first song, a wild rendition of the Ghostbusters theme. From there, the rest of the band members, adorned in a spectacular variety of ghoulish costumes, leapt straight into a series of their original songs, each totally and wonderfully unique. I still can't figure out how they managed to create such one of a kind musical sounds from the same instruments that I've seen countless other bands use. Very impressive! As they finished with a few more awesome tunes including a Billie Jean cover, I just knew I would have to see them again. Let's hope it happens soon!
Seconds later, my friend Sheila and I were speeding through downtown in hopes of getting to Ciné in time to catch Bambara's set. Tragically, we arrived moments too late, but we were just in time to check out very loud punk band, the Agenda. Truly, pure insanity. These guys had so much energy, my eyes could barely keep up with them. One second the lead singer was lying on the floor; the next, he was divebombing the audience and screaming into the faces of several members of the crowd. The audience got into it as well. One guy, presumably a friend of the band (well, I hope so), bounded onto the singer's back while the guitar player licked the strings of his guitar. The drummer ended the night by toppling his drumset and collapsing behind it. The sight was very nearly indescribable! Wild times, my friends. Wild times.
- Echoreyn Of Athens
After drawing inspiration for its name from a brewing storm, Leading Edge has combined a whirlwind of musical styles into a coherent whole.
The members of Leading Edge described its sound as alternative rock incorporating elements of indie, reggae, funk and a Latin sound.
Seth Brown, a senior from Social Circle and the band's bass player, lists the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay and Miles Davis as some of Leading Edge's diverse influences.
"It's not always easy to comprehend," said David Beeco, a sophomore from Social Circle who plays drums.
But rather than dedicate themselves to one specific genre, they prefer to focus on the musicality of the songs they write.
"It's hard to describe because we like to incorporate so many different genres in our music," said Eric Thompson, a senior from Macon who plays guitar. "We're really into the musicality … We've found that the more musical we are, the more it affects people."
The band members' strong musical backgrounds allow them to create this unique sound.
"We've all been playing regular orchestra and band instruments since fifth grade, so we all have that classical training," Brown said.
Leading Edge formed in Social Circle when Brown, Beeco and Matt Daniel were in high school.
"We've been playing together since 2005," said Daniel, a senior and the band's rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. "We were called Mudra. It was just us three for a long time, and we've been playing around Athens for a few years."
From time to time, the band had other members, but none worked out until Thompson joined them in the spring of 2008.
Soon after, they changed their name to Leading Edge. The original name, Mudra, often was mispronounced and was once incorrectly billed as "Mudrat."
"We were pretty much at [Seth's] house practicing in his basement, and the lights were flickering in and out," Daniel said.
The group took a break from practicing, went upstairs and soon the power came back on.
"The first thing we heard when the TV came on was 'the leading edge of the storm,'" Thompson said. Brown's father suggested that it would make a good band name, and the group adopted the new title.
Leading Edge is now working to build up its fan base in Athens and hopes to play in other cities around the Southeast.
"Athens is great to foster a new upstart band, but there comes a time when it's time to break out," Brown said. "So we've been playing Monroe, Social Circle … Back in our hometown, we sort of wished we had a local band to sort of get us moving, so we like to help out."
The group also released a three-song demo last fall, which can be heard on the band's MySpace page.
Leading Edge often performs at benefit shows, such as tonight's benefit for cystic fibrosis.
"There's nothing more important, especially with music - helping people, doing what we love to do," Thompson said. "There's nothing sweeter than that."
- Briana Gerdeman (Red and Black)
Discography
LE'EP (2009 EP)
Photos
Bio
****UPDATE****
January 25, 2010:
Currently hitting the studio to record our first album. We are going to hit Athens big time with this record.
********************
Leading Edges main goal is to use music as a catalyst for provoking emotion. The bands ability to put on not only an aural, but visually exciting performance allows the band to achieve what they call a completely entertaining experience. Their influences range from rock, pop, funk, and psychedelic.
The quartet consists of Matt Daniel, Seth Brown, David Beeco, and Eric Thompson.
The bands sound has been referred to as very musical, as all of the members have been playing and performing since the ages of ten, but the band has not always existed as the quartet.
In the small town of Social Circle, GA; Matt, David, and Seth formed the band named Mudra in the summer of 2005. They played various shows in Social Circle and in the Athens area.
In late 2007 and into 2008, the band added two more members, Trey Hollingsworth and Bryan Higa. At this time, the band, still known as Mudra, performed on a regular basis in Athens. After a few conflicts, the band decided to go back to the three piece band, and eventually added another lead guitar player.
By Spring 2008, Eric Thompson joined the band after meeting the members of Mudra in the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching band. After all of the constant changes, the band was looking for stability and a new identity. The band decided to change their name from Mudra after one night of rehearsal was interrupted by complete darkness and silence. In confusion, the band stopped practicing and sat down to relax until the power returned. When the power and the television came on, the weatherman on a local news channel began talking about the "leading edge" of a cold front moving into their rehearsal site. Inspired by the storm and the name, they began referring to themselves as Leading Edge.
On July 26, 2008, Mudra decided to host a concert at the Social Circle Theatre (their hometown) to have a farewell to their old name, and to bring in their new one. They brought in a 100 people in Social Circle (which, is an extremely small city with only one red light), and performed all of their songs. Mudra was then, Leading Edge is now.
By January 24, 2009, Leading Edge performed at the famous 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network with 4 other bands, and helped bring in nearly 400 people into the venue and raised around $1500 for the cause. The band enjoys helping out with the community to make the world a better place, and to make sure that everyone is having fun.
Since then, the band has played at a variety of venues and benefit shows during Spring 2009 including benefits to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis and the Gwinnett Relay for Life.
Leading Edge has also performed at the Rock Student Center in Monroe, GA which provides entertainment for preteens and teenagers. The group found out that their music is popular among the young crowd as well as the old.
By late June of 2009, Leading Edge performed at the Melting Point in Athens, GA and showcased brand new material that will be leading up to a future album in the making.
Music is a means to move people whether it be emotionally or physically.
"There's nothing more important, especially with music - helping people, doing what we love to do," Thompson said. "There's nothing sweeter than that."
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