March Into Paris
Sacramento, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Kevin McCarty on bass Kris Ayala on drums and guitar players team Randy Medeiros and Eric Davis are lead by vocalist Jennifer Valdez, a brilliant, energetic, and ambitious musician, singer/songwriter. The band has a slew of upcoming local shows. Check their MySpace at myspace.com/marchintoparis
article link:http://fringemag.com/category/bands-to-know/page/2 - fringe magazine
March Into Paris have been working hard to win over fans the old fashion way, by playing great live. their debut EP titled 'Shield the Dilemma' is sure to tickle the fancy of those who can appreciate delay-ridden, space rock chalk full of haunting melodies. It neither bores, nor disappoints. - Submerge magazine
Admit it, as much as everyone wished that the post-hardcore genre stuck to being a boys-only club, having a female presence every now and again isn’t all that bad. However, it’s easy to see how “serious” music fans (ie: hipsters and snobs) can get upset by the proliferation of crappy indie and rock bands strapping a female vocalist onto their boring, mediocre playing. It seems like since Paramore broke through to the scene mainstream, there has been a dearth of talented rock bands with female leads. It seems like for every Holy Roman Empire there are five versions of Eyes Set to Kill and Vice on Victory clogging up music sites and label rosters. Fortunately, if you dig through the garbage, you’ll occasionally run across a band like March into Paris.
The first thing you’ll notice on Shield the Dilemma are the vocals of Jennifer Valdez. Valdez has a very natural sounding (read: non-autotuned) and commanding voice that is also both oddly sensual and vulnerable. It is very reminiscent of Skin from Skunk Anansie but somewhat more restrained. Valdez and Skin both exude a sensuous tone in their singing, but it is even more evident with Valdez as she draws out her words and extends syllables to increase the moodiness of each song.
Valdez and the rest of the band have a great interplay throughout Shield the Dilemma. Combining some of the intricate playing style of modern indie bands with moments of post-hardcore and post-rock, Valdez has a very unique canvas on which to paint her vocal stylings. It’s interesting to hear the synthesizing of influences into the various songs on this EP. For example, “Moons in Twilight” has a very distinct post-rock drumming approach coupled with guitar crescendos using post-hardcore tones. On the other hand, “Along for the Ride” shows the band at their closest to jumping into truly epic, booming, smart, hard rock songwriting. The tempo is mid-paced, the vocals soaring, and the song has a ready-to-explode energetic tone throughout. The variation between songs is noticeable, but the band also manages to maintain their own identity throughout, which is something most bands have a hard time with.
Over the course of the six tracks on this EP, March into Paris show that they have what it takes to be a musical force. There are only a few rough edges that need to be polished, such as a few moments where Valdez pushes her voice just a little too far and a couple of underwhelming transitions, but once they have smoothed them out, there is no reason why the band shouldn’t be extremely successful and lauded by their peers.
- http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/2865
Discography
On June 15th, 2008, March into Paris released "Shield The Dilemma", their debut E.P. independently. On March 8th, 2011, March Into Paris released their single, THE BODY, followed by their second E.P. "beautiful Chaos" on June 11th 2011 on iTunes and Amazon. You can find the both E.P.s in such indie record stores as Dimple records in the Sacramento area or Rasputin records in the Bay area and sorted independent record stores on the West Coast.
Photos
Bio
Since making a huge impact on the indie rock scene with their explosive 2008 debut Shield The Dilemma, one of Sacramento’s most popular and critically acclaimed bands has regularly blown audiences away with the passion of their live performances up and down the West Coast. Though they haven’t yet East of California, the mesh of their five personalities—led by charismatic powerhouse lead singer and chief lyricist Jennifer Valdez—and diverse musical vibe fully embodies the metaphors of their classy and exotic moniker March into Paris.
Less ambient, more structured and fully representative of the energy of their short but fiery 30 minute sets, MIP’s new seven track EP Beautiful Chaos perfectly captures what Valdez says “blood, sweat, tears and a few extra years will get you. It’s the debut of our new sound.” ?Driven by the combined and evolving musical visions of Valdez, guitarists (and founding members) Eric Davis and Randy Medeiros, bassist Kevin McCarty and drummer Kris Ayala, their dynamic, bold and diverse presentation is the group’s version of Paris – a place that represents a beacon of the greatest of human ideals and achievement.
Just as the City of Light draws artists of all stripes who come to fulfill their dreams and be who they are, Beautiful Chaos finds March Into Paris pushing the boundaries of their art and individual lives. And as Eric says, “To march is to stride boldly towards your dreams and make them a reality with triumph in your heart, even if you only have crumbs in your pockets.” Even before writing and recording the new EP, the band was already turning those proverbial crumbs to gold everywhere from their hometown of Sacramento (where The Blue Lamp and the Boardwalk are choice venues) to Concord, San Jose, San Rafael, Monterey, San Francisco, Los Angeles (world famous Whiskey A Go Go) and a festival in Eugene, Oregon.
Eric says, “The four of us guys behind Jennifer had all been in and out of different bands before we met her and she blew us away with her vocal talent. We were impressed that at only 20 years old, she already had her own album out and a publishing company. As we came together, we realized that this was an opportunity for all of us, regardless of background, to be in a real band – not part of somebody else’s ego trip or in a situation where we spent time with people who weren’t as great as they thought they were. As the title Beautiful Chaos implies, it’s not always an easy road dealing with five different personalities, but we’re there for each other and share the same goals and ambitions. We’re better musicians and better, smarter people for having known each other.”
Links
