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Off Track – ‘Concrete Dreams’
1. Library
2. Leave Me Alone
3. Addictions
4. So Long
5. Maybe Next Year
6. The Place
7. Gone
8. Concrete Dreams
9. The Girl That I Haven't Found Yet
10. All For You
11. Wham Bam
12. Not Quite Yet
Off Track produce very strong pop-punk; and while ‘Concrete Dreams’ may not be the most instantly memorable album - it makes up for this with a well produced consistency that is hard to fault. I could certainly draw some comparisons with New Found Glory and Blink 182 – especially considering this is a young, all male 3 piece. So I will; there is a definite feeling of the aforementioned bands. That said; ‘Leave Me Alone’ is far more interesting, with influences rooted in rock just as much as punk with catchy guitars and strong chorus vocals.
‘Addictions’ features a wonderfully bouncy introduction and despite it’s slightly Tom Delong style whiney vocals the lyrics are awkward and gawky – perfect for this style of music. Off Track are interesting because they always manage to surprise with an interesting hook before descending back into noncommittal, unexceptional styles. Unfortunately this is a catch 22, as they often fail to blaze an identity for themselves. However I believe this will come later in their career. Right now they are a wholly predictable, but very tight band; that are just waiting to innovate the hell out of the pop-punk genre.
This is shown by; ‘Maybe Next Year’ with the fun acoustic guitar and bouncy almost Sublime-esque introduction before the electrics kick in offering a further layer to the song. However nothing surpasses those first 30 seconds of introduction. ‘Gone’ demonstrates their talent further with a heartfelt, melodic chorus and catchy little verse structures. There is a fun vibe to this CD, with title track; ‘Concrete Dreams’ being the highlight with yet another experimental and ultimately fantastic introduction – this time featuring a doo wop / acapello style.
‘The girl that I haven’t found yet…I adore her!’ taken from; ‘The Girl I Haven’t Found Yet’ is an indication of the typical yet sturdy lyricism that drives this record. This song is a definite highlight that once again shows the vocalist’s potential and good lyrical concepts. Off Track have a great live reputation and after seeing footage of a show I can see why. These young men are all about fun and entertainment. Therefore this CD is actually rather successful; being both fun and entertaining. However while it lacks in bravery and innovation it certainly touches upon it, so hopefully the band will take more chances because they art certainly made of the right stuff. Overall ‘Concrete dreams’ is a great antidote to the depressing punk rock of late and now that the more upbeat among us have written off Blink 182; Off Track, with songs like; ‘Wham Bam’ are just who we need this summer.
Standout Tracks: ‘Addictions’, ‘Concrete Dreams’, ‘Gone’ & ‘The Girl…’.
Added: May 14th 2004
Reviewer: Liam Thomson
Related Link: Official Site
- www.StateofEmergency.net
By: REBECCA JAMESCOURIE - For The Californian
TEMECULA ---- Encouraged by the screaming crowd, a drummer twirled his drumstick high over head before smashing it down to pound out a cadence for his band members as they circled their arms over their heads and slammed their hands down across their electric guitars, grinding out a wail that prompted another outcry from the enthusiastic crowd.
Four bands vied for first place during the Battle of the Bands hosted by the Promenade mall in Temecula on Saturday afternoon. Antoinette Valdespino, marketing director for the Promenade, said this was the first time they've hosted the event and were encouraged to do so by the public.
Valdespino said 10 of 35 entries made it to the semifinals, which were judged by four people in the music industry. Four of the 10 bands made it to Saturday's battle.
First on stage was the group Off Track from Escondido. Attracting a large crowd at the Promenade's Plaza, the three-member group slammed into high gear with its first song, "Sit By Me." Jumping onto boxes at the front of the stage, guitarists Mike Chartrand, 22, and Sam Roberson, 20, pulled back on the necks of their guitars like they were reigning in horses, leaped into the air and landed in front of drummer, Jared Hren, 21, whose pink hair was as flamboyant as his playing.
Nodding her head in beat with the music was Hren's sister, Rebecca Jaime, 26.
"I just love them," she shouted over the music. "They're honest and really hard working. Hey, I'm a fan."
Monique Lozoya, 15, and her friend, Lisa Rosendahl, 15, both came to the Promenade from Sun City to do some shopping. When they heard the music, they braved the afternoon heat and grabbed a seat.
"I think they're rockin'," said Monique, her pink hair gleaming in the sun.
- North County Times (The Californian)
Discography
.Self Titled 3song Demo
.Full legnth cd "Concrete Dreams" (www.cdbaby.com/offtrack)
.Single on "Garage Band Heros" comp
.Single on Vitamins "Boys on top" Avril L. tribute
.New full legnth in the works !!!
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Here's a copy of our Warped Tour application for this year. Its a good reference to check out until we can add a detailed bio.
Warped tour
band application form
1. What’s the name of your band?
.Off Track
2. How long have you been together?
.Original members: 9 years ...current lineup: 4 years
3. How many band members do you have, and what are your names/ages?
.Three band members: Jared Hren (21), Sam Roberson (21), Mike Chartrand (22)
4. Who are your musical influences?
.Boston, Blink 182, Metallica, Chicago, New Found Glory, Unwritten Law, Michel Jackson, Simple Plan, Hendrix, Lucky 7, Jonathan Palant (our high school music teacher)
5. How many songs have you written so far as a band?
.30 original songs............endless cover arrangements
6. How many demos/eps/albums have you put out?
.One demo, One full cd, two singles on compilations (one song for Vitamin records’ Avril tribute album), pre-production for new cd
7. Are you on a label? What label?
. Nope....a label would be nice, but independence has its perks
8. How many shows have you played and/or how many shows do you average per month?
.Too many shows to count. Steadily busy, 6-10 per month
9. Have you gone on tour? If so, when and with whom?
. Yes Off and on over the past three years, independently and with other indie groups. Independent member touring includes: international shows with Sum 41, New Found Glory, Metallica, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Simple Plan, Something Corporate, Allister, Default, Goo Goo Dolls, etc.
10. Who does the booking for your band?
. Members independently through “Jack Utsick presents”, DML studios, all Band members and anyone with a show!
11. Do you have a website? What is it?
.Yes www.offtrackmusic.com
12. Why did you start a band? (100 words)
. There’s something you can’t explain about the band “thing”. There’s nothing like music, whether we’re writing our own music, recording it, or sharing it with other people. We all love music, and enjoy sharing it with other people. We also figured that it would be fabulous to pursue a career doing something we enjoy.
13. When you book a show, what kind of promotion do you do for it?
. Anything we can! STREET TEAM! We have a strong contact list which we call and email. Go flyer and poster crazy. Radio and magazine ads and interviews. Lots of internet promotion...(website, chatrooms, message boards)
14. How many people were at your last hometown show? When was that show?
. 200 people, mid December
15. What would you like to ultimately accomplish as a band?
. Be on the Warped Tour! We would love to be able to make a career out of playing our music around the world.
16. What are the steps you intend to take to make that happen?
. Promote our band and our music to anyone and everyone who will listen. We hope to gain support from people who believe in what we do....from the poorest fan to the richest executive.
17. Why would your band make a good addition to the Vans Warped Tour?
. We hope we would make a good addition by being hard working, easy going and willing to lend a hand. We would add fun and color to the wild event that is the Warped Tour. We would do our best to entertain and amaze the crowds who pay to be part of the days.
18. If you got booked on the Vans Warped Tour how would you go about promoting the show(s)?
. The same way we do our own.....and then some! We could use all of our band promotion tools, and use the Warped name to advertise in each town prior to the show date.
19. If you got booked on the Vans Warped Tour how would you use that opportunity to your bands advantage?
. Just being part of the tour is a strong mark of credibility and is attractive to anyone in the industry. We’ve researched and followed the tour for years and have seen it work as a spring board for numerous groups. Although our music is attractive to most age groups, the biggest part of our following is the underage crowd.....the type of people that attend the Warped tour. It would give us a chance to be inside the gate with, and to promote to, thousands of other music lovers each day. We would be also be able to work with, learn from, and perform with and in front of a wide variety of other groups.
20. If there is one thing that you could change about anything in the music industry what would it be and why?
. One thing to change would be the relationships between record labels and unsigned bands. It seems as if labels are very limited in what the
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