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OCTOBER 17, 2003 RETROSPECT Retrospect - Memphis, TN. Passionate, pop/rock in the vein of Matchbox 20, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Counting Crows, Coldplay, etc. Supporting 6-song EP The Art of Following, which was recorded with Jason Latshaw (Riddlin’ Kids, Audio Adrenaline, Skillet). Recently signed a deal with Memphis’ Ardent Studios (3 Doors Down, REM, Soundgarden, etc.) to record an upcoming studio album. Airplay includes 94.1 The Buzz, WRVU 91.1, WUOG 90.5, WEGL 91.1 and the WHBQ FOX 13 show "Good Morning Memphis." Contact the band at booking@retrospectweb.com or Jody Stephens c/o Ardent Music at 901.725.0855 or jstephens@ardentstudios.com. www.retrospectweb.com.
- KinsofAR.com
Reviews: Retrospect ~ The Art of FollowingPosted on Saturday, February 07 @ 16:26:17 EST Topic: Reviews
Artist: RetrospectCD:The Art of FollowingHome:Memphis, TennesseeStyle: RockQuote: "Retrospect have decided to start their recording career with a six song record that packs a commercial knock-out punch."By Brad Wilson Memphis, Tenn. could be the next big music city to produce a wave of bands to rule the music world. As a reviewer for Indie-Music.com, I'm getting more and more records from Memphis bands that just sound fantastic. The latest is an E.P. from Memphis locals Retrospect called The Art Of Following. The band members are Drew Thomas on lead vocals, Jamie Randolph vocals/lead guitar, Richard Thomas bass, and John Rawlinson on drums. As I look over their bio, I can see that they have already caught the attention of the regional market tastemakers, with radio and magazines pointing them out as the hot local favorites.Retrospect have decided to start their recording career with a six song record that packs a commercial knock-out punch. Wow! The record opens with the smash hit song "No Way Out" that's as good as it gets. Forget about major label/radio, this is what rock 'n roll is supposed to be. Get on board while you can, because these guys are gonna be huge. "Come and Find Me" takes command like a band you really want to see. Retrospect knows they've got the goods and play their music with confidence. Drew Thomas sings like a pro on these recording sessions and sounds like he is ready to get on the bus and start the tour tonight. "One in a Million" is song three and "Ghosts of London" is track four. Both are brilliantly written and arranged. The production uses a combination of basic track distortion/overdrive guitars with an excellent clean guitar up front to make for some very listenable radio-friendly music. Song five is "Ava," a bit mellow and romantic, something Johnny Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls might write for his solo album. Like every song on this record, it is a solid, across-the-board hit. The record concludes with "Hey Goodnight," completing a start to finish high-quality masterpiece of fresh rock music. Run to the store and get this record. Credit should be given to the two recording engineers who mixed this terrific record. First the skilled John Hampton (Gin Blossoms) and the band's champion, producer John Latshaw, both turning in top quality work. The packaging is simple and inexpensive, but it's just a cover for a red-hot disc inside. I look forward to the next CD cover to find out more about the band, the recording and writing credits. Maybe they wanted to create a little mystery with this sparse cover and text?The Art Of Following is an incredible first record from one of the best unsigned bands in the world today. The music on this record is big-time rock ready to break wide open on the national scene. One of the best bands I've ever heard just by chance. http://www.retrospectweb.com
- Indie-Music.com
"Watching Retrospect perform live in front of a packed house in November 2003,the songwriting arc was astounding, & the command of the stage was powerful. That abbreviated five-song stunner of a presentation makes Retrospect's upcoming full-length debut one of 2004's most anticipated musical offerings."
Redbeard,Producer/host,IN THE STUDIO national weekly radio
rockumentary,& former XM Satellite Radio Program Director/host
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“Retrospect is a breath of fresh air...combining so many great influences to create some of the best melodic, emotionally charged pop/rock music I've heard in a while.”
Chad Green
ASCAP
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"Retrospect's E.P. communicates to listeners. This band writes great songs, they work hard, and they know how to put on a great perfomance."
Jody Stephens
Big Star
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"Retrospect is a great example of the talent and ambition found in Memphis and throughout the Mid South."
Renn Wilson
94.1 the Buzz
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"On the outside, Memphis's Retrospect may be labeled as just another modern pop/rock outfit, but take a closer look and you'll find a talented & passionate young band that has yet to discover their full potential..."
Robert Thompson
KingsofAR.com
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“Retrospect has decided to start their recording career with a six song record that packs a commercial knock-out punch.”
Brad Wilson
Indie-Music.com
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"Retrospect's debut release, "The Art of Following," features 6 songs that combine the melodic guitar work and poetic expression of singer/songwriter rock with the driven sounds of today's most prevalent bands."
Jason Silberman
ASCAP
“We can achieve economic benefits and foster pride in our community by turning its tremendous music legacy to the benefit of contemporary artists. We can accomplish these goals by promoting Three 6 Mafia, Saliva, Yo Gotti, Retrospect, and O’Landa Draper’s Associates as much as we promote Elvis Presley.”
Rey Flemings
Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission
- Ardent Music
Discography
2005 - Self-titled Debut LP (Spring 2005)
2002 - The Art of Following EP
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Retrospect
Four days in a Ford Econoline. Two nights on the floors and couches of acquaintances from high school, and one in a Holiday Inn. A few iPods, too many cups of Starbucks, and a 70s Al Pacino DVD. Arguments, jokes, and deep conversations. Summer in the south equals sweat and smell. At more than a few stops, someone often asks a bleary-eyed member, barely awake from an hour of van-sleep: Are yall in a band? Well, what else could they be? The answer is that they wouldnt be anything else. There are few hobbies, and fewer professions that would send four musicians - Drew Thomas (vocals, gtr), Jamie Randolph (gtr, vocals), Richard Thomas (bass) and John Rawlinson (drums) - and their support team on such an unglamorous journey. This is the beginning for Retrospect, a Memphis-based independent rock band.
A few weeks before the tour, Drew sat over a beer in the corner of a local faux-english pub. The topic was the band and staying independent as long as possible. The cramped van and the uncertainty of venue and turnout is a means to an end. The end is making it, but is a twist of most bands definition of the phrase. The goal is to take the band and the audience and create something bigger. Being a part of something bigger is an end that requires a means of going on the road and pouring music into the crowds. This is not to say they have not had some help along the way though.
Starting out as a small high school band, Retrospect has grown from jamming for their own pleasure to writing great songs that will connect them to an audience. In 2002 they were offered the opportunity to record demos that started a relationship with Ardent Studios in Memphis. Shortly after the release of their 6-song EP, The Art of the Following, tracks were spun regularly on Memphis 94.1 the Buzz. The band continued to receive more airplay with several college radio stations around the mid-south including: Vanderbilt University, The University of Mississippi, Auburn University, University of Kentucky, and University of Georgia.
Ardent soon became a second home and proved fertile ground for recording their first full-length album produced by Ross Rice (Steve Earle, Big Ass Truck) and John Hampton (Gin Blossoms, North MS Allstars). The album is all about the fun and heartbreak of romance, belief and action, and fully feeling the impact of life. Its about great lyrics, melodies and wonderful songs.
Retrospects musical influences are diverse, ranging from the Gin Blossoms to U2. The emotions reflected in that diversity run a gauntlet from the fun-natured romanticizing of heartbreak in "Forgetting Evelyn;" to the intense crying out against the longing to be "anyone but yourself" in "Fall Like A Star." This record is packed with meaning and melody.
Over the last four years, Retrospect has played at southeast venues such as The New Daisy Theatre, Newbys, The Hi-Tone, B.B. King's (Memphis,TN); The Exit/In (Nashville, TN); Sticky Fingerz (Little Rock, AR); The Varsity (Baton Rouge, LA); The Nick (Birmingham, AL); Smiths Olde Bar and the 10 High (Atlanta, GA); as well as the Mercury Lounge in New York. They have also participated in three summer concert series in Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta.
Internationally they are receiving airplay on Shonan Station 98.7 in Japan and the track, I Am The Sun, was #1 on Indiejukebox.com for 5 consecutive weeks. They are also currently featured on two compilation CDs: LiveFromMemphis.com (also distributed in the UK) and For You, a compilation CD distributed at the Race to Erase MS fundraiser in Hollywood, CA. In 2002, ASCAP honored the band by including them in the Heineken ASCAP music showcase series, and in 2003 the Memphis chapter of The Recording Academy awarded the band 1st Place in the Rock category and 3rd place overall in the GRAMMY Independent Music Showcase. Finally, two of their tracks, One In A Million and As Long As Im Alive were selected to be featured in the independent movie Dishdogz which is scheduled for a 2005 release. The tracks will also be included on the movies soundtrack.
With the release of the new album, new opportunities and challenges are unfolding rapidly, but the music, meeting fans where they are, and connecting with them remains Retrospects focus.
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