Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Twin guitar-playing brothers Neil and Matt Kern are hard at work with the progressive, high-energy rock band So It Seems. The band has been playing venues in the Upstate and Columbia and plans to record this summer. The Kerns grew up in Spartanburg and have been exploring music together since their early teens. The Kern brothers, along with vocalist Andrew Alkis, bassist Jake Erwin and drummer and violinist Andrew Flandry perform tonight at Magnolia Street Pub. For a sneak preview of the band visit www.soitseems.com to sample their original rock 'n' roll songs.
-Tad Taylor - Spartanburg Herald Journal
Track Six: So It Seems, "And So It Begins"
This song represents the next step in Spartanburg power pop, and adds a slight punk edge for good measure. Visit www.soitseems.com.
-Tad Taylor - Spartanburg Herald Journal
Feisty emo with a euphoric bent and a preoccupation with nocturnal imagery comes to us via Spartanburg, S.C., band So It Seems. An exuberant "Whoo!" opens the angular, bounding "Colonel Knight." "Moon's Reflection" bounces from a thrashy overture to a reflective interlude to a poppy, plain-spoken refrain. - www.download.com
SO IT SEEMS IS...
Andrew Alkis: Vocals
Jake Erwin: Bass, backing vocals
Andrew Flandry: Drums
Neil Kern: Guitar
Matt Kern (not pictured): Guitar
THE SOUND...
Rock with punk influences.
THE EVOLUTION...
The band has been together for two years in varying combinations. After a rotating group of singers, Alkis took over vocals a year ago, and Erwin joined the band six months ago. Oh, and So It Seems has the distinction of being one of the few bands with identical twin guitarists, the Kern brothers.
THE INFLUENCES....
For Erwin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Saves the Day, Thursday, Thrice. For Alkis, classic rock like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, along with Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly. For Flandry, classical music, the Beatles, 311 and Marshall Tucker Band drummer Paul Riddle.
WHY THE NAME?
It took the band almost a year to settle on a name. Alkis' friend suggested using the word Seems in the name, and another pal proposed So It Seems. It was the only name that everyone in the band liked, and one thing they like is the possibility of multiple meanings.
"It doesn't pigeonhole us," Erwin said. "It leaves you open to interpretation."
ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN...
Things get a little crazy, and the stage often turns into a danger zone when So It Seems performs. "I almost killed" Alkis and Flandry, Erwin said. He ran into them with his body, which was fortunate, at least for Alkis. "If I'd hit him with my bass, I would have knocked him out."
WHERE CAN YOU HEAR THEM?
So It Seems is taking a break from live shows to focus on its first album, which will be recorded this summer. The band will also head to California in June to perform at a showcase for Infinity Music Group.
-Donna Isbell Walker - The Greenville News
Discography
...And So It Begins EP (2004)
Radio Airplay Tracks: "...And So It Begins," "The Hero's Silhouette," "The Intersection," "Moon's Reflection"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Garnering influences ranging from artists like The Beatles, Metallica, Led Zeppelin to artists like Thursday, Saves The Day, and Taking Back Sunday, So It Seems came together in January 2003, to form there own unique blend of alternative rock. We have been playing in bands together for two years rotating different people in and out of the singer position. A compatible singer never presented itself, so bass player Andrew Alkis began singing lead. Since November of 2002, we have been heavily writing material. Waiting for the right songs that exemplified our passion and love for music, we recorded our first demos at Studio 151 in Spartanburg, SC with Tim Lawter of the Marshall Tucker Band in August 2003. After the recording, we added Jake Erwin to the group to play bass so we could all focus on our individual instruments. After recording our first demos, we began playing at local parties and benefit concerts. After growing a fan base mostly by word of mouth, we started playing at Spartanburg’s Magnolia Street Pub and The Guitar Bar in summer 2003. Bands such as The Benjamins, Buckcherry, Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, and P.O.D. have played at Magnolia’s. By the end of the summer, we were rotating between popular clubs in Spartanburg. We now all attend Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. After leaving Spartanburg, we have played at popular clubs in Clemson, SC (Edgar’s and many school / fraternity functions), Columbia, SC (New Brookland Tavern), and of course played shows in our hometown of Spartanburg. We are now preparing to enter the studio to record our debut album to be recorded at the Jam Room Studio in Columbia, SC where such artists as Stretch Arm Strong and Burns Out Bright have recorded. We have also had the honor of having three of our songs as the song of the day on www.GarageBand.com, as well as being included in articles in both the Greenville News Paper and the Spartanburg Herald Journal. The only thing any of us wants to do in life is spread our music as far as possible so hopefully people can find something personal in what we have to say. We are more than passionate about what we do simply love to play anywhere for anyone. Thanks so much for listening.
Links
