Solvi

Solvi, if you don't know and have been living under a rock or strictly visiting Workplay, is a great Nashville Alternative/Progressive metal band that our local Birmingham rockers have adopted. Their music is a bundle of dicotomies: hard and soft; complex and simple; challenging and familiar.

Solvi's musicianship is rare in it's quality. For example A bassist (Aaron) that knows the rule of counterpoint, dynamics and most importantly when not to play. A guitarist (Sean) of such subtlety and simplicity who by himself adds layers of sound. A drummer (Ryan) with amazing technical skills that stump many established jazz percussionists. A singer/frontman (Brian) who can, in this day and age of frontmen channeling the Cookie Monster, sing and extremely well at that.

The music is listenable, refined, and has the Tool-esque complexity without all the uncomfortable subject laced lyrics. This brings me to my one and only complaint against the five songs on this demo ep... the lyrics do have a certain degree of trite-ness to them. "Words" comes off as a list of well-known, non-thought provoking, virtues and lack the teeth if the music it is set against. "Home" begins with "I'm afraid of shadows..." which seems a disingenuous and doesn't have me getting into the sentiment of the song at all. Still nothing cringe causing and the lyrics of the lead off song "Stuck" as well as the quality vocals through which the lyrics are distributed more than make up for any of this complaint in my mind.

In my car where bass is a mirror vibrating experience, this demo ep is a pleasure. I hear it and I feel it which is a testament to the quality and attention to detail Solvi is putting into this project. Overall, I'm very pleased and I recommend and am looking forward to the Solvi full length.

That's my opinion, and I may be wrong,
Jonathan. - Birmingham Buzz (bhambuzz.com)

This is a group that are currently doing it all their own way, and certainly appear to be all the better for it. Solvi could well be huge given the right exposure and time to keep what they do best - writing quality songs. - Powerplay Magazine, UK

This quartet offers a kind of music that is difficult to classify in the traditional definitions that journalists like. However, this does not prevent anyone from fully appreciating their creativity. Solvi succeeds to create its own identity.
- Metallian Magazine, France

Solvi have built their style on precise rhythm, big guitars and unusual song structures...9 out of 10!
- Rock Express Magazine, Serbia

Guitars chug along with purpose and cymbals crash around with venom. It is amazing to think this is a new band, such is the level of professionalism.
- Alternative Rock Review, UK

...their songwriting skills are absolutely remarkable! The band has undoubtedly been inspired by Tool, yet the overall feel sounds quite personal to me. 8 out of 10. - Beyond Magazine, Belgium

Killer band with a stellar big mix from hell. Great vocalist that matches well with killer muscianship. Completley professional, vocal phrasing and lyrics are amazing. These guys deserve a lot of attention, people stand up and listen. This is as close to ready radio as one could be. - americanrust via Garageband.com

Definitely radio-ready. Talk about perfect production. Love the lyrics, love the vocals, love the drums, love the guitarwork and love that bassline. From the beginning to the end the song just makes me want to listen to it again and again. While it's easy to tell who a lot of bands sound like, it's not easy here because this is purely original from what my ears can hear. - Gunnyrr via Garageband.com

The raw energy that came pouring out of this song was at once impressive and refreshing! It's nice to hear a modern day rock band with a unique sound and masterful control of their instruments. Where can I go to see this song performed live and who do I have to sleep with to get backstage? (haha, just kidding) - KirkRnh via Garageband.com

I have NO clue what initially prompted me to get a MySpace page a couple of years ago, but I did. I think that I was missing friends back home in Oregon, and it seemed like a good way to stay in touch. So maybe I do have a clue. At any rate, I sat down to build my first page, and as the thing started to take shape, I realized that it needed music.

I looked around on other friends' pages, and came across this song "Breaking Away" by what I eventually found out was an unsigned Nashville rock/alternative band--Solvi. The song stopped me dead in my tracks. In fact, I replayed it several times and just started bawling—something I don't do all that often. I suppose it spoke to how I was feeling about leaving things behind—things I didn't really want to leave, but needed to. It spoke to how hard it is to do that—but in a way that wasn't condescending; rather, to the difficult necessity of it all. It gave me hope when I really needed to stop second-guessing my own decisions.

Also, it felt pretty foreign for me to be focusing on the lyrics of a song, when (and I have never made it any secret) I tend to overlook everything until I know the bass is solid. And no doubt, "Breaking Away" contains stunning work by bassist Aaron. But, for once, it was the music and the lyrics together as a whole that struck me so deeply. And you have no idea how unusual that is for me. I'm wired a bit differently than most.

Specifically, it's tough for me to just hear a song and think "hey, that's pretty cool", and leave it at that. I can't help but start to analyze each track within the track so that I can understand why it's "cool"—and if it even really is. In that analytical process, I hear first bass, then guitar, then drums, then vocals. Lyrics tend to fall last in line. That's because the music has to speak first, for me. If the music can stand on its own, then I can move on to what is being verbally articulated through the lyrics. It's a strange, and linear way of "looking" at a piece of music; a process that my personal hero, Maynard James Keenan (Tool) would frown upon; but it's just the way I am.

Solvi made it easy for me to listen to "Breaking Away" as a whole, and just feel. And the only way that's possible for me to do, in my weird, linear little world, is if everything on a track is on point. Then I can get truly invested—sort of like I am with every Rush song ever made. That's because I trust the music. And that's exactly what "Breaking Away" did for me. It established an immediate trust. I think I forgot about my admittedly cynical approach altogether. Of this I'm thinking Keenan would at least be a bit—maybe even a lot--happier. What can I say? I'm a work in progress. Of course, I'll never abandon the process altogether. I have a relationship with music just like any other relationship—and for me, trusting in a band, musically, is the same as you trusting that your girlfriend or boyfriend won't cheat on you. "Breaking Away" made me want to trust the band's music beyond that one song. So I investigated.

At the time I found "Breaking Away" (and added it posthaste to my own profile), MySpace didn't have the direct link to the artists' pages on the default player, so I had to find Solvi via the music search mode. I found them easily enough, and added them as friends so that I could find out if the band was going to be as solid and trustworthy as I hoped. Turns out, they really are.

Every track on Solvi's self-titled EP stands out to me in every way possible. "Home" speaks gently, but directly, about how frightening it can be to allow others in, emotionally, and the relief found when one is able to finally open up. Powerhouse vocalist, Brian absolutely soars throughout, in perfect harmony with the message of the lyrics. "Stuck" is a harder rock track about stuffing feelings in and having a tough time knowing what to do with them, as well as the frustration of the unpredictability of it all. Guitarist Sean shreds this one from beginning to end. Drummer Ryan is something of a wunderkind with his overall technical skill and naturally innovative approach to the instrument, and he is an ever-present asset on every track.

I've also had the opportunity to see the band perform live, and their live sound is just as trustworthy as the band's produced sound. They are able to pull off often difficult pieces of music and manage to truly entertain at the same time. Solvi engages the audience with their clearly-evident passion for the music, their spot-on musicianship, and their infectious energy. Any band that can consistently get me up front and on my feet after putting in 15 hours of work is something no one should miss!

These guys have maintained a special place in my heart for being the first to make me understand what is really going on here in Tennessee. They are the band that made me realize that music was evolving again. They were the first band I ever wrote about (I believe I concluded that they were the cure for cancer in that piece), and are literally responsible for the direction in which I've taken my work—toward the music unknown to most. And that, I am positive, is something of which Keenan would approve.

Solvi has recently been in studio with Michael Wagener (Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, et al), and will be releasing a full-length LP that should be available this summer. Until then, the tracks from the EP (which was ranked among the top ten independent releases by Canadian mag Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, and was a semi-finalist in Billboard's Independent Music World Series) are available for download on the band's website www.myspace.com/solvi - Enigma Magazine, Chattanooga, TN