Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Three piece rock band Soulbread, presents a solid CD filled with enough variety to satisfy every listener. From the grinding opening "Assimilate" to the quiet emotions of "Hold On," the trio proves again and again that variety is the spice.
With this CD, Soulbread manages to pull listeners in and give them a 42-minute tour of the Soulbread world. John Crumbley and Chris Wilson provide the rock-solid rhythm section with enough fills and tricks to complement Chris Myer's strong guitar work and vocals. For a treat, check out the drum and bass work on "Break."
One of the strongest aspects of this CD is the minimal use of effect in the production process. Although extra musicians are brought in on the track "Hold On," the overall sound is very similar to the band's live shows (which if you haven't seen them live yet, do so!).
Almost none of the band's live raw energy has been sacrificed in the recording process. The strongest tracks on "Soulbread" are "Mad World," "Brother," and "Betrayed." However, this is one of those rare CDs where there is not a sleeper or filler song in the entire lineup. Each track feels like a natural progression and moves along nicely throughout.
Soulbread's CD can be found at Media Play, CD City, Cat's Records, Tower Records, and Wherehouse Records. It can also be purchased online at www.soulbread.com.
The next opportunities to catch Soulbread live (before they make it really big and charge $30 a ticket) are at the Free Choice Fest in Sweetwater, Tenn., this weekend, at the Masquerade in Atlanta on June 30, and the Cricket Pavilion on July 22 opening up for the bands SR-71 and Stroke 9. -- Cary "DJ Gruv" Beals - Cary Beals
I really can't tell you who this band sounds like, but suffice to say, that Soulbread is a work of art. This power rock trio has blended the best that the south has to offer in a suprisingly non-southern sounding rock album.
I saw them with Days of the New and American Pearl last fall and just received a demo CD of their latest work. It is incredible. Even more astounding is the fact that the great Jerry Gaskill, of King's X is now replacing their last drummer on this upcoming effort. It gets better though, Doug Pinnick, founder and frontman of King's X is producing their album in Houston, TX. All this and the fast growing syndicated radio show, "Lex & Terry" are using the opening track from their last album as bumper music, every day from 6am-10am across the nation.
Did I mention they were unsigned? Not for long I'd say. Till next issue, flame on. - Richard Howell
Kudos to Soulbread on their fine, fine performance with Days of the New last night. I'd never heard of this three piece rock act before, but you can bet your ass we'll all be hearing from them again very soon.
Word is that Travis Meeks, of Days of the New, is interested in doing some more shows together and possibly bringing them to his studios in Kentucky.
Whatever the outcome, this is one the indie bands to watch in the new millenium!
- Scott Hamilton
Discography
Self Rising - 1997
Soulbread - 2000
new third album:
working title "Soulbread III"
street date: 07/03
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, this four-piece, hard rock act has made a definite impact on the underground rock music scene in the southeast. With venues from the Vanderbilt University to a sold out McKenzie Arena, these boys have kept their music fresh, loud, and sharp.
The band began in late 1995 as a frat band, touring the college circuit, playing cover songs for the masses. When they first began, they were not very popular in their own hometown and had trouble finding gigs. They stuck with it and honed their skills at clubs away from home and began writing original songs for their debut album “Self-Rising”. Produced independently, the album gradually became a local favorite and Soulbread began to receive massive amounts of positive recognition. Cuts like “Shining”, “Chug” and “Liberty” put Soulbread in the top 25 of the local and regional College Music Journal (CMJ) charts in late 1998 and early 1999.
Their second album, entitled “Soulbread” was distributed regionally on CatHead Records. The band toured for over 12 weeks in support of that release getting overwhelming responses throughout the southeast, from Savannah, Georgia to Houston, Texas. This album was awarded the CIA Music Award for "Best Local Album" in 2001.
They have performed with such acts as Double Drive, Socialburn, American Pearl, 8 Stops 7, The Fixx, Angie Aparo, King’s X, Southern Culture on the Skids, Stroke-9, SR-71, the Katies, as well as performing multiple dates with Days of the New. This exposure resulted in their popularity at home growing to unprecedented heights.
The band loves to perform live and it shows on stage. Confirmed dates are always available online at pollstar.com or the band’s official website, soulbread.com.
Their online presence is advanced. Soundclick charted them at number 1 on their Internet rock charts for 3 weeks. In 2001, they were listed by Soundclick as one of the Top 15 Hottest Unsigned Acts in the nation. Also in 2001 they were awarded for “Best Hard Rock Act” and “Best Album” from CIA Music’s Annual Independent Artist Awards. Visit ciamusic.com for details on the regions many talented independent artists. The band is up for an unprecedented 6 awards this year, including Best Single, Best Hard Rock Act, Best Vocalist, Best Drummer, Best Bassist, and Best Guitarist.
Selected as an overall favorite band on Enigma Online’s (part of CLN - enigmaonline.com) online poll over 25 times last year. The band has steadily built a following regionally is the Atlanta and Nashville area (Exit/Inn, The End, 3rd & Lindsley, The Masquerade, Dark Horse Tavern, Smith’s Olde Bar, 9 Lives Saloon), exposing a loyal fan base unprecedented for a Chattanooga, Tennessee act. With a third album in post production, the time for the outward spiral will begin with the next tour.
The band has received support and airplay on such stations as WRXR, WAWL, WGOW, Rebel Radio, 99X, WRVU, and many other college and independent stations. In June 2001, Lex & Terry (the nationally syndicated radio show airing in 18 major cities), tracked their second album during their 3 hour show giving it a great review (B+) on the air. Fuel TV, a regional entertainment program on the WB, uses one of the band’s latest tracks as intro music every Saturday night. This new material was produced by one of rock music’s legends, Doug Pinnick.
Last fall, Doug Pinnick of King’s X, caught the band onstage at the Nick in Birmingham, then heard the band’s demo tracks and decided to produce their third album. The King’s X connection continued as the band found itself in need of a replacement drummer. Jerry Gaskill, one of rock music’s finest, stepped in and supplied the backbone of the new material on drums, perfectly adapting to the band’s unique sound. This recording experience was videotaped and is now available in video form on the band's official website, www.soulbread.com and is mentioned on all of the official King's X websites.
Soulbread is dedicated and determined to make their mark on the music industry and with their own brand of music from the hard south, they very well might.
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