Sound&Shape

When the Nashville rock trio Sound & Shape took the stage and blasted into their set, the vibe immediately changed to a much more rockin’ one and the main focus became the incredibly fast and precise guitar playing of singer/guitarist Ryan Caudle. Drummer Jerry Pentecost must have had a few Red Bulls before the show because the amount of energy that he played with was quite intense. He was flipping and throwing his sticks all over the place while making extreme variations of the stereotypical “rock face.” David Somerall rounded out the sound very nicely with his locked in, ever so groovy bass playing. For just three guys, Sound & Shape have a huge sound that seems to lack nothing except more attention and recognition. If bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Wolfmother can, it’s safe to say that Sound & Shape might be the next to hit it big.

The show ended on a high note with Pentecost jumping onto his drum stool and back onto his kit perfectly in time with his band mates distorted final chords. It was a great wrap up to the evening and my associates and I had been sufficiently entertained.
- Submerge Magazine

Then Sound and Shape took the stage. There was no more bopping around to upbeat pop-rock music. There was a certain stunned, glorious stillness about the crowd as three very different looking young men launched themselves into a 35-minute no-holds-barred performance.

Quickly it became obvious that the boys of Sound and Shape aren’t dicking around trying to get you to bob your head. They’re there to blow your mind.

Drummer Jerry Pentecost is an extension of his drum kit. He doesn’t just sit on a stool and lazily aim for the skins somewhere on or near a beat. His percussion is an art. Arms flourishing, face intense, Pentecost is on behind his kit, with energy and precision behind every move he makes, and his entire body backing him up. It’s intoxicating to watch, and it was a few minutes before I remembered to look around again.

Next to Pentecost’s flurry of motion, David Somerall looks like your typical nonchalant bass player. His face is serious and his motions are minimal, but his fingers, oh his fingers, that’s another story. He’s completely on task, even when the song the three of them are creating rises, dips, pauses and swells. Guess they call him Jesus for a reason.

Rounding out the trio is guitar player and vocalist Ryan Caudle, who co-founded the band with Pentecost. Sometimes it seems like he’d rather just do those amazing things he does creating intricate melodies and phases on his guitar than sing. The vocals are still interesting, but sound much clearer and make more sense in the songs on recordings. Live they are a sidebar to the swelling musical stories these guys weave.

Their music is far from Nashville standard. It manages to be progressive and innovative without losing all sense of accessibility or throwing in some gimmick to sell the sound.

“We’ve been touring pretty much constantly for the past three years,” said Pentecost, adding that their sound seems to meet with the most success out in California.

Aside from the sound guy’s strange need to turn up the volume so much that people actually had to flee to the back of the room or go downstairs, it was a purely intoxicating set. - Murfreesboro Pulse

The mystique of good prog rock is equal parts the ability to flawlessly shift through intelligent structures and the beautiful classical influenced orchestration. These parts, the sound and the shape, both play pivotal roles in the great history of progressive bands since the genres heyday of the 70s. Which brings us to Nashville, Tennessee’s Sound&Shape, a band most certainly in touch with the craft and complexities of good prog. After their debut full length in 2007, they released their sophomore effort “The Love Electric” EP on January 27th, 2009 through Engineer Records.



The EP roars to a start with the title tracks spastic drumming that seems to battle back and forth with the gorgeous guitar tones. This section only last for about 30 seconds before Sound&Shape begin their shifting rhythmic changes demonstration. The music settles as singer/guitarist Ryan Caudle’s beautifully strong yet gentle voice blows in like a cool breeze. His vocals definitely share a resemblance to Dredg’s Gavin Hayes, yes, that good. Huge dynamic shifts happen throughout the entire track, wandering all over the musical spectrum while managing to keep the listener from getting lost. Intricate is an understatement when describing the sound of the rhythm section, drummer Jerry Pentecost and bassist David C. Somerall. “The Space Between” is fine testament to their work as Caudle’s guitar playing pulsates and dances around in strange times while Pentecost’s tight shifts and jazzy groove bring to mind the complex calm of Bill Bruford or Gavin Harrison. For anyone missing the sound of 70’s prog, the rolling crashes of this song should bring you much delight.

“And the Clouds Begin to Part,” is a strikingly appropriate name for this instrumental middle section of the EP. A quiet ambient hum accompanies epic synths before the guitar washes in with a glisten that Pink Floyd loved so dear. Caudle’s guitar playing often echoes pieces of David Gilmoure with the clean deep space drift of his notes. The crescendo hits before the songs end with a rapid march towards the finish. “And We Began as Two,” starts with vocals that bring to mind the mellow side of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Keides mixed with the more restrained crooning of mid 70s King Crimson. The guitars swirl with Latin influence as the rhythms continue their constant warping time changes. A sharp saxophone solo leads into an equally impressive guitar solo as Sound&Shape dazzle and shimmer about.

“The Solitary Journey,” the first track to embrace prog’s 10 minute plus adoration, begins with the exclamation, “Welcome to my Soul.” This line speaks volumes about this band, as they truly create artistic music from deep within the band members. The sound is bright and optimistic, with shades of Dredg shining in on their craft. Slinky bass lines carry the song into the first deep ominous bend, and the song continues to take shape around the music in an incredibly natural progression. While the shifting delves far from where it came, the song remains very much intact. Stop-start rhythms bring to mind the incredible talent of early 70s Yes, while slightly distorted vocals add a beautiful mid range melody to the mix. The voyage comes to a most triumphant end, and is not one that you will soon forget. With their unqiue Dredg meets “roots” prog sound, fans should expect great things from this power trio for many years to come. - ExplodingInSound.com

Nashville, Tennessee. It's the backdrop to the sometimes spectacular and always enthralling music of the Sound and Shape.

When it's not blowing you away it's subtly soothing, serenading with the lighter conscious of imagination. The sound that accompanies their shape is a range of intelligently chosen blends of multiple genres intertwining musicianship with soaring vocal hooks and melodies that move more than most. The three piece have been carefully plying their craft and honing their skills first with the album 'Where Machines End Their Lives' and now with forthcoming January release 'The Love Electric.' Here at Rocksnail we examine 'The Love Electric' available later this month worldwide via Engineer Records. The Love Electric There's a hint of supreme Jazz super group Return to Forever in the twinkling guitar intro for the EP's title track. Throughout the EP the Sound and Shape seem to pay homage to classic artists and intersperse different stylistic manoeuvres to achieve this. The song is littered with well placed harmonious vocal interjections that even Brian Wilson could raise an eyebrow to. The raw passionate lines slip into place with the slowly picked clean guitar occasionally spruced with a resounding heavier chord interjection. The unhurried style subtly changes with the introduction of a more Indie like soloing and into a rolling snare that provides the backdrop for the songs killer hook. It doesn't stand out as pop yet it does ring through memorably. Finishing to a soft piano and drifting into soft footsteps towards an open door it blows the impression of the EP wide open. Its most definitely a promising start. And then it's into 'The Space Between' with its groove laden funkstyled introduction, progressing into a strangely effusive yet delectable verse section which again highlights vocalists Ryan Caudle's impressive abilities to switch between harmony and the hook. This song has an overall more downbeat tempo nodding to a prominence of almost lounge music until its return to the initial riff which sends the body into gyrated spasms for its thumping end. In 'And the clouds begin to part' I feel as if I'm lost in world of Vangelis or momentous film score ambience. It flips just as quickly with the introduction of the guitar into a hugely Pink Floyd-esque melodrama of sounds akin to the opening of 'The Division Bell.' This influence can be felt throughout, as the acoustic guitars merge into an anthem like wall of noise taking nods from more popular structures. It's as beautiful as it is inspiring, a simple yet blissful break in the short time of the EP. It slows down the listener and hones them into the enigmatic thinking behind the Sound and Shape. 'And We Begin as Two' is a union of rolling tom's and the bass sound that seemed to hit prominence in the previous tracks. It is slow as it is cautious until it hits a frantic flurry of quick strumming, signalling the intent that this song is wishing to break the shackles of what it is expected to be. It's these choices which allow the band to stand apart from many of their contemporaries; they make intelligent decisions regarding the direction, tone and structures of the songs. It slots in the unexpected in a way that falls into line with everything that is the norm. 'The Solitary Journey' is The Love Electric's piece de resistance. In its title it sums up the process of listening to the Sound and Shape. Their talent is available for all to see, yet it is with a pair of headphones in a personal surrounding that the Sound and Shape really come into their own. It becomes as inspiring as it is artistic. This ten minute plus epic is diverse enough to keep you entertained throughout, slipping in casual soundscape greatness, blissful instrumental interludes occasionally seasoned by the characteristically soulful Caudle. It rifles off epic guitar tracks and highly strung, slowly picked notes to then contort to an oddly paranoid and elusive midsection with whispered words eerily soaking through the psyche and leaving you with the vocal, 'Welcome to the search.' The pace picks up to near frantic proportions with the fast rhythmic bass line and guitar twinned leads yet the song remains in calm control right up to its unwanted ending. There are few bands who could release such a mixture of styles and sounds yet remain such credence, the fact that Sound and Shape do it as a three piece only makes the feat more impressive. It's quite probable to see it all being pulled off on a live scale to mesmerising proportions and even then it could be in front of ten people in an intimate show or a thousand in a grand arena. Their penchant for diversity opens a spectre of possibilities and it will be interesting to see how these possibilities materialise over the coming months. Our advice: Pick up this EP as it is most definitely one not to be missed! - Rocksnail.com

Formed in Nashville in 2005 Sound&Shape are a trio influenced and inspired by bands like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Sound&Shape create a new unheard breed of rock that deserve your attention: “The love electric” (January 2009, Engineer Records) is a distinctive album at all, with particular vocals and a lot of passion for clean/simple sounds. Sound&Shape are great musicians that try to keep up something REALLY and TRULY different; think about what The Mars Volta play and you’ll have an idea about this awesome dudes. Classic rock going to progressive, this debut ep on Engineer Records is a today musical masterpiece, in my point of view.
I can’t say more…just check out this memorable songs, i twill be a great surprise, if you’re searching for REAL and new alternative Indie Rock Music. Keep good eyes on Sound&Shape!!! - firealive.it

translation It's amazing the amount of styles that come to me from the Engineer Records label. Coming from Nashville, Tennessee, the Sound&Shape are a progressive rock trio that sees Ryan Caudle on vocals and guitar, David C. Somerall on the low end and Jerry Pentecost on drums. I confess that I've never listened to the Sound&Shape before now, in effect, I did not have any idea of what was to be offered from Craig of Engineer Records. They (Sound&Shape) are astonishing… "The Love Electric" is an EP composed from five pieces that amalgamate and bind together a sound that is at the same time progressive and psychedelic, along with a sound that inspires fervent emotions, leaving those thoughts and ideas to follow themselves in a continuous movement and instill an evolution. The band shows evidence of optimum qualities in their composition and execution.

It's not hard to believe the band has been hard at work with hundreds of live shows from 2006 til today, but more incredible is their love for the music they've generated and developed. Passion, solidity and a deep friendship are also the three elements that render the book of martyrs which define the music of Sound&Shape.

Sounds are formed within "The Love Electric" which bridge the gap between the intense and the melodic and the voice of Ryan Caudle has the delivery to balance these perfectly. His ability with words that carry charisma works well alongside the ignited and vibrant attack of Jerry Pentecost to the skins and the moving sounds from David C. Somerall on bass.

They are astonishing. - longliverocknroll.it

The power trio Sound & Shape relies on more classic-rock stylings, and are shamelessly prog in their epic musings. It's kind of surprising that the five songs on the new The Love Electric are short enough to only count as an EP. The frontman has a great voice that matches the band's complex compositions, but there's good reason that the hype from Nashville is all about the rhythm section. (Wednesday, April 1, Bottletree.) - Black and White City Paper Birmingham,Al

From February 22 until April 26, Sound and Shape are playing 21 shows. On April 27, you can catch them at the emergency room in Sheffield, Alabama. They’ll be the three guys passed out on uncomfortable blue pleather chairs with instruments fused to their fingers. Do they sleep? I have no idea where they find the time to. From Albany, New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sound and Shape are definitely the hardest working band I’ve heard of. They must take shelter in guitar cases and bass drums. However, their impressive ability to play a multitude of shows, and not just at local hotspots either, is not what has me in awe. I mean, shit, there are polka bands doing that. Probably. But no one in the music industry works harder than Sound and Shape, because no one puts on a show quite that impassioned and keeps on doing it night after night.

From acrobatic percussion to a bass player actually able to keep up with such percussion, Sound and Shape have a stage presence like swimming in placenta. As if music had a womb. As if Ryan Caudle, Jerry Pentecost and David Somerall are giving birth to ears. The dedication this band has given to the music they create is a palpable intensity that can be felt at every show they play. This band loves the music they make. And surprisingly, to hear that anymore is rare.

What elevates Sound and Shape above the muck of current music trends is each member’s precision. Ryan Caudle can actually play guitar. The noise he makes is actually music. Is actually guitar. It’s not reverbed and distorted and trampled and toxified and powdered and laced and muffled and blended with the sounds of parakeets dying. It’s guitar. Real music on the guitar and not the brainchild of the latest effects pedal or Speak-n-Spell. Believe it or not, David Somerall actually plays the bass, too. And he keeps up with the melodic mayhem. He’s on point. At a live show, that’s incredible. And if he’s on point, then Jerry Pentecost is on fucking fire. I mean, if you’re drunk and watching him slaughter his kit, you might just believe he actually is on fire. In 2003 I saw Jerry play drums for a band I’m sure I still have a pin for, and I thought Where the hell did he get that good? He still is. I feel for his drum heads and cymbals. They know exactly when they’ll be hit and how frequently. He never lets them down. In this trinity, Sound and Shape have perfected the live show. A better one has not come my way. I compare it only to the first time I saw TV on the Radio, and they were still trying. When they were still opening for the Nebraska fads. They ought to be opening for Sound and Shape.

Unfortunately, capturing the prestige of a band with a marping (mind warping) fantastic live show on an album is difficult. It’s damn near impossible. The only feasible success a band can hope for in this case is to create two different experiences. That means perfecting two atmospheres. Have a precedent live show incapable of being touched and create an album that can mimic the experience, but be its own enveloping entity. Sound and Shape did exactly that. Two different experiences. One just as good as the other. Both brilliant. Where Machines End Their Lives, (2006 debut) broke a ground untouched by mainstream. One free of garbage and depressing screams. Finally someone stopped complaining. Listen to it. You’ll be deleting music files and burning pictures of Pete Wentz in your front yard lickety-split. And if you have a five year plan still, you’re probably going to change it. Yes, the music is that inspiring.

So it’s no surprise that Sound and Shape’s forthcoming follow-up The Love Electric will put voltage in your blood—it’s a goliath concept album in the very heart of condition. Raconteur music that is still honest and audacious. That takes real chances not cloaked in synthetic pop. That tells a story of blood and tears with actual blood and tears.

From the onset of “Mother: One,” The Love Electric’s first track, Sound and Shape weave an inescapable tale. A funky bass wafts curiosity in like a nose lifted by a seductive scent. Then become homogenized into the story with an explosion of accruing music, until the poignancy settles in your concentration as if pain is an unfamiliar term. And now you’ll feel it.

In the album’s titular track, chaos becomes an emotionally inuring procedure with incredible change ups that make fists of hands and furnaces of eyes. “The Love Electric” sets the story ablaze. A hellfire bonfire. Even in the album’s transitions, the flame continues with anticipation. There is no weak link in this album. The entire thing is listenable—even those one-minute accoutrement tracks of piano, classical guitar and violin used to progress the story. In the song “The Space Between,” Caudle sings “my mother weeps along like the painting of a saint,” and that type of lyrical illustration strikes a resonance for the entire album that music alone cannot quite arrest.

“Now all the love letters I write die on the page in black and white. My color is the grey of the sky when evening fades. Scared little child afraid of the light,” Caudle sounds as if he really has seen it all, and acoustic guitar fades into the ascending scale of an electric like a running fuse that erupts into a fury of cymbals. It’s that type of musical change up, this time in “My Color is the Grey,” that fills the story with enough hooks to make the whole thing interesting. The music is as equally important in the portrayal of The Love Electric’s plot as the lyrics. There are times that feel as if the lyrics are a break, a time to recap what we aren’t catching in the rolling revolution the music has us in—as if Caudle is a Greek Chorus. During those intermissions, it can be hard to focus, but such an instance is momentary in this thunderstorm of stunning music; however, maybe some backup vocals could make those story-time lulls as dynamic as the rest of the album.

I think of the Violent Femmes, the greatest hits album, the intro to “Waiting for the Bus,” and really, “you cannot fuck with this band.” The Love Electric is not a Sound and Shape stage performance. It is an exploration, and it is a discovery. The Love Electric is learning to live. A stage performance is learning to be alive. What unites the two experiences is the love the band puts into both creations.

Sound and Shape have broken the mold. No, they’ve made the mold. What they do on stage with only three members is incredible. In fact, I call it perfection. There are few things better, but I’m saving those stories for my grandsons. And when The Love Electric raps with “The Solitary Journey” and the last clicks of the stun-gun pulse, I’m ready to be buried. Throw a shroud over my face and toss in the dirt because The Love Electric is a transmigration of the soul.

This is definitely the reincarnation of music. Karma cleared.
- Rise Over Run Magazine