Startgo

The story of Startgo's formation is a mix of the old (word of mouth) and the new (technology). In the age of the internet, social media and specialized classified ads, fateful introductions and apocryphal tales of origin so beloved by music industry mags are less frequent but the odds were still long against assembling this collection of dramatis personae.

Songwriter/vocalist/guitarist James Archer, drummer Ted Grigorieff and guitarist Chris Baker began working out arrangements of Archer's considerable back catalogue of songs in early 2010. Archer had done years of solo/duo acoustic gigs and hosting open mic nights. Grigorieff was a veteran of bands that had enjoyed a substantial following on the club/party/event circuit in Virginia, while Baker was fresh from a regular club gigs with a local band.

After several false dawns, the trio came in contact with Brad Morris, a longtime guitarist who was impressed enough with the material to make the switch to bass. Finally, they added Jonathan Burns on mandolin and various other instruments.

With the lineup now stable the setlist grew quickly and several early gigs were very well received. Confident that they had lightning well and truly captured in a bottle, Startgo entered Zone 8 Studios in December 2010 to record their debut EP.

Bands instinctively resist cheap and easy categories but it's fair to say that Startgo deliver a compelling mix of indie pop (without veering too far into bespectacled self-proclaimed nerd territory) and alt-country (without veering too far into sepia-toned flannel-shirt-and-beard-stubble-land). There are definitely some Southern Gothic themes here but a plentiful supply of major-chord hooks and choruses as well. Pigeonhole them at your peril!