the Argument (DEACTIVATED)

Since being named one of the top ten unsigned bands in the country by the American Music Awards in 2003, indie alt-pop quartet the Argument has been captivating audiences and converting new fans with its clever, creative songwriting and trademark keyboard-driven pop hooks. Using Morgantown, WV, a town with a 28,000-plus college student population, as its launching pad, the Argument has toured 25 states, shared the stage with national acts such as Keane, Fountains of Wayne and Howie Day, sold nearly 12,000 CDs, made 2 national radio appearances on Public Radio International’s “Mountain Stage”, and has had 3 singles in Top 40 rotation in their home market. They have also been featured and played on Washington DC’s DC101, Indianapolis’s WNOU and XM Radio. The result is a band poised for the next level with an intensely loyal fan base stretching from coast to coast.
the Argument’s most recent studio effort, a self-titled EP, was produced by Ted Comerford and industry vet Mitch Easter (REM, Pavement, Wilco, Ben Folds). The 5-song collection, a follow-up to 2004’s full-length “Recess Serenade”, showcases the band’s insightful lyrics, crafted melodies and explosive choruses. The lead single “Sorry In Advance” is a vulnerable ballad apologizing to a partner for future mistakes that engages the listener with a fragile, almost-whispered verse before exploding into a soaring radio-ready chorus. Lead singer, songwriter and keyboardist Scott Simons confesses, “I’ll disappoint and break your trust, and find countless ways to mess you up,” before offering the solution “so, let’s walk away without contact and you can escape with your makeup intact”. The synth-laden, new wave-tinged rocker “Sarah Somethin’” showcases the group’s affinity for 80’s pop such as the Cars and Joe Jackson before collapsing into a Wurlitzer-heavy bridge punctuated by Queen-like harmonies. The EP is rounded out by the rollicking “Once I Get Goin’,” the lush, dark “Last Ones to Sleep” and an edgier but respectful cover of the Cars’ “Hello Again” mixed by Paul David Hager (Letters To Cleo, the Donnas, Avril Lavigne).
The four members of the Argument – Simons, guitarist Matt Warder, bassist Brent Bunner and drummer Chris Russell – all grew up in the mountain state of West Virginia, about 60 miles outside of Pittsburgh, PA. All except Bunner, whose father is an accomplished vocal teacher, studied music in college. Simons’ father, Mike, who was a local television personality before passing away in 1997, introduced Scott to music at an early age by handing him cassettes of Beatles’ albums and simply telling him to “Learn these.”
Soon after the band’s formation, the Argument hit the road only to discover that not only would they be promoting their music but also working to debunk stereotypes about their home state. Recently, the Argument has given back to the local school programs that inspired them by starting their “PopShop” program – an in-school seminar and fundraising concert for music students that has received financial backing from the Justin Timberlake Foundation.
On a national scale, the quartet continues to garner praise from fans and press alike. “Great pop smarts, strong musicianship and accomplished songwriting,” raves Pittsburgh Magazine. Industry insider ‘Kings of A&R’ dubs the Argument “major-label quality alternative-pop” and Pop Matters.com gushes "the Argument is a real group of superb musicians putting out well-produced tuneful pastiches that trade on clever lyrics and have a host of hooks abounding - it's a wondrous thing." Continued national exposure seems imminent for a band whose considerable talent and charisma regularly impresses critics and inspires new legions of fans.