The Conflict
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The Conflict

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"Conflict Resolution: Rock On"

THEY ARE: The Conflict

THE SOUND: Though one of their MySpace music categories may be "Melodramatic Popular Song," they play more of a rock-pop-alternative fusion with occasional influences such as reggae thrown into the mix. "We like to incorporate as many elements as we can within reason," said guitarist and lead singer Javier Padilla. "We come from different backgrounds artistically ..... The way the band sounds, it's just the way our individual influences overlap."

THE BAND: Javier Padilla, guitar and lead vocals; David Neff, guitar and backup vocals; Mark Gray, drums; Jas Sawyer, bass

THE NAME: "(The Conflict) is actually supposed to be a reflection of the different places our music comes from ..... one band that can do anything," Padilla said. But Neff has another take on the band's name. "All of us are kind of like at that stage in our lives right now ..... we're all kind of conflicted about where we want to go in the future," Neff said. "But The Conflict is the thing that makes all our other conflicts seem like no big deal," Padilla adds.

FACTOID: The Conflict boys love their beer pong. Catch them after a show and bring your pingpong ball.

WHERE TO SEE THEM: The band will play the Saturday, Aug. 4, Groundbreaking Garden Party, a fundraiser for the San Antonio Garden Organization and their community garden on South Presa Street. The event starts at 8 p.m. at the Guess Factory, 533 Roosevelt Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door. On Sept. 1, the Conflict will play Jack's Patio Bar and Grill, 2950 Thousands Oaks Drive.

THE WEB: Visit their MySpace to listen to songs as well as see Gray roll down the street in a shopping cart. myspace.com/thisistheconflict

THE 210 TAKE: Though Padilla and Neff, both seniors at UTSA, have been playing together for several years, the band in its current line-up has only been together for a few months. But the group is on its way to releasing a premiere, and thus far untitled, first album. They hope to debut their tunes on Halloween. Padilla pens the basic songs and lyrics for the members who then add their own flourishes. According to Padilla, many of the pieces revolve around "relationships, usually failed ones" though some reflect other topics such as politics. Sounding a bit like Blink-182 but less whiny, a bit like Green Day but less punk, The Conflict is sure to lead to musical harmony.

Jennifer Lloyd | 210SA - 210 SA


Discography

Freeway Songs (LP, 2008)
"Burning You," 99.5 KISS FM (San Antonio)
"Belladonna," AOL Music ourstage.com rock chart (#8, June 2008)

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Bio

Diverse. Dynamic. Contemporary. These words not only describe The Conflict, but also the south Texas city that the band calls home. Just as San Antonio modernizes while clinging to its roots, so The Conflict delivers a decidedly modern rock sound while maintaining a fondness for classic rock and pop sensibilities. Electrifying audiences together for just over one year, the band has become a fixture on the San Antonio club circuit thanks to its plentiful hooks and confident stage presence. Energetic drumming, engaging harmonies, cutting bass melodies and fiery blues-based guitar solos are all pieces of the rock and roll puzzle that fall seamlessly into place for the members of The Conflict, local scene veterans whose previous outfits shared stages with such notable acts as Everclear, Plain White T’s and Mae.

The Conflict is vocalist/guitarist Javier Padilla, guitarist/background vocalist David Neff, drummer Mark Gray and bassist Jas Sawyer. The band attends services in the church of its idols without ever groveling at the altar: The songs on the independently-released and produced debut album "Freeway Songs" are as influenced by modern-day rock mainstays like Foo Fighters, Green Day and Jimmy Eat World as they are by classic rock giants as disparate as Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin and the Clash (“I was raised on Marley, Lennon and Strummer,” elucidates Padilla in the upbeat “One Night Lover”). Padilla’s lyrics run the gamut from insightful to clever, confessional to sarcastic, and the disc demonstrates the band’s versatility, musicianship and potential from the opening breath of “Midnight Blues” to the reggae-tinged bridge of “The Wrong Road” to the final cello chord on the album-closing ballad “The World Will Knock You Down.”

Highlights from the band’s past year of hard work include airplay of “Burning You” on San Antonio’s 99.5 KISS FM; a successful shoot with Alternative Press photographer Matthew Alvarado; an interview with San Antonio newsweekly 210SA; and a spot at the halfway point of San Antonio’s inaugural Rock N’ Roll Marathon, headlined by '80s rock icons The Cult. Hitting number eight (number one in Texas) on AOL Music’s Ourstage.com Rock chart in June 2008 with “Belladonna” and filling opening slots for Kris Roe of the Ataris, Vallejo, The Dollyrots and friends Blowing Trees – not to mention filling San Antonio’s renowned White Rabbit themselves for the "Freeway Songs" album release party – haven’t hurt the band’s feelings about the future either.

Highly talented and even more motivated, The Conflict is already hard at work writing what Padilla muses will be a "more organic, riff-based rock and roll record.” In addition, the band aspires to seek out larger audiences by turning its attention toward touring and outdoor festivals throughout the United States. Determined to be more than what has become the prototypical black t-shirt-clad modern rock band, The Conflict is a young, smart and driven group of musicians capable of achieving great success in the months and years to come.