Forecast

Hailing from the once quiet town of Peoria, Illinois, The Forecast exploded onto the indie rock circuit in 2001. With their must-see live performances alongside bands like Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hey Mercedes, The Jealous Sound, Motion City Soundtrack and The Velvet Teen, they earned a rabid following in not only Peoria, but also the Midwest in general. Taking cues from indie staples such as Rainer Maria, Braid, and The Anniversary, The Forecast give the genre a well-deserved kick in the ass, ratcheting up the intensity and throwing down balls to the wall, in-your-face rock and roll. Dual vocals from guitarist Dustin Addis and bassist Shannon Burns are sometimes sweet - but do not be lulled - they can transition into gang vocals at the drop of a hat, only to turn around and lay down a meandering guitar solo reminiscent of bands like My Morning Jacket.

Victory’s Tony Brummel said, "We signed The Forecast because they are a great band. They are great people. Their music speaks to you with a certain pure form of passion that so many bands trying to fit a mold today lack. Growing up as an adventurous, punk youth I loved X from Los Angeles. Great punk influenced indie-rock with an Americana bite, meaningful songs and the striking contrast of the male and female vocal dynamic. I also loved John Cougar for his straight up, down home, rock and roll storytelling. The Forecast provide something new and utterly refreshing and I cannot stop listening to this album."

After playing in local bands, the members of The Forecast came together with a vision of the kinds of songs they wanted to play, inspired by the blue collar lives in their hometown. "Our biggest influence is the people we are surrounded by, our friends and family. We come from a town that is pretty easy to get discouraged in and witnessing some of them give up their dreams for factory jobs or worse helped form some of our songs," said guitarist/singer Dustin. With musical tastes ranging from classic rock of the 70s to Midwestern indie icons like Braid and The Promise Ring, The Forecast have synthesized twang, rock and roll and bittersweet lyrical themes into their own signature sound.

In the spring of 2003, they entered the studio with AJ Mogis (Cursive, Bright Eyes, The Faint) in Lincoln, NE and recorded an EP entitled "Proof Of Impact". In 2004, a Split CD with 1090 Club was released and in February of 2005, the "Relationships Ruin Friendships" EP hit the street. Like their previous records, Late Night Conversations was engineered and co-produced by AJ Mogis in collaboration with the band. "We went into the studio wanting to record a rock record that didn’t sound like it was sprinkled with sugar; we wanted to convey the live performance, and I think we achieved that."

The small town struggle is most apparent in songs like "Seating Subject To Availability", with lines like, "You’re almost dead now, you’re getting older we’re getting colder, you’ll trade your six string for a family and a desk, and I don’t blame you for giving up." "These Lights" speaks of the late night beauty of the road and sky, while "Whiskey’s Dead You're Next" explores faithlessness and broken dreams. Heart wrenching as the lyrics can be, they are rendered beautifully by the pure soprano of bassist Shannon Burns and the baritone of guitarist Dustin Addis.

The Forecast have a devastating live show, and plan to share it with as many people as possible, says Dustin, "What we want more than anything is to play for as many people as possible, travel the world and see all the things we wouldn’t otherwise." Don’t miss them on tour through 2005.