Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Words are the life force behind every song. Without them, music would not exist as anything more than a melody.
These Words Are Water, through their music and lyrics, is evolving into a powerful voice in the local music scene.
Composed of four musicians, this Niceville indie rock band includes:
* Duane Mays, 23, on vocals and guitar
* Jeff Pfeifer, 23, on lead guitar and vocals
* Matthew Lee-Bishop on drums
* Elliot Boswell on bass guitar
Former members include Cory Martin on lead guitar and Jim Blanchett on drums.
These Words Are Water started as a solo project for Duane in 2004 and was based on a simple yet profound concept – What if our words were water? What if what we as humans spoke was actually meant to sustain life?
“The human experience is fascinating to me,” Duane said. “It spawned a new determination inside of me to write songs that were real and relatable.”
Duane put his act on the shelf for a while to focus on his main gig as drummer for the experimental indie band, Tragedy's Shadow. It was not until earlier this year that Duane found himself drawn back to the original idea.
After playing a few gigs, a burning desire developed inside Duane. He wanted to grow and learn from other musicians.
When Duane ran into Cory (no longer with band), he decided it was time to say goodbye to his solo act. The two set out to find the future members of These Words Are Water.
The ticket fell into Jeff’s hands first.
Duane was quite familiar with Jeff and his talents through the local scene, so he asked him to join the project. After the first practice, Jeff was already a pertinent part of These Words Are Water.
After falling from the musical radar for a short time, Jim (no longer with band) was discovered in May 2006.
With instant connections from the past through Duane and Jeff, it only made sense for Jim to fall into place.
For various circumstances, Jim and Cory decided to leave the band in late 2006. This made room for a new drummer and bass guitarist.
Duane and Jeff were not willing to let this project end. Armed with determination, the two searched for replacements.
Shortly after the departure of Jim and Cory, Duane and Jeff stumbled upon Elliot and Matthew. The two had everything Duane and Jeff were looking for and paved the way for a spin off of Duane’s original project.
With all four members together, These Words Are Water emerged in its current state in September 2006.
Drinking in the now
With the name gaining strength, These Words Are Water is taking time to focus on writing.
Each song is written with great care and participation from each member.
“It’s a very open arena. Anyone with a good idea is welcome to share it,” Duane said. “Everyone in the band is very hands-on when it comes to the writing process, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”
It is almost as if the songs write themselves.
“Our writing process is just incredible,” Jeff said. “When someone comes up with a riff or a verse or chorus or whatever, we just start playing and changes happen on their own. We all know when to do it, which makes the songs more exciting.”
The songs cover a wide spectrum of themes ranging from love and pride to heaven and hell.
“Our songs take on a darker tone simply from reflecting human nature,” Duane said. “Tapping into real life emotion is more rewarding than writing a bubble gum pop song.”
The theme is then submerged with words.
After the water is poured
Once the songs are written and shows are booked, These Words Are Water plan to look for a label and see what happens from there.
And, where that is, no one quite knows yet.
Support the band
These Words Are Water fear that the music scene in the area is slowly dying.
“It seems like a lot of the bands in the local area are focused solely on being metal or hardcore or whatever, and not so much on just writing music together and playing it with all their hearts and passion,” Jeff said. “ I remember a time when it was bigger than it is today.”
It is up to you to keep the local music scene thriving! You can start by supporting bands like These Words Are Water. Listen to their music on Nightlife.EmeraldCoast.com and come see one of their shows.
Get ready for “beautiful melodic driving indie rock that is simple yet complex at the same time,” Jeff said.
It is up to you to keep the local music scene thriving! You can start by supporting bands like These Words Are Water. Listen to their music in the Nightlife Music Sampler on Nightlife.EmeraldCoast.com and come see one of their shows. - EmeraldCoast.com Nightlife - Jennifer Otto
These Words Are Water - Take Me Home
Record Label - None
Release Date - December 2006
Who:
Florida based indie-rock band that formed in May 2006 and have already received a sponsorship from RotoSound Strings and released a demo produced by with former twothirtyeight guitarist, Kevin Woerner.
How Is It?
Although the songs are a little rough around the edges, Words Are Water are capable of writing infectious, melodic indie songs and once they have more time together to grow as a band, the songs will only get better. The band’s sound hints at older emotive indie-rock acts without coming across as derivative, and is one young band worth keeping an eye on.
Recommended for fans of: Twothirtyeight, Mineral, The Appleseed Cast, earlier Death Cab For Cutie, and Sunny Day Real Estate.
Notable Tracks: “It’s Easy” and “As Good As Gone”
- Absolutepunk.net - Posted on 02-04-07 by SMERICH
Discography
Demo - "It's Easy" 09/10/2006
E.P. - "Take Me Home" 06/10/2007
several of our songs are available for streaming on both Myspace, and Purevolume, as our Single "It's Easy" can be heard weekly on Mix 103 103.1 Destin, Fort Walton Area
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
These Words Are Water derives their name from a simple, yet profound idea;
"What if our words were water?"
"What if the music we made brought life, refreshment, and power to all who listen?"
Founding member Duane Mays began writing and performing songs as a solo act in late 2004. His popularity growing, Mays re-evaluated his craft and decided that to fully realize his ideas, he would need the help of friends. He settled on a group of individuals in May of 2006, and they quickly built large fan base in their local area with their quirky indie rock sound reminiscent of such bands as Twothirtyeight, Mineral, and The Appleseed Cast. Along with their rising popularity, they were featured in a local publication of The Destin Log newspaper and a website, emeraldcoastnightlife.com, where they were interviewed about their music and goals. In September of that same year, the group went into the studio to record their demo release "It's Easy" with former "twothirtyeight" guitarist, Kevin Woerner. They soon posted their demo on MySpace and received an overwhelming response receiving over 3,000 friends, and gaining a sponsorship from “RotoSound Strings” all in less than a month. They recently finished up in the studio and have completed "Take Me Home", You should expect to see "Take Me Home" in stores this summer along with a regional tour. Slowly but surely, their words are bringing life, a refreshing sound, and intense power to all of their listeners.
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