The Vineyard

Formerly known as “After The Fall,” The Vineyard began with three members (brothers Eric and Brendan Dorman, along with James Conti) and a small collection of acoustic/ambient songs in late 2004. After a bit of experimentation, the band decided to ask long time friend, Jason Blackmer, to join the band. Having gone to the same church together for about ten years, they had the chance to witness each other develop musically. The band played some shows together, caused a buzz in the local scene, and recorded some rough demos before finally deciding to go into a professional recording studio in early 2008.

Working with producer Jeff Robinson (Static X, Caedmon’s Call, Eddie Money, Toad the Wet Sprocket), the band refined their style to a more eclectic, folk/rock sound. Drawing a lot of influence from artists (like the Beatles, Coldplay, or Derek Webb), Authors, or various other people, the band-mates come from diverse perspectives on many things. This diversity also shows in lyrical topics ranging from war and peace to simple story-telling.

When asked during an interview on a local radio station if The Vineyard is a “Christian Band,” lead singer and guitarist Eric Dorman said, “We tend to believe that everything is sacred. We just don’t like to make a distinction between ‘secular’ and ‘spiritual.’” Faith is, however, a big part of who The Vineyard is. “We certainly believe that the way of Jesus is something worth singing about,” Eric said, “and we do sing about it in a number of different songs; but we know that Jesus also calls us to feed the poor, stand up for the oppressed, and love one another so we sing about that a lot too. That’s what ‘the Vineyard’ is all about: learning together to love Jesus and love people.”

So, with a collage of new songs and with a new CD (titled “Welcome to the Revolution”) on the horizon very soon, The Vineyard is looking forward to the journey together.