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Sunday, 19 April, 2009 8:48 PM
CMA New Artist Spotlight: Eli
Young Band
Photo
by Kristin Barlowe
The
Eli Young Band
| By
Bob Doerschuk |
| ©
2009 CMA Close Up News Service |
Four guys meet at their
school - in this case, the University of North Texas in Denton.
They hit it off and decide to form a band. They hustle local shows,
tote their own gear and try to find time between their classes and
part-time jobs to work out original material.
This tale usually ends
shortly after it begins, with everyone scattering in different directions.
Not so with lead singer Mike Eli, bassist Jon Jones, drummer Chris
Thompson and guitarist James Young - The Eli Young Band. They tightened
and toughened their sound through long hauls on the road and late
sets in countless clubs along the way. Momentum built through a
couple of indie releases, opening slots and eventually their signing
to Universal Republic/Universal Records South.
Jet Black & Jealous,
produced by Mike Wrucke and Frank Liddell, emerges from this intersection
of talent and hard knocks. Band members wrote eight of its 12 tracks,
including the first single, "When It Rains," composed
by Young. Set at a groove-friendly medium tempo, elevated on the
choruses by a minor-to-major shift, it supports lyrics that reflect
the weathered optimism that comes from taking on life's challenges
while keeping the faith with your friends at your side
IN THEIR OWN
WORDS
SONG YOU WISH YOU'D
WRITTEN
"'Faithfully' by Journey or 'Don't Close Your Eyes' by Keith
Whitley."
MOMENT YOU'D LIKE
TO RELIVE
"We would like to go back to our first show and be a fly on
the wall. It would be so great to revisit the first time we shared
a stage together."
FIRST GIG
"The RBAR, a little college bar in Denton, Texas. We played
mostly covers and probably not very well. Our bar tab was definitely
more than we made at the door."
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM
CHALLENGES
"We never want to write the same song twice. That is our short-term
and long-term goal."
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
"Rodney Crowell, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon."
(ANSWERS PROVIDED COLLECTIVELY
BY THE ELI YOUNG BAND)
On the Web:
www.eliyoungband.com
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