on Sayre: vocals Jeff Dicken: guitar Josh Adkins: drums Josh Boyson: bass John Stepp: guitar Nate Morgan: sampler
It's a cliche, because it's true. If you don't like the weather in Cleveland, hang around for a day, it'll change.
The city's sweeping moods has a way of affecting its musicians. ERASE THE GREY is the newest recipient of that coloration. In a mere five songs, 27 DAYS exhibits the many shades of the modern hard-rock sextet, from the point-blank menace of "Melting Side" to the poignant plea of "Rain." It's a great introduction to a mercurial band, who plans to further explore these directions and more on their full-length debut, due out on Universal in early 2003.
"I think the EP represents us well, because it fluctuates between our melodic side and our heavy side," says singer Jon Sayre. "We wanted to give people a full range of moods. Not every day is a great day; not every day is a bad day. We wanted to make a soundtrack to life, so to speak--express all the emotions we go through."
Before assembling the band through a network of friends, the singer had a clear vision in mind for the music. As stage manager for an up-and-coming Cleveland-based aggro-rock band, Jon had the opportunity to survey the current state of rock from the close proximity of the road. He soon realized there was a void to be filled.
"We wanted to bring emotion back into music, where it belongs. Every lyric, every scream, every guitar lick--even every drum fill--is a part of us. Everything I write comes from personal experience. Lyrically, 'Rain' is probably the most important to me. I knew a person who led a troubled life. I wrote the song about her." You can make out the details of that situation in the lyrics. Over a cinematic arrangement, Jon sings, "Everything she's loved has left her, in one way or another... She says, 'My life is falling down like rain. And I'll be the one that drowns." Troubled relationships? "Yeah, I've been through quite a few of those," he says with a laugh. "There's definitely no shortage of material there--I could write a few album's worth of songs based on bad relationships."
That approach--a sort of musical open heart surgery--has drawn a rabid response from a swelling fanbase, grown from the band's grassroots touring and promotional efforts. Jon, for one, has been shocked to hear new audiences singing his words back at him. "Waiting" is a particular crowd favorite, with lines like, "The thought of you in my head every moment I'm alive." And there have been more extreme forms of appreciation. "There's a girl in California who says she's going to walk down the aisle to 'Waiting,'" says the singer, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's kind of weird, but then again, it's really cool that we've connected with her in that way."
Producer, Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell) and Executive Producer, David Bottrill (Tool, Flaw) helped ERASE THE GREY capture that energy on disc. As the EP's title suggests, the band required a mere 27 days to pre-produce, record and mix the EP in Atlanta. In that time they worked diligently to assure they could stand behind every moment of every song. "They opened our eyes to ways we could build the songs, so that certain parts really hit you hard," Jon says of the process.
The rest came down to ERASE THE GREY's dedication to their shapeshifting muse. "The songs we write are totally for real," confirms Jon. "Everything is straight up. That comes down to everyone's passion. We're all in this for one reason: the music."
