In late November of 2001, Murray Yates was flying back to his hometown of Vancouver and struggling with the thought of starting over. A few weeks earlier, his band Templar (signed to EMI Canada) had broken up leaving Yates emotionally burnt and flat on his back. The singer/songwriter had spent two years fronting the group, during which time they released their debut album, toured the country, got nominated for best new artist at the Juno Awards and landed a Top 40 single called "Here We Go," which was also featured on EA's NHL 2001 Hockey. Says Yates, "It was a shame to work so hard to achieve some success, only to have it fall apart. I went from singing in front of 10,000 people to going home alone and being back at square one. I didn't know what to do or where to start."
On the ride home, a melody came to him with the words "tomorrow's a brand new day." "I kept hearing this song in my head, like a message or something," he says. "I went straight home, grabbed my guitar and wrote 'Brand New Day.' It's a song that symbolizes all the changes I was experiencing, and the fact that you can always start again no matter how dark and unforgiving the world seems. You can always find light at the beginning of a new day if you look hard enough. That song gave me the inspiration to keep going and a sense that everything was gonna be okay."
Talk about the power of positive thinking: five months later, a major label bidding war ensued, resulting in Yates signing with Hollywood Records. "I recorded a demo with Joe Moi, an old friend of mine who's worked with bands like Nickelback and Default," he recalls. "Within a week of handing out discs to a few friends, labels came calling."
So how'd he do it? By putting his heart into soulful, rock songs that draw power from his determination to find higher ground. "I locked myself away with an acoustic guitar and started writing," says Yates. "In the past, I've been in situations where I'd write songs wondering how they'd be received or marketed and things like that. This time, I didn't care what anybody thought. The songs had to affect me. That realization took a huge burden off my shoulders and allowed me to write with a sense of creative freedom I'd never felt before."
The result is Forty-Foot Echo, the stunning self-titled Hollywood debut from Yates and his phenomenal new band. Produced by Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank) and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Fuel, Weezer), the group's fully realized album deftly delivers emotion and melody through songs that are as beautiful and heartfelt as they are raw and cutting.
At the center of this infectious disc is "Save Me," which surges from the speakers with a deep moving melody and huge, majestic chorus. "It's one of the first songs I wrote for the album," recalls Yates. "It's about how I was feeling after the break-up of the old band; I was lost and alone and didn't know what to do with myself. My ex-girlfriend suddenly re-appeared from out of nowhere and helped me get through my depression. She really opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I could accomplish with a fresh start. The song is a tribute to her."
While "Save Me" will grip listeners on the first spin, hook-laden tracks like "Brand New Day," "Born Yesterday" and the grab-you-by-the-collar riffage of "Drift" and "Weakness" will keep them coming back for more. Lending color and texture to Yates' arrangements is rhythm guitarist Eric Schraeder, bassist Mike Sanchez, drummer Rob Kurzreiter and former Five For Fighting lead guitarist Pete Thorn.
"These guys are amazing players," says Yates. "They've taken my songs to a whole new level." As for the band name, Yates says, "It's a slapback, a reaction to an action. What you put out, comes back to you."
Recalling the group's genesis, Yates laughs, "Ironically, I put the band together in Los Angeles, but they're all fellow Canadians. Eric was the first guy to join; he's a great player who I kinda stole from a band back in Vancouver before I left for the States. Mike heard the demo and was so eager to join, that he flew himself down to audition, which really impressed me. Then he played for us and completely blew everyone away. Rob Kurzreiter was the first guy who tried out on the day we auditioned drummers, and he was so good, we told the rest of the drummers not to bother coming down. Through Rob, we found Pete, who's from Edmonton, and joined after coming off the road with Five For Fighting, which I thought was pretty amazing." Says Thorn, "I heard Murray's songs and definitely wanted to be part of this band. He writes great melodies that rock really hard. Plus it's really cool to hook up with a bunch of guys from the same hometown. I think we all really get each other. We're kindred spirits."
"I knew the songs were strong and would connect with people," says Yates. "When I recorded the demo and heard the songs back for the first time, I felt a renewed sense of confidence and all of a sudden, doors swung open. But more important than fame or money, I wanted to make a record that I could hold in my hands and say, 'I put my heart into this and made something I can be proud of.' That's what I set out to accomplish and with the help of the band and a great team, it happened."
Source: http://lidrock.howstuffworks.com/fortyfootecho-bio.htm
