Curtis Shamlin - vocals Jason Garcia - guitar Jeremy Davis - bass Mike Sharp - drums
How does a fresh young band from Fresno become known all over the world? You'll find your answer in an explosive new musical four-pack called GRYP.
This hard-edged rock powerhouse - featuring vocalist Curtis Shamlin, bassist Jeremy Davis, drummer Mike Sharp, and six-stringer Jason Garcia - epitomizes the perfect mix of inspired heaviness, cleverly-crafted melodies, and seesaw dynamics that whip the listener around like a sonic roller coaster. Matched with a work ethic not seen since early Reagan-era punk rock, GRYP has generated a natural street buzz that no amount of prefabricated hype can equal.
Since forming in 1997, the group released two exceptional indie CDs - Real and Indecision - and took it upon themselves to do everything a label would do. For starters, the members of GRYP serviced their music to press and radio, ultimately lighting up the airwaves on several college and specialty radio stations across North America and Europe. Then, when it came to touring, the group didn't complain about OPEC-squeezing fuel prices or club bookers seemingly incapable of returning calls. Instead, driven by sheer excitement over their music, GRYP hit the open highway performing in nearly every state and providence in the U.S. These dates included several high profile shows, from the Vans Warped Tour to opening for groups like 311, P.O.D., Fenix TX, and MxPx. By now, the group's fanbase stretches around the globe as evidenced by the remarkable number of hits - 100,000 per month - on their very popular website, www.gryp.net.
The question now is what happens when a fired-up, hard-working, national act like GRYP pairs up with a motivated, go-getter like Walden Media? For GRYP, it's a self-titled new album with enough pure kinetic energy and wicked dynamite drive to make this their biggest breakthrough yet.
"Being from Fresno," says Sharp, "we aren't caught up in the carbon copy sounds of Bakersfield and Sacramento where every band seems to emulate Korn, the Deftones, Papa Roach, and Alien Ant Farm. Our dynamics come across differently, especially on the new album. Almost on an emo level, we build huge dynamics from verse to chorus so it's not all in-your-face from beginning to end. Our goal is to meld beautiful melodies with chaotic bursts of energy."
The group's self-titled new album also blends a dark, twisted feel with lyrics that often nail the listener with constructive concepts. Using their lead single "Left Behind" as an example, Shamlin explains, "Every one of us faces decisions about making something right, correcting a mistake, or simply changing something harmful in our lives. Regretfully, we often sit there debating with ourselves for so long that the opportunity to make that change passes us by. The song encourages us to make those decisions before they are made for us."
From start to finish, GRYP's self-titled new album delivers the type of explosive elements that will catapult them beyond their underground cult status without losing one ounce of the street cred they earned through solid footwork and determination. From deep lyrics about missing home ("Can't Explain") to a blistering retaliation against former day job supervisors ("Ungrateful"), GRYP writes songs that strike a chord with fans in a format that clashes melodic pop sentiment with pent-up bursts of sonic fury for a musical landscape patterned after life's own chaos.
GRYP is fired-up, their fans hungry, and their exciting new album ready to drop.
