A growing 'Vine': Springdale band hopes their musical reputation spreads with new album
Posted on Friday, December 15, 2006
On their MySpace artist's page, Soloman's Vine didn't list their record label.
"Gotta make that record first!" reads the band's reply.
But it's time the Springdale band updated their Web site.
Tonight, the band will drop their debut album, "Heartbreak Radio," a collection of 11 original tunes, at a release party at The Gypsy in Fayetteville.
"I'm having a hard time trying to get a grasp on it," said drummer Jonathon Lindeman in a telephone interview.
Lindeman and bassist David Bayles were friends while attending Springdale High School. Through Bayles, Lindeman was introduced to guitarists Jon Dennie and Michael Tilsdale, who also graduated from Springdale.
Since their first performance together in August 2002, the band has performed in Northwest Arkansas, southern Missouri and Tulsa, Okla. Although the band has had original material in their repertoire for years, they needed to take their time to creating a quality first record, Lindeman said.
"It's like a job interview," he said.
He believes they got it right. "Heartbreak Radio" was recorded by Mike Bailey's Dream Makers Production studio in Springdale, with Bailey serving as the band's producer.
"He got every last bit of talent out of us," Lindeman said.
The sound of the release is the same the band has had since the beginning, Lindeman said.
"It's almost southern rock," he said. "It's kinda country, but we're not all fiddles and banjos. We're not rock because we have acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies."
But considering the band members' influences, it becomes clear how Solomon's Vine culls their sound. Lindeman and Bayles are fans of '80s hair bands. Tisdale, the principal guitarist, enjoys bluesy rock the most. And lead singer Dennie identifies with classic country such as Patsy Cline, Lindeman said.
The result is a wide mix of sounds that draws from each member's tastes. Because the band has a large repertoire of songs, members drew songs from a hat to see which would be included on the album.
The bulk of the tracks are about relationships, but listeners will recognize local references in a few of the songs, Lindeman said. One is about growing up in the country, and another is a tribute to Maxine's Tap Room, a bar the band frequented before a July fire forced it to close.
After the release party, the band plans to record another album. The goal is to push themselves forward as a band and to pursue careers in music, Lindeman said.
"Heartbreak Radio" should be available online today at digstation.com, cdbaby.com and at www.solomonsvine.com, Lindeman said. Negotiations are in process for local music vendors to sell the album as well.
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