SXSW 2005 Showcasing Artists
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Headrush
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TICK-TOCK THE HEADRUSH CLOCK With a name taken from a reference in a Hitchcock movie, the three members of HEADRUSH are huddled together tightly around a small table in the back of a dimly lit coffee shop in downtown Sacramento, California. This, quite simply put, is a rock band. A rock band choked to the point of strangulation with melodies. Guitars that cut like glass, then blanket you while you lick your own wounds. A drum that might kick you and a bass that might push you then give you a moment to almost apologize to them for it. Lyrics that swing you from the satirical and the alternative winter of discontent then catapult you right back so you can remember how you got there and even tell a friend. The city they call home is an eclectic mix of sounds and energy and intent. This band stands out amongst them all. They've come here to discuss the sound, the chemistry and the motor that makes this musical clock tick. "The seed of this unit started with a relationship even before a song," says Waymon Boone, singer, guitarist and "pendulum" of the clock. " Mike and I knew each other for years before this began. We met on tour through our past bands and created a bond and friendship that we knew would some how develop into some form of musical kinship. At the time I was in New York, I had just come off tour and was leaving the band I was in (Boone was the former front man of the Columbia Record's alt rock band Splender). I was pretty devoid of any feelings and thoughts. I was settling into an empty shell at the bottom of a sea then one day I literally lifted myself up, picked up a guitar and opened a floodgate that drowned me in a pool of sound that I couldn't get in the way of." "It just happened," said Boone. "I now know that I was in a state of shock, anger, and isolation and I had been grinding my teeth to dust. I felt there was a light burning me from the inside out exposing my guts and I had to capture it. I called Mike and before I knew it, Sacramento became my scenic backdrop." "I knew that he was assertive but I was surprised to see him at my front door guitar in hand," said Johnston. Mike is HEADRUSH's hard-hitting, energetic drummer. (Mike is a former member of Hollywood Records band, "Simon Says.") He represents the band's "short hand" that digs around the clock dictating the time for everyone else to follow. Johnston continues, "I know now we were setting the feverish work pace from day one. We immediately put the word out that we were looking for a great bass player and Allison was caught like a butterfly in the net." An angel heaven sent from above! Allison Johnson, the band's strong "long hand" bass player chimed in, "One day I got this strange unexpected call from Waymon saying "You don't know me, but we need to meet now!" "So I took a chance and made plans to meet them that night at their rehearsal space. Things were everywhere. Guitars thrown around, lyric sheets scattered and not much light, " explained Johnson. "At first I was very cautious and almost nervous. Waymon has a way of being very warm and inviting and seeming like he could snap at any given moment when he gets into something." "They played me some crude demos including a song called 'Suffocate Me with Love'. The title alone roped my curiosity to a boil. Its pissed off but really unusual lyrics pumped up to this really hard beat that got me going! When the song was done, I exclaimed, 'I'm in!' They hadn't even heard me play! She bellows out before a good smiling laugh. I felt like I had found a home where I could bring my talent along with some of my fretless work to the table. The next day we got together and played and it was electrifying to say the least. I was really taken by Waymon's ability to vocalize so passionately and with such accuracy. And Mike….well it seemed he could do anything short of building a house on the drum kit! I just found my path and weaved myself into the mix." "The music is real and it is intense," says Boone. Lyrically I just don't think I could be anymore truthful or paint anymore a more wildly colorful picture even if I tried about how I feel my place in the world. The world I left behind, and the world we're heading into. I feel like we've captured time and lightning in a bottle and we're just ready to shake and unleash it. The sky, in a way, can become the limit being in a trio and having such an incredible chemistry together. There is a lot of trust and respect here." Another night and a large crowd is gathered and enthused at the Boardwalk, a cool stomping ground for bands that come through town. Headrush takes the stage. The energy is high and the songs, which scream at you one minute, then leaves you trying to catch your breathe the next, hit you like a collective song hammer! This makes you realize this was the band you had to feel "lucky to see when" as the clock continues to musically tick. |
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TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
