.jpg)
Poster Art by Amy Moyer.
Related Articles
Acoustic rock band Churchill has been together less than a year, but things have moved so quickly for them that they are practically running to keep up. in that time, this six-piece band has developed a unique sound from a confluence of three backgrounds, gaining them a lot of attention and a rapidly growing fan base. They've also had some great things go their way--including being voted into Channel 93.3's Top 3 bands for Hometown for the Holidays 2009, winning a spot on the bill for Mile-Hi Fidelity's show at SXSW, and support from pop/rock band Meese (with whom Churchill bandmates Tim Bruns and Mike Morter now share a duplex).
Bassist Tyler Rima says of Meese, "We've all been fans of theirs forever, so to have any sort of compliment coming from their direction was huge."
Guitarist/lead vocalist Tim Bruns, agrees. "We've had a lot of late night chats with those guys, and Pat and Nate [Meese] have given Mike and me a lot of advice...so much of who where we are [as a band] is because of those guys."
Despite the comradery between the bands, Churchill has a sound all its own, deriving from a unique blend of backgrounds. Long-time friends Tim Bruns and mandolin player Mike Morter come from a bluegrass/country background; Tyler Rima and Joe Richmond (drums) have a rock vibe; and cellist Amy Moyer and pianist Bethany Kelley have more of a classical background. When they come together musically, they form a sound that draws from all three, but sounds like none of them--a dynamic that shows up particularly in the band's songwriting process. Says Bruns, "I'll write a song or an idea, or a chorus, and bring it down in the basement, and we just kind of build around it, and everyone kind of writes their part."
Rima adds, "It's one of these things where it might be a song, but once everyone gets their hands on it, it usually ends up different."
The band was planning to record a new EP this month, but for fans who were waiting for it might have to wait a bit longer--because while on the road recently, Churchill decided to expand the project to a full-length record, hopefully to be completed by July. Says Rima, "We've written too much, and we've developed a lot, and as much as maybe an EP is the sensible thing to do, we really want to push ourselves."
If you haven't had a chance to catch Churchill yet, they are doing a show this Friday, April 2, with The Northern Way at the Hi-Dive at 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 day of show. Doors open at 6:00 PM; show starts at 8:00 PM. An expanded transcript of this conversation with Churchill is posted at The Oomph Music Blog.
For the expanded Churchill interview:
Comments