Archeology

While most bands either have someone write their biography for them or pretend and write it in third person, we decided that since we are the experts on ourselves, we might as well write it ourselves. As contrite as it sounds, the story of how this band came to be can best be summarized with the statement, “music brought us together”.

I (Jason) was producing a singer/songwriter album in the wilds of Central Washington and needed a bass player. I heard of Daniel through mutual acquaintances and decided to give him a try. His sense of melody and rhythm blew us away and we ended up using him for the bass parts on the album. 6 months later an old friend, who was living in Michigan at the time, and I decided to start a project called Mon Marie. Once again, we went to Daniel for bass but this time as a full band member rather than a studio musician. The band’s line-up stayed consistent until our drummer couldn’t make a show…enter Benjamin Haysom. Ben is one of those guys who is down for anything all the time, even if it means stealing his parents jeep to drive from Central Washington to Eugene, Oregon just to play drums for us.

After that band dissolved, Daniel, Ben and I decided to start writing for a project that, until that point, had only been a fun idea. We wanted the music to not only be a reflection of our musical tastes but also provide a live show that would truly connect us with our audience. We also wanted the music to be a challenge. The solution to this dilemma came in the way of incorporating a variety of instruments from the glockenspiel to the melodica and even the French horn while exploring melodies that used creative structuring but retained their overall composure and likability. Finally, lyrically, we really wanted to use word pictures and subjects that are often overlooked. For our first ep, Change of Address, we decided to write about the city we love and live in…Portland, Oregon. We included lyrics about our experiences in the city and just about the city itself.

After we had figured out a musical direction we were then faced with the challenge of choosing a band name that captured who we were. We didn’t want to over think this process or make it into a philosophical pursuit, so Daniel and I just chose the name of our other interest besides music…archaeology. The detective process of piecing together clues from the past in order to paint a picture of what life was like for people that have lost their voice due to the merciless onslaught of time has always been fascinating. Daniel and I have spent a great deal of time visiting ruins and other archaeological sites while on tour and have even taken part in some digs.

So there you have it! The unabridged story of how we came to be Archeology. There will be many more chapters to add I’m sure and it is my hope that all of you will have a part in writing what is to come of this band.