Coming soon, East Lansing will be sweeping the nation. Well, not really, but The Giveaway will be, and they'll be bringing their deeply rooted East Lansing vibe with them. This now five-piece band has marked their territory in it's hometown in Michigan, and is ready to proceed onto many another cities in the US. Fully formed in late 2003, The Giveaway has just recorded an amazing self-titled EP, incredibly produced, which is sure to get many people's attention.
In the many articles written by local Lansing papers, The Giveaway has been clichéd with comparisons of components from Jimmy Eat World to Weezer, to which I say pish-posh to! The Giveaway has a sound far from those bands, nor any other band for that matter. Between their intensely truthful lyrics and enchanting yet calming piano, their electric to acoustic guitars, The Giveaway produce some of the best musical talent out of a college band since the history of college bands forming. Songs like "Bleed" and "Clouds Collide" are so involved that you can't help but have a feeling deep within your stomach while listening to them.
"We wanted to make honest, passionate, powerful music that could still be called pop but not sound like it was stamped out from music row. We are really into British bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, Doves, Elbow. So we wanted to take what they were doing and mix it with what artists like Duncan Sheik, Dashboard Confessional, Nick Drake, and other singer songwriters were doing," Travis Shaver (lead vocals.)
There are some songs that you take with you in your life that mark the memories of summertime fun, spring romances, winter depression, or the beauty of autumn, this album is a brave example of The Giveaway's ability to capture the moments - bitter and sweet - within their songs. While their EP is amazingly crafted, the members of the band highly stress seeing them live to get a better feel for how they have matured as a band since the recording of it.
"Since only August, we have developed an unprecedented fan base, we have played all over Lansing and East Lansing, and surrounding areas. We’ve played in Chicago. Played with Ryan Cabrera, Phantom Planet, Steriogram, The Thrills, and the best part - the music keeps getting better," Josh Hoisington (bass.)
Even though they have gained the recognition amongst bands aforementioned, they have yet to be signed to a record label. But, that hasn't dampened their spirits any. They still feel they are growing as a band, and are being very patient for their time to come. However, they aren't completely unseen by executive eyes.
"We just got a call... from Discmakers and Taxi Publishing informing us that we made it into the top 15 of 1000 bands in the independent music world series... We made it on the compilation disc to be sent out to a bunch of A & R people. Hopefully the song will spark interest – although we know our best work has yet to be recorded. We just confirmed a show in July opening up for Interscope Recording Artist Sleeping at Last." - Paul Krauss (keys.)
The amazing thing about The Giveaway though is that while opening for Phantom Planet and bands of the sort, each of the members is still working towards their degrees at Michigan State University. Some of them taking classes from music theory to psychology. But it's apparent that using their degrees to get 9-5 jobs is taking a back burner to taking The Giveaway as far as it can possibly go.
"I plan to play music for the rest of my life regardless of where it takes me but I feel confident in my band mates that we will go far in what we are doing now. I want to finish my bachelor's in Advertising and German but my music career holds precedence over any job in Advertising," Mark Colwell (lead guitar.)
Unlike other 'pop' bands out there, The Giveaway is very concerned with the way their music affects their fans. They blend something that people have never heard in a familiar way, which has gained them a huge fan base in and around their area. Within six months of their first two demos, they sold over a thousand copies. That sounds like a great start to getting your music out to as many people as possible. And being able to play out sold out shows wherever they are booked shows how much their fans appreciate them.
"If I had one wish for people who listen to our music, it would be that
they would connect to our music in their own individual way. It would play a role in their life in whatever way they wanted which would differ from one person to another," Mark Barry (drums.)
The Giveaway will be playing gigs all through May around the East Lansing area, and are hoping to go on tour this summer to other places around the country. Be sure you check these cats out when they come to your town, and find out what their name really means.
For more information on The Giveaway visit www.thegiveaway.net for tons of photos, audio samples, tour dates, news, and to purchase some of their EP's that are available.
by: Chad Malone
Coming soon, East Lansing will be sweeping the nation. Well, not really, but The Giveaway will be, and they'll be bringing their deeply rooted East Lansing vibe with them. This now five-piece band has marked their territory in it's hometown in Michigan, and is ready to proceed onto many another cities in the US. Fully formed in late 2003, The Giveaway has just recorded an amazing self-titled EP, incredibly produced, which is sure to get many people's attention.
