Ram Vela wants you to give his band a chance.
With one listen to Whitman, Vela is confident the music will stir emotions and make way for this new breed of indie rock.
He calls it a mash up of each of the members’ personal influences — ranging from The Melvins to Radiohead — with the end result, “a mix of melancholy lyrics, soulful howls, harmonizing guitars, ever-shifting back beats and haunting electric keys that binds Whitman tightly together,”
Each song evokes untold stories and unseen images in the mind of the listener, the band’s biography states, carefully crafted by Vela, Kyle Johnson (Rhodes, guitar), Ryan Ermis (vocals, bass) and Trevor Davis (drums).
Ever since the band formed in 2003 the guys have gained a solid momentum in the elbow-to-elbow Austin music scene and taken their act across the country.
“We’re really focusing on playing outside of Austin,” he said. “In 2005 and 2006 we were playing two shows a week but weren’t really getting much of a crowd. So we decided to separate shows and spread them out.”
Whitman is set to make its Rio Grande Valley debut tonight during McAllen’s Music Afterhours Outdoor Concert series at Archer Park. The series, sponsored by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and the City of McAllen features various styles of music on one bill. The outdoor shows were created to bring a diverse audience together and expose talent to a new breed of potential fans, organizers said.
It will be a homecoming for Vela, who was raised in Alamo.
As a teenager he spent a lot of his free time going to Indie shows at Trenton Point and La Villa Real and even dabbled in a few cover bands to hone his chops.
After graduating from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial High School in 2001, Vela went on to the University of Texas at Austin where he met future members of Whitman.
Vela believes the key to surviving Austin’s “cess pool” of musicians/bands is to create a buzz, sparingly, and leave audiences eager for more.
Part of the band’s exposure came from an unofficial South by Southwest showcase last year alongside singer-songwriter Jonah Matranga, which Vela says proved uber successful.
Their ultimate goal is to land a record deal.
“We’re working hard for representation,” Vela said. “We are the prime example of a do-it-yourself attitude. We’ve played shows across North America and the response has been incredible.”
Right now, the band’s set includes material from, Torch Songs, an album they recorded in the fall of 2006. The songs are passionate with an underlying aggression that the band executes wisely.
“I’m excited to play the Valley and I’m hoping for a great crowd,” Vela said. “We just want to get our music out there.”
The city’s next outdoor show is scheduled for Jan. 4 and continues the first Friday of every month to supplement Art Walk and on the third Friday of every month at the McAllen Convention Center Grandstand.
The outdoor concerts are free and open to the public. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets and/or chairs.
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Whitman
with Champagne for Radio and Farias
WHEN: Tonight, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Archer Park, 100 N. Main Street, McAllen
COST: FREE
FOR MORE INFO: (956) 682-2871
Also
The Gazellles with Dignan, The Requested, The Citys, Ambellina and
WHEN: Tonight, 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: McA2 Creative Incubator, 1001 S 16th St., McAllen (corner of South 16th St and Jackson)
COST: $5
FOR MORE INFO: www.myspace.com/goodbarproductions
On the Web: www.myspace.com/whitmannoise or www.listentowhitman.com
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Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.
