On the rise
Popular
group Samesoul
releases ‘The Orange Album’
They
will perform in August,
September festivals in the area
By
Lela Jane Bradshaw
Contributing Writer
(August 2009) – Lead vocalist Chris Jesse describes
the band Samesoul’s unusual name saying, “It came from a song.
The meaning of the song basically is that some people think alike, some
people have the same soul, feel the same way about certain things.”
The growing popularity of this southern Indiana group shows that a good
many people all feel the same way about Samesoul’s music. And with
the release of the group’s first CD, “The Orange Album,”
fans will now be able to enjoy their favorite songs anytime they want.
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Over the past four years, Samesoul has assembled the present
group of musicians and developed their unique sound. Samesoul began
as a small acoustic group with Jesse and gradually the current lineup
came together.
“We just slowly but surely added everybody, and now we are right
where we want to be,” explains Jesse.
Samesoul is made up of Madison, Ind., residents Joe DiVito on bass guitar,
Jesse on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, John Adkinson the keyboard and
vocals, J.T. Glascow on drums, and the Columbus, Ind., musician Derick
Howard on lead guitar and vocals.
DiVito describes the group’s music saying, “It’s rock
and roll, but not heavy; more of an older style to it. A cross between
Jack Johnson, the Beatles and the Allman Brothers.”
According the Jesse, “We all like different kinds of music – we
all kind of meet in the middle.”
The resulting mix has evolved into a style that DiVito emphatically
states “can be enjoyed by everyone.”
Samesoul on June 20 celebrated the release of “The Orange Album”
with a party at the Electric Lady bar in Madison. This is the group’s
first CD and the album features songs written by various group members.
During the upcoming months, fans will have the chance to hear the group
perform live around southern Indiana. On Aug. 14-15, Samesoul will join
other Indiana musicians for the fifth annual Greenstock Music Festival,
located in Nashville, Ind., at the Valley Branch Retreat. Greenstock
is a family-friendly event that highlights environmental awareness.
Those attending the festival are invited to contact Valley Branch Retreat
for information on camping. On Sept. 18-19, Madison’s Bicentennial
Park will be the site of Samesoul’s own River City Rock and Roll
Festival in Madison. In addition to Samesoul, guests at this festival
will be able to enjoy ekoostik Hookah, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe
and a variety of other musical talents.
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Photo
by Don Ward Chris
Jesse (right) |
Samesoul is fortunate to include four songwriters in the
band and “all four of us have songs on the album,” notes Jesse.
He describes his personal writing process saying, “With me, I usually
write the music first, the lyrics come later.”
The next step is to present the song to the rest of the group for their
thoughts and ideas, with the final version growing out of that collaboration.
“An original band with original music,” says DiVito of the
resulting songs.
The recording of “The Orange Album” at Stable Studios in Spencer,
Ind., proved to be a positive experience for the group. “It just
came natural,” says Jesse. “The studio felt right.”
DiVito agrees; “It was really nice, there are good people there.”
The album came together in one solid day of work, with the group recording
“15 tunes in 15 hours,” in the words of Jesse.
Having honed their talents over the years performing for audiences,
the recording situation allowed the group’s strengths to truly
shine.
“It’s funny; we actually recorded live. We’ve always
been a live band, that’s where we feel we excel,” says Jesse.
Divito appreciated the ease of hearing the other musicians when playing
in the studio. “When you play live it’s tricky to get the
sound just right. It’s nice to be able to hear everything so clearly.”
With the debut album on store shelves in downtown Madison’s Electric
Lady and the Madison Music Center, Samesoul is now looking ahead to
assemble songs for their next CD. “It’s always been a goal,
the goal now is just to not stop putting out albums,” says Jesse,
“I love the studio and the creative process.”
• For more information on Samesoul and to find out about upcoming performances, visit: www.myspace.com/samesoul.