Imagine what you would have if you took the raw energy of punk music, added a dash of Nirvana, threw in an awesome lead guitarist who actually plays lead, and topped it off with a part-time porn star on drums; what you would end up with is Gloria Bills, a band from the heart of Wildcat country. By combining pretty vocals, pain-filled lyrics, crunchy guitar riffs and dramatic tempo changes, this quartet from Lexington, Kentucky are carving themselves a niche at the forefront of a new musical movement called emo (short for emotional music).
Gloria Bills is the brainchild of twenty-two year-old singer/songwriter Jesse Taylor, who in March of '99 wanted to form a band with the best musicians that he had played with over the years. Enter Jerad, a brilliant twenty-one year old bassist whom he had known since high schoo. They found their drummer at a coffee house in the person of part-time porn star B, an energetic personality who routinely shatters his drumsticks while playing. The puzzle was completed when they picked up their lead guitarist Steve (who, coincedentally, doesn't like playing lead). Despite the occassional ego clash, the band stuck together and recorded their first self-titled CD after only two months together as a band.
Six months later, fate finds them signed to an indie label based out of Lexington called Hello Records. Their CD was re-released by the label, and they played their first major tour earlier this year. They played shows in Atlanta, Miami, Denver, and Las Vegas, among others. They are also currently planning out their next CD, and they will hopefully be in the studio by the begginning of the summer.
Their influences are as varied as the musicians themselves; Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Ramones, Jim Hendrix and Twisted Sister are but a few. They spend the majority of their time off playing the classic rock star role - getting drunk and chasing women. Jesse spends his time getting hurt so that he'll have some inspiration to draw from.
The name Gloria Bills found Jesse and Jerad while they were stumbling through a graffitti-filled Lexington alleyway. They had a concept for their name, but as of yet hadn't come up with anything that stuck. They wanted something that sounded like a person's name. So here they were, sloppy drunk in an alley when one of the two noticed a phrase that stuck out of the sea of spray pant: Gloria + Bill's. They describe the moment as a moment of clarity; the name fit the concept, and Gloria Bills was born.
The Internet has proven to be a valuable tool for the band. Hello Records found them through mp3.com. Two weeks later, and their CD became available for sale through the major webstores, such as cdnow.com and amazon.com. The lady who adorns the cover and inside sleeve of the CD, visual artist Angie Lehmkuhl, was found via the net. Not only is Gloria Bills at the front of a musical movement, they are also at the forefront of the internet revolution as well.
Music that's radio-friendly but still has a little sting to it is hard to find, but Gloria Bills seem to have discovered a secret formula. Four very different and unique personalities throw different elements into a cauldron, and what comes out is nothing short of spellbinding. If you're into music that makes you think as well as feel, than Gloria Bills should give you something to listen to.
