The Graduate goes to work

Indie sensation plays Springfield in support of new release

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Untitled Document Indie-rock group The Graduate was formed about a year-and-a-half ago from the remains of two central-Illinois bands, Best of Winter and Jack. After a few gigs here in town at such all-ages hotspots as Bread Stretchers and Club 10, The Graduate hit the road hard, playing dates across the States. Within four months of its inception, the band recorded a six-song EP that, in Graduate guitarist Max Sauer’s words, “took off fast.” By the time The Graduate reached its first anniversary, the band had been signed to Icon-MES, an established independent record label. The band recently finished recording a CD and is poised to push for national attention. “We really focused on writing good songs,” says Sauer on the secret of the group’s dramatic change from struggling local outfit to a band on its way to bigger things. “When we were younger, we didn’t pay much attention to writing.”
Buzz about The Graduate began building after Horror Show, the EP recorded early on, became the “Most Added Record” on the CMJ college-radio charts. (The College Music Journal is considered the Billboard or Rolling Stone of the indie-rock/college-radio scene.) Soon after the “most added” accolade was conferred, the members of The Graduate found their smiling faces on the cover of CMJ.
“It was a big surprise. We weren’t familiar with the magazine,” says Sauer of one of the biggest coups a young rock band could score. “Once we realized how cool it was, we got really excited.”
Capitalizing on the sudden attention, The Graduate quickly got to work recording a full-length album with producer Brian McTernan (Thrice, Senses Fall, Circa Survive, Moneen) at Baltimore’s Salad Days Studios, building a good collection of songs in the hope of propelling themselves into the stellar reaches of indie-pop stardom and perhaps the larger world of Top 40. “Working with Brian was one of my favorite experiences in music,” Sauer says. “He taught us to grow a lot.”
The new disk, named Anhedonia (a medical term that refers to a lack of pleasure in usually pleasurable experiences), is set for an April 10 national release. The band has decided to celebrate the occasion with a show back home in Springfield, but then The Graduate is back on the road for the rest of 2007 to support and promote sales of the disk. “When we got signed, we picked up a booking agency,” Sauer says. “We’ve been across the country since January.”
In March, The Graduate hit Austin for a showcase at the South by Southwest music conference. June brings a Summerfest appearance in Milwaukee, and the band plans to spend July and August on the Vans Warped Tour, performing on the Smartpunk Stage. The increased exposure will undoubtedly push The Graduate to another level of professional success, provided its members can withstand the demands of life on the road and living music 24/7, which right now doesn’t appear to be a problem. “We’re all pretty much in love with the lifestyle right now,” Sauer says. “We can’t believe it’s our career. We just want to thank all our family and friends for supporting us all these years.”

The Graduate performs at the Capital City Bar & Grill (3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy., 217-529-8580) on April 10, with The Struggle Against Silence and Asteria. Doors open at 6 p.m.; tickets are $10.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].

About The Author

Tom Irwin

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Tom Irwin, a sixth-generation Sangamon County resident, has played his songs and music for nearly 40 years in the central Illinois area with occasional forays across the country. He's contributed to Illinois Times since 2000 by writing Now Playing, a weekly music column, as well as features stories and other articles...

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